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Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Smil’s mantra is this: "All of the past shifts to new sources of primary energy have been gradual, prolonged affairs, with new sources taking decades from the beginning of production to become more than insignificant contributors, and then another two to three decades before capturing a quarter or a third of their respective markets."
Industrial-scale wind and solar power projects can produce significant quantities of renewable energy,but distributed renewable energy generation–particularly rooftop photovoltaic installations–can achieve the same objective much faster without the environmental harm and at lower cost.
In Douglas Adams’ science fiction series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a computer dubbed Deep Thought discovers the "answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything." Here I ponder the answer to the slightly expanded question of life, energy, the universe, and everything.
A recent data roundup by renewable energy industry analyst Paul Gipe shows that variable renewables are meeting much larger percentages of grid power than previously thought possible in some European countries.
The sun is waiting to be tapped for clean, cheap energy if we can get our heads out of the sand.
“We’re fifteen to twenty years out of date in how we think about renewables,” said Dr. Eric Martinot to an audience at the first Pathways to 100% Renewables Conference held April 16 in San Francisco. “It’s not 1990 anymore.”
There is one segment of U.S. industry that ought to be cheering for expanded U.S. natural gas exports–though I doubt that its leaders will be offering their support in anything above a whisper. The renewable energy industry would benefit from higher natural gas prices.
A common refrain, from skeptics to allies alike, is that renewable energy is a great idea, but not feasible because oil, gas, and coal will always be cheaper. Leaving aside the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource and are the primary driver behind a warming planet, is it really true that renewable energy is more expensive?
Community Renewable Energy is the first webinar in the new SELC series for planners, policymakers, and sharing economy change makers.
Facing limits to sun-powered renewable energy. Latest in a series.
•Small-town mayors: the cutting edge of climate action •How are communities raising serious money for green energy projects? •Is 70 Percent Renewable Power Possible? Portugal Just Did It For 3 Months •Germany’s Energy Transition Experiment •London’s cooking waste to fuel power station •Lessons From Thailand: Mobilizing Investment In Energy Efficiency
As soon as we begin using the word “farming” again, all of the implicit associations with farming begin to reemerge in our shared thoughts and language
