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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Promising New Renewable Energy TechnologiesI volunteer to answer questions regarding clean energy on Quora.com. Here, Tobi Ogunnaike writes: What are the most promising startups or companies pursuing innovative approaches to renewable energy generation?

You happen to be talking to the right guy. For the last 7 years, my work has been focused on reviewing literally thousands of cleantech business plans, to winnow out the few that make the most sense. If you go to 2GreenEnergy.com/investors, you will see a short summary of each of the couple dozen such concepts that I hold in high regard. Hope that helps.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Solar LanternDean writes: I can’t tell if this solar lantern is real or crazy.

I’m sure it’s real, and it sounds like a good idea. If I still did a lot of camping like I did when I was younger, I’d be sure to get one.

Left: a pic I took of my son in Yosemite

 

 

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biofuels

Adventures in BiofuelsA colleague asked for my two cents’ worth on Joule Unlimited, a biofuels company that taps into the strength of cyanobacteria. I spent some time on their website and have the following to report:

There’s nothing theoretically impossible about this, but I’m skeptical that it will ever become practical. Not only do I doubt the credibility of the company and its claims, on the basis of certain things they said in some of their videos that contradict one another or are contrary to basic science, but I’m not a believer in the biofuels industry as a whole. (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

2GreenEnergy Hits MIT Enterprise ForumFor anyone who wants to hear me speak and happens to be in Santa Barbara next week, I’ll be making a short (13-minute) presentation + Q&A at the MIT Enterprise Forum—Central Coast next Wednesday evening. Please see below.

My talk is on corporate sustainability, which I see as a mixed bag. Based on the program, I’m a bit worried that I’ll be the only one not simply cheering for all the good things (and there are plenty of them) in the world of responsible corporate behavior. This has the potential to cheese some people off, but, as I told the guy who invited me, I won’t say something that compromises my integrity just to make a roomful of people smile.

Hold the overripe tomatoes, please. (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

craig_close_upHere’s good news about the demise of coal.  “Over the past several years, a confluence of economic challenges and regulatory hurdles has hobbled the coal industry,” John Drexler, Arch’s chief financial officer, said in a filing with a US bankruptcy court in Missouri.

No lie?  We all know that coal is killing more than one million people a year, and making many millions sick.  It comes as news that the people of the Earth simply don’t want this anymore?

Sorry for the sarcasm, but it’s hard to imagine an educated person’s making an assertion like this.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Going Greener with your BackyardPollution of the land, sea and air, disappearing plant and animal species, global warming and nuclear threats is something that cannot be ignored. Going green is helping yours and mine planet to be healthier but at the same time it helps you with saving the energy, resources and money. If you think that your backyard can be greener, but you do not have idea how, read this article and find out. (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The Anthropocene EraThere are more than 140 synthetic chemicals in your bloodstream. There are PCBs in the Arctic.

These are two of the many thousands of reasons that geologists claim that we’ve moved from the Holocene Era to the Anthropocene, as described in the article linked above.

While there is no turning back, there’s plenty of time to make adjustments in our civilization to ensure that this new era isn’t the end of the world,  both figuratively and literally.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Another Note to the Pro-Nuke PeoplePredictably, the pro-nuke group of which I’m a part took issue with my defense of renewable energy.  They pointed out that a) one single member does not speak for the group as a whole, b) there are some really bright people in the group, and most significantly, c) the only positive aspect of wind energy lies in the subsidies it receives from the government; it’s totally incapable of making a real difference on the planet.  This prompting me to write: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Christopher HitchensI just came across something that reminded me of how sorely the world misses the late Christopher Hitchens. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Some of the Pro-Nuke People Really Don't Like Renewables At AllA member of the pro-nuke group writes:  Craig, we have no $ interest in nuclear.  We have concern for our descendants and all the species around us.  We have concern for facts, since human progress proceeds no other way. You know this.  What motivates you to support energy sources that waste resources, species, $ and intellect?  So, Craig, what’s your personal interest that motivates your denial of those facts?  

 

I’m like you guys in the sense that I don’t have a dog in the race financially.  I suppose that’s not 100% true, as a few of my clients in the RE space have given me stock in their companies whose value is a function of the success of renewables.  Having said that, like you, my real motivation for my actions is the sustainability of our civilization. (more…)

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