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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biofuels

I have some small level of input into the creation of Jon Lesage’s newsletter on alternate fuel vehicles; I participate in a monthly conference call with perhaps 7 – 8 other people.  As a consequence, I’m always anxious to see what the overall piece looks like.  Here are a few tidbits from the current edition, along with my comments:

Coda:  Coda Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after selling just 100 of its all-electric sedans. The filing will allow the Los Angeles company to exit the auto sector and refocus on energy storage, for utilities and building operators to store power.

I’ve been predicting this for some time; that these people staved off bankruptcy this long is a miracle. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Jillian Seymour, a 2GreenEnergy supporter and college student living in Lyon, France called me the other day, as I had agreed to an interview in which I would provide my advice on careers in renewable energy.  In the course of the talk, she asked a number of really good questions, including perhaps the most critical: Do I find this to be personally rewarding?  I assured her that she’d search hard to find a career in which she would be helping so many people, and yes, I personally find this immensely rewarding.

I went on to explain that I routinely help folks in three distinct categories: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Here’s an article that communicates the truth of the clean energy scene i.e., that fossil fuels have more than enough clout in this world to have survived the short-term threat to their existence, and will remain prominent in the global energy picture for at least the coming few decades.  The article argues that this is a function of the past few years’ financial results, in which the ROI associated with solar and wind disappointed investors.

To be fair, I suppose there were some people who expected these new technologies to be hugely profitable right out of the chute, though there is certainly no precedent in world history for results like that.  Personally, I think the issues are more wide-reaching, and include the following: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

A friend sent me this piece on taxing electric vehicle drivers, and wrote:

I haven’t seen anything that has gotten me this angry in a while. This is insane! And the comments so far seem to be reflective instead of saying how irresponsible this is. It is obvious to me that the authorities who, understandably, need road money have to go back to the vehicle manufacturers, the military (who encouraged the Interstate Highway system), the utilities and the oil companies. But making the electric car owners pay extra, after they’ve paid their electric bill? Maybe 40 years from now after the encouragement period is over.

I don’t think this approach makes sense either, (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Here’s an article on various proposed “carbon taxes” that I offer to stimulate conversation.  It really has some nasty holes in it, which I’ll point out in advance:

• The tables are useless, as they represent the grossest of double-counting.  They list energy end-users as: consumers, commercial businesses, industrial enterprises, transportation, and power.  The first three are end-users; the last two are ways that the first three use energy.  It’s like counting fruit and apples; you’d be double-counting the apples.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Now that the regulations on centralized control of news media have all but disappeared, we face the inevitable: multi-billionaires clamoring for ownership of the largest media outlets.  Case in point: the Koch Brothers, worth about $50 billion, are attempting to buy the Tribune Company, whose assets include the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, and a host of other papers across the country.

What’s to fear?  Well, at a minimum, it is a steady stream of poisonous lies about energy and the environment. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I don’t claim to know about what the utilities are really talking about behind closed doors.  Reading between the lines, I would have to think the level of stress is starting to build, as numerous industry trends seem to militate against them.  In particular:

• Large customers are leaving.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

I’m taking a break from the activities at this, the second and last day of the University of California at Santa Barbara’s annual Energy Efficiency Summit to write this short note.

My friends at Eos Energy Storage would have been thrilled if they could have seen me in action this morning. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Businesses around the world are looking for ways to become more environmentally friendly. One of the best kept secrets for businesses small and large is third party logistics companies (3PL).  A 3PL company manages shipping, warehousing and order fulfillment for other companies that sell products. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

The growing realization that global climate change is a reality and that the motor vehicles for personal use produce about 10% of global emissions of CO2 (greenhouse gas), has spurred innovation in green technologies in the automotive industry. In addition to save their owners money by concept of gasoline, fuel efficient ecological cars generate less effect gas emissions greenhouse CO2. There are many ecologically on the market today and many cars more than they are in the development stage. (more…)

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