I’m having discussions with a start-up in the New England section of the U.S. that offers a unique approach and capability to hydrokinetics; they’re interested in having my team and me deliver a set of “biz dev” actions aimed at helping them advance their concept into real-world projects. (more…)
Re: My recent post Making the Transition from Oil, my friend from Germany writes: Wow, thank you for this insightful response to my question. It is my hope that oil will lose its economic advantage in the near future.
It’s going to take time. As you know, oil isn’t used for electricity, but for transportation. Thus it competes with EV batteries. As long as we don’t care about the consequences of oil (like terrorism, in addition to the health and environmental aspects), it will be around for quite a while. And the world political issues, e.g., the U.S. relationship with the royal family and the mega-wealthy of Saudi Arabia (i.e., the funders of ISIS) doesn’t help.
It’s the birthday of Isaac Newton, perhaps the best-known person in the history of science. Though there was other genius to his credit, Newton’s celebrity derived mainly from his insight into universal gravitation and thus the Laws of Motion that apply to all things on Earth as well as celestial objects. Ironically, his fame was amplified even further because of the stunning nature by which this paradigm was shattered in the 20th Century, not once, but twice. (more…)
A friend from Germany writes: My boyfriend and I were discussing offshore drilling last night, he thinks this will gain momentum once oil prices go up. I am optimistic about renewables and a phasing out of fossil fuels within the next 20 years. As an energy expert, what are your thoughts about the future of offshore drilling in the USA? Thank you for your expert opinion!
What a great question. (more…)
494 years ago today, Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther for condemning the Catholic Church in his 95 theses. This serves as a reminder that, of the many common bonds shared by all humankind, this one serves as perhaps our most admirable: We celebrate bravery in the face of that which we find morally repugnant.
As we move further into the 21st Century, two things are becoming increasingly clear: (more…)
I don’t yet have access to the full version of the article whose “teasers” are here, but I infer from its title that its reasoning is consistent with the position that Scientific American has taken on CCS (carbon capture and sequestration) over the years, i.e., that, for a blend of technological and economic reasons, it’s a fool’s errand.
It appears that we need to adjust our thinking according to words of the smart folks who brought us observations like: (more…)
In response to my post on Thomas Edision, Frequent commenter Brian McGowan notes that, in the early days of electrification, the Wizard felt that many American households should employ batteries powered by wind turbines to be entirely self sufficient in terms of energy. Of course, this calls to mind all the decisions our society made over the last century or so, most of which, in retrospect, turned out to have significantly negative environmental consequences.
In the modern world today, people are connected to each other virtually. From ordering food, to getting a mode of entertainment, to making business deals, or even booking tickets, everything can be done using the internet and a smartphone/computer. Hence majority of the people spend time indoors, whether it’s their workplace or home. Using energy efficient appliances not only reduces the electricity intake, but also has less greenhouse-gas emissions, higher longevity, and also costs less to operate. (more…)
Thomas Edison demonstrated his first incandescent light bulb on this date in 1879, a feat noteworthy for several reasons:
This success came at the end of an enormous number of experiments whose results were disappointing. When someone suggested that Edison was a failure, he replied, “Oh, I’m not a failure; I know 10,000 things that don’t work.” That has to sit close to the top of the most inspirational things ever to usher from the lips of a would-be entrepreneur. (more…)
Here’s a note I wrote to a friend who had been without Internet access for a few days…..
When you go back to 2GE, you’ll see a predictable line of discussion in the comments. MarcoPolo (Ayn Rand’s grandson?) is remaking his point that ideologies are for losers, morals that would rein in pure capitalism are for sissies, and that those of us who are worried about the future of our civilization harbor a secret hatred of humankind. The dude is nothing if not consistent. And speaking of consistent, Les Blevins is going into his sixth year of blasting me because I think the idea he’s promoting has no merit.
Oh well. I’m sure 2016 will bring us lots of exciting and unpredictable ideas as well.
