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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Rajendra Pachauri, chief of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and overseer of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), was good enough to grant me an interview for my third book (Renewable Energy–Following the Money).  Here is a fabulous picture-book that walks the viewer through some of the most inspirational achievements of 2015 from an environmental perspective.

And there have been a truckload of them.  Enjoy.

Let’s celebrate.  And then get back to work.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Sustainability Starts with EnergyA reader notes: In 20 years or so, literally 1% of the land will be covered by PV. 

I respond:

Even if we powered the whole world with solar, we wouldn’t need 1% of the Earth’s landmass to do it (though you’re at the right order of magnitude). 1% of the Earth’s surface is 1% (4 pi 4000^2) square miles ~ 2*10^6 square miles.  The landmass is ~30% of that, or ~ 6*10^5 square miles ~ 1.5*10^13 square feet.  At 20 watts/square foot and a 15% capacity factor, that’s ~ 4.5*10^13 watts = 45 TW which is ~ 3 times more than we’re using now globally.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

More on the Path To Clean EnergyRegarding my post: The Path to Clean Energy, a university professor in Arizona notes:  Craig, I agree with everything, save one thing: why can’t we lead a worldwide effort to spaced-based solar, with huge energy fields in China and India to proliferate clean solar. It is too expensive for us to do it alone, but a pooled effort might be a spectacular cooperative effort. And now Space-X can lead the way with reusable launch vehicles. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Plants Sequester Our CO2 EmissionsContrary to popular belief, plants represent a net zero in terms of capturing CO2. While they’re alive, they convert carbon dioxide to sugar, but after they die, those more complex, higher-energy molecules break down and that carbon is re-released into the atmosphere.

If our civilization is to avoid catastrophic climate change, it has two basic choices: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

6a00d8341c51c053ef013483687fb3970c-450wiFor those harboring the erroneous belief that the quality of marketing messages has remained largely unchanged over the past few decades, I offer this: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

Biomass Has Its Pros and ConsIt’s hard to over-estimate the importance of biomass as a component to a sustainable mix of renewable energy resources—largely for its capacity to convert streams of waste, many of which are toxic, into useful chemical or electrical energy.

That’s the good news.  As far as the bad news is concerned:

• Many of these “waste streams” are not waste at all, but rather plant material grown specifically for this purpose.  In these cases, we need to consider the footprint of creating the feedstock: planting, irrigating, fertilizing, harvesting, and processing, not to mention the issues associated with the use of the land.

• Processing biomass without creating its own stream of toxic waste is still an evolving science. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Notes on Distributed GenerationI met Bruce Wilson in the sandbox in kindergarten, where we were schoolmates in Philadelphia. Though we lost track of one another for many decades, I’m happy that we’ve reconnected via 2GreenEnergy, where he offers a steady stream of cogent remarks, mostly on the need to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment, a subject to which he’s dedicated his entire career.  I salute you for the work you’ve done, and I thank you for your comments.

Yesterday, Bruce noted:  I like to think that the future of energy is distributed power with many small local producers helping bring greater balance to a shared system much like the rural electrification program. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Our Energy Future: 100% Renewables?

Here is another voice in the rising chorus of those who suggest that an all-renewable energy future is a practical reality, in fact, the only practical reality given the environmental plight we face.

Insofar as the article is written by Ralph Nader (pictured), a consumer advocate whose name is most closely associated with the use of  the public sector to create a better tomorrow, the reader should be prepared for the fact that government leadership sits at the forefront of the plan outlined herein. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Most Common Energy Escapes in Your Home and How to Stop ThemEnergy bills are on the rise, and homeowners everywhere are looking for ways to lower their costs. While you may dream of going solar or investing in new appliances, these changes may not be in your budget. The great news is there are other steps you can take to stop drafts, reduce heat transfer, and reverse the upward trend with your electricity.

Stock up on Weather Stripping

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Objectivity on New Energy IdeasIn the comments to my post on new energy paradigms, a reader takes me to task:  I find your comments disingenuous, Craig, as I have mostly seen you play the comfortable role of the skeptic when it comes to out-of-the-box exotic technologies. It’s easy to play the role of the armchair skeptic. …. There are many important solutions unfolding but they struggle and they need supporters, helpers, not skeptics.

Here’s my position: I believe violations of the laws of thermodynamics are impossible, and that anyone who thinks otherwise is a crackpot, a fraud, or an ignoramus. (more…)

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