tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143144602008-12-03T13:03:34.144-08:00The 21st Century Energy InitiativeMark Paulnoreply@blogger.comBlogger239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-20496819713389954242008-11-30T18:15:00.000-08:002008-11-30T18:16:05.543-08:00

Check out this blogsite! All things: Auto. Green.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-75397922643837834942008-11-30T14:17:00.000-08:002008-11-30T14:30:58.012-08:00

With energy prices dropping significantly, the perceived "pressure" to solve our energy problems reduce, too. When we come out of the recession (or worse), Peak Oil (supply) and China/India growth (demand) will make things much much worse - and may cause an even greater energy-price economic crunch than we're seeing today. Therefore, due to the difficult economy we face, I have decided to do my

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-48462341432232416942008-11-26T13:19:00.000-08:002008-11-26T13:23:11.813-08:00

"It's shameful that our government would rather spend $25 billion bailing out an automobile industry that was burning $1 billion per month during the peak of the housing / borrowing / spending boom, than to set up a $25 billion venture fund so start-up companies that can't be self-funded have a chance at making it. Tesla (the electric car company run by former PayPal co-founder Elon Musk) hit

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-56454406537266579382008-11-25T17:37:00.000-08:002008-11-25T17:42:16.408-08:00

On November 17, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08, revising California's existing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) upward to require all retail sellers of electricity to serve 33% of their load from renewable energy sources by 2020. Although this is good news from a renewable energy perspective, changing things mid-stream is not ethical, and will cause all kinds of

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-81403283141660650242008-11-22T16:33:00.000-08:002008-11-22T16:47:27.714-08:00

Looks like Fisker Automotive has outdone Tesla motors. They went for a shorter driving distance, and built in a 4-cylinder gas engine for >50 miles. (The average miles driven per day is fewer than 50 miles... 80% of the time.) They also won a court battle against Tesla. Let the electric-car wars (i.e., competition, driving down electrics) begin!

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-52466360226590468742008-11-21T23:56:00.001-08:002008-11-22T00:15:45.311-08:00

A recent article indicates that Obama's plan is insufficient. Those to the left talk about climate change. Those to the right talk about energy security. Either way, we will need to do more than Obama's plan indicates. (An assessment of Obama's plan vs. what is needed can be found here.) More importantly, we will need to be innovative about how we spend money. Please - don't just throw money at

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-62603175845489451912008-11-21T22:28:00.000-08:002008-11-21T22:29:06.352-08:00

Alternative energy stocks advance.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-69999196892970116352008-11-21T22:21:00.000-08:002008-11-21T22:27:01.065-08:00

According to a recent report, a University of Michigan engineer has made a machine that works like a fish to turn potentially destructive vibrations in fluid flows into clean, renewable power. Watch the video. Check out the company.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-85263884289775770882008-11-21T17:50:00.000-08:002008-11-21T17:55:44.637-08:00

According to the Congressional Budget Office, Cap & Trade Act (S. 2191 America's Climate Security Act of 2007) would cost over $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years (assuming the 2018 "run rate" for 2019). Although the first three years cost "only" $15 billion, beginning in 2012, the cost is $150 billion per year and over $300 billion / year by 2018. Just thought this information is important to

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-30042097653515991602008-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:002008-11-21T14:00:38.821-08:00

Smart grid startup GridPoint Inc. got into the utility power storage business Tuesday, announcing that utility Xcel Energy had chosen its software to manage a wind power battery storage project. GridPoint raised $120 million in September and bought Seattle-based V2Green, a company that makes technology to allow plug-in vehicles to communicate with and provide power back to utilities. GridPoint

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-9465371983734530012008-11-21T12:29:00.000-08:002008-11-21T12:34:32.646-08:00

Greenbang tracks the explosion of the environmental industry, reporting on news of green innovation and clever business people.W e blog on this rather than the environmental problems of the world because we are interested in the answers - if there are any.Greenbang is a clean-tech and green business news website that provides daily updates to more than 80,000 investors, C-level executives,

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-90258430449501342432008-11-18T08:58:00.000-08:002008-11-18T09:01:38.373-08:00

Wells Fargo has some ways to save money on energy costs. While we're at it, check out Oregon's Energy Trust solutions: Home & Business.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-25927285537698802392008-11-15T21:58:00.000-08:002008-11-15T21:59:40.577-08:00

By the year 2030, about 97% of the world's new carbon emissions will come from outside the United States and Europe, largely from China, India and the Middle East, who will consume about half the world's energy. Before global habits begin to change permanently, greenhouse gas output will keep rising, probably at least until 2020. By which time the financial crisis of 2008 might seem like ancient

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-11439509363654338422008-11-14T23:01:00.000-08:002008-11-14T23:03:46.354-08:00

Robert Rapier discusses the "Energy Return on Energy Invested" (or Energy Out vs. Energy In) on his blog - relative to oil from Tar Sands. For anyone wanting to go forward based on facts (instead of politics) this would be a good read.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-34350448191585636892008-11-14T22:12:00.000-08:002008-11-14T22:15:40.278-08:00

Charlie Rose interviewed Charlie Maxwell and Daniel Yergin about the future of energy. If you are seriously interested in this topic, it is worth the time to watch!

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-14770551055555920322008-11-12T09:14:00.000-08:002008-11-12T09:17:37.339-08:00

According to the IEA*, of the share of the world’s energy consumed by 2030, almost all of the increase in fossil-energy production occurs in non-OECD countries. These trends call for energy-supply investment of $26.3 trillion to 2030, or over $1 trillion/year. * International Energy Agency

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-15552620597662713432008-11-12T09:06:00.000-08:002008-11-12T09:11:06.244-08:00

The International Energy Agency (IEA), in its World Energy Outlook for 2008, says prices could increase to as much as $200 a barrel by 2030. "The immediate risk to supply is not one of a lack of global resources but a lack of investment where it is needed."

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-86258111129424907872008-11-10T10:33:00.000-08:002008-11-11T18:32:25.477-08:00

The U.S. Chamber's Institute for 21st Century Energy invites you to join: A Transition Plan for Securing America's Energy Future: Monday, November 17, 2008.(This is an update. The prior post had a javascript "link". Sorry for the inconvenience!)

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-47708251578583364722008-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:002008-11-09T19:09:14.475-08:00

The political and investment environment are shaping up to be just right for investments into green-technology acceleration.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-85279764003092567752008-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:002008-11-08T16:34:05.849-08:00

Everyone wants a bailout! Whatever happened to our advice to the Japanese when their economy went south in the 1990s? We (U.S. policymakers) told them to let banks fail, in order to cleanse the system of those who should never be allowed to survive. All others would become stronger as a result, and the economy would ultimately recover in a more robust manner. I huess we don't listen to our own

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-75393005107850779062008-11-08T15:24:00.001-08:002008-11-08T15:26:20.447-08:00

Even with economic uncertainty, clean-tech investments are growing: From Energy Central: "Ernst & Young surveyed 150 global companies and found that 90 percent of them were involved with some type of climate change initiative. As such, those businesses had planned to spend a combined $276 billion over the next 10 years to achieve their objectives. Basically, a lot of firms that had been

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-68738866935402979032008-11-08T13:48:00.000-08:002008-11-08T13:55:24.756-08:00

When gas prices were skyrocketing, everyone was blaming greedy oil companies. Now that gas prices have dropped, does this mean oil execs are no longer greedy? Or the cause? Since oil is a commodity, it is purely supply & demand that drives oil prices up... or down. With a global recession, prices have dropped precipitously. That's what happens. Therefore, we ought to take this time to

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-79888271351585383542008-11-07T18:12:00.000-08:002008-11-08T14:26:41.218-08:00

For a very interesting taxonomy of green energy,. check out this interactive map.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-6868386659997957632008-11-06T21:01:00.000-08:002008-11-06T21:05:05.004-08:00

And so it begins... "In the first sign of Democratic intraparty strife since the election, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) has told colleagues that he plans to challenge the House's most senior member, Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), for the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee." "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14314460.post-41603564800821441582008-11-06T10:18:00.001-08:002008-11-06T20:57:17.079-08:00

Now that Obama has been elected, with a majority in both houses, a Cap & Trade scheme to reduce carbon emissions is all but assured. What does mean to the economy, industry & energy prices? The Economist had a great article about it last year. Perhaps being open to other ways to reduce carbon emissions might be in order.

Mark Paulnoreply@blogger.com0