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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

The rank and file tea party pretty much uniformly buys the idea that the theory of global climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the rising tide of socialist forces.  Zzzzzzzzzz.

Sorry, I must have dozed off there for a second.  That’s news?  Wouldn’t I be more surprised if the gigantic machine of right-wing political forces, with more money than God, had failed to mobilize a large constituency of people who can’t think for themselves around this message? 

Yet the concept that there are a few intellectuals who remain steadfast in their rejection of this theory is irksome to me.  And the idea that one of them is George Will, a fellow alumnus of Trinity College, is absolutely surreal.  Here’s an article on Will’s viewpoint on climate change that I think readers will find interesting. 

Those of you who checked out the link will be called upon to wonder: Is it fair to call his reasoning “ossified” (a participle of which the author is obviously quite fond)?  To be honest, I don’t know what to call this type of thinking; I guess “ossified” is as good a term as any.  But frankly, I don’t begin to understand what’s going on inside his head.  He’s an extremely bright guy.  Why he’s jumping out of his skin to contest a theory that is supported by virtually all climate scientists is anyone’s guess.  

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Here’s a project invoking ocean wave energy off the cost of Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.  I understand that getting a permit to put an energy-extracting device into moving water is anything but a slam dunk, so the fact that these guys received such approvals must be something of a feather in their hats.  But having a permit to do something does not mean that doing that thing is a good idea.

I’ve seen many dozens of ideas in this arena, but the bottom line is that I’m not a huge fan.  I like to reduce things to their most basic simplicities.  The kinetic energy in ocean waves came from the kinetic energy in the wind, which in turn came from the radiant energy from the sun.  The closer we can get to the source (the sun), the more efficient and ultimately cost-effective this whole clean energy enterprise is going to be.  When we have PV at $0.56 per Watt, I would think the ocean wave people would be having trouble getting investors on board.

As always, I invite comment; if I’m off base here, perhaps someone can correct me.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biofuels

Here’s a good article on the military’s use of biofuels.  I remain concerned that: a) scaling these technologies to millions of barrels per day isn’t in the cards, and b) the risk to troops in the field guarding supply lines for liquid fuels is the same regardless of the source of the fuel.  To me, this latter point explains the military’s interest in electric transportation.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I’ve been thinking about my up-coming meeting with Dr. Raj Pachauri, who, among other things, serves as the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  Pondering this in advance of the meeting, I wonder what I would do, given the power, to deal with climate change.

I suppose the overarching principle I would use is prioritization.  Why take on an issue that is contributing a microscopically small amount to climate change?  Why not try to hit the broad side of the barn?  I guess it will be cool when I can charge my cell phone using a solar photovoltaics (PV) fabric that’s woven into my hat, but that’s hardly going to change the world.

Here are four rough concepts that actually make a huge difference.  Note that, in each case, the required technology already exists; there is no need to pull a rabbit out of a hat; in fact, my favored solutions are listed among the business opportunities on the 2GreenEnergy website.

1) Because people in developing nations have limited access to modern modes of generating energy, they tend to burn hydrocarbons, mostly wood and animal dung, for cooking and lighting; obviously, this contributes significantly to pollution in various forms.  We need a micro-grid or off-grid solution like micro-wind, coupled with high-efficiency lighting, cooking and refrigeration.   Fortunately, one already exists: WindStream.  I’m trying to get my friends at the Eleos Foundation to invest in establishing a manufacturing facility in Kenya.  This will provide numerous benefits all raveled into one: less poverty, better health and nutrition, and better education (as people can read at night); note that educated people have fewer offspring.   Everyone wins.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I’m not sure what features of 21st Century America scare me most.  How, precisely, did we go from being the world leader in technology and innovation to becoming an afterthought in just a decade or so?  The answer is found, as usual, by following the money.  Big money has lined up on either side of Congress, resulting in an atmosphere that is so fiercely partisan and deadlocked, and so hostile to the concept of government generally, it’s amazing we can still muster public support for our fire departments.

Of course, my area of focus is energy, so I happen to see this playing out mostly in that space, but I’m sure the people following the other major industry sectors are struck by the same phenomena.

Here’s an article on the Romney/Ryan ticket and its alignment with Big Oil.  If you want to know why the Chinese are leaving us in the dust vis-à-vis innovation in energy (arguably the most important arena in the 21st Century), you really don’t have to look that much further than this level of corruption and stupidity.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

The list of clean energy business plans I support has reached 22 items in length – an all-time record.  Each of these, in my estimation, represents a real breakthrough that clearly has the potential to make a huge impact on the world energy scene.  In particular, each carries with it a central question, the answer to which, I believe, is yes.  For instance:

 

• Can microwind (anything under 5 kilowatts) prove cost-effective and reliable?

 

• Can a cost-related breakthrough in concentrated solar power turn the tide for this often-denigrated technology?

(more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

My wife and I had dinner last night with fine friends, a married couple who never disappoint us with their conversation; they’re both extremely well-rounded and intelligent people who care deeply about the plight of their fellow travelers here on 21st Century Earth.  But sure enough, the guy brought up a topic that I recalled from a previous conversation:  wind turbines are ugly. 

I’m always a little surprised when well-educated people carry on like this.  To me, it goes without saying that our wide-open spaces are more attractive in their virgin state.  But we need to understand that a wind farm of 1000-or-so machines provides as much electricity as a coal-fired power plant.  As in most of our dealings, it comes down to the trade-offs we’re willing (or unwilling) to make.  In my book, lung cancer is uglier than wind turbines.  So are climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, etc.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s a report from Yale University that sheds light on the politics of global climate change.  Highlights include:

• “A majority of all registered voters (55%) say they will consider candidates’ views on global warming when deciding how to vote.”

So almost half of our voters don’t care a lick about this issue?  That’s not good.

• “Independents lean toward ‘climate action.’”

That’s because people who register as independents are thinkers.

• “Policies to reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote renewable energy are favored by a majority of registered voters across party lines.”

I’m glad to hear that, though it makes one wonder how the “drill baby drill” mentality could have come to pervade the U.S. energy agenda.  I’m reminded of the story that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter told us last fall at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum, where both senators from his state overtly defied the clearly expressed will of the people and voted for pro-oil legislation.  There is a word for this, and I use it advisedly: corruption.

Having presented this admitted oversimplification of Yale’s report, I urge you to read it in its entirety.

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Frequent commenter Arlene does not share the guarded optimism I expressed in my recent piece in which I predict a renaissance in environmentalism.  She writes:

The political landscape is terrible, in that the progressives are playing defense on so many subjects that sustainability and new energy economies are in last place. If we get an administration change, well you can wave goodbye to just about everything on the environmental and stewardship slate. …

The most disheartening reality for me is that climate change necessitates execution on a global scale. Anything else is a no-op, practically speaking.

I’m not sure about the results of an administration change. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

2012 sales of plug-in vehicles in the U.S. as of July 31st were 20,546, out of 8,398,746 total vehicles, under 0.25%, according to Jon LeSage’s Green Auto Market.  Concerned about this figure and looking for an explanation, I called my friend Paul Scott, who sells the Nissan Leaf at a dealership in Los Angeles.  (more…)

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