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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

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Here’s a consumer-oriented piece from the U.S. Department of Energy: 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Electric Vehicles.  Nicely done.

There are a couple of issues with EVs, however, that make this a trickier issue than the article implies:

• Even though the fuel savings versus gasoline are significant, the consumer value proposition, i.e., the cost/benefit proposition for the typical driver, while it’s steadily improving, is still not appealing.  Sure, it’s good to save $1000 per year on fuel, but how compelling is that if the cost of the vehicle is $10,000 more, and limits one’s range?

This is more than a rhetorical question.  Let’s look at sales numbers. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

If a solar company has advised you to switch to a micro inverter and you live in Australia, you should think twice. The fact of the matter is that micro inverters simply aren’t suitable for harsh Australian conditions. Whatever advantages they may have are completely cancelled out by a long list of drawbacks. In some environments, the right micro inverter might make a major difference. That’s simply not the case in Australia. Find out why that is below. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

Solar power is known for being a fluctuating source of energy. Predicting good weather and sunshine seems to be impossible, and there isn’t any solar energy available during the early morning hours and the night at all.

According to REN21 Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (November 2010), wind, solar, biomass and geothermal power only accounts for about 0.7% of the total power generation worldwide. The unpredictability of solar power is therefore not a big concern yet, but as more capacity is being added to the grid, we eventually will need energy storage for solar.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I received a few emails this morning alerting me to the U.S. Department of Energy’s release of the list of grants it made recently for cleantech R&D out of its “Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy” (ARPA-E). 

It would be interesting to know how this decision-making process works.  I’m hoping it’s both fair and wise, though, from what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t bet the ranch on either. 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

When I asked senior energy analyst Glenn Doty to comment on a business plan that contemplates coal and gas to liquids (isobutanol) I received an amazingly complete response — both a crash course in the business of organic chemistry and a comprehensive answer to the questions at hand. 

I then dared to ask another favor: a response to the question: What are the basic reasons that the externalities of tar sands are so much higher than they are for crude?  Is it simply that more energy is used in extraction, transportation, and refinement, and that there are externalities to generating that incremental energy?

I thought I’d publish his response, so that readers could come up to speed on this as well.  Glenn writes: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a well-written article that contains a great deal of truth.  Many environmentalists take knee-jerk positions, often rooted in an incomplete and self-serving view of the relevant science, and these positions can ultimately do more harm to the environment than good.  It’s sad but true.

Can thoughtful and fair-minded people see a case for genetically modified food?  Can nuclear energy and shale gas play a role in mitigating the planet-wrecking horrors of coal?  I believe the answer to both question is Yes.  As frequent commenter Glenn Doty of Doty WindFuels likes to say, “This is a marathon.  Sprinters will not cross the finish line.”

So yes, let’s admit that a rigid, “don’t confuse me with facts” position is childish and indefensible, regardless of the issue and which side of it you believe you’re on.

But my concern is that, as a society, our decision-making processes aren’t really based on facts at all; they’re based on money.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It’s the birthday of novelist Rita Mae Brown whose novel Rubyfruit Jungle was rejected by numerous publishers because of its lesbian themes.  But, through Brown’s tireless efforts, the book became a word-of-mouth hit and, to date, has sold more than a million copies.

I bring this up because of something Brown said about her career: “If you can’t raise consciousness, at least raise hell.”  Something to think about as we tell our story of sustainability to a world that often doesn’t want to hear it.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s a report on the Conference of Parties (COP) meetings that, this week and next, take on the challenges of bringing the nations of the world together to deal with climate change.  The report, called “Global Warming Threat: Permafrost Thawing Across Siberia And Alaska Poses New Concern, UNEP” inspires me to ask readers: When you come across articles that project catastrophic effects of climate change in the year 2100, what do you think?  How do you react emotionally?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Here’s an article that points to a controversy about smart-grid, i.e., about the concept of two-way communication between the electric generation plant and the customer, and the application of intelligence to flow of information.  Apparently, someone is alleging that the money spent in the arena has been misspent, that smart-grid won’t improve grid reliability, etc.

I have no doubt that there is at least some truth here.  I did a radio interview the other day in which I was asked about the way in which smart meters were introduced to consumers here in the U.S. recently; I freely admit that “mistakes were made,” to use the passive voice as we so frequently do in cases like these. 

What about reliability?  The issue isn’t really reliability, it’s more about efficiency, and, more to the point, conservation, especially during times of peak demand.  There are controversies about smart-grid, but its ability to manipulate the use of power favorably, reduce costs, defer capital investments, and help to integrate more renewables onto the grid aren’t among them.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Australia has terrific solar and wind resources, and, if this report is to be believed, expects to exploit them to the max over the coming years.  One has to like the title: “The Critical Decade: Generating a Renewable Australia,” as this is, indeed, a critical decade. 

I hope there’s plenty of political horsepower behind all this. 

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