Mass production vehicle conversion to plugin hybrids and eventually to pure plugins, that don't need fuel at all, that recharge in a few minutes and don't need backup power; could procede in stages. Without needing a new car. Avoiding the cost and energy use needed to manufacture a new car. The steps:   more »

Our valiant (Gristmill) advocate for kinder gentler GMO supposes this hypothetical, we need to sway people like this to our organic ag point of view. "Suppose you are growing, say potatoes, organically and occasionally have to apply a natural fungicide or pesticide derived from another plant grown somewhere else." You grow the natural plants that repel or suppress parasites along with the potatoes. Even using crop rotation and mixing mulch made from the repellant plants into the soil for the next potato crop. Mulch that stops fungus and pests. And suppresses weeds. Why not? Copy nature's own strategy. Walnut trees prevent competing plants from invading their area with natural herbicide built into their genes. Cedar trees discourage competing fungus and bacteria with genetically coded cedar oil, evolved for that purpose.   more »

Why? Because organic fertilizer does not release nitrous oxide, chemical fertilizer does. It is a 296x worse GHG than CO2. Chemical fertilizer releases this GHG in an amount that is equivalent to 2/3 of the CO2 uptake of the crop fertilized. Organic farming build the soil ecosystem to act as a living carbon sink, the praies were 20 to 30 feet thick with organic carbon rich soil when they were first plowed. The fertility was gone in 10 years, then chemical fertilizer burned the remaining organic matter out.   more »

What is at the root of the problem of fuel farming, ethanol, biodiesel, or biomass for combustion? It is the false claim that consuming biomass in flames as either solid or liquid fuel is carbon neutral. That it only emits CO2 that has been absorbed by plants and that makes it "green", instead it makes this false claim "greenwashing". Consider this. Think about the natural carbon cycle, before industrialized humanity appeared on the scene.. Prairie soil was 20 to 30 feet thick, soil stored a huge millenial amount of carbon. Wetland peat bogs were even thicker, storing more carbon. Coral reefs stored carbon as calcium carbonate made by the coral.   more »

Someone else noticed this. Thanks. Keep up the good work Ken. "Cap & trade was a deal by which certain corporations -- primarily Enron -- could gain an enormous new profit center, while others were provided political cover to support climate action under the guise of a "free market" solution. By splitting the monolithic bloc of private sector opposition, EDF and others hoped to cobble together a power base strong enough to overcome the oil/auto axis."   more »

How to replace all those big GHG spewing power plants with solar panels on buildings, wind farms, and distributed biogas power generation plants? And control the flow so that the grid still operates consistently as with the old central power plant design. You do that with this. A smart grid, this Xcel energy project is very encouraging.   more »

Brokaw's questions were quite a powerful sleep aid, try watching it if you are troubled by insomnia. Zzzz. Here's the transcript, more informative, but still Brokawed up. Check out the Gristmill discussion on it. Did Brokaw ask about the best part of Gore's plan? The idea to tax carbon and reduce payroll taxes by that same total taken in by the carbon tax? Well, of course he didn't. It prices carbon without raising taxes or cap and trade hedge fund bubble gumming up the works.   more »

"Is Al Gore nuts?" A feeble attempt at a rhetorical question from one, Neal Dikeman, self professed renewable energy expert and venture capitalist. From his site cleantech.org: "We welcome new technologies across the cleantech sector: solar, photovoltaics, ethanol, biofuels, fuel cells, batteries, combustion, carbon, materials, IT, alternative energy, wind, geothermal, renewable power, water, environment, energy efficiency, or any other green technology." Not only does this make no sense linguistically, but it touts ethanol (which doubles GHG over oil based fuel), fuel cells (hydrogen fuel cells? a ridiculous boondoggle) , and biofuels (which ones, biodiesel? another GHG increasing, gas guzzling, land destroying scheme).   more »

Good news, the battle to save our climate, planet, and life as we know it is still hopeless! Evidently the blogosphere is just as ignorant of renewable/conservation energy and agricultural technology as the mass delusional main stream media and our lobbyist disinformed politicians. I was worried that the momentum from Gore's speech would galvanize an internet based information revolution, winning this battle in a heartbeat. If this fight stops being hopeless, I'll have to be moving along. Luckily the blog world has more than it's share of dimbulb limboobs. That makes this effort vital! The only battle worth fighting is a hopeless one.   more »

"I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make." Great Al! I haven't heard of this before. It's revenue neutral, budget balancing. And the only way to raise taxes that is politically acceptable, by offsetting the raise with a payroll tax cut. Brilliant politics! A tax break for struggling families. (text) My suggestions following the video of his speech. Go Al! Just mind these changes. Feel free to call me for more pointers, hehehey.   more »

Great article from Dave Roberts in Grist about biodigestion and biomass energy in Austria. He always gets to the heart of the matter at energy conferences he attends for the magazine. This is how the process described in the article works. One part manure to 30 parts wood chips, straw, or other waste cellulose, that is the carbon. At that nitrogen/carbon ratio, biogas is produced. The manure would combine with carbon in the environment if it were allowed to run off or put directly on fields, producing methane (biogas) that is released into the atmosphere. By trapping and burning the gas in this energy system that methane emission is halted. Thus offsetting 20 times the CO2 that is released by burning the gas.   more »

100% dispatchable terrorist fighting solar powered lighting. For Iraq! But of course solar is not practical here. Hilarious. We knew about his solar panels and ground source heat pump heating/cooling system though. On the Bush family ranch in Crawford.   more »

Gar Lipow in Gristmill puts the lie to "free" marketeerian plans that claim to use the power of the markets to cure GHG climate disaster. The underlying false dilemna fallacy, only corporations can acomplish change, but unless they have a bottomline reason to go green, they'll never do it. The conslusion? If they own the air and water, they will protect it. GHG emission permits are really property rights to the atmosphere itself.   more »

Symbiosis is a better concept around which to design a new energy and agriculture economy and a new cultural paradigm, than the vague overused ad jingle word, sustainability. Interdependence is one of the main aspects of symbiosis. And that interdependence is what humans made in God's image (god made in human's image?) tend to ignore. Without algae, humans couldn't breath. That is the sort of vital interdependent symbiosis that we could describe to get the point across..   more »

A good discussion on the effect of plugin hybrids on the energy economy in Gristmill, lead by Joe Romm. Will plugin hybrids, with their lower cost fuel, renewable electricity, increase miles driven and sprawl, and reduce the push for mass transit and biking? Probably. But slowly, as their adoption rate will be slow at first. A tax on electricity used as motor fuel, similar to the tax on liquid fuel will need to be instituted to support road maintenance. It ought to include funding for mass transit and bike lanes and trails too, to offset the lower cost fuel sprawl effect.   more »

He is facing wacky wrastler Ventura now, along with insane wing nut appointed incumbent Norm Coleman in the minnesota senate race. Great video.    more »

Imagine individuals faced with this kind of opposition, when installing a (grid connected) renewable energy system in their home or business.   more »

So the big challenge is to redesign the grid we have, into a 100% renewable net zero GHG grid. That will do everything it does now and power plugin hybrid vehicles. Even though the status quo design is set on GHG intensive base load power from coal. According to this paradigm, no other baseload power other than nuclear, with prohibitive cost and safety issues, is available. And coal is killing our human friendly climate. This would seem to be an unsolvable dilemna. How to think outside this box?   more »

The RNC welcoming committee has made a video. It's very funny. The regular protestors all legal and so forth, have a permit to protest where the GOPsters can't even hear them holler. These troublemakers don't need no steenkeen permits!    more »

America's finest news source (The Onion) chronicles the continuing damage of the duuhbyaist regime to what is left of these (formerly) united states of america. This is news the way it was meant to be.   more »

Let women decide and the overpopulation will subside. Take the government, religion, and eternal growth craving bottomline corporate think that rules them out of the equation. Every religion and corporate culture trying to outpopulate the others. A steep rise in the quality of life employing renewable energy and agriculture and conservation of resources would allow that human rights transition to proceed. With clean, safe water and at least minimal nutrition and medical guarantees, the situation of desperate survival reproduction would dwindle.   more »

This video of Sen Reid dissing fossil fuel reminds me of the revolting performance of Jack Welch (former head of GE), earlier today. He is the poster child for McCain's energy policy. "Neutron" (the people dissapear, but the building is still there) Jack was on MSNBC this morning, looking the (hi-tech overmedicated)zombie that McCain will be a couple years after taking the bush throne; croaking this, "Drill, drill, drill, build 45 new nuclear power plants!"   more »

So says this artcle, backed by an actual scientific study. Not just my usual extrapolation. This is great news!   more »

On the effect of unregulated trading (speculation) on oil prices. It creates demand nearly equal to the demand China has in oil markets. Hmmm, wonder if that raises prices?   more »

Excellent! Watch the video! VP Cantwell? Yep.   more »

Check out this goofy candy commercial. Based on the premise that "blogging about our ideals" is sexy. Too bad it doesn't really work, or does it?   more »

He's the real thing, real reform is on the way. Not perfect on every energy issue by any means, but bucking the trend to ignore hedge fund trading abuses shows real allegiance to this nation dedicated to the best interests of we the people. Dedicated not so long ago on the time scale of human history.   more »

Nope, congressional testimony says it's so. 2 bucks of every 4 dollar gallon of gas goes to hedge funds. The Enron loophole is doing the same for everything we buy. This is how the rich get richer, they stash their ill-gotten gains in hedge funds for even more ill-gotten gains. Then protect their wealth by protecting hedge fund corruption, with the infamous loophole leading the way.   more »

So the Gulf Stream conveyor could stop in a few years after the arctic ice and greenland glaciers melt? Evidently yes, as this recenty retrieved Greenland ice core data shows. What could be a more catastrophic weather condition than massive flooding and storm surge followed by glacial conditions overtaking large population centers like NYC?   more »

So far high prices are helping to focus on alternatives to gas guzzling. . But this offshore drilling issue shows just how touchy this is. If we are seen as taking satisfaction in the pain at the pump, we could lose this election. Concentrating on price is the way to defeat the GOP tactics. The Rovian tactic of tarring the eco-minded as anti-economy. Voters can see through it if we help by staying on message.   more »

It is very hard to compare mpg ratings to determine which vehicles save more GHG and oil. Confusion is the result. And bad policy based on lobbyist exploitation of that confusion. Reframing, it's the way to win in politics, the zen method common to Ghandi and Obama. Change the perspective and backward thinking dissapears into the vanishing point. Aum.   more »

The right batteries have arrived for a plugin hybrid conversion. 125 pounds worth, 5 of these batteries will store 6 kwh, which is equivalent to a gallon of gas. And only costs 75 cents. That could get you 40 or 50 miles on plugin power in a really economical car.   more »

And all that fertilizer will release a mess of GHG in the form of methane from the cellulose stored in wetlands where it ends up. It will also cause huge weed overgrowth, temporarily soaking up some CO2, yes. But it will be rereleased (in a 21x worse GHG form) as that weed overgrowth kills the lakes and the weeds and fish die and turn into methane too.   more »

The "Enron loophole"! Finally a name is put to insider hedge fund market manipulation. The special loophole for Enron also applies to every energy source. It was engineered by Enron lobbyists and pushed through into law by by Phil Gramm, McBush's economic expert.   more »

These golf cart sized green, GHG free, plugin vehicles are being legalized for limited road use all over, almost everywhere people retire. Why not make them rentable with a credit card slot, wirelessly connected to the net. This could replace how many cars over the next 20 years?   more »

Another excellent article by bio-d at Grist on possible ways to convert a Toyota Yaris to a partial plugin hybrid. This idea may fit your vehicle with a fairly simple kit of parts and easy installation by a local mechanic or do-it-your-selfer.   more »

Great article here from the illustrious JCWinnie, who I am proud to say commented on a recent article of mine. It details how IBM is working on a technology previously demonstrated to boost solar PV efficiency to 38% in National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) tests.   more »

How could this be? As much power from kites a km up in the wind connected to a huge carousel on the ground, as from a nuclear reactor. Hmmm...    more »

This floating wind power design came up on Grist today, finally someone else noticed it.   more »

Guess who wins?   more »

"You will have to pay around $100,000 to $200,000 per acre." Cheaper to pay Lula directly. How much does he charge per acre? If land is worth 100k to agribizz it would most likely net 10 bucks for Lula and his cronies. Bargain pricing! What if we offered 12 bucks per acre to preserve it?   more »

Another subsidy idea, a direct infusion of cash, through actual consumers, to real capitalism, competitive small local business might be more helpfull for people and the environment. "The human fund..money for people", Larry David's "Seinfeld" fictional approach is much better. Hehey.   more »

This time there is a free lunch. But it will cost upfront. Once solar panels, geo heat exchange, plugin hybrids, wind machines, smart grid storage, and biogas backup pay for themselves with savings. All the energy after that is free.   more »

Where will we get all those economy plugin hybrid cars? There is already a shortage of just plain economy cars. 17 million cars are replaced per year in the US. It would take about 20 years at that pace, to switch them all for plugin hybrids. No problem. That is fast enough.   more »

A nice graphical representation of various fuels and their price rises during the last 8 years. Given this shocking news, it is surprising that the economy is holding up as well as it has. Add in the huge capital drain of cash flushed down the oil war and OPEC toilet, and it is down right amazing.   more »