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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

A Quick Stab at the Intersection of Renewable Energy and MeteorologyA senior in college working towards his B.S. in meteorology writes:

I’ve always been very intrigued by renewable energy and was curious if there are positions for meteorologists within the field. If there are not I would also be interested in knowing if there are any other positions I would be able to apply for with my degree being in meteorology, something I could apply my knowledge of science towards perhaps. I wasn’t sure how to research this so i figured I would contact a few companies directly. If you have any information on this I would greatly appreciate it if you could email me with some details.

I respond: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

South Korea Ranks High in Smart Grid, Air Pollution If you’re looking for countries that have aggressive goals for economic growth, you certainly need to include South Korea on your list. What they’ve done in automotive and electronics over the past two decades has been most impressive. Here’s a story about their goals in exporting smart grid solutions. I won’t be at all surprised to see those goals met—and exceeded. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

New Auto Offering From Fisker.....Zzzzzzzz

Apparently Henrik Fisker is back with a new set of promises, claiming that he’ll be unveiling two new cars on November 20, a media day at next month’s LA Auto Show. Back-to-back press conferences are scheduled with no details yet revealed, except for the fact that one of them is predicted to be more of a muscle car than an environmentally sound, fuel-efficient model.

Sorry if I have a bad taste in my mouth here. Even if I thought the world needs a new muscle car (which, of course, I don’t), I still remember my annual sojourns to the Los Angeles Auto Show in the 2000-aughts, and how turned off I was to Fisker’s soon-to-be-aborted range-extended hybrid. Each year, the ropes around the prototype kept us a few feet farther away from actually touching it, and each year the story about the price and release date became even more vague and disenchanting.

I feel a sudden yawn coming on…

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

The Top Two Energy-Related Threats To HumankindWhat’s the number one threat to human civilization based on our foolish and corrupt approach to energy?  Most of us who try to keep a watchful and objective eye on the world energy scene would say that it’s our de facto energy policy that favors fossil fuels, and uses the power of enormous amounts of money to maintain the fiction that burning hydrocarbons is an acceptable mode of going forward.

But what’s the number two threat?  I would say that it’s the bickering between those of us who see the imperative for a low-carbon energy future.  To summarize it: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Eco-Friendly Bamboo BeddingDenmark is an early adopter of wind energy

Despite the country has modest wind resources compared to other countries, it manages to capture the power of the wind with remarkable success. A key factor for the success is the early adoption of wind energy. Denmark has invested on wind energy since the 1970s. As a result, Denmark has had the chance to learn from experience. As a consequence of this experience and constant investment and innovative thinking, the wind industry has developed, technology costs have fallen and Denmark has built core competencies in the production and installation of wind turbines. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Eco-Friendly Bamboo Bedding

The eco-friendly feature of bamboo bedding has been just one of the many reasons most people choose to buy and use bamboo sheets, bamboo comforters and and other bedding ware. In contrast to the other types of fabrics and materials, bamboo is a sustainable product that is ingrained with innumerable qualities. Bamboo fabric products are considered to be eco-friendly as it is produced without the use of dangerous pesticides and fertilizers. The pulp of the bamboo shoots is used for manufacturing fabrics and other products. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Global Climate Disrupution and the “Anthropocene Era"Let me call readers’ attention to Glenn Doty’s incredible comments on my post about the new “Anthropocene Era,” so named because of the vast impact humankind has had recently on the planet, and the fact that this impact can only increase as time goes forward.  For those who want a primer on glaciation and the astronomical/geological forces that affect it, you’ll struggle to find anything done any better than this brief science lesson.

However, now that I understand (at some level) the forces that affect global warming over a period of thousands, and in some cases, millions of years, can’t we conclude that they’re irrelevant?  Atmospheric CO2 levels have risen over 29% since I was born.  It’s true that I’m not a kid anymore, but we’re not exactly talking about “geologic time” here.  Not only are levels increasing, but the rate of change at which the levels are rising is increasing as well.  Isn’t everything else negligible, insofar as it’s happening so slowly in comparison?

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

Curious About the Operation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plants?Here’s an interesting article on concentrated solar power, based on an interview with one of the engineers at the Ivanpah plant near the California/Nevada border near Las Vegas. Readers may be curious about the minute-to-minute tactics associated with managing the heliostats (sun trackers) so as to generate as much constant power as possible.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

Solar Thermal Hot Water HeatingHere’s a 3D animation of a solar thermal tracking system that a reader sent me just now.

There is no doubt in my mind that solar thermal hot water heating has a great deal of merit; in fact, I really love the “Plexisun” concept, which is among our list of renewable energy investment opportunities.  It’s great for commercial uses where large volumes of hot water are required, e.g., dairy barns and beer breweries, as well as domestic use, e.g., heating pools.

Having said that, all concepts in this space are not created equal, and this one won’t work.  The challenge here is to make this cost-effective, which will be impossible; the cost of solar tracking will not begin to pay for itself.  The claim that most people will find this more aesthetically pleasing than a roof-mounted system I also find fantastically hard to believe.

 

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Will Today's Billionaires Let Humankind Destroy the Earth?I have a chapter in my current book project (“Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose”) tentatively called “Extremely Wealthy Forces of Super-Innovation Will Not Let 20th Century Energy Policy Slowly Destroy the Planet.”

We’d all like to think that certain multibillionaires, perhaps Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Sergei Brin/Larry Page, etc. care more than Donald Trump or the Koch Brothers about the quality of the planet that we will be leaving to posterity. (more…)

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