2GreenEnergy supporter Steve Levy has his own website, focusing on solar energy in Tennessee.  Like me, he’s both happy and somewhat mystified to see Tea Party Republicans joining together with the Sierra Club, an unlikely combination if there ever were one, to call for an increase in the amount of solar power we put on our grid.

He also reprints terrific infographics, like this one, showing that net-metering programs exist in 44 of the 50 states here in the US.  Nice going, Steve.

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I’m glad to hear all the buzz about Elon Musk’s Hyperloop concept.  Now there’s a man selling into a clear and compelling need; who doesn’t want to get across a continent in less than an hour?  Here, my friend Jon Lesage muses about possible synergies with Musk’s other ventures: Tesla and SpaceX.

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I’ll be 75 years old in 2030, so it’s likely that I’ll still be around to validate what I’m about to say: the idea, expressed in this article, that fuel cell vehicles will grow to $73.8 billion in sales (not $74 billion mind you) by that date – or any other — is preposterous.

The world will not be retrofitting its fuel delivery infrastructure (3.5 million square miles in the continental U.S. alone) to serve up hydrogen, nor will we be generating vast amounts of hydrogen by electrolyzing water or reforming methane.  Why not?  Because electricity is already ubiquitous, battery prices are coming down, and electric vehicles represent the capability to integrate more renewable energy (wind in particular) into our grid mix.

Add on top of that the concept of consumer acceptance, or, in this case, let’s call it “consumer repulsion.”  The auto market is just now, after several years, realizing that EVs make sense – and here’s a case where the driver can unplug his toaster and plug in his car.   How comfortable do you think the car-buying public is going to be with a fuel that exists only in a few places?  I know people who think propane-based cars will become popular.  That’s equally preposterous.

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I’m a minor donor to a few good causes.  The college at which I toiled (and partied) as an undergraduate, Trinity in Hartford, CT, is a good example. I hope they appreciate my constancy, but they won’t be naming a gymnasium or a library, or even a foosball table, after me.

One of the other beneficiaries of my unimpressive largess is Wikipedia, an organization that operates almost entirely from many millions of small donations from people like me – a non-profit that accepts neither advertising nor corporate sponsors.  It does its thing on the ultimate shoestring: Wikipedia is the 5th largest website on Earth, and employs fewer than 500 employees.

Insofar as I use the living bejeepers out of Wikipedia (virtually all the 1832 photos now on 2GreenEnergy are from the Wikimedia Commons), I just sent them a small sum.  In return, I got back a form email, which would be unremarkable if it weren’t for the beauty with which it’s written.  I thought I’d reproduce it here: (more…)

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Frequent commenter Tim Kingston sent me this piece on sustainable land management, noting: “I thought this might interest you.  Makes a case for reintroduction of large numbers of bison to the western plains.  This also ties into the 20 minute TED talk from Allan Savory I sent you a while ago. Have a good week.”

Thanks, Tim.  I’m absolutely convinced that this is correct.  In fact, when I first opened 2GreenEnergy four years ago (seems like 40!) I ran across a fellow by the name of Abe Collins in Vermont, who offers software to optimize this whole process of introducing large mammals into huge tracts of land.  If there are managers of state or county land who wish to learn more, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with him.

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There are many different ways that the future of energy provisioning can go in radical and exciting new directions.  One, as I often mention, is our standard utility model, but given a major shake-up so as to integrate an ever-greater percentage of renewables into the grid-mix.  Another possible course, however, is microgrids, where whole sections of our world, say individual communities or military bases, go off the grid entirely, and fend for themselves. (more…)

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White isn’t the only color for brides these days.

More and more weddings are pulling off a green theme along with their color scheme and paying attention to the environment as well as pulling off a smash wedding. It’s not so difficult to do.

Check out some of these tips and tricks to help make your wedding not only an affair to remember but also an ally to the environment. (more…)

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A dear friend wrote me just now, apparently a bit depressed about all the green-washing, all the public ignorance and apathy surrounding sustainability, and all the complexities in determining which projects truly are more eco-friendly than others.

She mentioned my piece on Michael T. Klare’s article “How to Fry a Planet,” noting: “He makes a good point, and if I apply that to my current thinking…the petroleum industry is king and everyone else is connected to it, and so if the petroleum industry isn’t moving, nobody else will be, at least not in any meaningful way.” (more…)

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Here’s a question for you: When you listen to the debates in English Parliament, and hear how people with opposing viewpoints heckle and interrupt one another, doesn’t your skin crawl?  Mine does.  These people have such incredible manners on most occasions, but not in public speaking.  How is that possible?

When I saw this piece in which British Prime Minister David Cameron scolded Europe for “missing out on the fracking boom,” I could imagine the loud HARRUMPHs he must have received from the environmentalists. (more…)

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An old friend from high school has invited me to be a guest on his radio show which takes a conservative perspective on the topics of the day.  I’ll be on for an hour to talk to him and entertain callers’ questions about my views on renewable energy, electric transportation, and sustainability more generally.  When he called to schedule the interview, he promised that the talk wouldn’t be combative, i.e., he won’t call me a communist, a bleeding heart, etc.

I had to choke back my laughter when we announced these conditions: “You don’t know the hundreds of other similar situations in which I’ve found myself over the years.  Most of the talk radio shows that have had me on have callers from hell (more…)

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