Here’s the acknowledgement that I wrote for my most recent book project, “Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose.”

I can’t begin to express my gratitude to my friend and colleague Gary Tulie for his enthusiastic support of this project, and, more to the point, for the enormous amount of content he contributed.  His help enabled me to get this whole effort wrapped up far faster than I possibly could have if I had been forced to research every detail personally.  Gary is extremely bright, and was always eager to go in any direction I asked, which not only made the whole process totally enjoyable for me, but also served the reader quite well. 

It would have taken me months to come up with all the detail that Gary provided off the top of his head.  He’s especially strong in what’s happening in Europe, where I happen to be fairly weak.

In golf, when two players on a team complement one another it’s called “ham and egg.”   That’s what I’d call that here.

 

 

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As I’ve mentioned, the guiding theme of my latest book project (“Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose”) is that the force of market economics alone is in the process of guiding us swiftly towards clean energy, as renewables, energy storage, efficiency, smart grid, etc. become increasingly inexpensive.  However, I couldn’t help myself from mentioning a couple of other dynamics that layer themselves on top of pure market forces, namely that we will eventually have incentives to lower carbon emissions, as well as heightened consumer sensibilities that will accelerate all this even faster. (more…)

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I hope a great number of readers here are following the “MaydayPAC,” which, according to its website, is:

an independent political action committee (“superPAC”) that aims to elect a Congress committed to fundamental reform in the way political campaigns are funded by 2016. The PAC will operate in both the 2014 and 2016 election cycles. (more…)

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Another Round of Thanks to Jigar Shah, Renewable Energy Super-EntrepreneurAgain, I need to thank Jigar Shah, founder of SunEdison, author of Creating Climate Wealth, and former CEO of Carbon War Room, the global organization founded by Richard Branson and Virgin United.  Not only did he grant me a really good interview on the re-regulation of our power utilities for my current book project ( “Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose”), but he sent me this quote for the back cover: (more…)

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printing energy consumption

There has been a lot of hype lately concerning the 3D printing technology with many technology environmentalists hailing it as a great way of eliminating manufacturing waste. While there is some truth in what you can do through this technology to lower waste in manufacturing, there is no doubt that this technology has a dark side as far as energy consumption is concerned. (more…)

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Five Reasons Why You Should Be Using Renewable EnergyAll sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass, provide not only substantial benefits for our climate and environment, but for our economy and health as well. A recent study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that is we start making smart investments now; the US could be getting 80% of its energy from renewable resources by 2050. Below are some of the reasons of why we want that to happen, as well as some comparisons between the impacts of fossil fuels and renewable energy. (more…)

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Specialty Hydrocarbon Fluid Production – Another Breakthrough from ExxonMobilThose of us who believe that a rapid migration to renewable energy is underway often point to the raw power of technology advancements.  We cite the numerous improvements in the efficiency of solar, wind, hydro, etc., while noting the downward cascade of costs, as economies of scale are beginning to be achieved worldwide.

But guess what: “the dark side” is doing more than buying congressmen in a desperate ploy to stave off irrelevance; the oil companies are investing heavily in R&D, improving their ability to perform hydrocarbon extraction that would have been impossible a decade ago.  Of course, all this comes with increasing ecological damage, insofar as all the easily accessed crude and gas is long gone, and only the dirtiest and toughest-to-reach stuff remains.  But hey, you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

 

 

 

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"Realpolitik" and the Cause of EnvironmentalismReaders who subscribe to dictionary.com’s “word of the day” know that today’s offering is “realpolitik,” meaning “political realism or practical politics, especially policy based on power rather than on ideals.” Apparently, “The word comes directly from the German word of the same spelling which means ‘politics of realism.’ It emerged in English in the 1910s.”

This, of course, raises the question: Are environmental causes idealistic, or are they examples of “realpolitik?” (more…)

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Finding an Approved Biomass Fuel Supplier2015 will be here before we know it, and with the new year comes new rules for the renewable energy industry: from spring 2015, all of the biomass fuel used within houses, businesses and any other organisations that are claiming RenewabIe Heat Incentive (RHI) incentive payments must meet stringent emissions targets. (more…)

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Not Another Drop of Diesel for El HierroA part of the Canary Islands, 1000 kilometers out into the Atlantic off the coast of Northern Africa, El Hierro is literally never front-page news, or even back-page news.  In fact, with a landmass of 107 square miles and a population of about 10,000, it’s hard to imagine what the folks on this small but intensely beautiful piece of rock could possibly do to attract the least bit of attention in a world dominated by Ebola and beheadings by religious extremists. (more…)

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