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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Rogelio writes:

I think that anybody contemplating a career in clean energy has always to take a look at the engineering and scientific aspects of the field to find a very demanding and yet rewarding career, why because we live in a technical field….There will always be better ways to extract energy from the sun, the wind, earth and the water…. Lawyers, accountants as well as marketers cannot lead the way; they lack the tools and the vision to understand and unleash the forces of nature in our benefit. Cheers, Mate.

Rogelio, thanks very much for this  great insight. It reminds me of (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Here’s another episode of the television show “Our Ventura” in which host George Alger interviews me with respect to the adoption of renewable energy. I tried to answer as many questions as the 15-minute time-slot would allow. How far have we come? How far do we have to go? What are the consequences of success? Failure? What are the imperatives? The challenges? Who are the supporters? The detractors?

I’ll be interested in your feedback.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT2YULs6wHc]

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Petrina Sharp, my good friend and director of the 2GreenEnergy Video Report, set up this attractive display of “Is Renewable Really Doable?” for an Earth Day celebration in Ventura, CA a few weeks ago. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Ryan Radecki, from The Green Room at Ohio University, writes:

I agree with some of your proposed ideas on the problems with environmentally friendly forms of energy, and I used your comments about having no free lunch for energy in my essay. I also feel that renewable energy forms by themselves are not helping, but the combination of many types of renewable sources is our future. Would you mind reading my blog at http://ryansfuturefuels.blogspot.com I would like to have your perspective.

 

Ryan:

I agree with the basic idea, i.e., the pros and cons / no free lunch concept. But I think your perspective here is too harsh and a little unfair. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

I had a lovely phone chat last evening with a young lady, a high school senior who was working on a paper for school and wanted to ask a few questions about solar energy.  In particular, she wanted to know the cost of  converting her entire town (Arcadia, CA — 56,000 people, let’s say 20,000 households) to 100% solar.

Understandably, she hadn’t thought through some of the implications. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Our short attention span for news caused us long ago to bid goodbye to Fukushima as a story of interest and importance, yet the situation is quite dire – in fact, probably more so now than it was a few months ago. Here’s a good summary, including a piece on Fukushima Reactor #4 — well worth the six minutes.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Traditional methods of generating energy are giving way to new environmentally-friendly ideas. Instead of stripping the land for coal mining and clearing miles of land for oil fields or natural gas pipelines, the concept of renewable energy is evolving. The term “renewable energy” is an often-used buzzword, but how does using green energy affect animals in their native habitat?

Saying “No” to Fossil Fuels

Global warming is the biggest threat facing the planet today but sustainable energy is a cleaner and safer way to generate needed power. Everyone has seen the sad images of birds living near the ocean with their feathers matted with slick black oil after an oil spill, or thousands of dead fish washed up on the shore because of water pollution. The use of renewable energy from the sun and wind gives animals a second chance at life. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Here’s a good article on the solar photovoltaics industry by consulting giant McKinsey and Company. Not to give anything away, but they share my belief that the PV industry is in a momentary lull, not a swan song. Best of all, they defend this belief in an extremely cogent and well-reasoned way. I hope you’ll check it out.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s a press release (dressed as a news article) from Aerovironment, a company with a division that makes electric vehicle chargers. And here’s a line from it that reminds me of the adage: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”:

The consumer is just looking for something that works and allows them to charge fast.

Wrong.

The consumer is looking for a reasonable business proposition in terms of price and range. He won’t pay twice as much for a car, only to be limited, inconvenienced, and fearful that he’s investing in a dead-end technology.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

You can see lots of attention is focused towards alternative and renewable energy systems. This is due to the soaring energy costs and the need to decrease the climate change effects over earth. Though these solutions may seem complicated for the homeowners in their daily chores, however, the fact is that they are now becoming more accessible to common man. There are number of options available for homeowners which can prove pretty affordable financial investment. Also, by treading these paths, you can benefit from state and federal tax and avail the utility rebates and incentives. The below are the top seven ways which the home owners can heat and power their homes via renewable energy systems.

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