Ed Ring

Only an extreme libertarian would claim there is no role for government.  In the face of population growth, aging infrastructure, and myriad new, cleaner and more sustainable ways to deliver energy, water and transportation resources, there is much to be done by the public sector.  Green public works will create wealth and resource abundance.  Green public works must include massive new infrastructures and determining what these will be is a qualitatively focused and very subjective exercise - despite the advances of science.  In California, the self-proclaimed greenest state in the USA, what are these green infrastructure investments we should make? BUILD DESALINATION PLANTS - Upgrade California's existing coastal power facilities to also include desalination capability.  This would allow desalination plants to be more easily built since their construction would...

As a free nation, a democratic nation, and a global superpower, America's fate, today more than ever, is to midwife and manage the emergence of the first world generation. Not an easy task, as technology and globalization make every surviving cultural tradition anywhere suddenly replaced or confronted by every other on this shrinking planet, and our polity grapples with it all.  It would be surprising indeed if America were not also considered a troubled nation, inflicting and incurring heartbreaking trauma every day in this imperfect world.  But America's fate is also a stroke of exceptional luck and opportunity. The message for Americans to send the modernizing, globalizing...

It is getting hard to keep track of all the credible companies delivering advanced structural building materials.  It's fine to call something "green" that has a high recycled materials content, low embodied energy, doesn't offgas unhealthy toxins, doesn't include toxic materials, and has superb insulation value, but this is only half the story.  Many of these products are interesting for two reasons that have more to do with the other green, the color of money; they cost less, and they require less labor to assemble. Here are some companies we've reported on before that fill the "green building block" criteria:  Perform Wall manufactures (approximately) 1′ x 1′ x 2′ bricks of a...

Back in April 2006 we posted "The Photovoltaic Boom ," where we enthusiastically reported the bright future of photovoltaic power.  We thought then, and we believe now, that photovotalic production will increase faster than projections, at the same time as costs will fall faster than expected.  But if photovoltaic power is becoming a commodity, doesn't that mean the stocks of photovoltaic companies are also going to acquire the characteristics of commodities stocks?  Here in the summer of 2008 we may very well have a photovoltaic bubble.  It may be that photovoltaic stocks have nowhere to go but down.  Rather than attempt to compare and contrast the entire sector, simply consider the fortunes of First Solar, a...

How fares the singular Patagonian Cypress, the Alerce, these majestic 200+ foot trees, with lifespans exceeding 4,000 years, populating the western shores of temperate South America?  From Chile's mediterranean mid-section, southwards until the escarpments of the Andes begin to moderate into a broader expanse of multiple ridges and mountain ranges, rainwatered from the Atlantic, through river gorges and ascending rolling and rugged hillsides alike, deeper and deeper into the south towards land's end, these awesome, white-barked giants are trees of surpassing beauty and grandeur. How is the Alerce doing?  And why can't I grow them in California? The Alerce...

Most modern cars now have onboard black box recorders, but the standard units typically only store the most recent few seconds of driving data.  They are used in accident investigations.  And consumers have already been able to purchase recorders that track your vehicle's braking, acceleration, mileage, and spit out a report, extracting the data via OBD II diagnostic communication port.  But what about an add-on that saves the entire stream of vehicle data not only to provide analytical reports, but to train the driver to more efficiently operate the vehicle? Finally, amidst the spectre of $5.00 per gallon gas, PLX Devices Inc., located in sunny Sunnyvale, California, has come up with a device...

EFuel Corporation. located in Los Gatos, California, is heralding the next generation of biofuel production and distribution, by selling a " EFuel100 MicroFueler," a turnkey device that will turn biofuel sugars feedstock into ethanol, and pump it into your vehicle's tank. This company claims this machine consumes 3.0 kilowatt-hours to produce one gallon of E100 ethanol.  It takes 170 gallons during the fermentation phase to produce 35 gallons of ethanol.  The rest of the water can be recycled. Is EFuel for real?  Can their 'gas pump' interface for the end-user, their easy to use interface for the operator, and a convenient hopper to prepare and process the feedstock, all be combined in one elegant and affordable...

Despite the relentless media assault declaring debate is over, catastrophic climate change is just around the corner, and immediate and drastic curtailment of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are our only chance of survival, there remains significant debate in the scientific community. Rather than attempt to refrain what has become countless takes on this point (see links below), this post is to highlight the ongoing dialogue and findings on www.climatesci.org, operated by research scientist Roger Pielke Sr. at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Our interest in Pielke's work is based on two key factors: (1) His international reputation for integrity remains intact even among the alarmist community, and (2)...

Today California is probably the most hostile state in the U.S. towards private business, and with the global warming act nearing implementation, things are going to get much worse.  But big changes could be closer than you think. It isn't easy to understand just how bad California's business climate is until you talk to people from out of state - or if you have always lived here, until you try to start a business that aspires to actually move dirt or build something.  But California's tradition as an international trendsetter does not mean her current climate of hostility towards business, and the resulting gridlock, is destiny.  Quite the contrary. Even the Long-billed...

Affordable is relative - the Myers NMG (meaning "no more gas"), courtesy of Ohio based Myers Motors, will set you back $27,000.  For that amount of money you can get a lot of car, if you're willing to stick with gasoline power. But try to find another 100% electric, freeway capable electric vehicle for anywhere close to that price.  For that matter, other than a handful of Teslas that have started to hit the road, find any all-electric car driving in the fast lane on the freeway. The author putting a Myers NMG through the paces. When we learned about Myers Motors about a year ago (ref. "Myers Freeway Capable NMG"), they were already ahead of the pack with nearly 300 cars sold and being actively driven by...