Blog – Page 1406 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Who's Your Landscape Architect?

craigshieldsPosted on August 5, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a story that’s made national news in the last few days and for good reason: it’s about a battle that pits people who want the land in front of their houses to be ecosystems for the species that would have occurred there in nature: frogs, clover, snakes, insects, tall grasses, etc.—against the rules of their home-owner associations that call for manicured and irrigated lawns. The people under attack want nature to be their landscape architects; their assailants claim their rights to make rules that preserve their rights to certain aesthetics. (more…)

We're Clean Energy Argonauts–And I Didn't Even Know It

craigshieldsPosted on August 4, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

Can you define the word “argonaut?” I couldn’t, until this morning when the good people at dictionary.com made it their “word of the day”: a person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding.

One could say that 2greenenergy readers are argonauts for clean energy.

Tagged with: clean energy argonaut

Philanthropy in Africa Can Backfire

craigshieldsPosted on August 4, 2015 Posted in Photovoltaics

A reader points out that efforts to bring education and clean energy to the poorest of the poor in Africa only creates further dependence.

It’s true that giving things away is antithetical to the concept of establishing commerce. For example, every megawatt of solar we install as an act of philanthropy is a megawatt of solar that a vendor cannot sell. What would be best is the stimulation of these economies, and the establishment of social conditions in which women are not encouraged to have a dozen or more children.

Tagged with: megawatt of solar PV, philanthropy

Population Control, Energy, and Sustainability

craigshieldsPosted on August 3, 2015 Posted in Uncategorized

A close friend offers an astute comment based on an observation he and his team made at a certain philanthropic organization:

1. Let the Gates Foundation concentrate their resources on keeping more people in Africa alive.

2. We should concentrate on making being alive more worthwhile:

a. Address abject poverty by making environmentally benign energy available to all at an economically accessible cost.

b. Energy is the underlying source of affluence.

c. It has been demonstrated that affluence is a “cure” for excessive fertility.

Climate Change and Our Oceans

craigshieldsPosted on August 2, 2015 Posted in Climate Change

If you’re wondering about the impacts of rising levels of CO2 on ocean physics and chemistry, you’ll want to check out the article linked here. Damage to key marine and coastal organisms, ecosystems, and services is already detectable, and will face high risk of impacts well before 2100, even under low-emissions scenarios. Immediate, substantial reduction of CO2 emissions is required to prevent the massive and mostly irreversible impacts.

International agreements on climate change have proved elusive thus far, but even if we get what we’re hoping for here, we tend to overlook the influence we’re having on our oceans. As the authors note: any new global climate agreement that does not minimize the impacts on the ocean will be inadequate.

Tagged with: Climate Change and Our Oceans, impacts of rising levels of CO2 on ocean physics and chemistry, impacts on marine and coastal organisms ecosystems, international agreements on climate change, low-emissions scenarios

Energy “Propaganda”

craigshieldsPosted on August 1, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Science

I mentioned earlier that Alex Cannera, the core participant in the on-going pro-nuke email thread I read, really doesn’t dig renewables, and feels compelled to take a swat at solar and wind at every available opportunity. When someone else agreed with me and questioned his judgment on the validity of renewables, he wrote: (more…)

Tagged with: Alex Cannera, Energy “Propaganda”, pro-nuke

Even the Elites Can’t Escape the Global Community, Living As It Does on One Small Planet

craigshieldsPosted on July 31, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

In response to my post: One’s Concern About Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Depends on Which End of the Boat One Occupies, frequent commenter Cameron Atwood writes:

It’s a classic mindset among shortsighted humans to expect that what doesn’t harm them personally and directly in this moment isn’t their problem. More enlightened humans know that issues affecting one population have ripple effects, and that our planet is a single organic whole. People who haven’t yet, have now to learn that when they throw things away, there really is no “away.”

Excellent point. (more…)

Tagged with: elites do not live on an island, George Will, Global Community Lives on One Small Planet, issues affecting one population have ripple effects, planet is a single organic whole

Nothing’s Impossible In the Renewable Energy Business Space, But Here’s a Concept That’s Extremely Unlikely

craigshieldsPosted on July 31, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

I just got off a Skype call with a wonderfully intelligent and compassionate gentleman in Oman whose current mission in life is to bring solar and wind to his country. A few potential gotchas, however:

• Electricity costs, because of huge supplies of natural gas—and subsidies on top of that—are $15/MWh (a small fraction of what they are in the U.S.). (more…)

Tagged with: coal plants, Electricity costs, hot in Oman, huge supplies of natural gas and subsidies on top of that, Renewable Energy Business Space

Impetus for Super-Efficient Drivetrains: Government Regulation in Fuel Standards, Emissions Per Mile, Etc.

craigshieldsPosted on July 30, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Regarding my post: New Discovery in Hybrid-Electric Drivetrains, long-time reader Arlene notes: I haven’t looked at the engineering of the EDI drivetrain, (but) I would also suggest that this particular market niche is nowhere near as price sensitive as consumer light vehicles.

That’s 100% true. I think the real “driver” here, pardon the pun, will be regulation, i.e., the OEMs’ and big fleets’ ability to conform to emissions regulations. As far as I can see, EDI is in a unique position here; there are few (if any) other ways for these entities to obey the laws that are coming swiftly into place.

Tagged with: conform to emissions regulations, Driver of Super-Efficient Drivetrains, Emissions Per Mile, Government Regulation in Fuel Standards, New Discovery in Hybrid-Electric Drivetrains

Key “Driver” of the EV Adoption Curve: Superior Performance

craigshieldsPosted on July 30, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

In response to my piece: New Discovery in Hybrid-Electric Drivetrains, a reader notes: A few days ago, looking at AOL’s news clips, I found one about someone putting what looked like a small block V-8 into a 1968 Mustang fastback, but it was an electric motor. The performance of the car was totally insane: 0 – 60 in under three seconds. American muscle cars with rear tires smoking kind of catches my attention. It will be interesting to see how long this evolution will take.

Well, that truly is part of the appeal of EVs: high torque at low RPMs. (more…)

Tagged with: American muscle cars, Americans aren’t big on making sacrifices, high torque at low RPMs, Key “Driver” of the EV Adoption Curve, New Discovery in Hybrid-Electric Drivetrains