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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Last night I came across a cute little book – a compilation of photos with inspirational quotes: “Go For It,” by Hulton Getty.  Paging through it, I was struck by how many of these insights apply to the work facing the millions of us trying to do right by the planet and its people.

Here are a few examples:

There is no such thing as great talent without great will-power. – Honore’ de Balzac

We live in an era of great change, in which the old energy paradigms are rapidly folding down in favor of renewables. But we’re re-learning what we already knew: established regimes do not die gracefully, and great new ideas do not come to the stage without courage and forcefulness.  Let’s accept Balzac’s message: Go for it.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

As the  residential solar market matures in the Southern US, investors should be asking themselves which solar outfits are on the verge of growing into a project developer, capable of delivering big systems to the utilities, according to Paul Leming, an analyst with Princeton Tech/Soleil Securities. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgVTm1VUhqg&w=425&h=344]

I was pleased to be a guest on the hot radio show “Brainstormin’ with Billy the Brain.” Here’s a 19-minute interview on which the host really did ask some tough questions.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

What can the U.S. renewable energy world expect in 2011?

As everyone knows, President Obama signed the bill at the end of 2010 extending a number of energy provisions through 2011, including the U.S. Tax Grant Program (TGP) 1603 – usually referred to as Section 1603. Renewable energy was given somewhat of a gift with the extension of the provisions, but in the big picture, one year is short-term, and future uncertainty is not a grand gift. An energy plan, clear policy and long-term provisions (i.e. more certainty) is what businesses, investors and users want and need. The key is consistency and visibility at the Federal but also State level.

Not to sound too negative or rain on anyone’s parade, let’s look at the impact that 1603 had on energy in 2010 and what to expect in 2011.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

Question: What is the babassu tree? What value does it offer?

Answer: Can be found at http://2greenenergy.com/cool-guess-answers/8732.

Relevance: One of our clients based in Portugal has a very carefully constructed business plan to grow babassu in Brazil, pelletize the fruit, and ship it around the world as an energy source.

　

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’m glad to see so much coverage of electric transportation in the mainstream press. You know you’re making headway when msn.com is running “The Five Things You Should Know About Electric Vehicles” among its up-to-the-minute coverage of Brittany Spears, Charlie Sheen and hot guacamole recipes for Super Sunday.

However, with that much exposure – especially to people who may be just starting out on their path to learn about all this EV stuff — comes the responsibility to tell the story correctly.

Below is an excerpt of part of the discussion. Is it wrong? Very. Why? I don’t know. It would seem (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’ve been writing a great deal about the power of strategic business partnerships recently.  And, until this moment, I’ve forgotten to mention one of my most trusted allies and best-respected friends, John Tyson, CEO of Amerivon. 

Imagine if you will a conversation between Costco and one of its umpteen thousand (million?) potential suppliers.  Costco, with its 600 stores and $53 billion in annual revenues, gets plenty of attention from purveyors of everything from CFLs, vitamins, and smoke detectors to lawn chairs and Newcastle Brown Ale. 

But how can the two — a megaretailer and a fledgling supplier — actually connect?  And, once they connect, how can they both win? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

There were a few surprises for me at this year’s Advanced Auto Battery Consortium, held last week in Pasadena. One was how delightfully non-technical it was. Of course, I didn’t attend the real nitty-gritty lectures from the Ph.D. battery chemists from India, but the larger forum events were really quite accessible and business-focused.

The other surprise – and this is an idea I come across with some frequency – is the apparent longevity that hybrids are expected to enjoy. By one estimate I saw there, 80% of the cars sold in 2030 will be hybrids.

Now before you say “hogwash” (which was my first reaction), (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

In light of another stormy winter and plenty of snow falling around the country, there has been more talk about the following question: can PV solar panels work in snow and cold?

Solar PV panels can indeed work in a cold, snowy climate especially if there are sunny days and good exposure of the panels. In fact, several companies point out that PV panels work best in the cold, as the output of silicon can reduce in very hot weather. However, when snow piles up on panels and blocks all sunlight, the panels obviously stop working. Most say this happens after a few inches accumulate, but that a light dusting doesn’t stop functions and the light dusting will most likely melt off in sunlight.  But many areas of the country are getting more than a light dusting of snow.  What to do?

The majority of companies and experienced users say tilted panels are a good defense. Many panels are tilted (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

I try to stay up on the more exciting goings on in power transmission because of its obvious relationship to the penetration of clean energy generally. Less than 2% of our current grid-mix in the US is renewables at this point, and so such issues like smart-grid, high-voltage DC, unification of the three major US grids (600 gigawatts in the east, 240 gigawatts in the west, and 70 gigawatts in Texas) – as well as related areas like energy storage – are all but moot at this point. But, if we’re serious about installing more wind and PV – not to mention geothermal, run-of-river hydro, solar thermal, etc., this whole subject will soon become critically important. (more…)

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