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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

I have an old friend who sometimes gives me investment advice, and, when he feels especially confident regarding a certain item, he’ll add the warning, “If you don’t do this, Craig, you’ll be crying in your beer.”

Well, that’s certainly the way I feel about the fact that I didn’t jump into Esplanade Capital, focused on the solar PV industry.  Esplanade is run by my colleague Shawn Kravetz, who starred in our webinar on “Solar Investing” last February, and it’s up big this year.

I’m particularly impressed with Shawn’s thinking and insight in this industry.  But, truth told, the industry right now is so strong that anyone with a dartboard could have made money recently; the U.S. just posted the second-largest quarter in its history of PV installations, and main ETF (TAN Guggenheim) is up over 90%.   

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

The energy industry is about cost-effectiveness; I think we all know that.  That’s why we’re generating electricity from coal:  it’s deadly, but it’s cheap.  Where is this all going?  I’m not sure, but I do know this: Replacements for fossil fuels, even if their costs to the environment are next to nothing, stand no chance if they are not affordable. 

Two quick points on the subject:

• The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) recently published its report on the activities in this sector in the northeast region of the U.S. and presented a shockingly significant reduction in costs across the board.  Here’s an excerpt:  “Three large utilities in Massachusetts, for example, recently signed long-term contracts to purchase renewable energy at less than $0.08 per kilowatt hour, below the cost of most conventional sources in the region.”

• My own work for my client Plexisun, a breakthrough in solar thermal hot water, is all about cost-reduction.  The product boasts an efficiency in the mid-teens, approximately the same as PV.  Anyone who needs hot water in any significant quantity (laundromats, dairy barns, apartment complexes, hotels, etc.) is going to love this stuff.

There you have it: two bits of good news for the adoption on renewable energy.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Before you move your home you should check out its energy performance if possible. In some ways you can do that with an energy performance certificate or its equivalent. This will give you an idea about what you need to improve around the home or your future home so you could make it more eco-friendly and possessing a smaller carbon footprint. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Tomorrow I have a phone call scheduled to talk about this fabulous investment portal: “Maximpact.com.”  I’m hoping they’ve been successful here; it certainly strikes me as a good idea, and it appears to be the perfect confluence of two hot topics: crowdfunding and impact investing.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Geothermal

Here’s an article on geothermal energy that makes some good points about this resource’s characteristics as a provider of baseload power. 

It appears that there is a factual error in the article re: cost, however; the levelized cost of energy from coal is not several times less than geothermal, based largely on the fact that the latter of which enjoys zero cost of fuel (not to mention zero emissions of the burned fuel into the atmosphere).  Here are figures from the US Department of Energy and a report called “COMPARATIVE COSTS OF CALIFORNIA CENTRAL STATION ELECTRICITY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The late astronomer Carl Sagan (pictured on right) enjoyed a period of well-deserved popularity in the latter part of the 20th Century; he was known for his ability to distill the essence of high-level astrophysics and bring it entertainingly into our living rooms on some of the top-rated television shows of the day. Yet I believe that his legacy may not be so much about the love of science per se, as much as the incredibly expressive ways he had to communicate how infinitesimally small our only home is in the vastness of the universe, and the implications of this for all humankind — including the imperative to find sustainable ways of living. 

If you want to spend four minutes doing something I promise you won’t regret, check out this marvelous video – “The Pale Blue Dot.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

This chilling article on the record-high air pollution levels in Shanghai reminds me of the conversation I had yesterday with agriculture maven Mary Blackmon about the rising rates of cancer, and the fact that there must be a cause based on something we’re ingesting.  Is it possible to look at the photograph in the article (a smaller version of which appears to the left) and think that such conditions could conceivably be safe for the people who live there?  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The holidays don’t typically translate to eco-friendliness. It’s a time of later shopping hours, massive light displays and increased travel—all things that only increase your carbon footprint. But with these five easy tips, you can make your Christmas a little greener this year. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I want to thank everyone who commented on our new presentation that attempts to communicate what we’re all about here at 2GreenEnergy; your suggestions have stimulated a great number of improvements.

Btw, many people have mentioned that they’re interested in using this technology for their own organizations. I encourage folks in that position to contact the people Showble (the platform on which the presentation was built) directly, following the link above.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

From financial savings to setting a good example for our children, battling health issues and better lifestyles green living has never been so popular. The need for consumers to plant their footprint into an improved and sustainable future has turned into a growing trend, with advancements in technology closely behind what we call, the green movement. (more…)

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