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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Like a lot of things we’d like to have but can’t, it’s because of physics.

When the sun is high in the sky on a sunny day, each square meter of the Earth’s surface below receives about 1000 Watts (1 kiloWatt) of power. Suppose there are three square meters of solar PV on the car shown here, so that’s 3 kWs. If the solar panels are 30% efficient, that’s 900 Watts, a little over 1 horsepower, not even enough to filter a good-sized swimming pool.

Now, obviously, if the car has a big battery pack, you can leave it charging for a long period of time.  But even cheap little cars have 100-hp+ motors so they can achieve freeway speeds and get up hills.

Let’s suppose that, because of its sleek design, you can get away with 50 hp. You’ll be charging  it (in full sun) 50 times longer than you’ll be driving it.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The sentiment expressed at left makes sense to many of us, but, upon reflection, it comes from two completely disparate camps: the opposite ends of the IQ bell curve.

We happily grant that people like Mozart, Einstein, Monet, and Mark Twain himself, didn’t learn anything in school that tapped into their genius, and that they (and we) would have been better off if they had been spared whatever was inflicted upon them in the name of “education.”

We also grant that our working class received very little from their education that advanced their position in modern-day America in any meaningful way.

But what about the rest of us, including the mainstream of 2GreenEnergy readers?  Speaking strictly for myself, I spent my early life immersed in a world of critical thinking, and I’ve never stepped out.  It seems to me that it’s worked out fairly well. Wouldn’t most of us say the same?

Most of the complaint against education isn’t coming from the Einsteins and Twains of the world.  It’s coming from those who believe that our colleges crank out liberals who, for example, have a hard time with the idea that Trump was an honest and effective servant of the American people and the victim of a rigged election.

In any case, it’s a weak claim indeed that young people would be better people if they were prevented from reading the world’s great books.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A reader notes: Many of the Christians in the USA think Jesus’s return is not far off, thus a huge disincentive for long term sustainability.

I actually ran into a fellow who told me that we was rooting for the apocalypse, but this level of extremism must be somewhat rare.

Having said that, religious people of all stripes tend not to be too into sustainability, for the very reason that their belief system doesn’t rely on things like science and evidence, and that God’s plan, whatever that might be, is infinitely more powerful than anything humankind can do.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s what auto enthusiast Jay Leno says about the EV adoption curve, i.e., that they should be used during the week for low-speed commutes, where your “426 Hemi that gets 9 -11 mpg” can be taken out on the weekends.

Well, he’s wrong.  Very few American drivers want two cars: two sets of maintenance schedules, two registration fees, two insurance policies, etc.

As costs come down, range anxiety disappears, and consumer options grow, we can expect a steady replacement of gas- and diesel-powered vehicles with EVs.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Here’s a faux advertisement for Chevron.  It’s not unlike “Exxon Hates Your Kids,” but it’s longer and better.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s a fabulous episode of the widely syndicated radio show Fresh Air, featuring ProPublica investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten discussing the crisis of water shortages in the American west.

Climate change has brought about severe and apparently unending droughts here.  We all hope for a year of heavy rains that fill up some of our depleted waterways and reservoirs, but after these many years, there have been nothing but disappointments. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Here, author and neuroscientist Sam Harris explains why it’s useless to argue with the MAGA crowd.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I believe this was true when Bertrand Russell said it in 1926, in his lecture that was later transcribed into the essay “Why I Am Not a Christian.”  It’s certainly less so today, given the statements and actions of Pope Francis.

After 1600 years of hellish behavior, the Roman Catholic Church is now led by a true humanitarian, who’s heading the charge toward tolerance, peace, inclusion, compassion, social justice, and environmental responsibility.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

From Clint Eastwood: People say that we must leave a better planet to our children.  The truth is that we must leave better children to our planet.

I would say that both are true.  Of course, as a true right-winger, Eastwood doesn’t believe in things like climate change mitigation or environmental stewardship in general.  That level of ignorance is, simply, a shame.

But he’s certainly right about better children.  I hope in earnest that my children will turn out to be more empathetic, more involved, and tougher fighters for justice than I have been.  Of course that’s not what Eastwood meant, but who cares?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

FWIW, I side with the existentialists on this matter.  I.e., I hold that there is no purpose or meaning to our lives other than that which we convey onto it.

Obviously, many people disagree.  Some believe God has a plan for them, while others think that life actually does have a purpose, and that it’s up to them to find it.

Throughout my life, friends have told me that my view is horribly gloomy and dismal, but I counter that I create a great deal of purpose to my daily activities and that I maintain a high regard for the value of my life.

 

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