Blog – Page 1463 – 2GreenEnergy.com

The Demise of American Democracy and its Ramifications

craigshieldsPosted on March 25, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

I get notes from readers quite frequently expressing their anguish about GMOs and the labelling thereof. Frankly, I’m not as amped up about this subject as most people seem to be, at least from a scientific perspective. What we’ve been doing via selective breeding for 8000 years in the field (literally) we’re now doing in the laboratory.

Again, solely from the viewpoint of science, after many years of testing, it’s very likely that soon all of the top people studying the subject will agree that GMOs pose little or no real risk to human health. (more…)

Tagged with: beliefs of the voters on the matter have exactly zero statistical bearing on the way Congress votes, Label Genetically-modified Food, law-makers vote in lock-step with the interests of those who have given them enormous campaign contributions, population in the process of quintupling, recent report from Princeton University, U.S. democracy is dead

Understanding 21st Energy Policy Requires Speaking with Everyone and his Dog

craigshieldsPosted on March 24, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

This afternoon, I’m preparing for an upcoming energy conference at which I’ll be speaking; I’m just sitting here, dusting off my various PowerPoint presentations and thinking where I’d like to take this audience.

I like to introduce myself as a guy with at least as many questions as answers, which is why I have this slide (below) early in my “deck.” (more…)

Tagged with: energy conferences, energy in the developing world, growing population of urban (energy-hogging) consumers, reduce our eco-footprint, technically risky, trillions of dollars of existing energy infrastructure, workable energy solution

Does a Pro-Coal Agenda “Border on the Immoral?”

craigshieldsPosted on March 24, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Every time I cite an article where one U.S. politician goes after another with angry rhetoric, I feel, at a certain level, I’m being played. Isn’t all this scripted? Can functioning grown-ups actually think and act this way in real life? (more…)

Tagged with: California Governor Jerry Brown, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, Pro-Coal Agenda, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, reject the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to reduce emissions from existing power plants, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

From Guest Blogger Dr. Bulb: LED Tube Lamps – Advantage to Non-integrated Retrofits?

craigshieldsPosted on March 23, 2015 Posted in Sustainable Building

When it comes to linear tube lighting, converting from conventional T12 fluorescents to a T8 LED is not just sensible, it’s necessary. As of July 2010, magnetic ballasts commonly used in the operation of T12 fluorescent lamps are no longer in production for commercial or industrial applications. In July 2012, many T12 lamps themselves were also phased out of production. Even if these lighting dinosaurs were still widely available on the market, the energy savings of switching to T8 LED tube lamps (TLEDs) would make a compelling reason to convert. For those seeking to make the switch there still remains a decision: use an integrated TLED or one that requires a T8 ballast to operate? (more…)

Tagged with: LED lighting, LED tube lamps

From Guest Blogger Joe Fort: The Invisible Industry–Five Facts About Container Shipping

craigshieldsPosted on March 23, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Business

Did you know that nearly 90 percent of everything we purchase, from cars, to food, to clothing, arrives to us via ship? The cargo shipping industry, commonly known as the “invisible industry”, is the lifeline to the international exchange of goods. While many people have seen shipping containers popping up in cities around the globe in different structural uses, most are unaware of the tiny part each of those containers plays in the world’s most important shipping lines. Check out some of these amazing facts about the shipping industry! (more…)

Letting the Market Control Hate Speech

craigshieldsPosted on March 22, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

Occasionally I like to comment on our First Amendment right to free speech and how the marketplace of ideas tends to police itself very well. This is quite clearly the case with most issues in our society. While the U.S. Supreme Court has drawn a number of lines concerning the types of speech that are not protected (those that pose a threat to human health and safety), most bad ideas simply disappear on their own. (more…)

Tagged with: free energy, free speech, Rush Limbaugh

Understanding “Baseload Power” and Debunking the Myths that Surround It

craigshieldsPosted on March 22, 2015 Posted in Wind Energy

Here’s an all-too-typical comment I received recently, which I present here to clarify an important point about variable energy resources, including wind and solar energy, and to clean up a common misunderstanding:

Wind power and solar, produce variable amounts of power, depending upon an unpredictable energy source. (more…)

Tagged with: Amory Lovins, Baseload Power Myth, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chief Jon Wellinghoff, U.S. Energy Association, unpredictable energy source, variable energy resources wind and solar energy, variable resources unpredictable

From Guest Blogger Blake Meredith: What $11.9 Billion Can Do For The Earth And You | The Innovations Of Elon Musk

craigshieldsPosted on March 22, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Usually, anyone with $11.9 billion spends most of it on the contents of a Neiman Marcus fantasy gifts catalog. Anyone want a custom $475,000 Paris perfume? Yet in the right hands, in the right mind, $11.9 billion can subsidize a lot of creativity.

Those hands and that mind belong to Elon Musk, a South African-American entrepreneur and legendary founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX and other ventures. Not content with merely re-imagining the electric car and potentially slashing worldwide automobile emissions, Musk has gone on to revolutionize local power generation, space travel, mass transit systems and more. (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, Climate Change, electric transportation, Electric Vehicles, energy efficiency, energy policy, global climate change, sustainability

From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: How to Maximize Your Home's Energy Efficiency and Comfort Levels

craigshieldsPosted on March 22, 2015 Posted in Efficiency

The average family may not realize just how much energy is wasted in their home every single day. If you have begun to dread opening up your energy bills each month, then take a look at these simple tips to improve your home’s efficiency and comfort. (more…)

Tagged with: efficient lighting, Energy audit, energy efficiency, energy efficient, energy efficient home, energy saving at home

From Guest Blogger Rodrick Johnson: Starting Green–Eight Ways to Green Your Start-Up

craigshieldsPosted on March 22, 2015 Posted in Sustainable Building

Starting a business is now easier than ever. There are many tech tools a savvy entrepreneur can leverage. You can create relationships and market your business via Twitter and Facebook. To handle the financial side, you can take advantage of cloud accounting software for small business. There are also apps like Streak available to help turn Gmail into a sales and marketing tool. But with all these advancements we can’t forget about the priority of going green. (more…)

Tagged with: eco-friendly buildings, eco-friendly business, Sustainable Business