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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

I know I’m not the only American who has looked at a political map of the 50 states and wondered, “Wow.  Are there really that many democrats in New Mexico?  Hell, it’s next to Texas!”  The answer, in a word, is Yes.

In fact, here’s a video report on sustainable building that suggests:

New Mexico residents are trying to break free from Los Alamos’ nuclear legacy by creating more environmentally sound ways of living. At the forefront of this struggle is renegade architect Michael Reynolds, creator of radically sustainable living options through a process called “Earthship Biotecture.” Reynolds’ solar homes are created from natural and recycled materials, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles and used tires. These off-the-grid homes minimize their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels by harnessing their energy from the sun and wind turbines. In Taos, New Mexico, Reynolds gives us a tour of one of the sustainable-living homes he created. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Yesterday morning I did an interview for a young man in England, James Alcock, who writes for a consumer-oriented website called TheGreenAge.com.  In a period of about half an hour, I answered various questions ranging from electric transportation to fossil fuels to energy storage and renewables.  It’s a delight to get a chance to answer good questions on the subject, as I always leave such discussions with some realizations and new viewpoints.

Here’s something I found thought-provoking: James asked me if I recalled the precise moment that I decided to get involved in renewable energy, and the thoughts I was having at the time.  Eventually we got around to the challenges facing this whole evolution away from fossil fuels, which I summarize as follows: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s what I think is a fair and balanced article that presents the strengths and weaknesses of President Obama’s term in office vis-à-vis climate change.  I like the way the author brings up some interesting and valid mitigating circumstances: notably the recession and the fact that this issue is only one of many with which a sitting president needs to be concerned.  But I also like the way that Bill McKibben puts this into perspective: When we look back on this moment 50 years from now, this will be the key issue that we either addressed, or we didn’t. 

It’s hard for me to get too amped up about a lot of our social woes, when we’re not going to have a civilization here in 50 years if we don’t address what we’re doing to our ecosystem. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

As promised, I just did a phone interview for three engineering majors at Vanderbilt University who are studying the target market for our client Eos Energy Storage.  We discussed the various ways in which this breakthrough in zinc-air batteries could impact the world, primarily by:

1) Enabling power utilities (or distributed generation/micro-grids) to store energy inexpensively, thus greatly expanding the amount of renewables they can integrate, and

2) Changing the consumer value proposition for electric transportation, providing attractive range at a greatly reduced price.

When they asked which of the two I thought to be more important, I responded that it’s the first one.  The most important task from the standpoint of a sustainable energy policy is getting rid of coal, and, even if the cost of wind and solar continues to fall, there is no way to really make use of it without a low-cost strategy for energy storage.  Let’s hope this is it.

Once coal is out of the picture, electric transportation will have a great deal more validity as “green” transportation.

I was thrilled to have helped a small team of bright, respectful young people in a school project.  Ah, the halcyon days of college…

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’m often asked for my advice about bringing electric transportation to island nations.  Readers may recall that I’ve spent a fair chunk of time investigating this subject on behalf of Bermuda. Here, I write back to a friend who’s working on a proposal for one of the Caribbean countries:

In my opinion, EV solutions for island nations are best delivered by low- or medium-speed electric vehicles, like this one from a company in Michigan, EcoVElectric.   Freeway-speed products like the Nissan Leaf are inappropriate for places that have low speed limits, narrow roads, and short driving distances; they’re unnecessarily expensive, and they waste precious resources. Of course, renewable energy plays a vital role here, as additional load on the grid is met with more diesel, and no one (except the vested interests) wants that.

Note that I make a quick reference to the potential for political in-fighting. Of course, I’m not privy to the discussions that take place surrounding the replacement of diesel with clean energy in these far flung places, but it’s rumored that it makes what’s happening in the U.S. (with the oil companies and their lobbyists) pale in comparison.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A few weeks ago, the world lost Dr. Barry Commoner, one of the most influential environmentalists of all time.  Here’s an article on the man, his mission, and the incredible extent of his impact.   

In his book The Closing Circle (published in 1971) Commoner laid down his four laws of ecology:

1. Everything Is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no “waste” in nature and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.

3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is likely to be detrimental to that system.

4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. Exploitation of nature will inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless forms.

The 21st Century bears witness to the opposition to two great forces.  On one hand, we see a level of rapacious greed and exploitation of nature that is ripping through the planet’s remaining resources at a ferocious clip.  On the other, we have a generation of very smart and committed young people, many of whom see through this, and will do what they can to take on the mantle that Dr. Commoner and his peers left for them. 

Which of the two forces will prove dominant? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Having said that, if you want to get a lump in your throat, read a few of the comments on the article linked above.  As a friend of mine often reminds me, you and I are but a few of many millions of like-minded people.  

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Scientists, investors, students, leaders in the solar industry will have a gathering at the Arizona State University’s SkySong this October 10th for the third annual Arizona Solar Summit.

The former Corporation Commissioner of Arizona Kris Mayes agrees with ASU that there needs to be more investment in solar energy since it greatly represents the destiny of the economy specially in Arizona that has long exposure to sunlight. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s an important white paper that my friend Tim Kingston just sent me, that frankly, I’m unlikely to read.

Say what?

It’s on a financial issue, master limited partnerships (MLPs), that I’ve heard plenty about over the last two meetings of the Renewable Energy Finance Forum, which have both featured numerous speakers on this topic.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A reader sent me this article on the metrics we need to determine how “green” certain of our actions are.  Specifically, how do we measure our success at contributing to the “triple bottom line,” where investments pay returns financially, socially, and environmentally? 

Yes, it would be terrific, for example, if a business had a more precise way to quantify the benefits of what it’s doing when it reduces its carbon footprint or improves the LCA (lifecycle analysis) of the products it builds. 

I think it would be easy to overcomplicate, as well as to oversimplify, however.  Each industry, and each business within it, has its own unique relationship with its stakeholders: supply chain, employees, investors, and customers – as well as with the civilization at large.  As to quantifying social and environmental good, we may run into horrific “apples and oranges” issues.  Through a ripple-effect, one strategy might result in better world health, another in reduced CO2 emissions, and a third in more promise for innovation of new, potentially world-changing technology.  Good luck determining which one’s best. 

In terms of exact calibrations of social and environmental good, we may have to content ourselves with the approach for which 20th Century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart is best remembered regarding a precise definition of pornography:  “It’s hard to define, but I know it when I see it.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

According to this report, a recent climate change survey shows most Americans believe that warming is tied to extreme weather events.  That’s good news; we’re starting to bark up the right tree.  Now let’s put some pressure on our elected leaders to help us do something about it.

If you had wanted to bet me that I’d listen to a 90-minute debate last week between two gentlemen who contend to be the leader of the free world, and that the subject of sustainability and climate change would be entirely absent from the conversation, you’d have gotten some pretty long odds.  Apparently, if we don’t bring it up, neither will they.  Of course that’s not leadership; it’s “followership,” but that’s exactly what we have here.

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