Blog – Page 1402 – 2GreenEnergy.com

From Guest Blogger Joel Smith: Increase Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

craigshieldsPosted on August 19, 2015 Posted in Efficiency

Have you considered an energy audit on your home lately? You might be wondering if it is worth the trouble of having someone come out to audit your home. What does it do? Why is it necessary? What will they find when they look at my home energy usage?All these questions and more are probably hanging around in your mind. Take a few minutes to find out below why an energy audit is necessary and important to your home. You’ll also find out a few key areas the energy audit can help you locate and make your home more efficient in heating or cooling. (more…)

Tagged with: efficiency, energy efficiency, energy storage

The Renewable Energy Adoption Curve: Comic Relief from Gandhi

craigshieldsPosted on August 18, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

In response to my post Hard To Get Too Ruffled about Renewable Energy Nay-Sayers, a reader notes: Dear Mr. Shields, renewable energy is here to stay, and people are starting to accept it.

Thanks for the note. Yep, Mahatma Gandhi reminds us: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” We’re getting close to a happy ending here.

Tagged with: Mahatma Gandhi, Renewable Energy Adoption Curve, renewable energy nay-sayers

Predictions: GlobalCitizen.org Will Achieve Its Lofty Goal; You and I Will Help

craigshieldsPosted on August 18, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

The activities of GlobalCitizen.org are so uplifting and inspiring that it’s hard to believe the group will fail in its mission, i.e., ending global poverty by 2030. So exactly what are those activities? In a word: education. They understand that universal access to K-12 education is the gating factor to achieving productivity and affluence, as well as to attaining wisdom in family planning.

Here’s a video in which Stephen Colbert is about to encourage you to tweet the Prime Minister of Norway on the subject, asking her to support education of the world’s people. I challenge you to watch it without breaking into a huge smile; it certainly made my day.

Tagged with: education of the world’s people, ending global poverty by 2030, GlobalCitizen.org, Prime Minister of Norway, Stephen Colbert, universal access to K-12 education

New Role for Decommissioned Coal Plants

craigshieldsPosted on August 18, 2015 Posted in Energy Storage

In the context of grid management, we hear a great deal about “ancillary services,” which normally means adding a bit of power to the electricity grid, specifically generated so as to manage seemingly small but extremely important issues like unwanted fluctuations in voltage and wave-form. Where do these “services” come from? Well, if you read ten articles on the subject, nine of them will tell you that they derive from our modern concepts in utility scale energy like storage—in the form of pumped hydro, batteries, flywheels, etc.—one day perhaps even V2G (vehicle-to-grid).

Would it astound you to think that the turbines in defunct coal plants might have a role here?

Tagged with: ancillary services, batteries, defunct coal plants, energy storage, flywheels, grid management, New Role for Decommissioned Coal Plants, pumped hydro, unwanted fluctuations in voltage and wave-form, utility scale energy, V2G vehicle to grid

Using Advanced DNA Testing To Understand Our Earth’s Changing Climate Conditions

craigshieldsPosted on August 18, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Science

Ever wonder exactly what happened after the last ice age? What whacked all those woolly mammoths, and gave rise to our modern-day large herbivores?

In particular, what were the consequences of a warming planet, and what can we learn that may be relevant to our current situation here today? From last month’s edition of Science Magazine: Now, ancient DNA data have entered the fray, most recently in the form of molecules scooped directly from samples of soil or ice. By sequencing whatever DNA emerges from even a thimbleful of ancient soil, researchers are reconstructing ancient ecosystems as far back as 700,000 years ago with astonishing clarity.

Tagged with: Advanced DNA Testing, consequences of a warming planet, Earth’s Changing Climate Conditions, Science Magazine

From Guest Blogger Izzie: Environmentally Friendly Weddings

craigshieldsPosted on August 18, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

There are many things to consider when planning your ‘big day’. Which dress should I choose? Should I hire a band or play pre- recorded music? How to organise a reception? Those are just a few of many more questions people ask themselves. In this post we wanted to talk about one more thing, people sometimes forget, environment. Not only can weddings be expensive for your bank balance, they also take their toll on the environment. Think about the amount of waste that could pile up after the wedding is over; decorations, invitations and left over food. (more…)

Take a COOL Guess – the Fun Quiz on Clean Energy. Today’s Topic: McDonald’s French Fries

craigshieldsPosted on August 17, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

Question: We’re all familiar with the child obesity issue associated with fast food in the U.S. But what about the effects of the chemical pesticides that are in such heavy use to keep McDonald’s supplied with the 3.5 billion pounds of the Russet Burbank it needs annually, their potato of choice for their world-famous French fries? How often do farmers spray? How much of that spray drifts to other areas?

Answers: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.

Relevance: According to this article: (more…)

Tagged with: Fun Quiz on Clean Energy, McDonald’s French Fries, pesticide drift, take a cool guess

A Couple of Bad Ideas in Renewable Energy

craigshieldsPosted on August 17, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

My good friend Henry asked me to check out these two companies: SolarWindow and LiquidSolar.

Henry: Thanks for thinking of me.

Companies like Solar Window make me nervous. (more…)

Tagged with: bad ideas in renewable energy, building integrated solar photovoltaics, charlatan, generative breaking, levelized cost of energy, MotionPower (extracting energy from speed bumps), Solar Window, WattShocks

Electric Commuter Vehicle: Cool Design, But Iffy Sales Proposition

craigshieldsPosted on August 16, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

John McMillian writes:

At Shockwave Motors, we make electric cars cool by providing a high performance electric roadster (pictured) that’s economical, pollution free, and just plain fun to drive!

Our three-passenger roadster has a range of 80 to 100 miles and then plugs into any standard 120-volt outlet for about 8 or 9 hours for a complete recharge. Then the commuter is ready to drive another 80 to 100 miles home. This gives us an effective range of up to 200 miles per day. The top speed is about 75 MPH. (more…)