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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Apparently, McDonald’s is deploying a ton of solar PV in the form of canopies to protect their customers’ cars.  That’s good.  But I’m less sanguine on ridiculous statements from company spokespersons like: “We continuously commit to reducing the environmental impact of our restaurants as much as possible….”

McDonald’s itself is an unmitigated disaster for the health of the environment, not to mention for the seven billion people who live in it.  We’re talking about a combination of:

1) deforestation to create cattle yards,

2) dependence on unsustainable farming methods, and

3) products that cause childhood obesity and diabetes.

Three strikes and you’re out.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

You have to admire the bravado of an author who would give such a title to an article: Could Concentrating Solar Energy Save Humanity? Normally, a religious extremist is required to pose a question like that.

Kidding aside, it’s clear that the first technology that offers low-cost, abundant, and clean energy does, in fact, have the potential to save humanity – at least from some of the brink-of-catastrophe positions in which he’s put himself.

Not everyone agrees, but I believe that the cost of CSP will fall dramatically as the R&D advances and the scale increases.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s an article on the snows in Armenia’s mountains (including Mount Ararat, the putative resting place of Noah’s Ark — pictured left) that are steadily melting due to climate change, and the country’s abortive attempts to do something about the unwelcome phenomenon.  The author suggests that the issue is a lack of international cooperation, as Armenia is land-locked and has no formal ties with any of its neighbors.  Of course, he’s correct, but I would say…. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

In this article from SmartGridNews, we see what anyone could have predicted from the incumbent industries in response to U.S. President Obama’s speech on climate policy: instant attack, including the threat of litigation.  Of course, the concept that the content of any speech will translate directly and quickly into action that negatively affects a powerful interest is really a fantasy. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

As noted in this article from SmartGridNews, any plan to limit power plant emissions is a plan that will offer a boost to renewables – and, by extension, the value of all solid clean energy investment opportunities.  Yes, the process by which all this works itself out may take many years to work its way through the system, as it’s bound to be fought by a variety of players, of which the utilities are only one.  Yet the handwriting is on the wall.

This explains why representatives of formerly recalcitrant groups like Duke Energy are starting to show up at green energy conferences and demonstrations of new technology at which they were noticeably absent just a few years ago.  In fact, I sat next to a young Duke Energy guy at the dinner that followed the demo of the Advanced Rail Energy Storage last week.  It’s a sign things are definitely in flux, and trending in a positive direction.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

U.S. President Obama’s speech this morning on addressing climate change impressed the many millions of us who follow the subject and view it as the single biggest threat confronting humankind in the 21st Century.  For that reason, it came as no surprise when I received this link from the Sierra Club, inviting me to thank the president, which I did immediately.   The request for a donation to keep the ball rolling didn’t exactly astonish me either.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

I’m in Washington D.C. this morning, a bit early for my first meeting of the day, and finding myself with a  few minutes that I thought I’d use by writing this short post.  It’s hard to read an article like this one on ConocoPhilips and its burgeoning oil reserves without thinking about U.S. President Obama’s upcoming unveiling of his plan to address climate change.  I hate to sound cynical, but what can we rationally expect in terms of a progressive energy policy from a government that actively encourages all forms of fossil fuel extraction?

There comes a time when even the politicians, accustomed as they are to speaking out of both sides of their mouths, need to show some spine and lead an orderly transition to clean energy — even if the oil companies whine like babies.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Most environmentally-oriented people know that the waste carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by combustion are the major factor heating up our planet’s atmosphere. A significant proportion of those emissions come from power stations burning coal or natural gas.  It has been proposed that all new power stations and older ones where feasible should be fitted with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) systems, where waste carbon is scrubbed from the exhaust and pumped somewhere to be stored, possibly under the North Sea in old oil fields. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Going green has become an important goal for many communities, and beach towns are no exception.

Many beach and resort communities are taking steps to reduce their ecological footprint and be kinder to the environment.

Here’s how a few beach towns are doing it:

Southbury, South Carolina (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

Here’s an article that raises some interesting points about the future of smart grid.  Billionaire Tom Siebel of customer relationship management fame is asserting that companies like his, whose expertise is enterprise software, are going to be the leaders in smart grid analytics, rather than the hardware giants like GE and Siemens.  This strikes me as a similar argument to the one that Bob Lutz, ex-co-chairman of GM, made about the future of electric vehicles, where he posited that only car companies can build cars, and that smart people shouldn’t be looking for Silicon Valley to enter the auto market with any success.

Obviously, the jury is still out here.  The automotive world is rightfully pretty impressed with what Tesla has done with its ability to deliver something stylish, profoundly appealing, and incredibly innovative in an industry that has been dominated by rehashing old ideas and actively repelling innovation.  If the Tesla case study means anything at all, it’s hard to rule out new players with new ideas competing effectively in important industries.

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