Flanigan's Eco-Logic

This issue of EcoNet News celebrates current and upcoming innovations in the EV world. Ted Flanigan delves further into stories on the EU pushing hard on climate protection, General Motors greening suppliers and customers, the Extended Producer Responsibility program in Maine, recycling old wind turbine blades and forming them into blocks for gravitational storage, and the uptick in PPAs being use...

This episode features great news, from the IKEA / Rockefeller billion dollar solar initiative, to electrifying shipping and commuter aviation, to setting records for fuel cell cars, to greening NATO, blowing up coal plants, and the rise of offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico. Also Microgrids 1.7: A technical piece on Interconnection.

This episode features a conversation with Michael Shepard, a longstanding friend and colleague I worked with many years ago at Rocky Mountain Institute. For many years, Michael headed up E Source, a spinoff of the Institute that has had a global impact. Now Michael is devoting his time to raising awareness about a huge and largely invisible environmental problem… exposure to cooking smoke. Some 4...

Across the country, there is a  growing regulatory movement to dramatically reduce the net energy metering incentive for solar.  AB 1139 -- a California bill that aimed to reduce the buy back (the export value) of residential solar -- did not pass, but the battle for those that advocate for distributed energy resources is not over. In this episode, Kate Unger, Senior Policy Advisor at CALSSA, disc...

Kirk Stokes provides a seasoned perspective to interconnecting distributed energy resources, notably solar and storage, featuring lessons learned connecting six microgrids in Monterey County to the PG&E grid.

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted reflects on his dinner with Amory. He also releases the sixth part of a 10 part series on microgrids, unpacking the concept of giving batteries a “day job.” He presents Ford’s all-electric, brand-new F-150 called the Lightning, Montreal hosting the world’s largest rooftop farm, futuristic mobility filtering the air and oceans, geographic wind diversity, a...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted interviews Jonathan Parfrey, founder and Executive Director of Climate Resolve. The conversation covers his youth, his awakenings, then his works with the OC Catholic Worker, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and as a Commissioner for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. At Climate Revolve, Jonathan is transforming sustainability from being a vi...

In this Earth Day/Climate Action special of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted interviews Denis Hayes, the coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970 and the founder of the Earth Day Network. Ted also releases the fifth part of a 10 part series on microgrids, discussing critical loads. He highlights corporate executives around the country pushing for climate action, as well as other climate action related...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted interviews Denis Hayes, the coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970 and the founder of the Earth Day Network, perhaps the largest secular movement in history. What a time of strife... Vietnam, Cambodia, Nixon, overlaid with air and water pollution. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Denis discusses his work at Solar Energy Research Institute, now NRE...

Ted Flanigan interviews Angelina Galiteva, Chair of Board of Governors of California Independent System Operator, about her background, love for renewable energy, and her reappointment by Governor Gavin Newsom to a third term to CA Grid Operator Board. They dissect the essence of the ISO, the transmission system, managing the wholesale power market, the grid collapse in Texas, and her influence on...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted salutes the Aspen Skiing Company for Climate Action. Ted also releases the fourth part of a 10 part series on microgrids, telling the story of EcoMotion’s first adventures with microgrids at the Santa Rita Union School District. In addition to climate action and microgrids, there are stories on net negative bioenergy works, all-electric tankers, hydrogen...

This edition of Flanigan's Eco-Logic features a conversation with Auden Schendler, Vice President of the Aspen Skiing Company for Environmental Sustainability. Nearly ten years ago, SkiCo invested in a methane capture project at a mine in the next county, tackling a major environmental problem since methane is like "carbon on steroids," while generating enough green power for all of SkiCo's operat...

Ted Flanigan interviews Andrew Waddell, EcoMotion's newest addition to the solar team, about his recent findings on hillside solar. A client prompted the EcoMotion to take a closer look at similar projects across California. They discuss the fundamentals of hillside solar: design and procurement, potential obstacles, and savings outcomes for residential and commercial owners. 

Ted Flanigan interviews Jigar Shah, one of the solar industry’s luminaries and the founder of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). He also founded and managed Sun Edison, at one time the world’s largest solar company. He then teamed up with Sir. Richard Branson to manage the Carbon War Room. Until his recent announcement at the US Department of Energy, heading up the Loans Program Office, Jigar Sha...

Barry Murrey interviews Ted Flanigan about his journey to energy resilience. The degradation of the energy grid and increase in power outages here in California prompted Mr. Flanigan to take a closer look at what he could do to prepare himself, clients, and the community’s Ecomotion serves to continue to power our lives in the midst of an emergency. He discusses the fundamentals of energy resilien...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, there is a heap of good environmental news to celebrate! To begin with, General Motors announces its plan to completely phase out the manufacturer of vehicles using internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035.  In addition to the end of ICE cars, Ted Flanigan discusses the rise of global electric vehicle sales and Norway leading the revolution by selling more E...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted discusses messaging in 2021 and his intention for the EcoNet Newsletter to be more inviting to readers. This Podcast also delves deeper into the second part of a 10 part series on microgrids, showcases a video of the largest corporate solar system in Orange County, discusses the popularity of tiny homes, gives updates on electric vehicle charging around t...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted discusses Lyndon B. Johnson’s Climate Briefing, offshore wind floaters, coal-free Oregon, green hydrogen in the west, renewables outpacing coal and nuclear, psychological resilience and biophilic design, the swift and fair energy transition, and EcoMotion’s selection by Clean Power Alliance (CPA) to develop 32 microgrids in its service territory in Los An...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted introduces Microgrids 1.1: The Basics, the first of a 10 part series. This Podcast also includes stories on virtual power plants, recycling wind turbines, the United Kingdom outpacing California in cutting Greenhouse Gas emissions, Denmark taking a landmark step to end all new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, Toronto Dominion Bank no longer fundi...

Ted Flanigan interviews Michael Totten, an author, speaker and 40-year advocate promoting a solar powered economy and sustainably flourishing planet, highlighted in his publications: Promoting Sustainable Planetary Prosperity, and Climate for Life. He heads AssetsforLife.net, promoting Internet of Networks for sustainability initiatives, and working with numerous groups, including Jeremy Rifkin’s...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted presents big and bold green steps around the world! There are stories featuring the world’s first energy, self-sufficient, zero emissions sea vessel, renewable natural gas in Philadelphia, hybrid electric fire trucks, a campaign in New Zealand — Food in the Nude — to end plastic packaging for fresh produce in supermarkets, LA’s hydrogen energy storage, th...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted presents futuristic concepts that are no longer futuristic: Big time renewables. The topics covered include biking in the pandemic, micro-schooling, a high speed rail to Vegas, Portland’s virtual power plant, big energy storage, SMUD accelerating its carbon neutrality goal by a decade, plastic bottles replaced with paper bottles, wireless electric vehicle...

In this issue of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted shares his experience hiking Aspen’s Lost Man Loop. He also discusses the huge role that green hydrogen may have in our future, residential fuel cells for energy resilience, General Electric’s green pivot, Walmart’s regeneration, California Governor’s Executive Order to ban gas-powered cars, a massive, 2,400-foot building for New York City that will trap...

Jonathan Port is an entrepreneur extraordinaire. He considers himself a sustainability designer and planner. He is the founder and CEO of PermaCity Solar, which just finished installing the largest solar rooftop installation in the world – the Westmont Project in Los Angeles.

Ted Flanigan interviews Michael Ware, a longtime EcoMotion colleague and Senior Solar Specialist. Ted and Michael discuss their work together and the solar industry. Michael joined the EcoMotion team in 2007 to be an “honest broker” of solar power systems. Prior to working at EcoMotion, he worked at PermaCity Solar. At EcoMotion, Michael’s work focuses on solar opportunities, measuring potentials,...