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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Five Energy Drains You Should Get Rid of in Your HomeHere’s another set of tips, exclusively for 2GreenEnergy readers, from Brooke Chaplan (pictured).  

Your very home is a major source of energy consumption. Improving the efficiency of the world’s homes in terms of energy usage could make a big impact on the economies of nations, as well as on the global environment. Today, governments and non-government agencies develop programs to help consumers conserve household energy. While there are many ways to save on energy use, the average homeowner is best served by focusing on these five primary household energy drains. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

From 2GreenEnergy Intern Fabio Porcu: Smart Sensors for Smarter CitiesIn a world where our cities are growing day by day, it is increasingly important to control all the different aspects of city life when it comes to energy consumption. For this reason, an increasing number of cities are adopting smart sensors in such a way to regulate the use of water, gas and electricity. Furthermore, it is possible to collect data about the weather (air pressure, temperature, speed and direction of wind, humidity… etc.), in addition to the volume of traffic and congestion.  With smart sensors it is possible to collect data and to send it wirelessly to a control system where it can be used to improve the life for an entire city’s population. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Bjorn Lomborg, The Skeptical Environmentalist Here’s Bjorn Lomborg (pictured), author of “The Skeptical Environmentalist,” speaking at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think-tank in New York City, in a video shot in 2008.

His viewpoint in a nutshell: Yes, man-made climate change is a reality, but a) it’s not going to be a disaster, b) environmentalists don’t present their case on the subject in a fair and balanced manner, and c) dealing with it via emissions reductions is going to be horrifically expensive. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

Compressed-Air Energy StorageSimon Holege asks: Is compressed-air energy storage (CAES) a serious alternative to using batteries for wind farms, etc.? Under what conditions can CAES be regarded as a viable technology for large scale energy storage?

I’ve been a believer in this subject for a long time, but at this point, I’m afraid that distributed storage using batteries, along the lines of what Elon Musk is undertaking, is about to win the day, vs. technologies like CAES that require huge scale to have any chance at being competitive. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Sharing Is Caring for the EnvironmentGenerally speaking, what is the worst thing an average human being can do to the environment? Maintain wasteful habits. With Mother Nature only having a finite amount of resources, being wasteful in your use of any of them is potentially harmful. So how can you fight this? By forming good habits of course! (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Why Cheap and Nasty Solar Panels Cost You More Long TermSolar energy has officially hit mainstream. What was once a limited luxury to those with strong environmental concerns or the money to spend is now a cost-effective and realistic option for many consumers. As solar panels drop in price and become a viable option, the fast growing appeal amongst business and homeowners has boomed incredibly. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

When Will Renewables Dominate the World Energy Industry?Mike Bernard asks: Given that the rate of the move from fossil fuel derived energy to renewable energy is constantly accelerating. How long until renewable energy gets to 80% across all sectors?

This is an interesting, albeit unanswerable question.  I wish I didn’t have to equivocate like this, but there are a number of reasons that providing a date is impossible: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Building a Greener HomeBuilding your home is a once in a life time opportunity for majority of people. Everyone has their idea of what a perfect home should look like and there are no universal solutions that can be suggested and applied. Still, why not use that opportunity to build a home that would not be solely a place to live but something that leaves a mark on the environment, not only in an architectural sense? By building a greener home one would certainly make a strong contribution to preserving the beautiful world we live in. Here are a couple of suggestions on how to do this. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Dark Day for Corporate Integrity In a few hours, I’ll get into my 2009 VW Jetta diesel and make my way to Los Angeles for three meetings with some very interesting people associated with cleantech investments.  I’m looking forward to all aspects of the day—except for the knowledge that my car’s emissions are far greater than what I had been promised by the manufacturer/criminal.

VW’s CEO says, “We totally screwed up.”  No kidding?  Some of these folks are headed for prison, and that’s just fine with me.

Volkswagen said it would also make “efforts to win back the trust of our customers.” Good luck with that. “We are working to develop a remedy that meets emissions standards and satisfies our loyal … customers.” News flash: You don’t have any.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

How to Dispose of Lights Containing Mercury and LEDsEnvironmental awareness is, thankfully, a steadily growing trend among consumers. As the most ecologically friendly option, LED lighting has begun to see true market penetration. More and more property owners are seeking to save energy and costs by upgrading to LED lighting. State rebates for upgrading certainly don’t hurt, either. However, saving the world requires more than the installation of a few light-emitting diodes. What should you do with the old fixtures you just replaced? (more…)

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