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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

I really can’t understand why more people, regardless of their political leanings, aren’t calling for the resignation of U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Haven’t his antics gone far past the point of our normal political theater? Inhofe is in office because of huge campaign contributions from the oil companies, and he’s trying to shut down the US military’s interest in alternative fuels. He wants Congress to enact legislation that would make it impossible for the US military to purchase alternative fuels if they cost a penny more than gasoline and diesel.

While I’m not a huge fan of war as a tool to resolve international differences, let me point out that our military: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Thanks to my friends at the Tennessee Solar Energy Center for their kind words, and for redistributing my recent article Energy Policy — Looking for the Broad Side of the Barn. They write: “TSEA has been following Craig Shields, blogger on green energy, a battle-hardened veteran in the fight to bring in the Green Energy Age.  (We) strongly recommend his site.”

They then go on to explain: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

This was announced by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this Thursday on the “Sustainable Energy For All” Rio summit. The 2030 goal of the initiative is to double our renewable energy use and the rate of energy efficiency improvement – and maybe most important to ensure universal access to energy.

More than $50 billion of investments have been pledged by the private sector according to the U.N.

Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and co-chair of Sustainable Energy For All, says that the initiative is meant to keep the sustainable talks going after the event in Rio is finished. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

There are so many different ways in which to regard human evolution. 11th Hour, the 2007 documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, expresses one of them with brilliant elegance: More than 99.99% of the species of life that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct, and we could be next.

Humankind considers itself the master of the Earth, and prides itself on how it’s subjugated nature for its convenience. But signs are starting to emerge that we’ve pushed nature too far, and she, a far more powerful force than perhaps we had imagined, is in the process of pushing back, making us yet another of the millions of life forms that simply came and went.

Does this sound like an idea from a bunch of wimp liberal Hollywood filmmakers? Humankind, the all-powerful masters of the universe could be undone? You may want to watch it and decide for yourself.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

When I wrote this piece yesterday by Inside Climate News’ Maria Gallucci, I had no idea that just a few hours later, a friend would send me this article by the same author, in which we can see how nasty and partisan the climate change legislation has become. Through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative policy group, huge forces including ExxonMobil, energy conglomerate Koch Industries, and Peabody Energy, the country’s largest coal producer are hard at work to roll back decades of regulations that act as a burden to their polluting our oceans and skies.  

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Among my core beliefs is that our common humanity is a far more dominant aspect of who we are than our surface-level differences. Occasionally, I come across a beautiful depiction of this concept, and when I do, I like to share it. I hope you’ll enjoy this short film, the winner of an international contest in which directors were asked to submit a piece of no more than three minutes and containing no more than six lines of dialogue.

Thanks to my friend, public speaking champion Lance Miller for sending it to me, and for his profound comment: Sincerity trumps sensationalism in speaking, cinema and life. This is a great example of a sincere story that allows the audience to fill in all the blanks and understand the bond of love and kindness that holds human beings together.

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

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

It’s common for me to hear people say things like, “Boy, you renewable energy people sure are taking it on the chin.” Of course, it’s true that the whole clean energy initiative is under attack from the traditional energy industry; the oil and coal folks are spending a fortune through their PR firms and lobbyists to discredit all alternatives, thus necessitating sites like EnergyFactCheck.org. 

But what amuses me about the quote above is the phrase “you renewable energy people.” I don’t feel that I’m part of a small group; I feel that I’m part of humanity, working hard to make sure that it’s still here in 50 – 100 years.

At the risk of sounding weird, whenever I hear “you renewable energy people” I automatically start mentally singing the old Beatles’ tune “I Am The Walrus” that begins…

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

One of the perks of attending the Renewable Energy Finance Forum as a delegate from the media is access to the “press room,” which affords a place to write and conduct interviews. In addition, it’s the opportunity to meet really cool people, like Maria Gallucci, clean economy writer for Inside Climate News. She’s extremely pleasant and sharp as a tack; I invite readers to check out some of her material, linked above.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I suppose I should have seen this coming, but the traditional energy industry, apparently starting to feel the heat, has recently ratcheted up the volume of its ongoing public relations efforts against the renewables industry.  I had a wonderful conversation yesterday at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum with American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) president US Navy Vice Admiral (ret.) Dennis McGinn on the subject of the new website EnergyFactCheck.org. “Had it not already been taken,” he quipped, “I would have called it ‘Myth-busters.’”  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Part of the joy of participating at the Renewable Energy Finance Forums is the diversity of people I get to know, each somehow connected to the business aspects of clean energy. I would suspect that each of the 500 – 600 people in attendance has his/her own concept of the market dynamics at play here – how it can be that a concept so desirable for so many reasons (peak oil, environmental issues, national security, job creation, etc.) could have become such a political football, one that has been so horribly fumbled over the past year or so.  

The effects of the possible (probable?) end of the PTC (production tax credit) for wind energy dominated the entire conversation for two consecutive days.  And what’s behind that?  Simple: Democrats favor it, and Republicans want to put a spear through it.  The result?  Chaos — which is good enough for those who want to see it killed.  Investors don’t like chaos.

In any case, I took the opportunity to pull my friend, stock market analyst Tom Konrad aside for a few moments and interview him for my next book: Renewable Energy – Following the Money. More on this soon.