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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

I just got off the phone with Paul Greyschock, from hydrokinetics start-up Cyclo Ocean in Vero Beach, FL. There were a couple of items that made this conversation noteworthy. First is the technology itself. If you check out the website, you’ll see immediately that a great number of the issues that thwart most attempts at tidal or ocean-current hydro are dealt with cleverly and inexpensively. In particular, note that the device is anchored to the seabed, not moored into it. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Energy Storage

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex0yLY6YuR4]Here’s a short interview in which I answer a few questions about zinc-air battery energy storage, a subject that’s been in front of the scientific and investment communities since the 1970s. Is this one the real deal?

Personally, I think so. There are a few unanswered questions, but I have a great deal of confidence in these people, based on my numerous meetings and phone conversations. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

A reader comments on my recent report on China and renewable energy:

I enjoyed the article, but keep in mind that any of these lines can been
taken out of context and used against you. I assume that you have a
distribution of friends and enemies.

I respond:

Thanks, and yes, I’m sure I have many thousands of enemies. I’m not happy about that, but it seems to me “comes with the territory,” as they say. For example, if the oil companies don’t know who I am and what I’m trying to do to them, they’re really not as smart as I imagined. But I have no interest in flying underneath their radar – even if it were possible to do so. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xs0yyzK_ts]
Here’s last month’s webinar, in which I interview Jim Holbery, Ph.D., CEO and founder of GridMobility.  It’s a 60-minute discussion on how electricity is generated, and how consumers can stipulate their preference for renewable energy.

This, of course, is a non-trivial task, as “green” and “brown” electrons move around our grid with no discrimination at all.  So how did Jim’s team pull this off?  I hope you’ll check it out. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uSdDP_0WmQ]Here’s a short video on a waste-to-energy deal in one of the world’s largest population centers. Dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW) is a serious challenge, but, as is often the case, there’s a twist…

As Donald Trump famously said, “As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.”  That certainly seems to apply to what we’re doing in clean energy, doesn’t it? It’s really not smart to apply time and effort to projects that don’t scale. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

I’m trying to arrange a meeting with one of 2GreenEnergy’s great supporters, an international, high-flying guy whose fantastic biomass-to-energy project I support without reservation.  His base in the U.S. is Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a place I like a great deal, but I don’t visit often on business.  When I asked about his travel schedule, hoping to arrange a mutually agreeable meeting place and time, he wrote: “I’m in Vegas often for the UFC fights (“ultimate fighting”); I love them and try not to miss one when I’m in the States. I look forward to meeting you.”

I responded:

As I’ve told you, I love your project, and I’d like very much to meet you.

Not to sound like I’m totally out of the pop-culture (which I am), but what’s the main attraction of UFC?

It’s not that I don’t appreciate a good fight.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

A significant part of the stimulus money from the Department of Energy has enabled homeowners to perform extremely cost-effective retrofits for energy efficiency. A lovely and articulate spokesperson from Energy Upgrade California I met at the AltCarExpo in Santa Monica explained to me how the “whole house approach” (stopping leaks, using energy efficient windows, saving on water with low-flo toilets and showers, and efficient heating and air-conditioning systems) can reduce energy bills, improve building comfort, enhance indoor air quality, and reduce the impact on the environment.

I asked for examples of what she meant by “building comfort and air quality.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

PhotobucketI always look forward to the AltCarExpo in Santa Monica each year. It’s rather like one of the major auto shows, but without all the flashing lights, loud noises, “booth-babes” – and, more to the point, all the gas- and diesel-powered cars and trucks. Though generally dominated by electric vehicles, the Expo contemplates all the alternative fuels: hydrogen, CNG, propane, and half a dozen others; it’s more than worth a visit if you’re in the area.

A local radio station, Pasadena’s NPR affiliate KPPC, did a live remote from the Expo, on which a few of my friends in this space were interviewed, taking calls from folks all over Southern California. Here was one that I found most interesting:

Caller: I notice that there are a dozen-or-so alternative fuels. Isn’t it unrealistic to replace one fuel type with dozens? Won’t there eventually be a winner?

Answer Summary: I hope not. We need to have all these – and more – represented in the mix.

No offense, but this is totally misguided. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V3DnBFkUec&w=420&h=315]

The total world market for electric bicycles is exploding, spurred in large measure by the huge urban populations of China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Add to that the demand created by a growing eco-conscious consumer in the West, and you have one of the largest and most attractive markets on Earth.

Now consider this: there are a hundred ways to design an e-bike that’s a piece of junk. For starters, it can to heavy, uncomfortable, unreliable, hard to repair, easy to steal, dorky-looking, flimsy, under-powered, short on range, or dangerous.

In this interview, I speak about a company that sports what I believe to be the perfect e-bake design.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a bit of good news that I’d like to pass along.  I’ve often written that the U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will some day be remembered as the single most ruinous event in the 235 years of our Republic. And, though our elected leaders have uniformly refused to take a stand on the matter, it appears that ordinary Americans are rising up and doing what our representatives failed to do: protecting and defending our democracy. (more…)

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