I had been active when this blog was started and working with a company that demonstrated a super PV panel. Unfortunately they could not produce and deliver the panels.
Currently I have I been working on a new blog as I continue educating: the thrust bears on relationships, communication between men and women, and facts. I share ideas and share links when I find similar teachers and educators.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Green Empowerment
Sustainability is the watchword for the future. This great organization has demonstrated that it's projects to help people by using energy from the sun to bring in PV electric for many uses, from pump water to bring in light and computer power and to use hydraulic ram pumps to move water for potable drinking water and irrigation. They are worthy of support!
Doc Alan
Doc Alan
Monday, March 26, 2007
Global fight for climate change
The key to fighting climate change is for the U.S. to take a leadership role in promoting a “new world wide web of electricity,” according to Michael Powers, board member and spokesman for Global Energy Network Institute, a non-profit research and education group based in San Diego.
Powers made the comments at Stanford University’s recent conference, “Energy in the Developing World: Working toward a Sustainable Future,” held on March 3, 2007. The conference was organized by the Stanford Association for International Development (SAID) and the Graduate School of Business.
“By connecting regional electricity grids around the world into a global network, it will be possible to tap new renewable resources and phase out our worst polluting coal-fired power plants,” Powers said....
Closer to home, the California Solar Initiative (CSI) plans to bring thousands of new solar energy systems online during the next 10 years and each of these systems represents a “new node on the global network,” Powers said. “We are creating a new market segment of ‘pro-sumers’ – energy producers during the daytime and consumers at night,” he said, He argues that this will launch a whole new industry of to supply equipment and software for managing this energy and tracking renewable energy transactions.
“Imagine an energy version of ‘Napster,’” Powers said. “We’re talking about peer-to-peer energy trading... where a solar homeowner in San Jose can capture kilowatts from the sun – and sell them to a homeowner in Shanghai – instantaneously. That’s the future.”
Powers made the comments at Stanford University’s recent conference, “Energy in the Developing World: Working toward a Sustainable Future,” held on March 3, 2007. The conference was organized by the Stanford Association for International Development (SAID) and the Graduate School of Business.
“By connecting regional electricity grids around the world into a global network, it will be possible to tap new renewable resources and phase out our worst polluting coal-fired power plants,” Powers said....
Closer to home, the California Solar Initiative (CSI) plans to bring thousands of new solar energy systems online during the next 10 years and each of these systems represents a “new node on the global network,” Powers said. “We are creating a new market segment of ‘pro-sumers’ – energy producers during the daytime and consumers at night,” he said, He argues that this will launch a whole new industry of to supply equipment and software for managing this energy and tracking renewable energy transactions.
“Imagine an energy version of ‘Napster,’” Powers said. “We’re talking about peer-to-peer energy trading... where a solar homeowner in San Jose can capture kilowatts from the sun – and sell them to a homeowner in Shanghai – instantaneously. That’s the future.”
Global Energy Network Institute
Linking Renewable Energy Resources Around the World
The GENI Initiative focuses on linking renewable energy resources around the world using international electricity transmission.Three decades ago, visionary engineer Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller developed the World Game simulation, posing the question:
How do we make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?
The results of this research show that the premier global strategy is the interconnection of electric power networks between regions and continents into a global energy grid, with an emphasis on tapping abundant renewable energy resources - a world wide web of electricity.
The benefits of this sustainable development world power solution ae proven:
Decreased pollution from fossil and nuclear fuels
Reduced hunger and poverty in developing nations
Increased trade, cooperation and world peace.
Stabilized population growth
The GENI Initiative focuses on linking renewable energy resources around the world using international electricity transmission.Three decades ago, visionary engineer Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller developed the World Game simulation, posing the question:
How do we make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?
The results of this research show that the premier global strategy is the interconnection of electric power networks between regions and continents into a global energy grid, with an emphasis on tapping abundant renewable energy resources - a world wide web of electricity.
The benefits of this sustainable development world power solution ae proven:
Decreased pollution from fossil and nuclear fuels
Reduced hunger and poverty in developing nations
Increased trade, cooperation and world peace.
Stabilized population growth
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Clean Power Estimator
What is the Clean Power Estimator?
Clean Power EstimatorTM is an economic evaluation software program Licensing for use from Clean Power Research. The program provides residential and commercial electric customers a personalized estimate of the costs and benefits of investing in a photovoltaic (PV) solar or small wind electric generation system.
The program takes into consideration customer-specific information in order to provide the best estimate of a given system's costs and benefits. This information includes the estimated cost of the particular system under consideration, the customer's location, electric rate schedules, and other customer information.
Please note: The California Commission is providing this program as a tool to aid potential PV and small wind customers in evaluating the economics of these generating systems. The program only provides estimates based on generalized system data and limited customer-specific data you supply. The Commission cannot guarantee that the estimates developed by the program will actually be realized in practice.
Clean Power EstimatorTM is an economic evaluation software program Licensing for use from Clean Power Research. The program provides residential and commercial electric customers a personalized estimate of the costs and benefits of investing in a photovoltaic (PV) solar or small wind electric generation system.
The program takes into consideration customer-specific information in order to provide the best estimate of a given system's costs and benefits. This information includes the estimated cost of the particular system under consideration, the customer's location, electric rate schedules, and other customer information.
Please note: The California Commission is providing this program as a tool to aid potential PV and small wind customers in evaluating the economics of these generating systems. The program only provides estimates based on generalized system data and limited customer-specific data you supply. The Commission cannot guarantee that the estimates developed by the program will actually be realized in practice.
PV in the home
March 13, 2007
Current Use: PV in the Home
Q: How about some information on current uses of photovoltaics for the home? -- J.S., Lewes, DE
A: The availability of federal tax credits for PV systems, additional credits in more than half the states and growing use of net metering, renewable portfolio standards and other financial incentive programs have stimulated tremendous interest in using photovoltaics (PV) in homes in the U.S.
It's hard not to find a reference to zero-energy homes in newspapers and magazines, with PV forming the heart of any system that has truly near- or completely zero energy use. Costs for a 4-kilowatt (kW) or 5-kW system that could power your whole home are still high, but even at current residential PV costs of $7 to $10 per watt, you can cut PV energy costs with the incentives to very close to today's conventional utility rates for smaller systems (caps on the credits generally keep them from full use on the larger systems).
But don't be discouraged if you can't afford a whole-house system. A smaller system of 2-kW, for example, could provide enough power to run about half the electric-powered appliances and lights in the typical home, including the refrigerator. That sized system has the capability of producing 7 to 8 kWh a day, so if you're a typical electric user of around 1,000 kWh month, the system could produce about 25 percent of your electric needs.
Even if you're not looking for a rooftop system for your home, there are other PV products available today that'll help save energy. The technological advances in garden and walkway lights now give you the choice of products that will provide the light you need for several hours or even all-night long. PV-powered roof ventilators will help lower attic temperatures and keep your house more comfortable while you use less air conditioning.
Current Use: PV in the Home
Q: How about some information on current uses of photovoltaics for the home? -- J.S., Lewes, DE
A: The availability of federal tax credits for PV systems, additional credits in more than half the states and growing use of net metering, renewable portfolio standards and other financial incentive programs have stimulated tremendous interest in using photovoltaics (PV) in homes in the U.S.
It's hard not to find a reference to zero-energy homes in newspapers and magazines, with PV forming the heart of any system that has truly near- or completely zero energy use. Costs for a 4-kilowatt (kW) or 5-kW system that could power your whole home are still high, but even at current residential PV costs of $7 to $10 per watt, you can cut PV energy costs with the incentives to very close to today's conventional utility rates for smaller systems (caps on the credits generally keep them from full use on the larger systems).
But don't be discouraged if you can't afford a whole-house system. A smaller system of 2-kW, for example, could provide enough power to run about half the electric-powered appliances and lights in the typical home, including the refrigerator. That sized system has the capability of producing 7 to 8 kWh a day, so if you're a typical electric user of around 1,000 kWh month, the system could produce about 25 percent of your electric needs.
Even if you're not looking for a rooftop system for your home, there are other PV products available today that'll help save energy. The technological advances in garden and walkway lights now give you the choice of products that will provide the light you need for several hours or even all-night long. PV-powered roof ventilators will help lower attic temperatures and keep your house more comfortable while you use less air conditioning.
Issues often become of interest to citizens when there is a real or perceived crisis.
Human habit has a nice way of want the ideal but not pay the price. At least until it is "me"...If it's only "you", you fend for yourself.
When green power is the same cost(or less) we'll all have it.
When green power is the same cost(or less) we'll all have it.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Clean Power Estimator
The program developed by Dr. Thomas Hoff (Ph.D., Stanford University and 15 years of experience) takes your selections, combines them with pre-collected data (including electric rate schedules; federal and state income tax rates; federal, state, and utility economic incentives; local weather data; electric load profiles; and clean energy system performance) and analyzes the information using published research methods.
It evaluates the economics and pollution reduction associated with installing solar power. The program includes potential economic incentives and tax benefits of purchasing a renewable energy system. You should confirm the availability of the economic incentives and you should consult your tax advisor about the tax deductibility of any interest payments before you purchase a system. The estimator data is kept up-to-date.
It evaluates the economics and pollution reduction associated with installing solar power. The program includes potential economic incentives and tax benefits of purchasing a renewable energy system. You should confirm the availability of the economic incentives and you should consult your tax advisor about the tax deductibility of any interest payments before you purchase a system. The estimator data is kept up-to-date.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Save Power-Power Controller
Thursday, January 18, 2007 I wrote How to save and monitor your electric use, and highlighted the Power-Save's KVAR PU_1200 and how it works.The Power Controller is an advanced computerized technology that is specially designed and do the same, though I do not know if it works by the same mechanism.
Free Electricity with New Technology
The International Tesla Electric Company (ITEC) and Better World Technologies is developing a technology that they believe will produce clean, non-polluting, electricity at no operating cost using a permanent magnet motor to drive the world’s most efficient generator. ITEC hopes to set up an alternative to the existing power plants in America by placing 16,000,000 units on residences in America. Their plan is for families to have a 30 kwh free electric generator to not only provide their energy consumption but also to facilitate cash flow to ITEC by selling the excess power produced to the electric companies back over the grid. They are willing to give people an allotment of 26,000 kwh of electricity annually at absolutely no charge for the power, possibly for life, just for attending public demonstrations of the technology. [The average ALL electric home (for heat, lights, appliances, water, and everything) uses 2 kwh average every hour.]To participate become a club member of Better and Better Technologies at the link above. The site is cluttered but has amazing stuff!
Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter (PICC)
To use gasoline with the most efficiency a new technology has been produced patent pending and about to be marketed. They have three video's: the CHALLENGES that must be overcome to improve fuel efficiency; their SOLUTION; and a Gas and Water Demo to increase fuel economy even further by running an engine on a gas and water mixture. Well, someone learned to fly, and rocket-ship to the moon and everyone said it could not be done. We do it daily now.
Until the car manufacturers install their device, you can be getting significantly increased gas mileage now with their Hydro-Assist Fuel Cell(HAFC)! In tests conducted on a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai Accent, the vehicles got 60 miles and 75 miles per gallon respectively. In order to get one,they are merchandising by first mandating a quote for the PICC. If it works: better gas mileage, clean the internal engine, and stop emissions, it may be a great step.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Free Electricity?
Better World Technologies (BWT) believes they have the ability to produce an electric generator that will produce more electricity than it will consume, thus Free Electricity. BWT conducted a nationwide tour in 1999 to demonstrate one half of this technology the Hummingbird Motor (the driver) proven to be 100% efficient. In 2001 BWT conducted another nationwide tour to demonstrate the second half of this technology, the Sundance Generator, proven to produce five units of mechanical energy for each unit consumed (1 in 5 out). Both tours were heavily advertised and invited anyone to bring their own test equipment to disprove the above technologies. Many experts came and NOT ONE disproved either technology (all demonstrations were video taped).
In appreciation to these first 1.6 million witnesses, the International Tesla Electric Company (BWT's utility company) will provide up to 26,000 kWh of free electricity per year for as long as ITEC is able to sell the excess electricity on the open market. This is our way of rewarding these witnesses for their faith in God, His technology and us. After the technology has been publicly demonstrated and proven to the world the remaining 14.4 million units planned for distribution to North America will be made available to the public at a projected cost of $2,000.00 per registrant.
The unit is not now for sale and will never be made available for sale but will remain the property of BWT and ITEC. Those fortunate enough to be registered with ITEC will receive the 26,000 kWh per year absolutely free for as long as ITEC is able to sell the excess electricity on the open market.
There are four options to register now as a witness, this offer will be withdrawn without prior notice once BWT announces it has achieved the initial 1.6 million witness goal and the initial demonstrations will be scheduled. All registrants will be notified by mail of the time and date of the demonstration closest to their location. We thank you for your patience, your faith and your support, there is a periodic update you may subscribe to here authored by this UCSA dealer. There is also a periodic updated phone recording by Dennis Lee you may listen to at 212-461-8738.
Either ITEC will be successful in recruiting the 1.6 million witnesses by May 1, 2007 and proceed with Plan A and the public demonstrations on July 10th of 2007, or initiate Plan B beginning May 31, 2007.
Better World Technologies further believes they can combine the Hummingbird Motor with the Sundance Generator to produce "Free Electricity". BWT does not claim to have a Free Electricity generator and have not, to date, combined the Hummingbird to the Sundance. Due to the suppression of technology by Corporate America, BWT will not come forward until a critical mass of public awareness is achieved. Once 1.6 million people of North America has been registered for this program and agreed to be a witness at our demonstrations, BWT will produce 100 units to be demonstrated nationwide. These demonstrations will be held at the same time across America in sports stadiums and large public meeting places.
In appreciation to these first 1.6 million witnesses, the International Tesla Electric Company (BWT's utility company) will provide up to 26,000 kWh of free electricity per year for as long as ITEC is able to sell the excess electricity on the open market. This is our way of rewarding these witnesses for their faith in God, His technology and us. After the technology has been publicly demonstrated and proven to the world the remaining 14.4 million units planned for distribution to North America will be made available to the public at a projected cost of $2,000.00 per registrant.
The unit is not now for sale and will never be made available for sale but will remain the property of BWT and ITEC. Those fortunate enough to be registered with ITEC will receive the 26,000 kWh per year absolutely free for as long as ITEC is able to sell the excess electricity on the open market.
There are four options to register now as a witness, this offer will be withdrawn without prior notice once BWT announces it has achieved the initial 1.6 million witness goal and the initial demonstrations will be scheduled. All registrants will be notified by mail of the time and date of the demonstration closest to their location. We thank you for your patience, your faith and your support, there is a periodic update you may subscribe to here authored by this UCSA dealer. There is also a periodic updated phone recording by Dennis Lee you may listen to at 212-461-8738.
Either ITEC will be successful in recruiting the 1.6 million witnesses by May 1, 2007 and proceed with Plan A and the public demonstrations on July 10th of 2007, or initiate Plan B beginning May 31, 2007.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Credits for Homeowners
Washington — The Treasury Department and the IRS today have issued guidance (Notice 2006-26) on the certification that homeowners may rely on when they claim credits for purchases that make their homes more efficient.
During 2006, individuals can make energy-conscious purchases that will provide tax benefits when filling out their tax returns next year. The credit will also be available for purchases in 2007. Manufacturers offering energy efficient items such as insulation or storm windows can assure their customers that their energy efficient items will qualify for the tax credit if certain energy efficiency requirements are met.
A recent tax law change provides a tax credit to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. The law provides a 10 percent credit for buying qualified energy efficiency improvements. To qualify, a component must meet or exceed the criteria established by the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code (including supplements) and must be installed in the taxpayer’s main home in the United States.
The following items are eligible:
Insulation systems that reduce heat loss/gain
Exterior windows (including skylights)
Exterior doors
Metal roofs (meeting applicable Energy Star requirements).
In addition, the law provides a credit for costs relating to residential energy property expenses. To qualify as residential energy property, the property must meet certification requirements prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury and must be installed in the taxpayer’s main home in the United States.
The following items are eligible:
$50 for each advanced main air circulating fan
$150 for each qualified natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or hot water boiler
$300 for each item of qualified energy efficient property.
The maximum credit for all taxable years is $500 – no more than $200 of the credit can be attributable to expenses for windows.
Additionally, the new law makes a credit available to those who add qualified solar panels, solar water heating equipment, or a fuel cell power plant to their homes in the United States. In general, a qualified fuel cell power plant converts a fuel into electricity using electrochemical means, has an electricity–only generation efficiency of more than 30 percent and generates at least 0.5 kilowatts of electricity.
Taxpayers are allowed one credit equal to 30 percent of the qualified investment in a solar panel up to a maximum credit of $2,000, and another equivalent credit for investing in a solar water heating system. No part of either system can be used to heat a pool or hot tub.
Additionally, taxpayers are also allowed a 30 percent tax credit for the purchase of qualified fuel cell power plants. The credit may not exceed $500 for each .5 kilowatt of capacity.
These items must be placed in service after Dec. 31, 2005 and before Jan. 1, 2008.
IR-2006-34, Feb. 21, 2006
During 2006, individuals can make energy-conscious purchases that will provide tax benefits when filling out their tax returns next year. The credit will also be available for purchases in 2007. Manufacturers offering energy efficient items such as insulation or storm windows can assure their customers that their energy efficient items will qualify for the tax credit if certain energy efficiency requirements are met.
A recent tax law change provides a tax credit to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. The law provides a 10 percent credit for buying qualified energy efficiency improvements. To qualify, a component must meet or exceed the criteria established by the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code (including supplements) and must be installed in the taxpayer’s main home in the United States.
The following items are eligible:
Insulation systems that reduce heat loss/gain
Exterior windows (including skylights)
Exterior doors
Metal roofs (meeting applicable Energy Star requirements).
In addition, the law provides a credit for costs relating to residential energy property expenses. To qualify as residential energy property, the property must meet certification requirements prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury and must be installed in the taxpayer’s main home in the United States.
The following items are eligible:
$50 for each advanced main air circulating fan
$150 for each qualified natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or hot water boiler
$300 for each item of qualified energy efficient property.
The maximum credit for all taxable years is $500 – no more than $200 of the credit can be attributable to expenses for windows.
Additionally, the new law makes a credit available to those who add qualified solar panels, solar water heating equipment, or a fuel cell power plant to their homes in the United States. In general, a qualified fuel cell power plant converts a fuel into electricity using electrochemical means, has an electricity–only generation efficiency of more than 30 percent and generates at least 0.5 kilowatts of electricity.
Taxpayers are allowed one credit equal to 30 percent of the qualified investment in a solar panel up to a maximum credit of $2,000, and another equivalent credit for investing in a solar water heating system. No part of either system can be used to heat a pool or hot tub.
Additionally, taxpayers are also allowed a 30 percent tax credit for the purchase of qualified fuel cell power plants. The credit may not exceed $500 for each .5 kilowatt of capacity.
These items must be placed in service after Dec. 31, 2005 and before Jan. 1, 2008.
IR-2006-34, Feb. 21, 2006
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream
Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream
Instead of making you spring for $25,000 or more in gear, Citizenrē says it will loan you a complete rooftop solar power system, install it for free and sell you back the power it generates at a fixed rate below what your utility charges. The company hopes to make back its investment with those monthly payments, augmented by federal tax credits and rebates.
Founded by a solar power veteran and a former tech company executive just 18 months ago, and still officially in a pre-launch phase, Citizenrē says it has $650 million in bank funding behind it. Enviro-actorvist Ed Begley Jr. has cut an eight-minute video for the company website, and more than 7,000 people from Maine to San Diego have already signed up for systems. And why wouldn't they? With no upfront costs -- aside from a modest security deposit -- consumers can save on their electric bill and help roll back global warming at the same time.
If you own a home and saw An Inconvenient Truth, you're already sold.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Personal eco-actions
Ms. Big Stuff
On the most effective personal eco-actions
By Umbra Fisk 05 Aug 2004
"an excellent book from the Union of Concerned Scientists, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. Being scientists, the authors studied the answer to your question with alarming thoroughness, developed elaborate ways to calculate the effects an individual has on the environment, picked out the most fruitful possibilities for effective change, and presented opinionated answers in this informative book....
The specifics here are not going to surprise you. Cut down on driving, live close to work, take mass transit when possible, walk or bike when you can, buy the smallest car for your needs, and advocate for transit alternatives in your area. Personal cars and trucks really do spew pollutants, from birth through death."
As I said in an earlier post, be practical and pragmatic.
ALAN
On the most effective personal eco-actions
By Umbra Fisk 05 Aug 2004
"an excellent book from the Union of Concerned Scientists, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. Being scientists, the authors studied the answer to your question with alarming thoroughness, developed elaborate ways to calculate the effects an individual has on the environment, picked out the most fruitful possibilities for effective change, and presented opinionated answers in this informative book....
The specifics here are not going to surprise you. Cut down on driving, live close to work, take mass transit when possible, walk or bike when you can, buy the smallest car for your needs, and advocate for transit alternatives in your area. Personal cars and trucks really do spew pollutants, from birth through death."
As I said in an earlier post, be practical and pragmatic.
ALAN
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Reality is Catching Up to US...
The Desperation of George W. Bush
2007-02-08 by Chris Nelder
"... after a career spent casting doubt on global warming science and favoring Big Oil at all times and at all costs, President Bush changed his tune in his recent State of the Union speech, claiming that new energy technologies "will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.""
"The reality is that Bush & Co. are in a state of quiet desperation, slowly and deliberately making partially misleading, partially true statements to show that they know the truth about oil and global warming without it actually costing them too much politically, and without having to actually do anything differently....
"They're just trying to get out ahead of the issues so they don't get crushed by them..."
The first reason is simply that the world's number-one oil field, Saudi Arabia's Ghawar, is in decline....
"And we now know that our second largest oilfield, Mexico's Cantarell, is in a catastrophic 28% annual decline. The U.S.'s number-two source of imports could be finished in less than four years.
"Last month the Bush administration sent a team from the Department of Energy to meet with Canada's natural resources agency, to ask them to bypass environmental rules in order to ramp up production from oil sands by a factor of five . . . even though, as has been well recognized already, they have neither the natural gas nor the fresh water to do it.
"...The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its much-anticipated report. Three years in the making, the report is the most comprehensive, global and peer-reviewed study on climate change ever written, bringing together the work of more than 800 scientists, more than 450 lead authors from more than 130 countries and more than 2,500 expert reviewers.
In short, it's humanity's best try at getting the story right.
And the report said greenhouse gas emissions will continue to change the climate over the next 100 years, causing sea levels to rise by a half-meter. Millions will be displaced from their coastal and low-lying communities, causing waves of environmental refugees. Snow in the mountains will disappear, desertification will intensify, oceans will die-and so will people, due to deadly heat waves, as world temps rise by some 3 to 5.8 degrees Celsius....
In the GMO Quarterly Letter 2007, Jeremy Grantham had a sharply worded essay titled "While America Slept, 1982-2006-A Rant on Oil Dependency, Global Warming, and a Love of Feel-Good Data." He wrote:
Successive U.S. administrations have taken little interest in either oil substitution or climate change, and the current one has even seemed to have a vested interest in the idea that the science of climate change is uncertain. In fact, we have spent the last large chunk of time in this country with a strong bias to feel-good data at the expense of accurate, hard data in this field. This attitude seems to be reflected in the spin on U.S. economic success, which we've commented on several times, exaggerating, sometimes substantially, the absolute and relative performance of the U.S. economy. It has certainly been reflected in the general desire for environmental issues to be benign and optimistic or to simply go away. [ . . . ]
The U.S. policy approach to climate change (and other environmental issues) has been similarly casual in its unwillingness to plan for the long term. There is now nearly universal scientific agreement that fossil fuel use is causing a rise in global temperatures [ . . . ] Yet the U.S. is the only country in which environmental data is steadily attacked in a well funded campaign of disinformation (funded mainly by one large oil company). This campaign has used and reused the solitary plausible academic they can dig up, out of hundreds working in the field, plus one famous novelist-without qualifications in the field, but, still, for heaven's sake, widely quoted by the administration-and one Danish economist who really doesn't get Pascal's Paradox, but does seem to have shares in The Wall Street Journal.
Clearly, Team Bush is desperate to get on the right side of the climate change issue.
This is only the first half of our case. We'll explore the second half next week.
Until then . . .
-Chris Nelder
Scary, is it not. Now is the time to begin to use every means to use solar energy.
ALAN
2007-02-08 by Chris Nelder
"... after a career spent casting doubt on global warming science and favoring Big Oil at all times and at all costs, President Bush changed his tune in his recent State of the Union speech, claiming that new energy technologies "will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.""
"The reality is that Bush & Co. are in a state of quiet desperation, slowly and deliberately making partially misleading, partially true statements to show that they know the truth about oil and global warming without it actually costing them too much politically, and without having to actually do anything differently....
"They're just trying to get out ahead of the issues so they don't get crushed by them..."
The first reason is simply that the world's number-one oil field, Saudi Arabia's Ghawar, is in decline....
"And we now know that our second largest oilfield, Mexico's Cantarell, is in a catastrophic 28% annual decline. The U.S.'s number-two source of imports could be finished in less than four years.
"Last month the Bush administration sent a team from the Department of Energy to meet with Canada's natural resources agency, to ask them to bypass environmental rules in order to ramp up production from oil sands by a factor of five . . . even though, as has been well recognized already, they have neither the natural gas nor the fresh water to do it.
"...The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its much-anticipated report. Three years in the making, the report is the most comprehensive, global and peer-reviewed study on climate change ever written, bringing together the work of more than 800 scientists, more than 450 lead authors from more than 130 countries and more than 2,500 expert reviewers.
In short, it's humanity's best try at getting the story right.
And the report said greenhouse gas emissions will continue to change the climate over the next 100 years, causing sea levels to rise by a half-meter. Millions will be displaced from their coastal and low-lying communities, causing waves of environmental refugees. Snow in the mountains will disappear, desertification will intensify, oceans will die-and so will people, due to deadly heat waves, as world temps rise by some 3 to 5.8 degrees Celsius....
In the GMO Quarterly Letter 2007, Jeremy Grantham had a sharply worded essay titled "While America Slept, 1982-2006-A Rant on Oil Dependency, Global Warming, and a Love of Feel-Good Data." He wrote:
Successive U.S. administrations have taken little interest in either oil substitution or climate change, and the current one has even seemed to have a vested interest in the idea that the science of climate change is uncertain. In fact, we have spent the last large chunk of time in this country with a strong bias to feel-good data at the expense of accurate, hard data in this field. This attitude seems to be reflected in the spin on U.S. economic success, which we've commented on several times, exaggerating, sometimes substantially, the absolute and relative performance of the U.S. economy. It has certainly been reflected in the general desire for environmental issues to be benign and optimistic or to simply go away. [ . . . ]
The U.S. policy approach to climate change (and other environmental issues) has been similarly casual in its unwillingness to plan for the long term. There is now nearly universal scientific agreement that fossil fuel use is causing a rise in global temperatures [ . . . ] Yet the U.S. is the only country in which environmental data is steadily attacked in a well funded campaign of disinformation (funded mainly by one large oil company). This campaign has used and reused the solitary plausible academic they can dig up, out of hundreds working in the field, plus one famous novelist-without qualifications in the field, but, still, for heaven's sake, widely quoted by the administration-and one Danish economist who really doesn't get Pascal's Paradox, but does seem to have shares in The Wall Street Journal.
Clearly, Team Bush is desperate to get on the right side of the climate change issue.
This is only the first half of our case. We'll explore the second half next week.
Until then . . .
-Chris Nelder
Scary, is it not. Now is the time to begin to use every means to use solar energy.
ALAN
Wind Power?
The Skystream, Next-Generation Backyard Wind Generator, Awarded a 2006 Best of What's New Award from Popular Science in the Home Category.
How does the practical side appear? In the last blog entry, (Tuesday, February 6, 2007)the rationale for solar far and away beat wind, in Massachusetts any way.
I think that the use of solar hot water generation and the new nanosolar and technical advances (see Tuesday, February 6, 2007 blog about the DBK panels) for solar PV panels will probably take the nod from me, but I still have an open mind.
ALAN
How does the practical side appear? In the last blog entry, (Tuesday, February 6, 2007)the rationale for solar far and away beat wind, in Massachusetts any way.
I think that the use of solar hot water generation and the new nanosolar and technical advances (see Tuesday, February 6, 2007 blog about the DBK panels) for solar PV panels will probably take the nod from me, but I still have an open mind.
ALAN
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
What the PV Industry Can Learn from Google
So why is Google relevant here? Google is a prime illustration of what Topline Strategy considers a "Short Fuse" technology, that is a technology that has a shorter early adopter period and achieves widespread mainstream adoption far faster than traditionally thought possible. When mainstream buyers consider the cost-benefit of a new technology, they consider far more than just its price -- they see hidden costs and potential risks and build them into their purchase decision. Short Fuse technology solutions are ones whose developers anticipate these costs and risks and design them out right from the start. By doing so, they attract mainstream buyers far sooner than solutions created and deployed under the Long Fuse paradigm of slowly building credibility with the earliest adopters before bridging product and marketing efforts to the mainstream. Google's AdSense solution did exactly that for online advertising and rapidly brought millions of new customers into the market -- customers for whom the favorable economics of Internet advertising alone was not enough.
The full report on the Solar Industry is available in a .pdf, as is the report with some nice thinking/rationale as to why PV is better than wind generation on Massachusetts.
ALAN
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