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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

The recent announcements around energy price increases has reminded us all that fuel poverty is a very real concern for UK consumers. The government’s recent Public Attitudes Tracker poll showed 48% of people in the UK are now worried about paying their energy bills and this figure is likely to increase as this winter’s bills arrive in the post.

The choice between heating or eating has become a harsh reality for many households and businesses are also suffering as their profit margins are squeezed by spiralling energy overheads. Energy bills have risen by almost 37% since 2010 and this upward curve shows no sign of easing. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As I’ve written here once or twice before, it’s unconscionable that the U.S. doesn’t have an energy policy.  What’s the matter with picking a direction and heading that way?

Apparently, the Japanese province of Fukushima has done exactly that, prompted, I presume, by the 2011 nuclear disaster.  The target?  Become 100% renewable by 2040. The goal, i.e., weaning the region off fossil fuels over the next 26 years, was announced this week at Fukushima’s Community Power Conference.

People seldom achieve more than what they set out to, which is why it’s so important to have goals.  No decent person could possibly object to this great nation declaring its intention to migrate away from fossil fuels over the coming few decades.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Readers will note the new “ESPAÑOL” tab on our navigation here.  I believe this is the best way to offer the Spanish translations of many of the pages that 2GreenEnergy supporter Alejandro Manrique is cranking out.  Muy bien, Alejandro.  Gracias.  

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Over the last few months, I’ve been speaking with Olivier Goavec, a bright young French engineering student.  He’s currently living in Alkmaar, just south of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, which I mention only so I can link to photography that shows how incredibly beautiful the town is. 

Olivier will be researching and writing on the many red-hot developments in renewable energy in Europe.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

Guest blogger Cameron Atwood sent me this graph showing the increase in the use of solar and wind energy from 2005 to 2012.  Impressive stuff.  Here in the U.S., our grid-mix is currently comprised of more than 4% wind and about 1% solar – both of which are rising steadily. 

Of course, due to the variable nature of these resources, we’ll eventually need a significant amount of energy storage, whether it’s in the form of advanced batteries, compressed air, hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels, flywheels, pumped hydro, advanced rail, etc.  Insofar as this subject is bound to become important, our list of clean energy investment opportunities contemplate several of these various forms of energy storage.  

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Frequent commenter Brian McGowan comments on my post on the Solar Wind Energy Tower (pictured top) , “I don’t know how feasible it is but I can tell you I have a Popular Science magazine from the early ’70s somewhere in my basement with this exact idea in it and maybe even on the cover.”

Thanks, Brian.  Maybe we should infer something from the fact that, here we are, 40 years later, and we still don’t have one built.  Again, if this turns out to be a cost-effective idea, I’ll ride my bicycle out to the desert to see it.

I’m reminded of a guy who called me a few years ago who thought he would provide power to his house by attaching a generator to his attic heat vent turbine (pictured below). “I hope you live a Spartan life,” I told him. “For that to work, you’ll have no heating, cooling, or appliances – and very little lighting.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

That sounds a bit enigmatic, doesn’t it?  Here’s my thinking.  Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft, net worth about $25 billion) owns the Seahawks.  If they win, he’ll be happy – and even a bit richer, as the value of his franchise will spurt up.  Now, you need to understand that Allen has historically made significant investments in clean energy R&D.  My reasoning, though it may be faulty, is that a happier and wealthier Paul Allen will be more like to make further investments in this space.  Go Seahawks.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

I’ve signed a heck of a lot of petitions circulated by The Sierra Club over the years, but strangely, I’m ambivalent about this one on solar energy.  They point out, “As part of a nationwide attack on solar, California utilities are proposing to change the rules for existing solar customers. If they succeed, solar customers could stop getting full credit for all the clean power they produce and put back into the grid. Not cool.”  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

If you have a few extra minutes today and wish to invest them wisely, I urge you to check out Yiming Hu’s amazing collection of photographic works of nature. Hu writes: “To me, landscape photography is not merely a documentary of the splendid scenery of our magnificent national parks. It is not just going to the iconic locations waiting for the perfect sunset. Landscape photography can also be an expression of one’s inner feeling about the Mother Nature, and can be poetic instead of objective.”

As you’re scrolling along, keep in mind that the subject matter here is the very thing we’re endangering with our reckless and selfish behavior here on Earth.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Apparently, comedian Bill Maher (pictured here) plans to use his talents and stature as a celebrity to identify and remove “the worst member of Congress.”  Though there are dozens of excellent candidates, I suppose I would nominate Jim Inhofe, (R, OK) for his aggressive actions against clean energy (most notably biofuels) while being on the receiving end of enormous sums of money from the oil companies; more than 80% of his campaign contributions come from Big Oil.  (more…)

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