I had a discussion the other day with a fellow who studies energy closely, during which he told me, “Clean energy will happen when Big Oil decides it’s time.” I was quite surprised to hear this. Yes, the bad guys have a stranglehold on the U.S. legislative process; there’s not much doubt about that. But there are other factors involved that are quite important, e.g., (more…)
Here’s a note, albeit an obvious one, to U.S. voters about the mid-term elections on Tuesday. Get out there and vote! As the Sierra Club quite correctly informs us:
Some candidates are already busy making plans that threaten our lands, our wildlife, and our clean energy future. This is what’s at stake on Election Day:
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Exactly how will the young people of today transform the world of tomorrow? That’s a question worth asking, even though it sure is a tough one to answer. It’s easy to get the impression that our young folks are self-absorbed and alienated from political life. On the other hand, they sure appear unlikely to carry on the stupidity, bigotry, and eco-barbarism they inherited from some of their elders. (more…)
I’m always amused by the demographics of Trader Joe’s shoppers, as illustrated in the stores’ (always crowded) parking lots. One doesn’t find pick-up trucks with gun racks, but one does find Priuses and other smallish high-mileage cars with life-affirming bumper stickers. Below is a picture I took the other day on my way out with my goodies that typifies all this. (more…)
Over the years I’ve been writing these posts, I’ve mentioned Dr. Sylvia Earle many times. Legendary marine biologist and environmentalist now 79 years old, she still packs a powerful wallop in her talks on the terrible impact humankind is having on our oceans. Linked above is a video I came across the other day on the subject; that’s one high-impact presentation, IMO.
Here’s an article that is consistent with the theme of my current book project ( “Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose”): the cost of generating renewable energy has fallen to the point that it’s quite competitive with fossil fuels. This is a conclusion drawn from a recent analysis commissioned by the European Commission, that then goes on to talk about externalities; the fact that clean energy is the deal of the century is amplified further when we factor in the costs of long-term environmental damage and lung disease that have heretofore gone uncounted.
The net of all this, as I conclude in my book, is that there is an enormous amount of pent-up demand for renewables, and that the migration in that direction is about to explode.
With the Tesla Model S selling quite well lately, and with Tesla reporting profits quarter after quarter, it was only a matter of time before other car makers take a page from Elon Musk’s book and start thinking about designing a car that will look like the luxury sedan that is one of the most in-demand models in the EV market at the moment. One of Detroit’s “Big Three” – Ford Motor Company – might be the first company to try and build a Tesla-like car, with CEO Mark Fields saying that they have the technology and the expertise that is needed to make a car with performance characteristics similar to those of the Model S. (more…)
When it comes to eco-friendly home care techniques and improvements, the grass has never been greener. Following are five ways that the average homeowner can improve his or her environment significantly by going green, which will create a healthier living space as well as save money on utility and maintenance costs:
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The CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, recently stood up for climate science and said, “We’re not aligning with skeptics.” He went on to say, “Let me be very, very clear, for us climate change is real and it’s a threat we want to act on.”
But Shell continues to fund ALEC, a group that has been spreading disinformation about climate change for years. (more…)
My current book project explores the notion that the forces of free market economics alone are in the process of forcing a rapid migration away from fossil fuels in the direction of renewables, energy efficiency, storage, smart grid, and electric transportation. I argue this from a great number of different perspectives, as suggested in the title “Bullish on Renewable Energy – Eleven Reasons Why Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose.”
One of the chapters deals with the upheaval in the world of the power utilities, i.e., how re-regulation, RPSs, distributed generation and negative growth are conspiring to make investors in these businesses very nervous. Illustrative of all this mess is the fact that whole communities are forming their own microgrids and telling their utilities to take a flying leap (see pic above). Here’s an article about this exact phenomenon, taking place in a small burg in Germany.
