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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Bladeless Wind TurbineIf we have any heavyweights in fluid dynamics out there who would like to comment on this concept, I would appreciate it.  It’s a bladeless wind turbine, one that captures energy from the moving air by shaking rather than turning.

My take: I’ll be stunned if this actually has the potential to lower the levelized cost of energy (as they claim).  Today’s turbines are over 80% efficient in converting the incident kinetic energy from a certain swept area into electricity.  (This is incorrect; in my haste, I omitted a whole bunch of considerations here; my bad; see comments below. This should have read: …”80% of the theoretical maximum”.)

What would be an effective configuration of these devices to achieve a large swept area?  How are they going to top 80%?  Good luck.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Car Ownership and SustainabilityThere was a popular song here in the U.S. in the 1990s that began: “I believe that children are our future….”  This has always struck me as nonsensical.  The lyricist might have been thinking:  OK, let’s get started with a brave and bold statement….I believe that old people are our future…., no, wait a second; they’re going to be dead soon; let’s make that children, yes that’s much better.

Be this as it may, yes, he was obviously correct: young people are indeed our future.  That’s why it’s so gratifying to see that they lead the charge in a great number of directions that favor sustainability, one of which is a bold reduction in car ownership.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Ocean Acidification and Its Many Terrifying ConsequencesThose of you who understand the basic chemistry of ocean acidification know that the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed into the seas, momentarily creating carbonic acid, which almost immediately breaks apart into products that includes a hydrogen ion.  The ion then combines with the previously abundant carbonate molecule, the limiting reactant in the formation of calcium carbonate (limestone).  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

2GreenEnergy Thanks All Its Contributors--And Steve Martin for a Highly Relevant QuoteI may have mentioned that we recently passed the 5,000 mark in terms of total posts here.  In fact, this is number 5,126–of which I’ve written 4,483.

When it comes to my stuff, I’m reminded of what (American actor, director, and comedian–pictured) Steve Martin said:  “Fortunately, persistence is a good substitute for talent.”

Thanks to all who have contributed.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

What Will Become of Most Renewable Energy Concepts?Frequent commenter “MarcoPolo” (the original pictured left) writes:

While it’s true that some technologies do become mainstream innovations, most never fulfill the dreams of their supporters, and remain only hobbyist or small scale applications.

Like you, every week, I receive dozens of proposals by dedicated, enthusiastic (sometimes a little rabid and fanatical ) innovators, seeking to finance the development, or commercialization, of all sorts of wonderful new innovative concepts. I try to sort these into five categories: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Divestment from Fossil Fuels Is a Big Deal in Today’s WorldWe often hear that young people are much more environmentally conscious than previous generations, and we certainly have to hope that’s true.  It’s certainly the case with a young woman named Emma, who writes as follows:

As a trainee journalist…I’ve been lucky enough to be part of some really exciting projects…but there few things I find more exciting than a mass movement of people fighting back – and it’s hard to imagine a more important fight than climate change. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

Covering the Subject of Synthetic Fuels for "The Hedge Connection"Here’s another monthly installment that I write for The Hedge Connection, where, in this case, I present a short introduction to the subject of synthetic fuels as a viable method of energy storage.

I begin with a reminder to Hedge Connection readers what 2GreenEnergy is all about, i.e., that it represents an effort to bring together entrepreneurs in renewable energy and related disciplines with the sources of investment capital they need to take their business concepts forward—a task that has required me to review literally thousands of ideas (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Pope Francis’s Messages Don’t Resonate with EveryoneIt’s hardly a surprise that the right wing here in the U.S. is taking issue with the Pope’s involvement in politics.  Hardly a week goes by without the Pontiff’s explicating some aspect of God’s will and how He commands that we care for one another and the environment around us.  These concepts have profound implications as to how we conduct our society and govern ourselves, and predictably, we have Republicans suggesting that His Holiness stay out of the political arena and limit his concerns to strictly religious matters.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Re-Establishing Our Relationship With Our Power UtilitiesBrace yourself for a plethora of stories like this: Utilities and consumers at war over the use of rooftop solar.  Fans of renewable energy object to the cap that NV Energy in Las Vegas, Nevada has placed on the number of homes that can sign up for its net metering program.  The utility argues that each new installation reduces the revenue base that is required to keep its utility financially viable, though this reasoning does not impress a number of different groups who are vocally objecting to the utility’s position.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Air-powered Car – “Coming Soon”

Over the years, I’ve had several friends send me this “air car” concept.  It’s a terrible idea in terms of engineering and physics, but that’s not the most objectionable thing about it; it’s a bald-faced attempt at deceit. (more…)

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