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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I write this from the beautiful campus of UCLA, specifically, the Anderson School of Management, where I’m a few minutes early for a conference called: Sustainability Conference – The Financial Implications of Going Green.

After all, this really IS the central issue: If the world is, as we all hope, truly “going green,” it will be happening within the context of economic implications. To me, this is what makes the concept of a responsible and sustainable use of energy resources so tantalizing: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

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I write often about the “tough realities” of renewable energy, and sustainability more generally.  A good example is coal-fired power plants, and the fact that we can generate base-load electricity at 3 or 4 cents a kilowatt-hour with coal, unquestionably the lowest cost of any source.  If you want clean energy, it’s going to cost you a bit more, and the question, therefore, is one of sacrifice; in particular, is our society willing to pay a bit more for electricity that does not cause lung disease, ocean acidification, climate change, mountaintop removal, etc? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

This is not a post on gun control, but rather on U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech on the subject.  His comments serve as a startling reminder of where the United States is with respect to the reform of gun-related legislation – and a number of other progressive concepts as well, e.g., renewable energy.  Obama warned:  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Frequent commenter Gary Tulie sent me this Wiki-article describing the 700-page “Stern Report” which, published in 2006, lays out a comprehensive set of economics regarding climate change mitigation.

From my reading of the article (though not the complete report), my first thought is the viewpoints of people like Jeremy Rifkin.  In his book The Third Industrial Revolution, he makes a fairly compelling case that the development of cleantech can represent not a cost to society, but a platform on which enormous prosperity can be built in the 21st Century. 

Of course, not everyone agrees.  In fact, people like 350.org’s Bill McKibben and Nate Hagens (contributor to my second book, Is Renewable Really Doable?) say the precise opposite, i.e., that “the party is over” for economic growth, regardless of what we think might drive it.

But my point is that there is an enormous amount of diversity in opinion regarding the economic impact of cleantech, and there is some legitimacy to the idea that this is a boon rather than a cost.

 

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Here’s an article that speaks to the on-again-off-again aspect of legislation in the U.S. with respect to incentives for renewables – in this case, wind energy.  Apparently, it’s hard to find sources of capital when there are last-minute, unpredictable changes in the law (imagine that!), and, as a result of the 11th hour extension of the Production Tax Credit, the wind industry will suffer a very slow first half of 2013.  

According to the report:

The first and second quarters of 2013 will likely be characterized by slow development as laid-off employees begin to return and shuttered facilities start to operate again, with activity beginning to ramp up in the second half of the year.

One industry observer, looking at the bright side, points out that “beggars can’t be choosers.”  

Needless to say, it’s a tragedy that this industry, one that represents by far the lowest levelized cost of energy of the clean sources and such potential to create jobs, is, in fact a beggar. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

2013 is looking to be a promising year for auto companies after the industry helped propel the economy through 2012 with a monumental comeback and record sales since the beginning of the recession in 2008. According to The Polk research firm, 2013 is looking to be even better year for car sales in the United States, following the 7 percent rise in sales since last year.

And as those sales continue, many expect that hybrid cars will play a large role in the industry’s success. For those of you buying in 2013, here are a few reasons to go hybrid with your next purchase. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Because of my association with clean energy, it appears my email has found its way onto distribution lists associated with progress causes.  I received a note recently on ending gun violence in my home town, Santa Ynez, California, which culminated in this:  “We can’t wait any longer! Can you host a meeting in Santa Ynez next Thursday?”

I wrote back:  

Oh sure!  You apparently have never been to the quaint, cowboy, “God and country” town of Santa Ynez. We have more guns here than we have dogs, cats, and children put together.  I have a friend (and I swear I’m not making this up) who, when he heard someone breaking in a few years ago, whispered to his wife before climbing out of bed, “Do you want me to get him with the .357 or the Uzi?”

I could get Ralph Nader elected mayor faster than I could get rid of guns here. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Glenn Doty notes with sadness:

What would be nice is if someone actually tried to nail down a rough estimate for the global net economic benefit, and the national net economic benefit, for different paced CO2 reduction strategies.

The fact that environmental lobbies continue to discuss the environment separately from a discussion of economics has rendered the discussion completely useless. If you don’t tell someone how much they stand to gain or lose from different strategies, they will always hedge their investments to minimal and/or token investments. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

According to the Writer’s Almanac, today is the birthday of humanitarian, philosopher and physician, Albert Schweitzer.  Those unfamiliar with his extraordinary life should take a couple of minutes, visit the pages linked above, and have one of those experiences that fills one with the deepest sense of awe. 

In the talk he gave accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, called “The Problem of Peace,” Schweitzer said:

“What really matters is that we should all of us realize that we are guilty of inhumanity. The horror of this realization should shake us out of our lethargy so that we can direct our hopes and our intentions to the coming of an era in which war will have no place.”

We as individuals sometimes feel small and powerless on a planet dominated by industries that are indifferent to our well-being, as well as by huge armies and weapons arsenals — forces that are hell-bent on world control.  Yet Schweitzer’s legacy shows that we need to reject those feelings.  We all make a difference far greater than we realize.   

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

There are numerous international projects aimed at facilitating the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy, of which one of the most prominent is the International Renewable Energy Agency, or IRENA.  Here’s their “global atlas,” a solid and ever-improving tool to quantify our Earth’s renewable resources and power transmission capabilities around the globe.

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