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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

Here’s an article that points to one of the many issues we face in our quest to integrate large amounts of solar energy into our grid-mix: all this distributed generation is making it tough for the utilities.  In 43 of the 50 states, net-metering programs force them to pay home-owners the retail rates of electricity for any extra that the customer may want to sell back to the grid, meaning that the customer gets to use the distribution system for free. Given that there is no free lunch, this passes those costs onto the utility, which really means passing them onto other (generally less-affluent) rate-payers.

The New York Times claims electric power utilities are “in almost panicked tones… fighting hard to slow the spread” of rooftop solar. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It is the summer season and many people look to visit different parts of the world to make full use of their vacations. However, just because you are going for trip does not mean that your concern for the Mother Nature should also take a vacation. The biggest task while on the road is to find the right accommodation and if you are one of those who want to be earth friendly during your travel, there are many resorts that will offer what you want without swapping hotel with a tent or sacrificing much.

Best Tourist Resorts Powered By Clean Energy: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Tony Hsieh (pronounced “Shay”), whose net worth is north of $800 million, is working on a plan to convert some of the 9000 taxis in Las Vegas to electric vehicles (Teslas) hailed by and paid for with smart phones.  I hesitate to criticize someone who’s been so monstrously successful, but I’m unclear on the benefit.  Currently, is it hard hailing a taxi?   Is it inconvenient paying with cash or a credit card?  In a state where incremental electrical load is met by burning more coal, is there an ecological benefit? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Living green is something that every person can do in order to help lower human’s impact on the planet.

Due to human activity, our climate is changing faster now than any other time in history. The Earth goes through climate changes, but the act of burning fossil fuels, along with other activity – cutting forests, draining swamps, and building homes that aren’t energy efficient.

Through education, even the youngest children can learn to live greener and help preserve the planet for a brighter tomorrow.

Cloth Diapering (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Insofar as it’s the birthday of U.S. President Barack Obama, I thought I’d write this short post, simply to state that the man remains an enigma to me.  What bemuses me about Obama is that an intelligent, sensitive, and extremely powerful person is carrying on an unprecedented attack on civil liberties: in particular, the failure to close Guantanamo Bay, the  support of the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), and the  unprecedented robo-prosecution of whistleblowers.  (Some former Bush administration officials were quoted as saying, enviously, “We’d never be able to get away with what the Obama administration has done.”)  I begrudgingly excused this garbage in his  first term.  But now?  Sorry, I’m lost.  Can someone help me here, please?

Having said this, it’s hard to imagine what the U.S. position on energy and the environment would have been had any of his opponents (many of whom wanted to close the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy) had won.  As I told a friend last night,”Our major cities would look like Beijing; you wouldn’t be able to see across the street.”

Perhaps I should just shut up and count my blessings.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Richard Marks, founder of EnVironmental Transportation Solutions, for many years now. His dream is to offer an affordable and versatile low-speed electric vehicle for urban/intra-community use called the EcoV, and let me tell you, this guy is the anti-matter of a quitter.  When the pit bulls get tired, they bring in Richard Marks.  The video linked above tells the story nicely.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

Khosla Ventures recently led a round of $5 million in financing for Bidgely, a smart grid start-up that “disaggregates” data from a customer’s  smart meter.  Now, for instance, household members can be told, “That old refrigerator is costing you $148 per year more than a new, Energy Star compliant one.  Have you considered ditching it?” or “You run your drier 2.2 times more often than your neighbors; can you consolidate loads? Dry at night? Or better yet — outside?”

Terrific idea; best wishes for a smashing success.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Heeding my own advice and “following the money,” I like to check out Venture Beat Green every week or so, to see who’s successfully raising capital for cleantech start-ups.

Here’s a story about SolSource, a company that used crowd-funding (KickStarter), and raised three times its goal, and offers a solar-powered cooking grill.  One thinks of the noxious output of cooking as coming largely from the developing world, where most of the energy for this purpose is derived from slashing and burning the forest.  Yet apparently:

Last Fourth of July, barbecues generated more CO2 in a single day than many African nations produce in a year. One SolSource solar grill can offset the carbon footprint of four  Americans.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

Regarding the suggestion for a huge international effort to develop solar energy, Deon Deetlefs writes on the 2GreenEnergy Facebook page:

Always good to see, but when are we going to place more emphasis on the storage of power rather than the harnessing of it? – no sun at night …. it’s a no-brainer & attention is directed at bi-directional inverters which in itself is very good (to share energy on the grid) but until families can become completely self-sufficient – energy-wise everyone will be dependent on the power companies in private capacities.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

According to the Writer’s Almanac, today is the anniversary of the official signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  They write:

“It was introduced as a resolution by Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia on June 7, 1776 — a resolution that said, ‘That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.’”

Obviously, this turned out fairly well – at least until recently.  I think very few Americans – and even fewer folks outside the US – approve of the direction this country is taking in the important matters of our day: environmentalism, human rights, world security, and the development of important new technologies.

Is it too late to turn this back around?  If I thought so, I wouldn’t be spending my time pointing this stuff out.

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