Trip North to See Xzeres, Important Player In Small Wind
I’m on my way to Portland, OR this morning to do a marketing needs assessment for Xzeres, an important player in small wind (anything under 200 kilowatts). This is a beleaguered industry if there ever were one; there have been numerous abject failures, and a great deal of snake-oil sold over the years. Having said that, I remain convinced that there is real merit here – particularly for those who can drive the cost down. The opportunity is offsetting the cost of retail electricity, rather than selling power to the grid at wholesale rates.
I’m looking forward to a rousing discussion, and adding some real value here.
Renewable Energy World does a good job at tracking the adoption of clean energy at all levels, including continental. Here’s an 
Here’s a very accessible 
Alternative energy is big. It’s an important field of study and it’s a great way to help us lower our carbon footprint. Why, exactly, is this important? Currently, we are starting to run out of a lot of our natural resources. On top of that, humans are having a harsh impact on the planet. However, with some of the biggest breakthroughs in alternative energy, we may be able to ensure that energy sources in the future are renewable sources of power.
I just had a long and interesting conversation with a woman in Columbia who will be doing a bit of volunteer writing for us here; I’m certainly looking forward to reading her stuff.
What was I thinking not buying 
Many potentially profitable renewable energy projects are never developed because of the difficulty in quantifying the project risks. The problem is that the projects are dependent on local wind rates, sunshine or rainfall levels, plus the local geography, as well as the normal considerations for a fossil fuel development, such as property rights and the market rates paid for power. In other words, renewable energy projects are not easily replicable and that adds extra uncertainty to project development.
Fire is a regular, but often tragic, occurrence. Whether started in a family home, a commercial environment or outside, both accidental and deliberate fires can be potentially devastating. One of the most destructive types of fire, though, is forest fires and these can wipe out entire communities and their homes, habitats, wildlife groups and timber and, as a result, are one of the main causes of deforestation.
In his response to my post on eating less meat, frequent commenter and really smart guy Glenn Doty writes:
I’m what could be called a “compulsive guesser.” When someone asks me something – it could be the outdoor temperature or the latitude of Sri Lanka — I always take a guess before looking it up.
