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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Europeans and Americans Have Different Perception on Climate ChangeThe U.S. and Europe have a special link; the role that these two entities have played toward each other over the course of history is strong. France with Lafayette helped the U.S. to become independent and the U.S. helped Europe during the First and Second World Wars. Right after 1945 and the abolition of Nazism, when much of Europe lay in ruins, the Marshall Plan gave the Continent the funds it needed to rebuild. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Europeans’ and Americans’ Perceptions on Climate Change Are Quite DifferentOur wonderful French intern, Olivier Goavec, is in the process of finalizing an article called “Europeans and Americans Have Different Perceptions on Climate Change.”  I thought readers might be interested in the comments I just wrote back to him during the editing process.  Fearing that Olivier might by hesitant to write about Americans with a level of brutal honest, I respond:

Whatever you do, don’t worry about insulting Americans.  I agree with everything you said, and I think you’re exactly correct about the fact that we have the resources, which we think entitles us to use them.  So simple, and so correct.

Personally, I think you could be even more condemnatory about American vs. European sensibilities generally.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Goodbye, Greenland Ice SheetA few months ago I had dinner with a climate scientist at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, CA) whose job is using cutting-edge technology to measure the size and health of the Greenland Ice Sheet.  In keeping to my policy in such situations, I did very little talking, and a great deal of listening.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

Wall Street Journal Covers Ocean Wave Energy – But Why?Here’s an article in the Wall Street Journal that presents a short summary of different types of devices that generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy from ocean waves.

I was a WSJ subscriber for many years when I was younger, but I cancelled about 10 years ago when I realized that essentially everything I was reading there carried a certain slant, which I would characterize as follows: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Last week, Charlie Rose presented this summary of a report which laid out how the melting of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet is “beyond the point of no return,” reminding us of the grim consequences: the slow but significant rise in the earth’s sea levels.

I always wonder when I come across scientific findings like these:  what does the common American think about stuff like this? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Researchers Say Magnetic Fields in Electric Cars Are Not DangerousWhile electric and hybrid cars clearly bring some very significant environmental benefits, and they help improve people’s health by reducing air pollution, which makes them a great alternative to conventional cars, there are those who are saying that they might be dangerous to people, claiming that the magnetic fields they create can be very harmful. Ever since they were first introduced to the market, there have been concerns about the potential negative impacts they can have on people’s health, due to the magnetic fields they produce, which, according to various studies, can cause cancer and other health problems. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Eco Friendly Car OptionsWith gas prices hovering between $3.50 and $4 per gallon, fuel economy and green automobiles have become the king of the road. Maximizing your fuel economy saves you money, and helps reduce the carbon footprint of your daily commute. There are a range of options available for ecologically friendly car options in the US, and there are pros and cons to each. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Why It Is Better To Own Than Lease A Solar Power SystemA major driver of the recent push for residential solar powers systems has come by way of companies offering leases.

These large, well funded companies have done well in selling lease arrangements to less than savvy homeowners. The fact is that these homeowners could have acquired their own financing and saved considerably more. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The Adoption of Renewable Energy Requires Fighting Entrenched InterestsDuring a talk on the adoption curve for renewable energy with a friend this morning, I mentioned that a huge factor is politics; in particular, any gains in solar and wind come as the result of the tooth-and-nail fights with the enormous powers that are dead-set on stopping them.

Here’s an article written by an assembly woman in Wisconsin on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that is in place specifically to make sure the established industries can maintain their monopolistic positions; in this case, the goal is to impede the progress of renewable energy so that coal, oil and gas can continue to reign supreme.  If you read the article, you’ll learn how: “Legislators from Utah and Oklahoma bragged about slowing the development of solar energy in their states (and how) Oklahoma Senator A.J. Griffin (pictured here) passed a bill to tax individuals using distributed generation from solar panels or wind turbines.”

I wrote a terse note back to the guy who just sent me this piece: “Thanks. That’s nauseating.”

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

Dealing with Power Outages -- Building a More Resilient GridThe increase in the number of blackouts have raised questions on the facts of such events and the vulnerability of interconnected power systems, when operate outside their design limits. The blackout that occurred on August 14, 2003 was recorded to be the biggest in the history of United States power distribution systems.

The power grid – a set of large power plants (one grid being almost half of United States) allows power sharing, it works well as a power distribution system. When breakdown in a power plant or a transmission tower occurs, other parts of the grid pick up the slack. (more…)

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