Gary Tulie writes: Hi Craig, This piece on “electric buses about to go mainstream in Ningbo, China” is interesting.
Yes, this is what they’re talking about doing at Stanford University as well.
Keep in mind that providing a 5 KM range in 10 seconds (at 1.2 KW/KM, even assuming 100% efficiency) requires charging with 2 MW of electrical power (!). Personally, I won’t want to be in the same zip code as that bus when this is taking place. But maybe that’s just me.
Regarding the webinar I did on Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES), Matthew Graham writes: This is the best idea for grid level storage I have seen. Why such little publicity? This is so simple and beautiful you would think it would have a much more vocal following.
It’s true that this has received very little attention. I’m reminded of what Winston Churchill said: Mr. Attlee is a very modest man. Indeed he has a lot to be modest about. (more…)
Gary Tulie, who contributed so greatly to my last book (Bullish on Renewable Energy) writes: Hi Craig. Here is an interesting article – not sure if the title is coincidence or a tribute to the book we worked on together. Bullish on Renewable Energy? So Is the Pope, Walmart, Obama, Google….the List Goes On – The Equation
I doubt it’s a coincidence, and I’m not sure “tribute” is the right word. As they say: imitation is the sincerest form of theft. Seriously, that really is a good article, and she’s got all this stuff right on target…
The transition from the warmer summer months to the cooler fall months is a great time to start thinking about your home’s energy efficiency. If you are ready to save some extra money and cut down on your family’s carbon footprint, then take a look at these five tips for improving the energy efficiency of your own home.
1. Changing the Thermostat
2GreenEnergy supporter Gary Tulie writes: Here is an article on the effects of climate change at various levels of temperature rise. It makes disturbing reading. Some of the research indicates that positive feedback will kick in above 2 centigrade of temperature rise meaning that temperature may continue to rise – eventually by 5 or 6 centigrade before a new equilibrium can be achieved, and that level of temperature rise is not a pretty sight. (more…)
Three pieces of good news:
• Shell Oil is distancing itself from the conservative front group American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) whose purpose, among other horrors, is to spread disinformation on climate change. A Shell spokesperson said, “ALEC’s stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own.”
• Earlier this week, the EPA finalized its Clean Power Plan.
• You, Mr. or Ms. Reader, are part of the reason #1 and #2 happened, and you should take credit for it. You care about the quality of our planet, and you endeavor to save it. You live in a world where the actions of its people still matter, and that’s probably the best news of all.
Those keeping track of the development of hydrokinetics (including tidal, ocean current, wave energy, etc.) will be interested to know that the U.S. Department of Energy is shelling out $7.4 million to encourage R&D in this space.
As long as we’re talking about seven figures, it’s hard to imagine that any taxpayer could be too upset; for example, that figure is about 1/100,000th of the military budget. Having said that, this is a good example of a certain consequence of the maturity and scale of solar PV and wind energy, i.e., that is tends to make other clean energy technologies noncompetitive.
It’s the birthday of anthropologist Louis Leakey. From the Writer’s Almanac:
In 1948, Leakey and his wife found one of the earliest fossil ape skulls ever discovered; it was between 25 and 40 million years old. It is now believed to be the skull of the ancestor of all large primates, including humans. Then, in 1959, they turned up another hominid skull, which was 1.75 million years old. It was the oldest skull of a close human relative ever found at that point, and it helped persuade other anthropologists that Africa was indeed the place where human beings had evolved.
It’s a shame that our daily lives contain only occasional reminders of our common humanity and its many profound implications, e.g., our rights as people and our duties to treat one another justly and kindly. And now the consequences of getting this wrong are irreparable, as suggested by yesterday’s 70th anniversary of the nuclear explosion over Hiroshima. Note: according to Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Nuclear Notebook 2014, the total number of nuclear weapons is estimated at 10,144.
It’s a good thing there are no hateful bullies running for U.S. president in 2016. Oooops, strike that.
In 2015 the human race is at the peak of technological advancement, with some form of clever device or product making its way into pretty much all aspects of our day-to-day lives. On the most part these are to provide us with faster and more efficient goods and services, however when it comes to helping us to live greener lives, there are some incredible technologies available for us to use. Again, these are practical in their application. but the important difference that sets these aside is that they are more eco-friendly. (more…)
Here’s a little exchange with a gentleman by the name of Ken from Zambia, who’s been following my work on clean energy investment opportunities. Out of modesty, I normally wouldn’t publish something like this, but I couldn’t resist in this case:
Ken: You’re a legend!
Craig: That’s what my mother says, but I thought she was probably the only person on Earth who ever had that thought.
Ken: Haha… well at least you know now – she isn’t!
