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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

What can the U.S. renewable energy world expect in 2011?

As everyone knows, President Obama signed the bill at the end of 2010 extending a number of energy provisions through 2011, including the U.S. Tax Grant Program (TGP) 1603 – usually referred to as Section 1603. Renewable energy was given somewhat of a gift with the extension of the provisions, but in the big picture, one year is short-term, and future uncertainty is not a grand gift. An energy plan, clear policy and long-term provisions (i.e. more certainty) is what businesses, investors and users want and need. The key is consistency and visibility at the Federal but also State level.

Not to sound too negative or rain on anyone’s parade, let’s look at the impact that 1603 had on energy in 2010 and what to expect in 2011.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

Question: What is the babassu tree? What value does it offer?

Answer: Can be found at http://2greenenergy.com/cool-guess-answers/8732.

Relevance: One of our clients based in Portugal has a very carefully constructed business plan to grow babassu in Brazil, pelletize the fruit, and ship it around the world as an energy source.

　

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’m glad to see so much coverage of electric transportation in the mainstream press. You know you’re making headway when msn.com is running “The Five Things You Should Know About Electric Vehicles” among its up-to-the-minute coverage of Brittany Spears, Charlie Sheen and hot guacamole recipes for Super Sunday.

However, with that much exposure – especially to people who may be just starting out on their path to learn about all this EV stuff — comes the responsibility to tell the story correctly.

Below is an excerpt of part of the discussion. Is it wrong? Very. Why? I don’t know. It would seem (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’ve been writing a great deal about the power of strategic business partnerships recently.  And, until this moment, I’ve forgotten to mention one of my most trusted allies and best-respected friends, John Tyson, CEO of Amerivon. 

Imagine if you will a conversation between Costco and one of its umpteen thousand (million?) potential suppliers.  Costco, with its 600 stores and $53 billion in annual revenues, gets plenty of attention from purveyors of everything from CFLs, vitamins, and smoke detectors to lawn chairs and Newcastle Brown Ale. 

But how can the two — a megaretailer and a fledgling supplier — actually connect?  And, once they connect, how can they both win? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

There were a few surprises for me at this year’s Advanced Auto Battery Consortium, held last week in Pasadena. One was how delightfully non-technical it was. Of course, I didn’t attend the real nitty-gritty lectures from the Ph.D. battery chemists from India, but the larger forum events were really quite accessible and business-focused.

The other surprise – and this is an idea I come across with some frequency – is the apparent longevity that hybrids are expected to enjoy. By one estimate I saw there, 80% of the cars sold in 2030 will be hybrids.

Now before you say “hogwash” (which was my first reaction), (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

In light of another stormy winter and plenty of snow falling around the country, there has been more talk about the following question: can PV solar panels work in snow and cold?

Solar PV panels can indeed work in a cold, snowy climate especially if there are sunny days and good exposure of the panels. In fact, several companies point out that PV panels work best in the cold, as the output of silicon can reduce in very hot weather. However, when snow piles up on panels and blocks all sunlight, the panels obviously stop working. Most say this happens after a few inches accumulate, but that a light dusting doesn’t stop functions and the light dusting will most likely melt off in sunlight.  But many areas of the country are getting more than a light dusting of snow.  What to do?

The majority of companies and experienced users say tilted panels are a good defense. Many panels are tilted (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

I try to stay up on the more exciting goings on in power transmission because of its obvious relationship to the penetration of clean energy generally. Less than 2% of our current grid-mix in the US is renewables at this point, and so such issues like smart-grid, high-voltage DC, unification of the three major US grids (600 gigawatts in the east, 240 gigawatts in the west, and 70 gigawatts in Texas) – as well as related areas like energy storage – are all but moot at this point. But, if we’re serious about installing more wind and PV – not to mention geothermal, run-of-river hydro, solar thermal, etc., this whole subject will soon become critically important. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I mentioned in an earlier post that an extremely committed and professional in Chile is working hard to get the 2GreenEnergy consulting team in front of the Chilean Department of Energy, to lay out a comprehensive, practical, and affordable plan to migrate to renewable energy. 

I wrote my contact yesterday to suggest that he watch US DoE Secretary Steven Chu’s live webcast yesterday, from which he noted:

Nice broadcast by Dr. Chu yesterday, thanks for the tip. There have been some other signals, for instance: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9L077KG0.htm

I replied:

Wow, this really is getting some high-level review, isn’t it? 

Btw, regardless of what happens here with 2GreenEnergy and the Chilean government, you should take some level of personal credit for bringing this about.  In my experience, it’s the result of people like you, clamoring for govement to do the right thing, that creates change.  My hat’s off to you.

And what a coincidence that you’re from Chile, a land that hosted one of the most grievous examples of this phenomenon in the last half century.  If we Americans had rallied with enough rancor to force our government to withdraw its support of the Pinochet regime of the 1970s, a great number of innocent lives would have been spared. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

What is your contribution to the world?

This may sound like a weird question to ask a large group of people, most of whom I don’t know personally. But here’s a thought:

If you’re making a career in clean energy, you have a story to tell that has profound relevance to the world. It’s a story of your passion in dealing with one of mankind’s toughest challenges: the migration away from an energy policy that desperately needs to change. Open the newspaper and try not to find an article on international hostility, on a nation with deep and worsening financial issues, on terrorism, on disease, on the quality of life that our children will have as a result of the actions (and inactions) we’re taking here and now. These are the subjects of which our news is almost exclusively comprised.

Who you are and what you’re doing matters. It counts.

But wouldn’t it be good if more people knew about the mission you’re on? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Looking to future career and job training in green technology, a new Associate of Arts degree starts this spring in an area reinventing itself for the future – Toledo.

“Green technology is becoming more and more important in our energy-driven society. As the demand for existing and emerging technologies within alternative and renewable energy grows, the need for highly qualified technicians is a necessity,” said Randy Wharton, Owens Community College chair of design technologies and interim dean of the School of Technology.

We highlighted how Toledo, Ohio has reinvented itself into a solar hub and green technology center. Now Owens Community College has local demand by residents interested in clean tech energy careers, thanks to (more…)

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