Blog – Page 1497 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Warren Buffett Loves Demand Response

craigshieldsPosted on December 19, 2014 Posted in Smart Grid

“Everybody knows” that demand response is going to be huge over the next decade. How do we know? Well, for one, Warren Buffett is investing in it. And what exactly makes us believe that the Oracle of Omaha is so incredibly unlikely to err? His $63.6 billion.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree that he’s right about demand response, and that he’s a fabulously brilliant guy overall. But the logic above is faulty; it’s reminiscent of this classic scene from the American film City Slickers (1991).

Can Ocean Wave Energy Be Cost-Effective?

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2014 Posted in Hydrokinetics

The more I read about this, and the more time passes (perpetually bringing down the cost of solar and wind), the more I doubt it. Having said that, here’s an article on the use of wave energy in Africa.

The project developer writes: The technology can achieve a power generation cost as low as USD 0.02 per kW (sic), …. compared to USD 0.03/kWh for coal, USD 0.12 for solar and USD 0.036 for wind.

“Can” achieve? Under what circumstances? Sorry, but this is total horse hockey.

Tagged with: cost of solar and wind, ocean wave energy, wave energy Africa

Assessing the Value of Solar Energy

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2014 Posted in Photovoltaics

Here’s a really solid article summarizing the thinking we should apply when determining the worth of solar as a replacement for other forms of energy.

There are two main things that are omitted here, and while I have to admit they’re extremely hard (impossible?) to quantify, they’re probably the most important: (more…)

Tagged with: Assessing the Value of Solar Energy, climate disruption, determining worth of solar as replacement, environmental/economic issues, incremental kilowatt-hour of solar, ocean acidification, price long-term environmental damage, utility “death spiral”

Renewable Energy Technologies: New Concepts

craigshieldsPosted on December 18, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Science

I’m always happy to receive and comment on new ideas in renewable energy technology. If you happen to be sitting on a business plan, or just a raw idea, and you’d like my opinion on it (at no charge), please send it along.

Here’s a discussion I had with a reader just the other day: (more…)

Tagged with: clean energy business plan, generates AC power with solar PV panels, moving physical objects replaced by electronics, renewable energy business plan

Lopsided Reporting on the Coal Ash Eco-Disaster

craigshieldsPosted on December 17, 2014 Posted in Fossil Fuels

A friend sent me this piece on the environmentally disastrous coal ash accident that occurred earlier this year.

I wrote in return: Yes. I saw that recent “60 Minutes” piece in which Leslie Stahl (and the editors) totally barbecued the CEO of Duke Energy, Lynn Good. I’m sure that Duke somehow mis-estimated how vituperative the piece was going to be, or they would have immediately declined the interview, like they characteristically do. (more…)

Tagged with: 60 Minutes barbecued Duke Energy, cleantech/renewables is a worthless rip-off, environmentally disastrous coal ash accident, status quo in the energy industry

Solar PV: Can We Eliminate the Inverter?

craigshieldsPosted on December 17, 2014 Posted in Photovoltaics

Over the years, I’ve reviewed many thousands of ideas in cleantech and renewable energy more specifically, and I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve had to tell someone: “Is this physically possible? Yes. Is it potentially of any practical worth? Sorry, not in a million years.” I know I haven’t won many friends with this phrase, but I know I’ve kept lots of good people from wasting money developing something of no value. (more…)

Tagged with: converts the direct current from a solar PV array to alternating current, Rube Goldberg device, Solar PV Inverter

The Role of Nuclear and Renewable Energy: Further Discussion

craigshieldsPosted on December 17, 2014 Posted in Wind Energy

Here’s a conversation that I thought readers may enjoy:

Craig: (Writing to a reader who claims that wind and solar would require all the lands in PA, OH, and VA in order to achieve 99.9% reliability.) No one advocates using wind and solar to do that. Wind contributed 4.18% to the U.S. grid-mix in 2013, displacing about 500 billion pounds of CO2. That’s a very, very good thing. Why are you and the other so-called “scientists” in your group trying so hard to invalidate the concept of wind? And, if you really are scientists, why are you going about this in such a childish way?

Reader: Sarcasm (which includes extrapolating things to absurd limits to make a point that even non-scientists can grasp) and childishness are two very different things. (more…)

Tagged with: advanced nuclear, bunker diesel on island nations, wind and solar would require all the lands, wind contributed 4.18% to the U.S. grid-mix in 2013, wind displacing about 500 billion pounds of CO2

From Guest Blogger Dixie Somers: Five Awesome Recycling Projects You Really Need to Be a Part of

craigshieldsPosted on December 17, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

If you are striving to live a green life, you are likely a habitual recycler. If you are an all-star recycler at home, you should know about the awesome recycling projects out there for recycling enthusiasts. Many companies and organizations have popped up over the years, instituting creative programs that promote recycling. Take a look at a few of the best resources out there to help you make a real difference in protecting the environment, and keep unneeded waste out of landfills: (more…)

Tagged with: Call2Recycle, Crazy Crayons, Gimme 5 Recycling, TerraCycle, WRAP recycling

More Conversation with the Pro-Nuke, Anti-Wind People: It’s Not a Particularly Intelligent Discussion, But At Least It’s Short

craigshieldsPosted on December 16, 2014 Posted in Wind Energy

Another fellow from the pro-nuclear energy group writes more on his “anti-wind” viewpoints:

I crunched a lot of numbers relating to the Budischak & Kempton 2013 study of cost minimization using wind, solar and storage technologies, which study was well received by renewables advocates. My number-crunching came to a startling conclusion about land use: To supply the entire USA electric grid with 99.9% up-time, using the recommended Budischak & Kempton overbuild strategy, would cover ALL of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio with wind & solar farms.

You should understand that no one who knows anything about the subject whatsoever would advocate trying to supply the entire U.S. electrical grid with 99.9% up-time using nothing but wind and solar energy, any more than they would try to feed all 317 million Americans with nothing but lobster tails. (more…)

Tagged with: anti-wind, wind contributed 4.18% to the U.S. grid-mix in 2013, wind displaced 500 billion pounds of CO2, Wind Energy

Solar Cooking

craigshieldsPosted on December 16, 2014 Posted in Solar Thermal

There are well over 4500 blog posts here at 2GreenEnergy, but, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first one on solar cooking.

Like so many other elements of solar energy and sustainable living, this is a subject that has been around for many decades, but the technology gets better every year: devices are lighter, more convenient, less expensive, and more efficient than ever before. This one comes with its own sun tracking, and can maintain a temperature of 450 degrees F all day long. These campers are making a paella–pretty sophisticated stuff.

Perhaps a great Christmas gift?

Tagged with: blog posts at 2GreenEnergy, Solar Cooking, solar energy and sustainable living, sun tracking