Blog – Page 1515 – 2GreenEnergy.com

From 2GreenEnergy Intern Olivier Goavec: The Long-Term Prospect for Powering the Entire Continent of Europe with Huge CSP Arrays in Northern Africa

craigshieldsPosted on March 12, 2014 Posted in Solar Thermal

With its strong economic position in the world and its industrialization, Europe is an important energy consumer. This brings about the need for constant research to ensure that the future of electricity demand for the Continents is based on renewables. Over the last few years, researchers have been looking for ideas to provide electricity to Europe. Between 2003 and 2007 a group of international researchers began to think about Africa and, in particular, the Sahara Desert. Indeed, in the Sahara the amount of power from the sun is so huge that our capturing all the sun’s energy for six hours would be sufficient to provide all the energy that all of humanity needs for a full year. (more…)

Tagged with: concentrated solar power, CSP, Solar Thermal

Coal Industry Busted for Lying to our School Children

craigshieldsPosted on March 11, 2014 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Here’s a story with a happy ending. Apparently, the educational arm of the U.S. coal industry, the American Coal Foundation, hired schoolbook publisher “Scholastic” to create classroom lessons on energy. Not surprisingly, the material on coal discussed its many “advantages,” but didn’t mention a single disadvantage. No material on carbon, greenhouse gas emissions or climate change, not a word on pollutants like NOx and SOx, as well as the earth’s deadliest toxins: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium, and not a syllable on the mountaintop removal mining that has destroyed 500 Appalachian mountains. (more…)

Tagged with: American Coal Foundation, Climate Change, Coal Industry Busted, Coal Industry Lying to our School Children, earth’s deadliest toxins: arsenic lead mercury cadmium chromium selenium, greenhouse gas emissions, mountaintop removal mining destroyed 500 Appalachian mountains, pollutants NOx and SOx, schoolbook publisher Scholastic

Tesla Motors’ Direct Sales Model Challenged

craigshieldsPosted on March 11, 2014 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Progressives certainly disdain New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, don’t they? It seems that at the rate of at least once a week he does something to irritate the Common American. Today we learn that he’s blocking Tesla’s efforts to build a direct sales model in his state, i.e., one that circumvents the traditional dealer model. That’s not going to go over well with the people who are hoping the U.S. can end its oil addiction.

I must confess that I don’t understand the basic law here. Don’t I have a constitutional right to engage in any form of commerce I wish, as long as I’m not selling something illegal, e.g., slaves, drugs, etc.? If I want to sell oranges or toothpaste via e-commerce and circumvent grocery stores, don’t I have that right? Can cars possibly be any different?

From Guest Blogger Ashley: Injection Molding Processes — Which Are Greenest?

craigshieldsPosted on March 11, 2014 Posted in Efficiency

As manufacturing companies aim to increase production and reduce costs, analysis of energy consumption within the process is vital. With plastic injection molding, three types of machines and processes are used – hydraulic, hybrid, and all-electric. Any plastics manufacturer may be (and should be) concerned with their impact on the environment. Part of the decision-making toward the goal to be green is figuring out which process and machine to use in order to minimize the negative effects and still be profitable. To do so, one must understand how each system operates. (more…)

Tagged with: green business processes

Living on Mars Would Mean No Renewable Energy Business Activities

craigshieldsPosted on March 10, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Business

I just got off the phone with my mother, who is in the process of moving to Kauai, Hawaii. She laughed about how, though I will certainly visit, I would hate living there, as isolated as it is from cultural and renewable energy business activities. She sure nailed that one.

I urge readers to check out this incredible picture which, according to NASA, provides a “view of the twilight sky and Martian horizon taken by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover that includes Earth as the brightest point of light in the night sky.” I’d feel a bit more isolated living there, but only marginally so.

Tagged with: Renewable Energy Business Activities

Will Clean Energy Come Through Policy or Technology?

craigshieldsPosted on March 9, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Politics

One of the great questions concerning the migration to renewable energy is as follows: Will it come from policy, i.e., government’s creating a level playing field, perhaps with a carbon tax—or will it come from technology, i.e., waiting for the cost of energy from clean sources to come down to that of fossil fuels?

First, we should point out that this is a meaningless question in the developing world, by which we mean countries that do not have the economic resources to choose a more expensive form of energy over another simply because the former is better for human health and the environment. (more…)

Tagged with: carbon tax, Clean Energy Policy or Technology, Climate Change, government’s creating a level playing field, loss of biodiversity, lung disease, migration to renewable energy, ocean acidification, urbanization of huge populations in China and other Asian nations is the real driver of energy consumption

From Guest Blogger Rose Denholm: Achieving a Sustainable Business

craigshieldsPosted on March 9, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

It has long been reported that sustainable business companies create economic value, but they must overcome obstacles to reach their goal. The real challenges they face are related to the government, consumer perceptions and employees or their own organization.

Companies that invest in sustainability are not worse off financially than those which decide against it. (more…)

Tagged with: sustainability, Sustainable Business, sustainable growth

From Guest Blogger Claire Reed: Solar Energy — How Solar Panels are Helpful for the Environment

craigshieldsPosted on March 9, 2014 Posted in Photovoltaics

Solar energy is the power that can help generate electricity at an ease. It is an alternative source of energy which can help in installing solar panels. Solar energy is the best form of renewable energy which is used to harness the sun’s energy and make it useable. Unlike fossil fuels solar power is versatile and is pollution free and is therefore cleaner and cheaper than its non-renewable counterparts. (more…)

Tagged with: solar energy, solar panels, solar power

Inane Concepts in Electric Transportation

craigshieldsPosted on March 8, 2014 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s a concept from Ford that strikes me as totally asinine (though, as always, I’m willing to look at other viewpoints).

As we all know, it’s possible to put solar PV on the roof of an electric vehicle to charge the battery, but the area of the roof is insufficient to provide a meaningful amount of charge, even under ideal conditions. (more…)

Tagged with: access to the grid, canopy focuses sunlight, Inane Concepts in Electric Transportation, Rube Goldberg, solar PV on the roof of an electric vehicle car