http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhwang/with_fisker_hearing_house_majo.html
He says,
"Undoubtedly, it would be ideal if DOE loan staff had perfect 20/20 foresight. The DOE should learn from their mistakes and strive to do better. But, by definition, government clean energy loans are not zero risk; otherwise there would be no need for government loans.
Failures will happen. The real tragedy is that clean energy opponents are cherry-picking the relatively few failures and ignoring the broader successes of the program. And ultimately if the coal and oil industries win their war on clean energy, the losers will be the clean energy economy, our lungs, our climate and our energy security.
The War on Clean Energy is not being fought on a level playing field. The top five oil companies alone made almost $120 in profits in 2012 and still fight to protect their $8 billion in unnecessary federal tax subsidies."
Friday, April 26, 2013
Monday, November 5, 2012
Brilliant - on PBS 11/5 - "Solar Mamas". By Indpendent Lens
Brilliant -
on PBS 11/5 - "Solar Mamas". By Indpendent Lenshttp://www.pbs.org/independentlens/solar-mamas/
Fascinating story of a poor Jordanian woman becoming a simple solar engineer
The Ministry of Environment works to help her get the training so her family can earn money.
Her husband and many in her village dont want her to break out of this depressing cycle.
She studies at Barefoot College in India.
My takeaway from this -
Development undemines intolerance and terrorism - and empowers inividuals from all backgrounds
Energy poverty attacked by solar power.
The Base of the Pyramid wakes up.
Jim
Saturday, August 4, 2012
An update on coming carbon caps in Beijing
I was hearing yesterday from a good source that China could announce caps on carbon in the city of Beijing in the next two to five weeks. This cap would supposedly go into effect January 1, 2013 - which is coming up soon. China has said it will limit carbon emissions in five cities and two provinces - with Beijing looking to be the first one to announce specific laws. This could start a warm-up in the price of carbon credits. If this does get announced soon it would be big big news - that China has started to act on limiting carbon while the US is in legislative carbon gridlock...
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Update on solar
Update on solar - another solar technology company filed for bankruptcy - Konarka. They have been around a long time but haven't shipped much product compared to other solar companies. Stock prices of other leading solar companies are way down from their 52 week highs - companies like Suntech, Sunpower and First Solar. And the price for solar panels continues to drop - making it hard on these companies. Two solar companies have raised new money recently - to stay alive and in the hunt - NanoSolar and HelioVolt. Stay tuned - as there is lots of turmoil in the industry for the technology companies. As the price of solar panels drops it makes it less expensive to install on your roof - but the technology companies are all fighting for a smaller and smaller piece of the pie.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Great to see the Energy Challenge Grants that the National Geographic Society is giving out now. One to read up on is the project in Costa Rica that the Seattle Biochar Working Group has been doing. To read about this - click on the link below and click on the arrow to the right of the photo to go to the third of five Grantees - Seattle Biochar Working Group.
Inspiring!
Jim
Monday, January 9, 2012
Alot of people are not aware of this. October 28th, 2011 the energy world changed - as cold fusion moved from ridiculous to remotely possible
I have read that Rossi has taken 13 orders from corporations / customers willing to pay the $2 million fee for one of his machines. The unusual part of this is that Rossi has made it clear that payment will not be required to be made until AFTER these customers / corporations have independently verified that they are able to produce the 2x performance that was promised them, on the machine they have received and gotten up and running. An unusual offer - which makes Rossi look like he is not trying to make money fast and then run off with it while customers are left holding the bag.
Against all the odds, Andrea Rossi's E-Cat cold fusion power plantpassed its biggest test yesterday, producing an average of 470 kilowatts for more than five hours.
...This suggests that the mystery customer might be DARPA, the Pentagon's extreme science wing which, as Wired.co.uk has previously noted, has expressed interestin Rossi's work.
The Energy Catalyzer (also called E-Cat) is a purported cold fusion or Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) heat source[1][2] built by inventor Andrea Rossi...
Reactions to the device have been mixed. Dennis M. Bushnell, Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, described LENR as a "promising" technology and praised the work of Rossi and Focardi...
On November 23, 2011, in the Massachusetts Statehouse, Andrea Rossi met with the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate Bruce Tarr and representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts, to explore the prospects for developing and manufacturing the device in Massachusetts, USA. According to Robert Tamarin, the Dean of Science at UML, the representatives were mostly skeptical and only examined the possibilities of manufacturing within Massachusetts in case the technology turns out to work.
Read about it and stay tuned!
Jim Hurd
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A Poem - Change in 2012
Change -
As we navigate vast waters in our boats,
They springing the leaks we plug and push forward,
We steer cross roiling seas of change,
Aiming for the green terra firma of "Stability Island"
Just what are the COGNITIVE tools
we need to be ready and strong today - and tomorrow?
1- To compress time like an accordion,
as we make a few things happen in half the time
and twice as well. Like Tiger used to play golf!
2- to multitask like Shiva - God of six hands
create with intensity! It causes destruction of the old
3- to Flow, to Catalyze, to Be!
to Verb. Its time to be a Verb
Forget your nouning, your baggage,
Burst in this moment!
Of Discovery! Of Power!
Depite our failures, our lacking, our sadness,
Find the Peace and Flexibility
To Discover. To Create
To Unite (the meaning in Sanskrit of "yoga"
Rejoice! Rejoice!
We can. We will!
Opportunity Surrounds Us
- Jim Hurd 11/2011
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