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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

What We Mean By "Subsidies" for Fossil FuelsReaders “Cameron” and “MarcoPolo” are having a spirited discussion in response to my post Sour Grapes from ExxonMobil’s CEO.  I wish to point out:

This conversation will be tough to resolve in any case, but it will be impossible to resolve as long as you guys continue to use the word “subsidies” in two different senses.  I’m reminded of an essay on the philosophy of pragmatism written by its most famous proponent, William James (pictured), which I’ve reproduced below.

Back to the matter at hand, having spent a decent amount of time at this, I’m personally comfortable with the report compiled by the Environmental Law Institute, which pegs the figure at $70.2 billion annually.  But I also agree with Cameron that it’s proper to include the externalities of fossil fuels in the calculation, (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Can Renewable Energy Scale Up To Power the Entire Planet?A friend of mine just sent me the content below.  As you amuse yourself with it, ponder the assertion: “It’s impossible for renewables to rise to the scale necessary to handle the world’s energy needs,” and think about how often you hear this from the fossil fuel and nuclear people. Then consider the notion of the “tipping point,” coupled with the fact that the cost of energy from solar and wind is falling like a rock.

On Second Thought, Maybe I was Wrong

1.) “The idea that cavalry will be replaced by these iron coaches is absurd. It is little short of treasonous.” — Comment of Aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Haig, at tank demonstration, 1916
(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Study Shows 25% of Cars Are Responsible for 90% of Air PollutionMotor vehicles are among the largest contributors to air pollution, by emitting some of the most common pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter. However, emissions released by vehicles have a significantly lower effect on air quality than they used to have a couple of years ago, largely thanks to the fact that automakers have been developing much more efficient internal combustion engines lately, and because of the introduction of electric vehicles. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Pope Francis: A Real LeaderI thought I’d publish a conversation I just had with a reader, who commented on my piece Sour Grapes from ExxonMobil’s CEO.

Reader:  You sent me the story of a pathetic anti-leader.  Here is some hope for a Friday….from a real leader:

Thank God, finally we have found a leader among the world’s mindless, money drunk, short sighted minions who call themselves “leaders.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Electric Transportation, Solar PV, and the EnvironmentHere’s an article that takes us back to what I believe is an important discussion: how environmentally clean are electric vehicles? The basics:

In the U.S. right now, EVs are a net negative environmentally, because an incremental load on the grid is met almost always by burning more coal, whose ecological consequences are far worse than oil.

Having said that, (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Is Halliburton a "Buy?" I'm the Wrong Guy To AskA friend who follows the stock market writes:

I just purchased TNK (an oil and gas transportation company).  I also see some potential upside in HAL (Halliburton); this JPM article says they do too.

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Coal and Natural GasTo summarize a conversation that is happening in the comment to my post called Bans on Fracking:

Senior energy analyst Glenn Doty supports fracking insofar as every kilowatt-hour of energy that doesn’t come from natural gas will come from coal, which is far worse environmentally, and he foresees this situation remaining in place for at least 30 years.

BreathOnTheWind writes: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Do We Need an “Apollo-like” Mission To Replace Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy Resources?Here’s an article that mirrors my main take on the migration to renewable energy: it’s going to happen very rapidly, whether we have an “Apollo-like” mission to do it or not.

Now, there are a few things that government could do to facilitate the process:

• Remove subsidies for fossil fuels (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Maryland Leads in Solar PV ContestA reader from Maryland asked me to post this infographic, illustrating his state’s leadership over neighboring Virginia. I didn’t know there was a competition going on; one learns something new every day. Hooray for whoever wins.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Quick Note on the Koch BrothersIn my piece just now about the Koch brothers, a reader notes:  What you call “pathologically selfish” they would call “responsibility.”

They can call it whatever they like.  I’m reminded of a quote that supposedly came from a debate featuring Abraham Lincoln who found himself in a similar circumstance.  He asked “How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg?  The answer is four.  A tail is not a leg; it doesn’t matter what you call it.” 

 

 

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