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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It pains me to hear people moan about how frightening and horrible these times are, while they actively dismiss their role in the outcome. When I hear people say, for instance, that our government is out of control, I immediately wonder whom they count on to bring it back to the way they think it ought to be. Perhaps they believe in miracles.

I happen not to believe in miracles; to the contrary, I assert that we hold our fates in our own hands.  United in our common humanity, we and we alone will determine whether the 21st Century will be the end of civilization, or the mere rounding of a scary corner. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The investment opportunities we endorse on 2GreenEnergy are all “socially responsible” in the sense that each of them holds the promise to make the world a better place. But there is something about the business concept embodied in the aeroponics project I’ve been talking up recently that I believe is unique. This is an innovation in agriculture that has the potential to deal effectively with the shortages of water and food, while providing meaningful work for large numbers of unskilled people. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I was lucky to happen across Dr. Jason Scorse in my quest to interview an economist who could shed light on the migration to renewables.

Jason is currently Associate Professor and Chair of the International Environmental Policy Program at The Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College. He has consulted for numerous environmental organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

As suggested in this article, the U.S. military is leading the way in the migration to renewable energy and electric transportation.

Obviously, there’s a certain irony here, as the role of the American military is, in large measure, to ensure our access to oil on an ongoing basis.  But anyone can see the rationale: depending on gasoline and diesel while you’re actively in battle or defending a military position is a potentially lethal place to be. According to my understanding, more of our soldiers are killed defending the supply line of oil to military bases and outposts in the Middle East than in any other single activity.

Thus the interest in clean energy here is rooted in self-preservation – which is more than fine by me; whatever gets the job done. I’m like anyone; I hate to see young people killed or wounded – for any reason.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I’m working on a project to popularize the concept of aeroponics, the science of growing plants in areas where land is scarce, using a mixture of air, water, and nutrients. Imagine robust, organic produce grown indoors, on rooftops, etc. Now realize a potential downside: you need containers, most of which are made out of plastics that come from petroleum and do not biodegrade.

OK, what about bioplastics, derived from the cellulose in plants? I’m willing to learn a bit more. How about you? I hope you’ll check out the article linked above.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’ve had the pleasure of bumping into Ray Lane at numerous industry conferences, and have been lucky enough to hear him speak on subjects that include the financing of renewables and electric transportation. I was thrilled when he accepted my invitation for an interview, as I knew it would add a much-needed perspective of the real-world, no-nonsense exigencies of big money. After all, we can talk about the theory of money—but we can also look at the way in which billions of dollars actually change hands. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

A friend in Australia just sent me a claim for a regenerative braking system that recaptures so much energy that the car has unlimited range.  He became dubious, however, when the company, based in Canada, would not pay his way to see the demonstration.

I reply:

Yes, I would be dubious too.  I come across claims like this, i.e., those that violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics, about once a week.  In many cases, they are made by people I would call “crackpots,” i.e., people who actually believe their story, and just don’t know enough about physics to know that they’re speaking gibberish.  Others are made by what I call “charlatans,” people who (according to my perception) do not believe their story, but are attempting to defraud investors.  I tell them: “I don’t know about the securities laws in your country.  But if you raise capital from investors in the U.S. to build a prototype of something that is theoretically impossible (like what you’re describing here), there’s an excellent chance you’ll go to prison.”  It makes for a mercifully short conversation.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Thanks to longtime reader Roberto DePaschoal for alerting me to this recent white paper from the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Carnegie Mellon University, comparing the environmental impact of conventional vehicles with hybrids and plug-in vehicles. The study considers the entire lifecycle, from extraction of the raw materials, construction, operation, and decommissioning. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Wally’s list of accomplishments in science and technology spans half a century; in fact, he is best known for two achievements separated by almost 40 years: In 1968, he built the Caltech electric car and won the Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race against MIT, only to re-appear in the 2006 documentary movie “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

I’ve known Wally for several years, and every time we talk, I feel I’m a better person for having had the opportunity. Primarily a scientist, Wally brings a profound understanding of the impact that technology has on our world in a great number of ways, including ecologically and sociologically.

The focus of the interview here is cold fusion, along with an exploration of the sad and ironic ways in which politics has invaded the realm of science.

I am very grateful to Wally for his help with the project; it’s always fun to chat with this incredible intellect.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

When I’m in the television studio next week, I plan to shoot a video promoting 2GreenEnergy’s relationship with Dan Sturges, to facilitate our telling his story as a transportation visionary/futurist.

Let’s start with a tough question: Who says we need to be pro-active in evolving transportation? Don’t industries evolve on their own as R&D makes incremental improvements in adding features or reducing costs?

Put another way, is there anything truly broken about our approach to transportation? Well, it depends on how you define “broken.” (more…)

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