One of the most prominent arguments against solar power is the fact the sunlight is used to generate power and can be thwarted with clouds or nightfall. Although sunlight is indeed one of the most powerful of methods for this kind of technology, it isn’t as mandatory as some would like you to believe. It’s not the Sun that generates the power for solar cells to collect, but it’s the intensity of the light itself. (more…)
We’re reaching the closing months of 2013, a year that many were afraid would never even occur (we can recall the craze of December 2012, despite zero scientific evidence the world would end). Luckily, 2013 not only happened, but also brought a corporate push toward renewable energy that will hopefully continue to spread. Earlier this year Walgreens announced it will be building the nation’s first zero net retail building. For the first time, customers will be privileged enough to shop in a major retail store with zero net energy consumption. (more…)
Love or hate the way they do their internet business, Google is definitely into their renewable energy. Over the years I have read some interesting articles about their investment in and installation of energy efficiency or renewable energy technology, and not just the common stuff. Here is an article about them investing in some more renewable energy. I know Craig likes CSP; there is a little bit about that on the second page.
The electric vehicle market has been growing at a pretty high rate in the past couple of years, which has encouraged more and more car makers to start developing cars that are powered by electricity. Today, almost all major manufacturers offer hybrid and electric vehicles, but there are still a few companies that are yet to launch an alternative fuel vehicle. One of them is Kia, South Korea’s second-largest car maker, next to Hyundai. Kia has been making some pretty fuel-efficient cars, but they have all been conventional vehicles, powered by gasoline. Now, they are planning to join the green vehicle game, with an electric car that they plan to introduce to the market in 2014. (more…)
Here’s some bad news: the use of coal to provide energy is on the rise, and shows no sign of retreat.
Yet there’s specious reasoning in the report, i.e, that renewable energy cannot provide baseload. That’s completely untrue of geothermal, biomass, and ocean thermal, and mostly untrue of hydro. (more…)
Readers in Nebraska or Kazakhstan may not understand what I’m about to present, but those of us who live near oceans have noticed that there is a new device for owners of tennis ball-fetching dogs to use on the beach (pictured here). Even little old ladies can nonchalantly hurl the ball a couple dozen yards with the flick of an arthritic wrist. The device is a simple piece of plastic, the idea for which, of course, was right under our noses all the time; we just happened not to see it. (more…)
If you happen to be an accredited investor and haven’t seen the “Investors’ Page” for a while, you may want to have a peek. It’s a repository for some solid, investment-worthy concepts in clean energy and sustainability more generally, and I’ve recently updated it with a few ideas I’ve encountered over the past few weeks; most of the new ones are at the bottom of the page:
It’s the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William the Conqueror defeated the English. Shortly after, he and his Normans moved on to London, where he was crowned William I.
While I’m sure there are tons of reasons that this is significant, certainly a major one is that it resulted in the introduction of the Romance languages, primarily French, into the English language, which, at the time, was dismally narrow and crude. (more…)
Here’s a conversation with sustainability maven Brandi Veil that I thought readers might enjoy, based on my earlier post in which I promoted her brilliant concept on sharing: Peer.org.
Brandi: Hey you! Thanks for the share! If you’re around for tomorrow’s event 8-10 PM dinner with peers I would love to have ya! Address is ….
Craig Sorry, I won’t be able to make it, but it sounds fantastic.
Brandi: Perhaps the next one.
Craig: I’d like that very much. Btw, I had to laugh when you said I’d be around peers — and of course, I get the reference to your project. But your friends, though we probably agree on a number of topics, are hip, good-looking young people. My friends, even in their kindest moments, wouldn’t even think of describing me that way.
When the terms “waste,” e.g., municipal solid waste or MSW is used at sites like 2GreenEnergy, it usually refers to projects where these materials are removed from a landfill, or redirected away from a landfill and chemically processed into electricity or fuels. Seldom do we realize that landfills are actually a much preferred destination than illegal dumping, which, of course, is terrible for the environment. (more…)
