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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Further Discussion on "The Renewable Energy Industry Is All About Jobs"Randy Flood of the Green Jobs Alliance responded to my earlier piece on The Renewable Energy Industry Is All About Jobs; he wrote: Outstanding analysis! Great article! Right on target!

Thanks for the kind words, Randy. At least on a worldwide basis, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the jobs market in the energy space will soon cease to be defined by fossil fuels. Resources are dwindling, they’re getting more expensive to access, and they’re destroying our environment, as well as our health. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Salt Water-Powered Supercar?A friend asked if this salt water-powered car has merit. Sorry to say, but it’s a scam; the description of the “science” they provide is technobabble.

Chemical energy is released when a molecule with high-energy bonds breaks apart, e.g., sugar gets metabolized or wood gets burned.  Electrical energy can come from chemicals, when two things come together that separate an electron and force it to move in a circuit, e.g., hydrogen and oxygen joining to form water in a fuel cell.

Water (seawater, etc.) already is that low-energy compound. Saying you’re going to get energy from it would be like saying you’re going to burn some ashes. They already were burned; the energy’s already gone.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Amory Lovins on the Migration to Renewable EnergyI’ve met author and legendary environmentalist Amory Lovins at a few conferences, and I’m always eager to know what’s on his mind. In this short piece, excerpted here in Smart Grid News, Lovins explains precisely how Japan has made such critical mistakes in the adoption of renewable energy, and why he admires the work that Germany has done in this space.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The Renewable Energy Industry Is All About JOBSThis political campaign ad from the woman running against Mitch McConnell for a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky reminds me of an important issue—perhaps the only important issue—driving the ultimate success of the renewable energy industry in this country: the promise of jobs.

The ad depicts an out-of-work coal miner from Eastern Kentucky, providing Ms. Grimes the opportunity to promise how she’ll put this fellow and thousands like him back to work.  Never mind that he works in what is arguably the world’s deadliest (legal) profession; the quality of the work isn’t really the point here, rather, that the fossil fuel industry claims to be all about jobs.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Green Charities Most people, either in the general public or as a part of governmental initiatives, would agree that the environment is very important and that we all need to work together to protect it. Talking about working to protect the environment is one thing, but actually taking actions towards preserving nature takes effort that not everybody is willing to make. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Europe’s Power Utilities -- Investing in Renewable EnergyAccording to this fabulous report on renewable energy trends in Europe, there are several reasons that the Continent’s power utilities are investing heavily in this arena.  The author writes:

The appetite of Europe’s major utilities to invest in renewable energy cannot be fully understood without an appreciation of the many long term challenges to their business models. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Innovative New Tech Driving Water Recycling Up the AgendaWater recycling is quickly rising up the agenda around the world. Water is a valuable resource that we use a great deal of and finding ways to use cast off water is important, especially in industrial settings where water can be used in large quantities with a great deal of it turning into waste.

Thanks to technology from Mitsubishi Electric, companies that are in the water waste and recycling industrycan find more economical ways to recycle water and manage more of it. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Offshore Wind in the North Sea - By 2GreenEnergy Intern Olivier GoavecMy profound thanks to our intern from France, Olivier Goavec (pictured here), whose numerous essays over the past few months have brought great insights in the dynamics of the energy industry in Europe.

Olivier:  You’re a bright young man with a great future ahead of you.  Next time I’m in Europe, I’ll be sure to stop by and say hello.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Renewable Heat Incentives in the U.K. -- Apparently, Quite an Involved ProcessHere’s an infographic that I promised to publish for some friends in the UK, describing how their RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) process works. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

The Impact of Germany’s Decision to Decommission its Nuclear Reactors, France’s Phasing Out Nukes TooThe power of the atom was shown during the Manhattan project and, more particularly, the explosion of the first nuclear bomb “Little Boy” in 1945. The world has never been the same since.  Then, after military usage, it came rapidly into the civil community to produce electricity. In the USA, lobbyists for the industry promised electricity almost free of charge, going as far as to say that the electric meter would be useless in the near future. Today we know that it was a lie, or at best a miscalculation, but it nonetheless sat at the foundation of nuclear technology. (more…)

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