It appears that planet Earth is on its way to its third implementation of CAES (compressed air energy storage) – one of a handful of different technologies that warehouses off-peak energy production and makes it available for times of greater load. This concept, of course, will eventually be important if our society is to amp up the amount of variable resources (solar and wind) that it integrates into its grid mix. (more…)
If you think that most American kids today lack the work ethic and intellectual curiosity that they had in generations past, you’ll get no argument from me. But if you believe that all young people share that deficiency, you’re 100% wrong.
I hope you’ll check out this video, The House That Teaches, featuring Derek Ouyang (pictured here) from Stanford University, who narrates his experiences with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. Derek’s presentation blends insights in sustainable architecture, sociology, anthropology, energy conservation and efficiency, then culminates with a unique business concept. Pardon me while I pick my jaw up off the floor.
Running a business (whether a small, medium or large sized venture) is hard and complicated enough and has a wide range of challenges. We’re talking about challenges which if left unchecked can make or break a company and naturally take up the entire time and resources of higher-level management.
It’s no wonder therefore that these professionals will only have keeping their company green and reducing their carbon footprint very low in their priority. Usually it’s either government incentives or some corporate responsibility policy that can actually make them pay any attention to that otherwise very important issue. (more…)
I have to say that I love my colleague Jon Lesage’s Green Auto Market Digest. He shows a profound understanding of the industry, and brings tons of unique and valuable insights that most people miss.
Here’s an article from the current edition that analyzes the recent success of Tesla Motors, as gauged by the impressive sales volume for the Model S. (more…)
Apparently, there are many business models associated with the green energy movement, one of which is simply to ask for donations for causes that make no apparent sense, like “Renewable Energy Research & Training Inc.” (more…)
As I have mentioned, I get requests for my help in finding investors for renewable energy projects from all over the world. I haven’t been keeping track, but I’m sure I’ve spoken or written back and forth with people in at least 100 countries. Sometimes I wind up on Google to find out exactly where they are.
Obviously, each country has its own story to tell with respect to “investability.” (more…)
I had a terrific Skype call this morning with a fabulous Munich-based company: Govecs, a purveyor of extremely high-end German-engineered electric scooters. I hope to get a marketing and PR gig with them, but I have to admit that they’re doing an awful lot of stuff right in my absence; for example, they have more content online than you can shake a stick at, and, IMO, it conveys the right blend of quality and sex appeal. Here are a few zillion vids on YouTube. Very well done.
I expect this whole market arena to boom over the coming years, insofar as a great number of factors contributing to demand are on the rise: eco-consciousness, congestion, fuel prices, parking issues, and consumer incentives. And again, let’s not neglect the sex appeal aspect. I’m not sure I know anyone under the age of 75 who doesn’t want to be a part of this scene.
In my first phone call with 2GreenEnergy associate Dr. Peter Lilienthal, he made a remark I’ll never forget: “If you don’t care what you pay for it, Craig, I’ll find you all the renewable energy you could possibly want.” He had recently left his extremely senior position at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) to move into the private sector, at a point in which his software was already used to integrate variable resources, like solar and wind, in the grid systems of more than 80 countries around the globe.
Here’s an article that represents the poster child for Peter’s economic concept: airborne wind turbines. (more…)
If you want to spend a few minutes watching something that will bring you joy and inspiration, here’s a short video on a unique aspect to recycling and sustainability. You’ll be glad you did.
I forgot to mention a radio show that I did a month or so back with “Clean Cities Radio” whose pleasant but no-nonsense host Curtis Martin (pictured here) interviewed me for a full hour. It’s linked above for anyone who may be interested.
To promote the show, he wrote:
Meet Craig Shields, of 2GreenEnergy. Craig is an expert on funding alternative fuels and green energy projects. Is this the key to your project’s success? Listen in and find out. Breaking our oil addiction is essential for the economic, environmental and energy security of America. Listen and learn as we interview the leaders of the alternative fuels world and Program Coordinators for the US Department of Energy Clean Cities program.
Curtis was very sharp, and I think the whole thing turned out nicely — but I’ll let you be the judge.
