Author Archives: admin

There is a consensus in many countries that burning coal to generate electricity is something that needs to be phased out as quickly as possible. The Clean Power Plan in the U.S. has that as one of its most likely … Continue reading →

Whenever I launch into one of my frequent rants about the need for utility-scale energy storage to support the roll-out of more Solar and Wind generation there are always people that point to pumped storage as a credible solution. And … Continue reading →

The Black Swan Blog posts have covered a wide variety of topics related to renewable energy. Many of those posts have focused on the need to develop reliable and affordable energy storage options so that wind and solar power generation … Continue reading →

The electrical generation and distribution system has evolved over the past 100+ years into an extremely reliable source of power – one which has been the foundation of the industrial expansion and prosperity of the world.   Our society is totally dependent … Continue reading →

Welcome to the first entry in the “Black Swan Blog”.  This blog will be used to discuss innovative, provocative, sometimes slightly crazy concepts designed to stimulate conversations and perhaps even concrete actions that will help us move the inhabitants of “spaceship … Continue reading →

Introducing the Black Swan blogThis post from September, 2012 explains why I decided to start the Black Swan Blog. Although it has not garnered even a tiny fraction of the interest shown in the latest Hollywood wardrobe malfunction it has … Continue reading →

Hawaiian Transformation to Renewable Energy Sources (3 posts) The German Energy Transformation (2 posts) The Problems With Roof-Top Solar Panels (4 posts) Concentrated Solar Power (3 posts) Unconventional Solar Generation and Applications (3 posts) Battery Technology (2 posts) The Transition … Continue reading →

Let me start by saying that this is an opinion piece.  I am not going to provide a bibliography of external references supporting my assertions.  I have been politically active my entire adult live and am a publicly acknowledged “leftie”.  … Continue reading →

In previous blog postings I have expressed my concerns about the relative return on investment and the economic fairness of roof-top solar panels. But I am also a big fan of solar power which is, after all, the most abundant … Continue reading →

In an earlier blog posting I discussed ways that residential and commercial electricity consumers can reduce their draw on the utility grid either by generating some of their own electricity or by using geothermal heat pumps (now more commonly referred … Continue reading →