Home › Blog › Page 1519

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A few weeks ago, the world lost Dr. Barry Commoner, one of the most influential environmentalists of all time.  Here’s an article on the man, his mission, and the incredible extent of his impact.   

In his book The Closing Circle (published in 1971) Commoner laid down his four laws of ecology:

1. Everything Is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.

3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is likely to be detrimental to that system.

4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. Exploitation of nature will inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless forms.

The 21st Century bears witness to the opposition to two great forces.  On one hand, we see a level of rapacious greed and exploitation of nature that is ripping through the planet’s remaining resources at a ferocious clip.  On the other, we have a generation of very smart and committed young people, many of whom see through this, and will do what they can to take on the mantle that Dr. Commoner and his peers left for them. 

Which of the two forces will prove dominant? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Having said that, if you want to get a lump in your throat, read a few of the comments on the article linked above.  As a friend of mine often reminds me, you and I are but a few of many millions of like-minded people.  

 

Tagged with: , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Scientists, investors, students, leaders in the solar industry will have a gathering at the Arizona State University’s SkySong this October 10th for the third annual Arizona Solar Summit.

The former Corporation Commissioner of Arizona Kris Mayes agrees with ASU that there needs to be more investment in solar energy since it greatly represents the destiny of the economy specially in Arizona that has long exposure to sunlight. (more…)

Tagged with: , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s an important white paper that my friend Tim Kingston just sent me, that frankly, I’m unlikely to read.

Say what?

It’s on a financial issue, master limited partnerships (MLPs), that I’ve heard plenty about over the last two meetings of the Renewable Energy Finance Forum, which have both featured numerous speakers on this topic.  (more…)

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A reader sent me this article on the metrics we need to determine how “green” certain of our actions are.  Specifically, how do we measure our success at contributing to the “triple bottom line,” where investments pay returns financially, socially, and environmentally? 

Yes, it would be terrific, for example, if a business had a more precise way to quantify the benefits of what it’s doing when it reduces its carbon footprint or improves the LCA (lifecycle analysis) of the products it builds. 

I think it would be easy to overcomplicate, as well as to oversimplify, however.  Each industry, and each business within it, has its own unique relationship with its stakeholders: supply chain, employees, investors, and customers – as well as with the civilization at large.  As to quantifying social and environmental good, we may run into horrific “apples and oranges” issues.  Through a ripple-effect, one strategy might result in better world health, another in reduced CO2 emissions, and a third in more promise for innovation of new, potentially world-changing technology.  Good luck determining which one’s best. 

In terms of exact calibrations of social and environmental good, we may have to content ourselves with the approach for which 20th Century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart is best remembered regarding a precise definition of pornography:  “It’s hard to define, but I know it when I see it.”

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

According to this report, a recent climate change survey shows most Americans believe that warming is tied to extreme weather events.  That’s good news; we’re starting to bark up the right tree.  Now let’s put some pressure on our elected leaders to help us do something about it.

If you had wanted to bet me that I’d listen to a 90-minute debate last week between two gentlemen who contend to be the leader of the free world, and that the subject of sustainability and climate change would be entirely absent from the conversation, you’d have gotten some pretty long odds.  Apparently, if we don’t bring it up, neither will they.  Of course that’s not leadership; it’s “followership,” but that’s exactly what we have here.

Tagged with: , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

One of the benefits of my position at 2GreenEnergy is that it enables me to do hundreds of quick and easy actions that help people learn about renewable energy, and, at some level, forward the cause of sustainability all over the world.  Later this week, I’m doing an interview for a journalist who writes for a magazine in England.  I also have a call set up with an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, where I’ve offered to help her and a couple of her classmates with their class “Engineering Management 221: Technology Strategy,” in which they pick a company, and develop a strategy for their newest technology.  Oh, to be young again….

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Frequent commenter Larry Lemmert writes:

It makes sense to replace some things before they quit working. Computers, light bulbs, water heaters and power plants of all kinds come to mind. At what point should a newer technology replace a functioning older technology? From a business perspective, it is logical to replace old equipment when it is less expensive to amortize the cost of the new technology than to continue to pay to operate the old technology.

The bugaboo that brings out political rants is the hidden costs of air pollution and other environmental degradation brought on by continued use or disposal of the old stuff.

The compromise which is acceptable to many folks is to retrofit, upgrade, or renew older systems to mitigate at least some of the environmental consequences of continued use. Extension of the life cycle benefits the technology investors as well as the rate payers. Everyone wins if level heads prevail.

I think you’ve nailed the basic elements of the discussion in your first two paragraphs; the problem I see is in the last one. (more…)

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Frequent commenter Dr. James Gover writes:

It is my understanding that because of: (1) the cost of new coal plants due in part to EPA enforcement of air pollution standards, (2) the lower cost (in comparison to coal) of new (natural gas) NG plants and (3) the low cost of NG, new coal plants are not being built in the US. As old coal plants reach end of life and are phased out, these are being replaced with NG plants, wind and solar. The issue is almost entirely what will China and India do. I don’t think that the U.S. will have much influence on either; rather, their directions will be determined by domestic politics. (more…)

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

On my piece on EVs earlier today, my friend Tom Konrad of AltEnergyStocks.com writes:

Given the extra demand from a large number of EVs, how will the utilities supply the extra power? (This could be anything, not just renewables or fossil generation, but also possibly through demand side management (DSM) – better efficiency elsewhere freeing up power to charge cars.)  Personally, my preference is to charge my car with DSM. 

There is no doubt that energy efficiency and conservation are where the real low-hanging fruit lie in terms of the planet’s energy picture.  Having said that, I think it could be argued that, regardless of how much power we’re consuming at any point now or in the future, anytime an incremental load on the grid is met with coal, this militates away from EVs as green transportation.  This is the point that energy analyst Glenn Doty makes, and I think he’s exactly correct.

The issue is putting an end to coal, not only here in the U.S., but in the rest of the world, particularly China.  This will take an effort of huge proportion that will require governments that have lukewarm relations with one another to work together in trust and harmony.  All this, of course, is unprecedented.  The driver is that it’s absolutely required if our civilization is to avoid the brunt of the climate change catastrophe that is so clearly headed its way.

 

 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s an overly simplistic article that questions the validity of electric vehicles as “green” transportation on the basis that coal is used to charge EVs.  And here is one of the comments: “I power my electric car totally from solar PV panels. This article should be citing coal-fired power plants, not electric cars.” He has an excellent point, but, since most EV drivers charge their cars from the grid, this too over-simplifies the matter.

Here are several items to consider, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few myself:

• Many supporters of electric transportation point to the declining percentage of coal in our grid-mix.  But to understand how clean the fuel is, the question is not: “What is the average grid-mix?” but rather, “Exactly what happens when I put additional load on the grid when I charge my car?”  At night, in the U.S. in 2012, that almost always means that someone somewhere will be burning more coal.  And, to the degree that’s true, EVs are a terrible solution environmentally.

However, the situation is more complicated and dynamic than that, as: (more…)

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,