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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Thanks to frequent commenter Tim Kingston for sending me these two articles with which I begin the work week here at 2GreenEnergy.  First is a pro-nuke piece – certainly a concept that defies what I’ve come to believe, yet I try to keep an open mind.  I know there are people who say that nuclear is absolutely required if we’re to avoid both horrific economic collapse and catastrophic global climate change.  Again, I don’t believe this, based on the bulk of what I’ve read, but I don’t have a problem with discussing the notion.

The second is exactly in step with what I believe, i.e., that photovoltaics is a better “harvester” of solar energy than biofuels, because of the realities of the physics involved. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

I come across several articles each day that cause me to adjust my position on where we’re going as a civilization.  Here’s one on BP, peak oil, and climate change that offers an interesting nuance, concluding with the following:

As author Naomi Klein outlines in an article written in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last fall, it has become necessary to challenge the business model that thinks destroying the earth’s climate in the name of profit is permissible.  “These companies have shown that they are willing to burn five times as much carbon as the most conservative estimates say is compatible with a livable planet,” Klein said. “We’ve done the math, and we simply can’t let them.”

I never thought of saying that the greed of the oil companies and their icy indifference to the health and safety of Earth’s inhabitants was “impermissible,” though that’s a heck of a good concept.  I guess we’re dealing with a shade of meaning here that draws the distinction between moral and legal permissibility.  I.e., a large and growing number of people agree with me and say that the oil companies’ behavior is morally unacceptable, and that, as a result of our efforts, this will translate to a day on which it becomes legally impermissible. 

Let’s hope that day comes soon.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I just got off the phone with long-time environmental activist Rick Barnett, who, in 1974, started off on what was to become a career of public service in the truest sense: working to bring people together to make the world a better place.  As a real “student of the game,” Rick has made some very interesting observations, as well as recommendations for our society if we wish to take seriously the challenge of climate change, ocean acidification, the health-related effects of fossil fuels, etc.

Here are a few short presentations from Rick on:

An Opportunity for California’s Utilities

Testimony to US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Underwriting Standards, and 

Climate-Friendly Retrofils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

In response to my piece yesterday on the integration of renewables in the grid-mix, frequent participant Gary Tulie wrote a wonderfully insightful comment, underscoring my point that, considering the smallish presence of clean energy in the U.S., the intermittence of solar and wind present very little reason for concern.  He goes on to discuss why, and discusses the role of load shifting, the improved prediction of supply and demand, better grid integration, geographical dispersion, and energy storage.

All perfectly true.  So why aren’t we heading in this direction at 100 miles per hour?  The biggest single reason is that the electric utilities are among the most conservative organizations on Earth, and, since they have no incentive to make any of this happen, are perfectly content with the status quo. (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

A reader writes in:

Hi, Craig – I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. Thanks for what you’re doing. Also enjoyed your book, “Is Renewable Really Doable?” My question is this: how to counter the alarmist articles out there about the unreliability of renewable (because intermittent) energy? In researching this I’ve run across a couple of articles that the naysayers are just eating up whole. Example: last September in the Telegraph. And there are others, as I’m sure you know. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

There is a pretty big buzz surrounding renewable or ‘green’ energy at the moment.

We’re all looking to do our bit for the planet – reduce our carbon footprint, lessen our reliance on fossil fuels, and help the environment – but we’re all feeling the pinch. Can we really make a difference whilst saving money at the home?

The answer is, of course, yes. Here are a number of ways renewable energy can help you do your bit for the planet whist saving money in the home:

1. Solar thermal vs. Photovoltaics (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Unfortunately, this week’s conference at UCLA — The Financial Implications of Going Green — featured a few “corporate commercials,” i.e., shameless, disingenuous (and dull) promotion of an organization’s work in becoming a better steward of the environment, with little or no value to the audience.  It upsets me to hear about a guy droning on about how the parent company of Fiji bottled water, an environmental obscenity if there ever were one, is installing solar panels on its headquarters roof.  

Having said that, there were a few excellent presentations, including an interesting analysis of the circumstances under which certain companies clearly “do well by doing good.”   In particular, a great number of case studies point to significant value accruing to companies that are sincere about sustainability initiatives, not only in terms of public image, but in terms of their ability to attract, engage and retain high-quality employees.  

This is certainly a result that has intuitive appeal.  No one wants to work in a setting that is oppressive, filling the world with damaging products that come at a terrific expense to the planet, and this is especially true of bright, thoughtful people.  This phenomenon explains, for instance, the steady stream of requests I receive from young people willing to do unpaid internships; some folks simply want to get behind the large and growing movement to improve conditions on the planet. 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a video in which Bill Moyers talks about his friend Bernard Rapoport, business mogul, philanthropist, activist, and human rights advocate, who passed away last March.  I have a fond recollection of Rapoport as well; I did a presentation to him in his Waco, TX office a few years ago.  Even in his 90s, he was bright, engaged, and clearly interested in making the world a better place.

I raise this point as I gear up to start my “corporate role models” blog, in which I’ll be documenting hundreds of corporations’ efforts to develop products and services that reduce waste, conserve energy or other resources, create better efficiencies, reduce toxicity, and improve conditions for workers up and down the supply chain.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

At yesterday’s conference at UCLA — The Financial Implications of Going Green — I happened to sit in front of a graduate student in corporate sustainability – I forget the exact name of her program.  When I asked what she was learning,  she told me about a course she took last semester in transportation.  I asked her for some details, and she reeled off the precise topics that I discuss when I’m asked about the future for transportation: creating consumer incentives to find alternatives to driving, car-sharing, ride-sharing, mass transit, walking/bicycling, small urban commuting vehicles, etc. 

It was a pleasantly surprising experience to realize that a great number of young people are being taught – at all levels – that we’re about to undergo a radical transition in personal mobility. 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Those of us who are concerned that our increased production of greenhouse gases is causing global climate change often point to the burning of coal to produce electricity as perhaps the single most disastrous phenomenon occurring in human civilization.  And, breaking that down, the largest, thorniest sector of this problem is China, with its huge population demanding more energy for its increasingly Westernized lifestyle. 

So where is all this coal coming from?  In large measure, the U.S.  In particular, Peabody Coal and SSA Marine are moving forward with plans to build the largest coal export terminal in the country in Washington — the Gateway Pacific Terminal. 

If you’re of mind to make a comment on this, you may want to check out what CREDO is trying to get done, i.e., urging people to get the Army Corps of Engineers to review the environmental impacts of the project.

 

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