It's easy to give up in a recession hobbled by lack of cash and confidence. The background to what 'may be' a viable alternative fuel continues.
By Ivana Sekularac
Article Link via www.scientificamerican.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Monday, May 09, 2011
Careful: 'Cute' Green Tech Won't Solve Energy Crisis, Gates
In our initial conversations with our clients, we stress scalability. Renewable sources of energy have their own process cycles. The trouble
is, few are as large-scale and consistent as oil has been. Gates sees this. He also sees the need to envision where you're going--and the path to (hopefully) get there efficiently.
The scalability discussion raises the level of conversation inside the poltitical & economic environment. Right now, the global nature of the 'state' and capitalism are at a point where science-based challenges, like energy solutions, and education are highly complementary. India and China are each demonstrating this point.
There are two reasons why this education needs to be universal within each community.
First, the capability of an informed and intelligent populus is needed asap to understand and support proposed processes and systems.
Second, for the near term future--the path to applying advanced science and creating proper structures is supported academically by STEM curricula (science-tech-engineering-math).
With STEM focused curricula bright individuals, young and old, experiment, determine, and refine practical solutions. In some cases, the students' ideas may reach application before they complete their studies!
What Gates sees from his unique POV is the need to think bigger, sure, but also to think, deeply, beyond current limitations, and move fast!
Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Tuesday warned rich nations of the limitations of "cute" energy-efficient technologies, like individual solar panels, and advised spending more money on R&D to make energy cheaper for developing countries.
via www.pcmag.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What's Driving Gas Prices, From An Energy Insider : NPR
Many green colleagues of mine are skeptical about working with business people. Especially in the petroleum business. It has always been a mistake to be so exclusionary when it comes to alternative energy and long term solutions.
Stranger bedfellows exist than green businesspeople. In fact, it may be our greatest social advance.
This story fascinated me because of the common ground it illustrates. For those if us who have desired saner energy and environmental policies for decades!!! this story represents a sea-change. Individuals who are familiar with the inside business who are seeking to create workable solutions for the globe. All initiated by education and collaboration, rather than adversarial positioning.
Listen and learn. (Click the logo)
CEA Reading List on this subject:
http://www.citizensforaffordableenergy.org/books.html
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via www.npr.org
