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From Guest Blogger Sara Dawkins: Why Pure Sustainable Energy May Never Be Realized

craigshieldsPosted on January 2, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Politics

The Internet is full of reasons why we need to focus more on sustainable energy. Everyone has facts to display about rising sea levels, the waste of resources when fracking, and how we have alternatives to continue our survival as a species. With all of our technological wonder and innovative developments, why are we still dependent on 100-year old technologies in order to survive? Why are there still people starving in the world? Because it’s not profitable to have it any other way. (more…)

Tagged with: desalinate water, rising sea levels, serious droughts, sustainable energy

The Water-Energy Nexus

craigshieldsPosted on January 1, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a good article with a terrific infographic on an important subject: the relationship between energy and potable water. The topic is often called the “water-energy nexus,” though this term is regarded as a terrible cliché by the people whose life’s work focuses upon it. But like it or not, a warming planet with a growing population makes stable and abundant water supplies increasingly rare; as you’ll see here, 37 countries already face “extremely high” levels of water stress.

So much for the bad news; the good news is this: as we entered 2014 this morning, a large and ever-growing percentage of people were wrapping their wits around this whole subject for the first time. More people each day are realizing that our status quo approach to things we used to take for granted – like energy and water – are literally unsustainable in the 21st Century. What’s more, these same people are declaring this year as “time for a change.” Welcome on board!

Tagged with: Drinking water, Water scarcity, water-energy nexus

Coal Water Slurry Fuel

craigshieldsPosted on January 1, 2014 Posted in Fossil Fuels

A reader asked my opinion of Coal Water Slurry Fuel (CWSF) as an alternative to conventional coal power generation and the greatly reduced or limited emissions.

I responded that I actually don’t know much about it. From a quick read just now, it sounds like a great improvement over the dirtiest forms of coal. The claim is that the presence of water in CWSF reduces harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

I suppose this could facilitate the trapping of heavy metals and certain other noxious byproducts. But it isn’t possible that CWSF results in less CO2 emitted; the power output is the result of burning a hydrocarbon, and the carbon has to go somewhere; it doesn’t just disappear. Obviously, the world will be a better place when we knock off the burning of fossil fuels to produce our energy.

If anyone knows more about this, I’d be delighted to hear it.

Tagged with: coal, Coal Water Slurry Fuel, electricity generation

Distributed Generation Means Trying Times for Investor-Owned Utilities

craigshieldsPosted on December 31, 2013 Posted in Renewables - Business

Here’s a good article that discusses a few different vicious cycles in which the investor-owned utilities (IOUs) find themselves. As more people install solar (or whatever) on their properties, the infrastructure by which power is generated, transmitted, and distributed must be amortized over a smaller base, driving up prices, thus providing incentive for even more people to go to distributed generation. (more…)

Tagged with: distributed generation, energy storage, investor-owned utility, IOU, Renewable Energy

As We Go Into 2014, Remember that Decency and Goodness Are Powerful Forces

craigshieldsPosted on December 30, 2013 Posted in Sustainability

I’m sorry I forgot to mention the birthday of Pablo Casals the other day, unarguably the most revered cellist in the first half of the 20th Century. He’s noteworthy here because of his opposition to fascism, and the fact that he was an active campaigner for peace all his life.

Casals said: “Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.” (more…)

Tagged with: consumption of our natural resources, Pablo Casals, sustainable approach to energy

Solar Energy Pays for Itself

craigshieldsPosted on December 30, 2013 Posted in Solar Thermal

Here’s a website whose tagline is that solar energy applied to agriculture “pays for itself.” Indeed it does.

Even farmers who choose to pay cash up front for solar PV and/or solar thermal hot water heating (e.g., PlexiSun) get all their money back in just a few years – and then enjoy free energy for decades to come. But there are numerous financial options open to farmers who can’t afford that outlay, as well.

And what about wind? Only a small percentage of land is consumed by turbines and the roadways that are required for maintenance access; the rest remains available for crops and livestock. What a fantastic option.

Tagged with: Photovoltaic system, Renewable Energy, Solar thermal energy, Water heating

Roen Financial Report on Alternative Energy Companies

craigshieldsPosted on December 30, 2013 Posted in Renewables - Business

I know there are many readers here, who, like me, are constantly looking for good investment opportunities in renewable energy. I also know I’ve mentioned my colleague Harris Roen and his newsletter on the subject before, but it bears mentioning one more time. No surprise here: his picks did really well this year — on average, up 37%. Nice going, Harris!

Tagged with: Harris Roen, Investing, Renewable Energy, Roen Financial Report

From Guest Blogger David Price: Is the Internet Eco Friendly? How Green is the Web?

craigshieldsPosted on December 30, 2013 Posted in Sustainability

When my bills come due at the end/beginning of each month (who am I kidding, I don’t always pay them on time), I start thinking about how eco friendly or green the internet is. I see payment notifications and bill reminders appear in my email inbox and am reminded of just a few years ago when my physical mailbox (remember that one out by the road?) was consistently filled with pointless bank account statement printouts, credit card statements and general junk mail that was sometimes barely even opened before being thrown away. (more…)

Tagged with: CNN, environmentally-friendly, green internet, green web, sustainable living

Lots of Content on Climate Change

craigshieldsPosted on December 29, 2013 Posted in Climate Change

Every day, the sheer volume of material written on climate change continues to amaze me – and, of course, too much is better than too little. The only real problem with the mass of journalism on the subject is that a great deal of it appears to be a frantic search for brand new points to make — and I’m not sure there are many more of any major consequence. (more…)