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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Corruption in U.S. PoliticsQuestion:  How long has it been since the catastrophic U.S. Supreme Court decision “Citizens United,” that granted corporations the power to spend as much money as they wish to influence our elections?

Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.

Relevance:  The will of the American people is constantly frustrated by the fact that the interests of rank-and-file voters, i.e., those who do not make enormous campaign contributions, is routinely ignored.  Whether your personal favorite issues are in clean energy, universal healthcare, an improved justice system, sustainable agriculture, or anything else, you need to come to terms with the fact that, as long as Citizens United remains law of the land, your concerns make no difference whatsoever in the behavior of the elected leaders.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

What the Migration to Renewable Energy Looks LikeA reader notes: Renewable power generation technology faces three inherent problems: transmission, storage, and intermittent generating dynamics. Large scale economically viable storage solves the problems of all three to a major extent. We can but live in hope, and encourage all those thousands of researchers working around the globe on this technology.

There is no reason to “live in hope.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Tips on Buying Green Light BulbsThe LED trend is in full swing. LED technology continues to improve in performance, reliability, and efficiency, while simultaneously decreasing in cost throughout the lighting market. Upgrading your existing lighting to a more efficient option can potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year. Making the switch can be intimidating, but there are plenty of resources available to make the transition easier—and much more affordable! (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

How to Instill More Eco-Friendly Habits into Your KidsMost of us agree it is a good idea to do what we can to make our earth a healthier place to live. Kids are impressionable, and will often mirror the behavior they see, so it is vital to instill eco-friendly habits into them at a young age. Many habits that are good for our earth are easy for kids to do if just trained and encouraged at home.

Turn Off Lights

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Sustainable EatingHumanitarian and 2GreenEnergy supporter Leo Schwaiger (pictured) sent me this video, with subject line: “The Most Important Speech You’ll Ever Hear–Gary Yourofsky,” and commented, “You may like him.”

Yes, he’s amazing.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Your Influence on the WorldI just had a funny little experience that I thought I’d share.  I was helping my son study for his sociology final, and we came upon the concept of the Malthusian Trap, the prediction that the population will rise to the point at which it can no longer be supported by the Earth’s finite resources.   Of course, the situation is even more pronounced now than it was when Malthus (pictured) had this idea about 200 years ago, given the realities of global warming, ocean acidification, and the ever-accelerating rate of species extinction.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business
David Crane, chief executive of NRG Energy Inc., smiles during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Goldman Sachs North American Energy Summit in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.†Crane discussed the outlook for renewable energy and the importance of sustainable power development for businesses.†Photographer: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images

David Crane, chief executive of NRG Energy Inc., smiles during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Goldman Sachs North American Energy Summit in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.†Crane discussed the outlook for renewable energy and the importance of sustainable power development for businesses.†Photographer: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A reader notes:

NRG Energy Inc’s CEO David Crane, a former investment banker who led (the independent power producer) for 12 years, has been removed by his board and investors (including Goldman Sachs) for the reasons given in his statement to the WSJ:  ”Investors made clear they would rather have had profits from the power-generation business returned to them through dividends and stock buybacks and not poured into clean-energy enterprises.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

On a Carbon TaxThose of you who caught Dr. James Hansen’s interview yesterday on “Democracy Now!” noted how unimpressed he was with the climate change proceedings in Paris.  In brief, he has low regard for the basic concept emerging from the talks (putting it kindly—he called it “a fraud”), i.e., the notion that each country should volunteer to meet whatever emissions reduction target they feel they can. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

High-Altitude Wind: Examining the MeritsHere’s something for all you fans of high-altitude wind.

There are at least a dozen variations on the theme, but the concept here, in brief, goes like this: energy is extracted from the high-velocity wind aloft as a kite, attached to a cable, is pulled outward from a base that houses a generator.  When the cable is fully extended, the kite is moved, via a robot, to a position where the wind is no longer blowing it away from the base, and the cable is retracted, enabling the process to be repeated indefinitely.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

An Advanced Steam Technology That Shakes The Steam BasicsSince the invention of a steam pump by Thomas Savery in 1698 steam has been used for multiple processes. Application have included pulling trains, creating electricity from nuclear plants, cooling with an absorption exchanger or simply heating liquid or air with a heat exchanger. Steam design has been done the same ways for hundreds of years.
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