Blog – Page 1573 – 2GreenEnergy.com

The Principles of Thermodynamics Are Not In Dispute, As Far As I’m Aware

craigshieldsPosted on March 19, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Science

I get a bit puckish in my writings in the evening, perhaps because I typically have a martini as I make dinner for the Shields family.

Here, I respond to a friend who claims to have observed an engineering breakthrough by which an adjustment in a permanent-magnet motor creates a scenario in which the rotor does not slow down, even with a load applied to it, as it’s able to draw energy from the magnets. I’m reminded of other friends who wish me to create a device that taps the energy in gravitation, or other phenomena that don’t contain energy. I write:

Well, I have to say that I’m dubious. (more…)

Tagged with: 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics, Boltzman, energy contained in magnets, magnets don’t contain energy, principles of thermodynamics

Nuclear Energy Faces Considerable Risk

craigshieldsPosted on March 19, 2012 Posted in Nuclear

M. Mayer writes a longer comment from which I excerpt:

Judging the risks (associated with a certain energy technology) is hard because it’s about making guesses about the unknown. … In a way it’s easier to predict that the sun will continue to shine than to predict that nuclear power won’t fall from grace.

Your point about the risk of nuclear falling from grace is an interesting one. I’m sure there are some fascinating discussions going on about the decisions being made in Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. And yes, there is the growing voice of the anti-nuke movement generally. (more…)

Tagged with: nuclear in Germany, nuclear in Italy. anti-nuke movement, nuclear in Japan, nuclear renaissance

Green Auto Market’s Jon LeSage Plugs 2GreenEnergy

craigshieldsPosted on March 19, 2012 Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s a nice excerpt from “Green Auto Market — The Business of Green Cars, Fuels & Technologies,” an e-newsletter that I’m happy to see gaining ground and increasing circulation. It’s written by Jon LeSage, a very savvy guy, located not too far from me here in Southern California:

Craig Shields’ Second Book on Renewable Energy Launched: If you ever get the opportunity, have a conversation with Craig Shields. He’d previously written a great book on renewable energy, and just had his second book released on March 15, Is Renewable Really Doable? Exploring Clean Energy’s Opportunities and Tough Realities. (more…)

Tagged with: 2GreenEnergy, Business of Green Cars Fuels & Technologies, clean energy consulting firm, EDTA, Electric Drive Transportation’s president Brian Wynne, Electric Power Research Institute’s Mark Duvall, EV World, Exploring Clean Energy’s Opportunities and Tough Realities, Green Auto Market, Is Renewable Really Doable, Jon LeSage, Manager of Honda’s FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle Steve Ellis, Santa Monica’s fleet superintendent Rick Sikes

James Hansen on Global Climate Change

craigshieldsPosted on March 19, 2012 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Here’s top climate scientist Dr. James Hansen on global climate change. When people ask where I stand on this subject and why, I simply request that they watch this; I sure wish I had it in my power to get everyone to do so.

Not only are we doing nothing to stop this unfolding catastrophe, we’re actively making it worse, subsidizing the fossil fuel industries worldwide with hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Why? Big Energy wants it that way, and has spent a fortune to convince voters that putting a tax on carbon to curb our dependence on fossil fuels will hurt the economy. (more…)

Tagged with: climate scientists, dependence on fossil fuels, Dr. James Hansen, extreme weather events, global climate change, global warming, hurting the economy, Obama Administration, subsidies for fossil fuels

Maybe We Consumers Should Lower Our Consumption of Energy — But Is It Possible?

craigshieldsPosted on March 19, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Politics

I’ve known 2GreenEnergy reader Joe for several years now, and he’s never ceased to amaze me with his insights as a political philosopher and social critic. We hadn’t corresponded for a while, but he wrote me after having bought my book on its launch day — something for which I was quite grateful, as to whatever degree, the incremental purchase heightened the overall status of 2GreenEnergy and all we’re trying to do here.

Our conversation:

Craig: Thanks, Joe. Glad you’re still reading my stuff. I admire you.

Joe: Maybe I should be writing books instead of self-destructing as a farmer/engineer. Enjoy the weather.

Craig: Ha! We’ll, anyone with a mind like yours should most certainly be using it in every way possible. The world needs you.

Joe: That’s kinda the rub, Craig: (more…)

Tagged with: alternative energy, clean energy, consumerism, Dan Conine, green energy, living small is the new living large, political philosopher, Renewable Energy, social critic, ueber-consumers

Plenty of Energy Conferences

craigshieldsPosted on March 18, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Business

I attend conferences, either as a speaker or a participant, when I can add them conveniently to my travel schedule. Here is my “bible” – ConferenceAlerts/Energy, which is, as far as I’m aware, the most comprehensive listing of energy conferences around the world. We’re more than halfway through March, and there are still well over 50 energy conferences scheduled, somewhere on the surface of the globe, between now and the first of April. This is an average of four per day; the 26th and 27th each have seven. (more…)

Tagged with: Battery Forum, E-Bikes Forum, energy conferences, Energy Summit, EV Charging Forum, Nuclear Energy Forum, Offshore Cabling Conference, Smart Cities Smart Sustainability, Solar Terawatt-hours Conference, Sustainable Business Conference 2012

Small Aeroponics Company Faces Big Marketing Challenge

craigshieldsPosted on March 18, 2012 Posted in Sustainability

I’m in the process of becoming a partner in an aeroponics company called Tower Harvest; I’ll have a video up on this shortly. I’m thrilled for the association with these people, in particular with CEO Rafael Quezada; he’s incredibly knowledgeable in this arena, and deeply committed to locally grown, organic, high-yield, yet low-cost farming.

When I think about how to address the business challenges the company faces, I’m reminded of a great number of experiences I’ve had over the last 30 years as a marketing consultant in which my clients had products or services in emerging categories. The quandary is this: How do we avoid spending our resources promoting the category, but rather allocating them to promoting our specific solution within that category? (more…)

Tagged with: Aeroponics, marketing challenges, Rafael Quezada, sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture, Tower Harvest

Eos Energy Storage Writes With an Amusing Lilt

craigshieldsPosted on March 17, 2012 Posted in Energy Storage

One of the things I like most about my friends at Eos Energy Storage is the cleverness and sense of humor of their writing. In their website’s piece about the need for storage on our grid, they quip, “Sushi has better storage.” I.e., even though the electricity market is the single largest supply chain on the planet, it is the only supply chain in the world that has almost no storage at all.

They write:

Every commodity in the world—oil, gas, coal, grain, manufactured goods, textiles, everything—has storage to enhance the efficiency of the supply chain. Even sushi, which like electricity basically needs to be consumed as soon as it is produced, has storage in its supply chain. Imagine how difficult it would be to get good Japanese food if there had to be a handy fisherman standing by to jump in a boat and catch a tuna every time we ordered maguro sushi.

Yet that is how we run our electricity grid. As a result, the grid is massively overbuilt to accommodate the few hours each year that we reach peak demand. In the US, 25% of all distribution assets and 10% of all transmission and generation capacity is used less than 400 hours each year.

That’s sure something to think about as we continue our discussions on smart-grid. Sure we can use advanced IT to create better efficiencies in the way we generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. And yes, the two-way flow of information to and from the consumer is an even greater potential benefit from smart-grid. But as long as we need to consume the electricity we’re generating that very moment, we’re doomed to this hopeless overbuilt and super-expensive infrastructure.

Short Videos on Smart-grid from 2GreenEnergy Associate Vijay Rochlani

craigshieldsPosted on March 17, 2012 Posted in Renewables - Science

I know I’ve mentioned 2GreenEnergy “Associate” Vijay Rochlani, who specializes in bringing clean energy to India, via his vast network of business connections. Recently, Vijay sent me this wonderful collection of short videos on smart-grid that point out some of the advantages of using IT to create efficiencies in the way electrical power is generated, transmitted, distributed and consumed.

The value of those efficiencies alone is nothing to sneeze at. Here in the U.S., smart-grid will mean a savings of over 25%, the equivalent carbon reduction of planting a forest the size of the State of Texas, or taking 130 million cars off the road. But of perhaps even greater importance is smart-grid’s promise as an enabler, allowing a greater penetration of renewables in the grid-mix.

Tagged with: alternative energy, bringing clean energy to India, carbon reduction, clean energy, electrical power consumed, electrical power distributed, electrical power transmitted, greater penetration of renewables, green energy, Renewable Energy, smart-grid’s promise as an enabler, taking cars off the road, using IT to create efficiencies in the way electrical power is generation, videos on smart-grid, Vijay Rochlani

Hydrokinetics: Short Introductory Video

craigshieldsPosted on March 17, 2012 Posted in Hydrokinetics

In our continuing series of videos, whose purpose is to introduce newcomers to the subject of renewable energy, I offer this short piece on hydrokinetics, featuring a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the idea of extracting energy from moving water.

Though this sounds simple – and mankind has been harnessing that simplicity for thousands of years, it gets tricky now that there are seven billion energy-starved people on this small planet, and we’re desperately looking for sustainable ways of providing that energy.

Indeed, it’s not as easy as it seems. Anytime we insert a device into moving water, we face immediately a variety of issues, both ecological and logistical. I.e., we’re both changing the natural habitat in some ways that are hard to understand completely, and we’re also setting ourselves up to face huge costs associated with maintenance, as devices rust, and encounter things like biofouling, shifting current patterns, dynamic sea- and riverbeds, etc.

Hope you enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9xxcHdO2NE]

Tagged with: alternative energy, biofouling, clean energy, dynamic riverbeds, dynamic seabeds, ecological logistical challenges, energy-starved people, extracting energy from moving water, green energy, Hydrokinetics, natural habitat, Renewable Energy, shifting current patterns, short introductory video on hydrokinetics, video