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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Queensland is known as the Sunshine State, so it only make sense that it’s paving the way when it comes to innovations in solar power.

Queensland’s latest contribution to solar energy and solar power is the recently opened Global Change Institute, a self-sustaining, energy producing building that is set to turn heads at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus.

Opened in August 2013, the $32 million, 2865 square metre solar powered Global Change Institute is being touted as proof of the University’s commitment to sustainability issues both locally in Queensland, and on a global scale. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

My third book, Renewable Energy – Following the Money, is now available on Amazon, as well as in the Barnes and Noble stores (though most stores will need to order it for you). And my good friends at the very cool local bookstore the Book Loft (pictured here) just agreed to stock a few copies, as I am, indeed, a local author. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

When he was asked about the secret of his success, “The Great” Wayne Gretzky replied, “I don’t skate to where the puck is now; I skate to where the puck will be.”

Maybe there’s something here for folks trying to make sense of the future of the energy industry. We understand that we will not be burning coal and driving Hummers 50 years hence. We will, whether it’s out of conscience and decency, or out of force of necessity, make the transition to sustainable forms of energy and transportation.   But how?  When? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

The world doesn’t have an infinite amount of space or resources, which is why everyone needs to start conserving and making more eco-friendly choices now. Learn how to do your part by implementing these five habits of an energy efficient person into your life.

Buy Eco-Friendly Products

The first thing you should do is develop better shopping habits, such as the following: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Apparently, Robert Hargraves carries a PhD in physics from Brown University.  I say “apparently,” because he authored this list of 12 statements about the nuclear power industry in the EnergyCollective, which is largely a combination of meaningless half-truths and complete falsehoods.  As I wrote in my comment, “I’m shocked that anyone with a PhD in anything (from Sears, let alone Brown) would publish something so asinine.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

I like to take my own advice on the use of social media and spend some time blogging on other sites related to clean energy.  To that end, I just commented on an article that presented an ostensible breakthrough in carbon capture and sequestration in TheEnergyCollective.  In response to a slam against environmentalists, I wrote: (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Although the overall consequences of climate change are terrible (desertification, sea level rise, floods, storms, wildfires, more disease-carrying insects, loss of biodiversity, etc.), there are some accidental consequences that are positive, e.g., lower heating fuel bills in certain parts of the world and longer growing seasons for Canadian farmers. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Can anyone look at this graphic and conclude that the U.S. is going the right way in terms of economic leadership?  Fortunately, the subject matter here is cars – admittedly an important component of world industry now, but (I predict) soon to slowly lose meaning as the 21st Century brings along paradigm shifts in both transportation and energy.

Here’s a recommendation to the U.S. – the country I love: get with the program.  Economic success means leading the world in bold new concepts in personal mobility and renewable energy.  Perhaps we could recognize this and shake off our slumber.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

In response to my recent piece on electric transportation in Seeking Alpha, EV naysayer Glenn Doty writes a response that concludes: “I just don’t get how any environmentalist could support these.  If the people who buy solar panels and a Tesla would instead buy a Prius and MORE solar panels, they would eliminate many times as much CO2, SO2, NOx, Hg, Cd, Pb, and other emissions for the same amount of money.”  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Maybe I’m the only member of an aging population who grimaces when young people today show that they don’t really understand the metaphors that had meaning in the 20th Century.  Here are two:

An “elephant in the room” and an “800-pound gorilla.”  The former means an obvious but awkward truth that the people present would rather ignore than address.  The latter simply means a powerful force; it’s the subject of the riddle: “Where does an 800-pound gorilla sleep?” Punch line: “Anywhere it wants.”

Here’s an important article about super-polluting coal-fired power plants that was sent to me with the (incorrect) subject line: “This power plant is the elephant in the room.”

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