Here’s an article that ponders the question: Should we be focusing on a strong (i.e., resilient) grid, rather than a smart (i.e., green) grid? Personally, I think the two are so similar that I see no reason to split hairs. We need to completely rethink what we’re asking our power utilities to do for us, and how they do it. All parties, the utilities, the power producers, the providers of ancillary services, and the rate-payers need to have incentives to produce/consume less electricity, especially on-peak, and to migrate to renewables at the maximum rate possible. If we are successful in this endeavor, we’ll have enormous amounts of distributed generation that will be both green and resilient.
A fellow by the colorful name Ulysses Pascal wanted my opinion of his plan to convert internal combustion engine-based cars and trucks to electric vehicles. With his permission, I thought I’d publish our conversation and see if other readers have any feedback:
Ulysses: I am at the very beginning of my journey in entrepreneurship. (more…)
Linked here is another in a series of posts from 2GreenEnergy intern Louis de Saint Phalle, this one on offshore wind energy. As you read through it, I’d encourage you to write a comment or two, challenging Louis (who’s fluent in five languages–four more than I) on some of this:
• Though offshore wind generally resolves the “Not in My Back Yard” issue, it doesn’t do it completely, as in the Cape Wind project in the US. Whose rights should be senior here? And dare we comment on the hypocrisy issue? Liberal Massachusetts wants renewable energy, but they, especially the moneyed elite from the Southeastern part of the state, don’t want to have to look at it.
• Louis is quite correct that Denmark is leading the way in integrating wind power into their electricity grid, but they have physical and geo-political advantages that we in the U.S. don’t. They have a population of 1/50th that of the U.S., wind resources coming out their ears, and incredible opportunities to sell off-peak wind to neighboring Germany. How shall we make sense of these differences?
• Louis writes that the economic future for offshore wind is promising, and, while I grant that this is a possibility, let’s put some numbers there. The most remarkable thing about my visit to the Energy Ocean conference in Atlantic City earlier this month was the fact that they appear to LOVE offshore wind, though they really brushed off the whole issue of the cost—and, when we think about it, it’s the only one that matters.
Again, my fondest thanks to Louis for his continued and most excellent work on the subject of clean energy and the world’s migration away from fossil fuels.
Offshore wind is a great method to harness energy in an environmental friendly and sustainable way. Rather than building wind farms on land, massive wind turbines are constructed in bodies of water to generate electricity. This resolves the “Not in My Back Yard” issue as offshore wind farms are typically located far away from residential areas.
In Europe, Denmark is leading the way in integrating wind power into the electricity system. About 28 percent of its electricity comes from wind power. As a first-mover in wind power technology, Denmark has already become an industry leader in production, design and installation of wind turbines. To date, Danish companies have installed more than 90 percent of the offshore wind turbines worldwide. (more…)
Here’s another reason I couldn’t last 10 minutes in Washington: I wouldn’t be able to find the words to express why the United States should use its financial resources, a huge percentage of which are tied up in war machinery, to support Chile’s efforts in solar PV.
In my first minute, someone would ask me, “So you’re saying that renewable energy brings jobs to local communities, positions the country for economic success in the 21st Century, and enables the country to take the moral high-ground in international relations — but you’d rather support it in Chile than here at home?” (more…)
I’m pleased to see all the activity on the part of a large and growing community of guest bloggers. All combined, there are over 400 posts here from 175 different authors. I appreciate the contributions.
If anyone else wants to join these illustrious ranks, please let me know.
Here’s the guts of an email conversation I had last week with a reader who asked me for my take on a renewable energy concept whose IP its inventor appears ready to give away for free. I found the discourse kind of funny; perhaps you will too. (more…)
I doff my hat to the bold and brave administrators of these top universities, while noting that steps like these are more than symbolic. To whatever degree, they drive up the cost of capital for companies operating in this arena, thus accelerating the process by which renewable energy is perceived for what it really is: the deal of the century. (more…)
One of the veterans responsible for answering questions from the crowd explained that, since the close of World War II, the United States has been involved in over 50 armed conflicts around the world. Though he didn’t seem to be offering a judgment about that, I have to think most of the audience shared the same feelings I had: wow, we certainly are a warlike nation. (more…)
It’s been a while since I wrote a post reminding us all exactly how little area is required, in relative terms, to provide enough solar power for the entire world. Numbers are cool, but graphics are better. Linked above is a map that shows the swath that we’d need to take out of Northern Africa in order to get the job done.
We all need to keep the truth in mind as we contemplate the appropriate energy policy for Earth in the 21st Century, i.e., our planet receives 6000 times more energy from the sun every day than all seven billion of us can consume here. We have it within our grasp to transform ourselves into a civilization that pulls itself back from the brink of extinction by migrating to clean energy. Let’s do it.
Here’s an article that ponders the question: Should we be focusing on a strong (i.e., resilient) grid, rather than a smart (i.e., green) grid? Personally, I think the two are so similar that I see no reason to split hairs. We need to completely rethink what we’re asking our power utilities to do for us, and how they do it. All parties, the utilities, the power producers, the providers of ancillary services, and the rate-payers need to have incentives to produce/consume less electricity, especially on-peak, and to migrate to renewables at the maximum rate possible. If we are successful in this endeavor, we’ll have enormous amounts of distributed generation that will be both green and resilient.
