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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

We’re starting to see a wave of articles that validate what we’ve been saying here at 2GreenEnergy since its inception.  That is, renewable energy, as a reaction to peak oil and climate change, is probably the most important economic boon that will occur in our lifetimes.  I call your attention to the Green Chip Review for really good content in this vein.

Where conventional thinking has been that changes in our traditional energy sector would cut jobs and stifle economic growth, we’re beginning to see that the precise opposite is true.  I happened to have been in the audience of George H. W. Bush as he gave a speech to a less-than-inspired crowd in Woodland Hills, CA in 1992 during his unsuccessful re-election campaign, and I recall his principal message:  his opponent, Bill Clinton, was a liberal.  He pronouced that word as if it had the power as a political weapon of labeling his enemy as a “Nazi” or a “Communist.”  He went on to tell us that the tenets of liberalism included strict environmental regulations that would eliminate millions of jobs, and explained how “we’d soon be up to our eyeballs in spotted owls.”  (I’m not making this up.)

But I think we’re now seeing the truth — not necessarily about liberalism vs. conservatism, but most certainly about environmentalism vs. Big Energy — as it comes to the economy.  As one example, we’ve seen billionaire Venture Capitalist John Doerr — the man who helped bring along Google and Amazon — calling renewables “nothing less than the re-industrialization of the whole planet.”

The considerable enthusiasm that we’ve received for the Hydro-powered Electrical Generation (HyPEG) that I wrote about in one of the Three Brass Tacks articles, of course, is rooted in the fact that HyPEGs’ eventual ubiquity will mean the end of coal – of scarring and poisoning the earth and its people. But the idea that we’re going to need tens of thousands of these HyPEGs – and that someone will have to be paid to build and install them – has not gone unnoticed either.

Whether it’s hydrokinetics or solar thermal, wind or PV, this movement will create an enormous number of jobs, and stimulate a huge velocity of cash for the coming decades — at least.

For once, we’re all in the right place at the right time.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As I’m sure many readers have observed, I am normally cynical about the honesty of government. Even on Washington’s best day, I’d far rather see things happening in the private sector than in the public sector. Yet I have to say that I’m pleased with the Obama administration’s aggression in supporting renewable energy.

I have no insight into the workings of the selection process by which stimulus money is handed out. As far as fairness is concerned, I’m told that the process favors large companies over small ones, and I’m sure that I would find the details, if I were privy to them, just as unpalatable as the fine points of sausage-making. Yet I have to say that it’s a refreshing change from the days that oil-men ran the country and the DoE was forced to sit on its hands while essentially no progress was made in developing alternative energy sources, and the CO2 levels went through the roof.

From these recent annoucements from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, it is apparent that for some reason our boys in Washington favor wind and photovoltaics over solar thermal, hydrokinetics, and the others.  This concerns me greatly; one can only think that we’re entering a new realm of politics as usual. At least this time we’re wrangling over technologies that won’t kill us.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal


I just spoke with my friend Bruce Allen, one of the world’s top experts in solar energy. I thought I’d publish a brief excerpt of the transcript of our conversation, insofar as readers may find it interesting.

Craig: Is it just my imagination, or do I see a great deal of media coverage on the subject of solar thermal? It looks like the world is starting to really latch onto this.

Bruce: You betcha! The message is getting through. I gave a lecture the other day at the Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles on solar, molten salt, all the stuff in my book — it was really well attended. The problem is that there is going to be a crunch, though.

Craig: Yes, I’m concerned that this won’t happen without top-down leadership, since without it, there is no incentive a business environment that lives on artificially cheap energy.

Bruce: Right. California has mandated that 33% of its energy come from renewables by 2020. That came from (California governor Arnold) Schwarzenegger, but the legislature didn’t pass the measure AB32 that addressed this topic, so it’s an executive order only. If (ex-CEO of EBay) Meg Whitman wins next year, she’s likely to rescind it. She’s a moderately conservative Republican, and she’s all about job creation in the private sector. That means we can’t have restrictive legislation that continues to force jobs out of the state.

She has a very well reasoned platform by the way, focused only on three fundamental: jobs, cost-cutting, and education. She’s a sharp cookie; I had breakfast with her the other day.

Craig: Well, I don’t want to sound holier-than-thou, but if I were a responsible public servant, I’d like to think that I’d be looking a little beyond my state borders. For a governor to say I want jobs, but I don’t care about the environment sounds pretty short-sighted and insular. Of course, I’m sure that there are governors of other states whose positions are totally outrageoups. In West Virginia and Kentucky, it’s coal, baby. We mine it, we burn it, you die from it. We’re old money, old politics, and guess what? We really don’t care.

Bruce: Come on Craig, be realistic. Maybe you have a point about West Virginia, but you can’t expect the state of California to commit economic suicide. The states need to harmonize. Nevada and Arizona need to ensure that their restrictions are in keeping with ours so there isn’t a mass exodus of jobs.

Craig: I guess you’re right. But how likely is that? It brings me back to what you and I both see as a defect in the Constitution: states’ rights. Narrow-minded, get me re-elected politics as usual just creates never-ending corruption. That’s how we wound up with corn ethanol – driven by a few powerful senators from the corn-belt who cared not one whit for the good of anyone outside his state.

And if that weren’t bad enough, it’s too bad about falling prices of fossil fuels; that’s not pushing in a positive direction here, is it? What would you say are the basic pressures?

Bruce: The recession has reduced demand, and technology has increased supply – especially of natural gas. We’ve ramped up enormous new supplies with ultra deep-well drilling into the shale down there — the techniques fracture the shale; there are huge new discoveries. With natural gas at $3 per 1000 cubic feet, it’s really hard to justify renewables on a cost basis.

Here’s something else that will throw a huge curve at all this, though. It’s Israel and Iran. The way I see it, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu told Obama, “you have until December.” You may wake up one day in December to the news that Israel is taking out Iran – or at least part of it. Wait until you see what happens to world oil prices when that happens.

Craig: Yikes. Good speaking with you, Bruce. Please keep me updated, will you?

Bruce: Of course.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I just spoke with Sam Goodman at his office in New York about the consumer-oriented, content-rich clear energy site he’s developing: Clean Energy Connection. “We bridge the gap between vendors and consumers,” he explained. “There are some great articles out there, but some of them require a degree just to make any sense of this subject. Somebody needs to explain what’s available in plain English.”

“It’s actually a collection of websites or green travel, green hotels, green vehicles, and so on,” Sam continued. “We’ve tried to offer as much content as possible, aimed at providing consumers with all the information they could possible use to make purchasing decisions.”

I asked Sam where he sees the project going. “Eventually you’ll see more input from the consumers themselves, in forums, wiki-media, and so on. There’s really no limit.”

That’s certainly one thing you can say about the renewable energy world: there is no limit.

by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Photobucket I’m honored to be a panelist at the AltCarExpo in Santa Monica, CA, October 2nd and 3rd.

This is a truly special event for several reasons, one of which is obvious: The world is running at top speed in the direction of alternative-fuelled transportation. The buzz in the electric vehicle world is so loud and so constant that it’s almost deafening. The migration to clean transportation is the most important trend in the international business world right now, and this is an opportunity to learn more, and to jump in with both feet.

The other is the uniqueness of Santa Monica itself – one of the most progressive municipalities on earth in terms of environmental responsibility. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the city’s fleet superintendent Rick Sikes, whose passion for sustainability has driven him to create a vehicle array that is 87% alternatively fuelled.

It’s hard to find words to express how impressed I am with the dedication of Christine Dzilvelis and her incredible staff who have worked tirelessly to put this all together.

I hope that readers within a reasonable distance will attend. My group — the ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE PANEL convenes at 3:30 Friday; please come and throw softballs at me — just kidding — feel free to pepper me with tough questions.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

PhotobucketSteele Braden responds:

I know this is hard for us guys schooled in the “old” physics thinking, but the longer I investigate and experiment, the more anomalies I turn up regarding accepted physics “laws.” Remember, it was impossible for man to fly with his own body power — until somome flew accross the English channel. Remember the sound “barrier”? Travelling to the moon was a permanent science fiction.

Great points, all. It’s funny; I had just written a piece advising the authors of business plans to “keep it real,” in which I explain: if you’re going to challenge conventional wisdom, do it convincingly.  I review submissions for what are essentially perpetual motion machines at the rate of about one per week. And by the way, I read each of them carefully and with no derision, because I’m sure that eventually, mankind will come to an understanding of the cosmos that will make all us 2009 people look quite foolish, as paradigmatic breakthroughs have been doing since the dawn of civilization. Having said that, understand that if your invention suggests 1 Watt in and 2 Watts out, you’re presenting this idea to people who have been taught since they were babies that you’re a liar or a fool.

I believe that many of the so-called laws will, in fact, be broken. Yet I have trouble believing that somewhere, right now, there is a machine that is running above 1.0 efficiency, based on a principle that no one can explain. Sorry to sound cynical, but I need to see it.

I’ll make you a deal: If you can give me clear reason for hope that I can see the first working model of such a device, I’ll take my wattmeter (to support my skepticism) and a bottle of really good champagne (to celebrate the gift to the world if I’m wrong) anywhere in the world for the demonstration.

Again, I hope we can keep the dialog open. I know that there are many people who are far more ardent scientists than I who will be thrilled to know that legimate science has broken yet another “law.” Please keep me informed.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Steele Braden writes (and then followed up with an email):

Have any of you probed into the “Joe-cell” technology? Either this guy has produced somthing close to miracle technology, or he is an extremely clever hoaxer.

Steele, thanks for pinging me on this just now. Do you know, it’s funny, I’ve looked at your original comment several times but have never been able to make up my mind what to do with it. First, let me say that I am not an expert on the subject of wild, new ideas in science. As a garden-variety physics major of the 1970s, though, I’m more than conversant with the law of conservation of energy. Thus, I don’t see any sense in a claim that a certain technology “takes the energy out of water.” It takes WHAT energy out of water? If you had said, “We take the heat energy out of hot water, convert it to kinetic or electric energy, and leave you with cold water,” or “We take the potential energy of water in the mountains and leave you with water at sea level,” that would make sense. Or if you said, “We convert some of the mass from the elementary particles of which a water molecule is made into energy,” that would also make sense.

But there is no energy to be taken from the covalent bonds holding the atoms of a water molecule together, nor from the hydrogen bonds holding water molecules together. So, unless I’m missing something, this just seems to violate the most well-established laws of physics.

Having said that, I’d honestly love to discuss this with you. Please don’t hesitate to write or call. I’ll hope to hear from you. And, of course, I invite others to jump in here too.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

PhotobucketI was fortunate enough to have been invited to the Los Angeles premier screening of the movie “Crude” by filmmaker Joe Berlinger (pictured at left with Miss California) last night in Hollywood. It was a great honor being part of a cause so honest, and to be given the opportunity to meet people like Amazon Watch’s Atossa Soltani (below) – a fierce but kind fireball of passion and energy for the cause of the Ecuadorian people.

For those who may not know the story, Crude is a documentary – quite fair-minded in comparison to most – covering the history of one of the world’s most terrible tragedies – tragic mostly insofar as it did not have to happen. In brief, Texaco began its exploration for oil in Ecuador in 1964 and pursued that effort for decades, with processes so impure that they would have landed anyone associated with them in jail had they been performed in the US. The company knowingly ravaged the rainforest, and caused the sickness and death of tens of thousands innocent people living in the area. Now, Chevron, who acquired Texaco in 2001, is working hard to evade responsibility for the crimes of the company it owns. Those wishing to learn more can do so at Amazon Watch.

In any case, this film is truly a story of power, mystery, beauty, and evil – all presented in a straightforward manner that respects the intelligence of its audience.

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I won’t give away the ending – in fact, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. There is no reason to believe that this litigation will ever end, as Chevron continues to astound the world, finding inventive new ways to postpone justice and fairness. If you think I’m exaggerating, I urge you to consider the case of the Exxon Valdez. No one at ExxonMobil disputes sole resonsibility for the disaster, yet they were successful in delaying paying off the damages until just this year — more than 20 years after the incident (and at the last minute prevailed upon a judge to reduce those damages by 80%). To me, it’s hard to guess when we could reach a conclusion in the case of Chevron.

But speaking of conclusions, one that I personally find obvious is that white people have treated people of color very badly all around the globe for many hundreds of years. This fine film is a reminder that there is precious little evidence that this pathology has slowed – or that it ever will.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

PhotobucketI urge readers to read this interview on peak oil, published by my friend and colleague Bill Moore at EV World, featuring Robert Hirsch speaking on the deliberate avoidance by the U.S. government to talk about the subject. In my opinion, this is a subject that every American should understand. As with so many energy-related topics, peak oil (the concept that the world has passed the maximum point of refining petroleum — or even that such a point exists) is hotly debated. Yet it’s clear to most of us — and this interview certainly supports the claim — that anyone without a pro-oil business interest is on board with the idea that peak oil is a serious issue – perhaps ultimately the most serious threat to the future of mankind.

This phenomenon heightens the imperative for a concerted Kennedy-man-on-the-moon push from both the public and private sectors to make this happen. Even if peak oil were the only reason to move way from fossil fuels, which of course it is not, we need a top-down plan to capture, store, and distribute a minute fraction of the sun’s energy to a civilization that is growing more energy hungry by the day.

When you’re finished with the article, I hope you’ll read the comments; they’re incredibly astute, in my opinion. Some of them get into the philosophic stuff that I love to talk discuss, but am reluctant to initiate, for fear of taking us too far off-topic.  I’m always happy when I see people bringing up the larger concepts of social ideals.

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by Craig ShieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

PhotobucketObviously, the gating factor to the electric transportation industry is battery technology. Yet costs are falling and energy density is increasing, and I think we all have the sense that the battery packs that we see in the EVs of today will look pretty ridiculous in a few years due to steady improvements in technology.

Making this whole area even more interesting are the battery management systems (BMS) that are required to control the charging and discharging of today’s cutting edge lithium ion batteries. The various lithium chemistries, e.g., lithium iron phosphate, offer a huge range of advantages over lead acid (small in size and weight, flat discharge curve, etc.) but are quite sensitive and often simply fail to perform in real-world applications. A state-of-the-art BMS, like the one offered by our client Lithium Balance, is really the only way to guarantee any degree of reliability from a lithium ion battery pack. 

I spoke with Lorne Hatchard of Los Angeles-based Li-ion battery supplier POWERFORCE just now, who explained that his company is attempting to develop its own BMS, and that its products are built at a variety of facilities in Asia, imported, and then triple-checked to ensure that they perform to their specifications.

Again, energy density (the amount of energy that can be stored per unit of volume or mass) is a central issue. And from what I’m reading, it looks like breakthroughs in lithium battery chemistry will continue for some period of time, since:

Lithium, the lightest of the metals, also has the highest standard potential of all the metals, at over 3 V — some of the lithium cell designs have a voltage of nearly 4 V.

Where, as a metal, lithium reacts violently with water, as well as with nitrogen in air, this is not the case with many lithium compounds – thus the name lithium ion.

Energy density and current-carrying capacity are functions of surface area, and, because lithium ions are no small, there are advanced ways of increasing surface area, versus simple flat plates. In particular, the battery terminals can be made from graphite (a layered crystal) into which certain lithium compounds are “intercalated.”  While I had POWERFORCE on the phone, I asked one of its engineers to explain this further.  He told me that this is based on the concept that small ions like lithium can fit in the spaces in a graphite crystal. Not only that, but these metallic atoms can go farther and force the graphitic planes apart to fit two, three, or more layers of metallic atoms between the carbon sheets. This is a great way this is to store lithium in a battery—the graphite is conductive, dilutes the lithium for safety, is reasonably cheap, and does not allow unwanted crystal structures to form.

Given the number of incredibly bright people who are working on this all over the world (many of them supported by enormous funding), it’s really no surprise we’re seeing a great deal of progress in this arena.

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