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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I played on my college squash team in the 1970s, and every year we made the ride up to Cambridge, Mass. to play MIT. Though we routed them every year, the most pleasurable part of the day for me was meeting someone who was twice the math/science mind that I would ever be.

That whole experience just replayed itself, in my meeting with Dr. Marie Corio, CEO of boutique consultancy Applied Economic Research in Brooklyn, NY. Marie is arguably the world’s most senior analyst of coal-fired power plants and the assessment of their lifespan and viability, drawing on her expertise in economics, metallurgy, organic chemistry, and computer modeling. Marie kept me spellbound as I sat, quietly sipping my coffee, and learning everything I could about her exciting vocation. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I had an amusing experience the other day that I thought I’d share. I was making a phone call to the administrative assistant of a senior partner in a venture capital firm, trying to squeeze in a moment to make a pitch for a certain client whose clean energy solution I happen to favor. A woman picked up the phone and said, “This is April, may I help you?”

I said, “Yes, April, you may. But first, let me tell you that what you just said was the first sentence I’ve ever heard that used two consecutive months of the year – consecutively in the sentence: April and May.”

“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. I’ve been saying that for years and never noticed.”

“All right!” I responded. “Now, if you want to set a record that will probably never be broken, here’s a suggestion. When you hire yourself an assistant, hold out for one named June. Then you can say, ‘This is April, may June, my assistant, or I help you?’ Offhand, I can’t think of a way to get ‘March’ in front of all this, but if I think of one, I promise to let you know.”

We had a good laugh about it.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Linus Pauling is a personal hero of mine. The great chemists of the day (mid-20th Century) admired Pauling’s achievements in quantum physics, but ridiculed his experiments in organic chemistry. “What could a physicist know about our work!” they jeered. One can only imagine how shocked and embarrassed they were when Pauling won the 1954 Nobel Prize for his breakthroughs in protein chemistry.

Obviously, this is an inspirational story on a number of levels, especially for those of us who believe that too much specialization is not necessarily a good thing, or that “pride goeth before a fall.” But I’m reminded in particular of one of my favorite quotes from the genius:

“The way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas.”

This has everything to do with the 2GreenEnergy mission statement: Taking Good Ideas Forward. This is why I urge a volume of new ideas, and never censor opinions or ridicule honest ideas. Everyone should be encouraged to think outside the box, and stretch his imagination to the fullest.

Pauling’s reminder calls upon me to spend a great deal of my life on the phone, email, and on planes, communicating with inventors and entrepreneurs all over the world. Since I’m serious about forwarding good ideas, I know I have to go find lots of potential candidates.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

For all the attention it is receiving, the Chevrolet Volt is not going to change much about the typical vehicle GM sells.

Chevrolet Volt Marketing Director Tony DiSalle said on July 2 that they plan to produce 10,000 Volts by the end of 2011, and an additional 30,000 Volts during  2012 at its Detroit-Hamtramck facility. In Europe, a sister car, the Ampera, is due to go into production roughly 12 months after the Volt.

During 2011 and 2012 GM will produce approximately 7 million vehicles that run on hydrocarbon fuels. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I’m back east again.  The weather isn’t exactly nice, but at least this quadrant of the country isn’t paralyzed by two feet of snow like it was last time I was here.

My appointments on this trip are mainly attempts to refine my approach to raising investment capital for companies in various phases of development in clean energy and electric transportation.  In particular, I remain convinced that I can put into place a financial instrument that will provide early-stage capital for a dozen or so promising ideas — all in one package — a kind of mutual fund for those who are looking for upward exposure from this sector, but do not wish to have all their eggs in one basket.

I have a number of high-powered “friends of friends” to see — within walking distance of one another in the “city that never sleeps.”

I’ll let you know how I do.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

DESERTEC, a $496 billion project to generate solar electricity in the Sahara Desert could be exporting electricity to Europe in five years, according to European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, following a meeting with energy ministers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, which will each house a portion of the project. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

On Feb. 14, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama made a proposal to Congress to raise 2012 budget funds for renewable energy research. He proposed paying for this budget increase by cutting subsidies for fossil fuels including gas and oil.

This budget increase comes at a rather sensitive time for the White House. Recently, the U.S launched a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute against China. The dispute is regarding the country’s support for wind power production and research. Additionally, Japan recently initiated a WTO dispute against Canada for their support of renewable energy subsidies.

Even though the U.S. disapproves of China’s support of wind manufacturing, Obama still seems to be placing a high priority on green energy as a whole. He undoubtedly recognizes that certain measures need to be taken if the U.S wants to compete with other countries that have already gone to great lengths to develop renewable energy technologies and resources.

Obama has proposed an amount of $29 billion for the Department of Energy in 2012. This number is up more than 4 percent from the 2011 budget and more than 10 percent from the 2010 budget, a substantial sum. And $8 billion, more than 30% of the Department’s total proposed 2012 budget, is earmarked to support renewable energy initiatives. These initiatives include research to support wind and solar power and new nuclear energy technologies.

But these budget increases will not come with out a cost to other areas of the budget. Pres. Obama is asking Congress to revoke almost $4 billion dollars in fossil fuel subsidies. If approved, this number would jump to over $46 billion over the course of ten years. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Jim Bell is a brilliant author and social observer who believes that nuclear power represent one of humankind’s most tragic errors.  In this excellent article on the perils the nuclear age, he argues that, if we survive it, our descendants will wonder what we were thinking to justify leaving them nuclear power’s toxic legacy.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

We’ve come to think of sustainability as a “nice to have,” rather than a “must have” feature in our lives. Perhaps that’s because the very notion has long-term consequences, as compared to, say, the diminution of our retirement funds, the threat of job loss, or any of the pressing matters that occupy our immediate attention.

When it comes to sustainability, we are prepared to say, “Hey, I have problems right now.  I can’t really be expected to worry about what life might be like 100 years hence,” or, “Things can get a bit out of balance in the biosphere, but as long as they come back around in the long-term, everything will be just fine.” (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal


I just had a very interesting conversation on one of my favorite topics: solar thermal, or concentrating solar power (CSP).  I came across Ahura Energy of Campbell, CA on the fantastic online resource OnGreen.com, and spoke with Dr. Fareed Sfard, the company’s CEO, who boasts over 20 years experience in the solar industry. Because we have no NDA in place at this point, Fareed needed to speak at a high level. But if what I was told is correct, the company’s patented Concentrating Solar System, that can be used in both utility scale and rooftop deployments, has a huge cost advantage over competitive approaches. “The system” (whatever this eventually turns out to be) moves the reflective and refractive elements without motors or electric actuators.

“But how?” I asked innocently. I could hear Fareed laughing politely. “That’s the secret sauce,” he chuckled. “In a given space, it produces 350% more power compared to traditional solar systems at one third the cost per kilowatt-hour.”

“Well, Dr. Sfard, I know some people at Ausra, which, of course, was sold last year to Areva. I’m sure I could arrange a conversation, if you’re interested in selling or licensing your technology.”

“That would be possible, though they see us as a threat,” he allowed.

“I would hope they do, sir!  That’s a good thing,” I replied. “In my experience, that’s the impetus behind most deals. Until business people are threatened, there’s no motive to deal with the problem,” I replied. (more…)

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