Tag Archives: part
DIY Solar Part 6: Planning the System Install
Ok, we’ve got solar panels,we’ve got tools, now we’re ready to start putting them up! Woohoo! Wellhold on there partner, the better we plan this out the smoother theinstall will be. So let’s take a minute and a piece of paper to figureout how we’re going to do this. Simple Roof DiagramMostbuilding departments will require [...]
DIY Solar Part 5: Tools For Installing a System
So, now its down to the fun part. You’ve designed a system, found thekit, its here, its ready to be put up. Now what? Let me start by sayingthat installing a solar powersystem is WAY too big a subject to cover in a couple blog posts. Infact its something most people should leave to a [...]
Road to Copenhagen, Part 6: Tragedy of the commons vs. action by the uncommon
Members ofCongress are the custodians of a sacred trust: to protect the vitalityand integrity of the extraordinary experiment the Founders began. Forexample, the debate about climate change isn’t just about polar bearsand energy prices. It’s about whether a free people will be aresponsible people, a capitalist economy will be a caring economy and ademocracy will [...]
Road to Copenhagenm, Part 5: Leadership vs. Negativism
During his 10 months in office, President Barack Obama and his team have assembled an impressive list of accomplishments on energy and climate policy. Some might conclude the President has done about all he can do with the powers of his office. One would be wrong. What energy and climate security require — whatthe future [...]
Road to Copenhagen, Part 4: A New Social Contract
As we approach the climate conference in Copenhagen, politicians arebalking and diplomats are burning the midnight oil, deprived of sleep.But we can take heart. Some unlikely new heroes may come to the rescue. One prospective hero is The Citizen-Consumer. Consumers are not thefirst group that pops to my mind when I think about environmentalleadership. Unbridled [...]
Road to Copenhagen, Part 3: Re-Tooling Industry
Incase we need more evidence that an urgent economic transformation isrequired to avoid catastrophic climate change, it can be found in a new study commissioned by World Wildlife Fund International. Conducted by Climate Risk Pty. Ltd. of Great Britain and Australia, the study concludes: Runaway climate change is almost inevitable without specific action to implement [...]
This is Solar Power, Part III
A review of all the energy systems powered by our sun, either directly or indirectly. Part III: Liquid Bio Fuels Renewable: YesEnvironmental impact: ModerateEROEI: LowCost: Low to HighMaintenance cost: Depends Corn Field prior to harvest Bio fuels and bio mass can be anything that was grown for thepurpose of conversion to a fuel. A wood [...]
Road to Copenhagen, Part 2: Risky Business
The evidence is irrefutable: Climate change poses enormous risks toeconomic stability, public health, ecosystem services, and nationalsecurity, as well as to the environment. How should we manage those risks? The first step is to acknowledgethem. The second is to start listening to the experts who manage risksfor a living. Over the past two months, I’ve [...]
Road to Copenhagen, Part 1: Doing the Climate Shuffle
There’s a familiar dance being performed on the world stage. It’scalled the Climate Shuffle. It has been going on for decades, but morepeople are watching now and every nation is practicing the steps. The dance is not complicated. The goal is to get everybody dancingtogether, a kind of Clean Electric Slide. But first, insist you [...]