Home » How We Think » Three Ps
March 29, 2010 by Gregg
If Northeast Ohio does not succeed in building a sustainable, thriving advanced energy cluster, it won’t be for lack of trying.
If the region does succeed, plenty of people, projects and partners (yes, another Three Ps) will deserve credit. An exhaustive list could go on for pages, but here are four Northeast Ohio groups to watch:
- Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University, whose mission is to enable the transition to advanced sustainable energy generation, storage, distribution and utilization, through coordinated research, development and education
- Great Lakes Wind Network, which is an international supply chain advisory group and network of manufacturers whose mission is to increase the domestic content of North America’s wind turbines
- NASA Glenn Research Center, which is evaluating several demonstration projects, to test, evaluate and advance institution applications of wind turbines, fuel cells, and photovoltaics
- NorTech Energy Enterprise, which is leading a collaborative regional effort to drive commercial activity in advanced energy
Of course, other regions, states and countries have similar ideas – and every area has its advantages to promote and its disadvantages to overcome. The difference between being a big winner and a disappointed contender may be small. The big idea is in place; now, like everything else, it comes down to execution on a day-to-day, one-on-one basis.
March 23, 2010 by Gregg
They are not as well known as the S&P 500, or even the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
But two indexes – the Stowe Global Coal index of 38 coal producers and the Bloomberg Global Leaders Solar index of 38 solar module and component makers – suggest that government support for alternative energy is declining, according to a March 17 report by Bloomberg News.
Bloomberg reported that the coal index has gained 6.5 percent in 2010, while the solar index has dropped 17 percent. Furthermore, the report noted, Peabody Energy Corp, the biggest coal producer, is rated a “buy” by 79 percent of investment analysts, while 44 percent recommend First Solar Inc., the largest maker of thin-film solar panels. This is the largest gap between the two companies in two years.
Bloomberg said solar companies’ profitability is falling because of competition from China and cuts to state support in Germany and Spain. As a result, the report said, many investors believe solar is too risky and coal is the safer investment.
Ironically, both forms of energy are poised for continued growth. As a result, coal prices are rising, but still remain as much as seven times less expensive per kilowatt-hour than solar power generation, according to sources in the Bloomberg story.
March 15, 2010 by Gregg
For implementation of a smarter electrical grid to be successful, four critical areas must be addressed, and, according to at least one major U.S. utility, the biggest challenge will involve communications (in the non-technical sense of the word).
The four areas are: updating and enhancing the transportation and distribution infrastructure, installing intelligent sensors for automation, implementing communications systems so data can be transferred and interpreted, and educating and communicating with customers.
Of the four areas listed above, all significant, long-term challenges in their own right, customer communications to secure customer approval, support and participation will be the most significant hurdle, says Dana Parshall, director of advanced grid and meter technology for Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Service Company. Parshall was one of the speakers at an Advanced Energy Speaker Series presentation sponsored by NorTech Energy Enterprise on March 10. The presentations are available online.
Noting that the grid is “already pretty smart,” Parshall said real-time, two-way communication among the supply, transmission, substation, distribution and customer assets is the ultimate goal. This will require advanced grid functionality and customer empowerment. Customer usage information will help improve operational efficiencies, enable demand management and support energy conservation by customers.
While today’s customer interaction with an electric utility may be limited to the monthly bill, customers of the future may have daily, even hourly exchanges of information, electronically, Parshall noted. Instead of thousands of devices, millions and millions of sensors and other electronics will be deployed – all gathering data that must be stored, monitored and controlled. A high degree of cybersecurity will be critical for ensuring the integrity of the data and gaining customer acceptance.
FirstEnergy believes a national consumer education program may be needed to drive smart grid acceptance – similar to “buckle up” seatbelt campaigns.
For demonstration and pilot project purposes, FirstEnergy has been awarded federal Smart Grid Investment Grants to deploy 18 million smart meters across its infrastructure and approximately 1.2 million in-home displays.
March 09, 2010 by Gregg
I am pleased to report that introduction of the term greenblushing continues to generate national and international attention.
That tells me it’s a significant challenge and deserves mention in the same breath as greenwashing. Neither is sustainable.
It has also sparked a broader discussion about other kinds of challenges companies face when attempting to communicate about sustainability. For example, one blog reader, Chris Farage, VP of Communications & External Affairs for Parker Hannifin Corporation, a multinational manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, offers this term: “greenbashing.”
I like his definition: “the motivation of some activists in the green movement to attack companies for their environmental performance,” even if they are making progress and being transparent in their communication. These naysayers are the people who look at the Three Ps, and place the “P” for Planet ahead of the other two. In fact, some of them don’t even acknowledge the other two.
Chris is right on and rightly concerned about greenwashing, greenblushing and greenbashing. Here again, none of them are sustainable – and deserve to be called out, addressed and prevented, don’t you agree?
March 03, 2010 by Gregg
In my new Emerging Trends article about sustainability communications, I make the case that “well-run organizations should be able to walk and talk – and clear hurdles – at the same time.”
Do you agree that you can walk the walk and talk the talk of sustainability at the same time, and that they can feed off of each other successfully?
Or is greenblushing – which I define as walking the walk but being too unsure and shy to talk the talk – too much to overcome? Are fears about greenwashing getting in the way of good communications and audience engagement?
