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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

I don’t track every political decision around the world with respect to renewables, but here’s an event that I guess I should have seen coming: the reduction in beneficial feed-in tariffs for concentrated solar power (CSP, aka solar thermal) coming out of Spain.

Each region of the world has its own issues, and as Europe struggles with its debt crisis, one can expect changes in policy that favor low-cost electricity, regardless of its source.  Looks like Spain, which for a long while led the charge to solar energy, has taken a regrettable step backwards.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I’m headed back East this morning for a series of meetings in Washington DC and Philadelphia, starting with the American Council on Renewable Energy’s (ACORE) National Renewable Energy Policy Forum on Capitol Hill.  While the value of listening to politicians talk about anything is dubious at best, I think this is worth my time, and the speaker line-up is very strong indeed. 

Among the presenters is Bob Inglis, about whom I’ve often written, the Republican ex-Representative from South Carolina who was unceremoniously “tea partied” out of office for his belief that the concept of global climate change is scientifically valid and of significant concern.  I’ve been wanting to shake Bob’s hand, if only to acknowledge his sheer bravery and all-too-rare integrity – and it looks like this will be my chance. 

From there, it’s Amtrak north to Philadelphia.  “All aboard!” as they say.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I sometimes look back on things I’ve written about the malice of the special interests that pervade the energy industry and think, “Man, that’s harsh.  Maybe meeting this greed and evil with aggression of my own is fueling the fire. Maybe, as a few readers have suggested, I should tone this down on the basis that ‘hatred begets hatred.’”

I’m reminded that during the 27 years that Nelson Mandela was in prison, he devoted himself to learning Afrikaans, so that could speak the language of F. W. de Klerk and the rest of his oppressors.  His approach wasn’t one of hatred of those who had imprisoned him and enslaved his people; it was one of peace and consilience – and he wanted to be able to practice it as perfectly as he possibly could.  Perhaps I could learn a lesson from this. 

On the other hand, I often think of abolitionist, lecturer, author and slave Frederick Douglass, who will always be remembered for this position:

Power concedes nothing without a demand. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I knew the power outage at yesterday’s Super Bowl would not go unnoticed.  Sure enough, a reader, Johannes Schmied, comments:

Super Bowl XLVII is history – it was a thrilling game worth watching. Yet what will stay best in my mind was the power cut that caused a second half time break to the match. Even though the cause for this power outage has not been fully analyzed yet, it showed me again, how vulnerable our energy systems have become and how heavily our society is dependent on energy. We need to enhance renewable energy production, create innovative solutions for energy networks and raise environmental awareness. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this year’s DistribuTECH conference, arguably the most significant annual event in energy distribution, but I’ve read a few summaries.  I’ve come to believe that this whole subject of smart-grid and the evolution of our power utilities lies at the very crux of our society’s ability to deploy the cutting-edge energy solutions we so desperately need.

Apparently, a number of people look at smart-grid as futuristic technology, something that will come along in later years, after we’ve met certain of our energy efficiency goals and renewable portfolio standards.  I’ve started to look at this thinking as putting the cart before the horse; smart-grid really should be looked upon as the enabling technology, rather than a follow-on.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s an article from Forbes.com written by my colleague Tom Konrad on Chaos Theory as it applies to the analysis of both the stock market and climate change.  This subject has been at the core of Tom’s life’s work, starting with the dissertation he wrote for his Ph.D. in mathematics “a few” years ago.  To put it concisely, the whole thing comes down to something that’s come up on several of our conversations: “Knowing the limits of our ability to predict is much more important than the predictions themselves, a lesson I apply to both climate science and the financial markets.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s yesterday’s press release from ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy) regarding the resignation of Dr. Steven Chu from his post as U.S. Secretary of Energy.  Note that it differs from the article I wrote on the subject, in that the ACORE piece is uniformly glowing with praise about Chu’s accomplishments. 

I don’t object to ACORE’s point of view, for what that’s worth, and I understand the rationale completely.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Those of us who listen to Al Jezeera can’t help notice that the deplorable quality of the air in China is a really big deal, not only to the Chinese, but to people all around the globe.  In addition to long-term environmental damage, the proliferation of coal-fired power plants has created immediate and dire health consequences for hundreds of millions of people, hoards of whom are flocking to stores to buy air purifiers and face-masks.

Thoughtful and compassionate people all over the world understand that we’ve come to a fork in the road.  We either cooperate with one another and come together to develop sustainable solutions to our planet’s energy-related problems, or we’re all in for a world of hurt.

Of course, those who get their news from the mainstream media in the U.S. could easily miss this issue altogether, as it’s being largely ignored over here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Those outside the U.S. may not be aware of the spate of cabinet members of the Obama Administration who are resigning their posts.  I don’t know exactly what to make of this, and I most certainly don’t believe the reasons they provide to the press.  Here goes Steven Chu, leaving the post of Energy Secretary, ostensibly resigning because he has a hankering to return to academia.  Sure, Steven. 

In any case, I’m saddened to hear this, not because this administration has done what I hoped it would vis-à-vis energy, but because it certainly represented a quantum improvement over its predecessor, and it seemed to understand, for the first time since the days of Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s, the importance of considering the environmental impact of our energy consumption.   

For those with even the remotest concerns about climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, lung damage, wars fought over oil, etc. – consider for a moment where we’d be now if Romney had won the presidency. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

As you may already know, Portland is a major market for electric vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, for every 1,000 households in Portland, there are 8.8 EVs. That’s more than any other metropolitan area in the nation. So, if you’re looking to jump on the low-emission bandwagon, we’ve got some helpful information about charging your EV at home.

If having an electric car is going to be as convenient as it is eco-friendly, you’re going to need to charge it at home. Most plug-in electric cars come with a Level 1 charger that you can plug into any electrical outlet, which carries an ordinary current of 110 volts. (more…)

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