Future May Involve Getting Paid to Charge Your Plug-in Vehicle : Gas 2.0: "They say that nothing is free, but I may have come across the exception. In West Texas and Illinois, electric customers are being paid to use electricity. With the growth of wind energy in areas like Texas, Iowa and Minnesota, electric companies are occasionally producing more energy—especially during off-peak hours—than they can use. Why not store it you ask? Because there are not yet any good ways to store energy; a quest since electricity was created.
According to expert Terry Boston, who is the CEO of PJM, a company that manages the electricity grid in 13 mid-Atlantic states and Washington, the oversupply of electricity has forced prices into the negative range. The result: some customers are paid to use electricity."
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Plug-in electric cars: New technology, familiar feel | Green Tech - CNET News
Plug-in electric cars: New technology, familiar feel | Green Tech - CNET News: "In the past few weeks, I've had an opportunity to experience the cutting edge in plug-in electric vehicle technology. In some cases, you'd think you're just driving a regular car.
The bulk of production plug-in electric vehicles available now are either utility trucks, small cars that top out at 25 miles per hour, or the pricey Tesla Roadster sports car. Now automakers are building plug-in sedans and SUVs with lithium ion batteries designed for the mass market.
Judging from the cars I've driven, automakers are trying to strike a balance between enticing consumers with new technology but not asking them to make sacrifices. So even though electrification is shaking up the auto industry, the biggest learning curve for owners may be around fueling rather than driving. And if the goal is to make plug-ins mainstream, that's probably a good thing.
Consider the electric Ford Focus which is due out in 2011. It runs entirely on batteries for a range of about 100 miles and will be manufactured side-by-side with the gasoline edition.
During my drive two weeks ago, I was eager to feel the acceleration. Vehicles that run off electric motors have 'instant torque,' which means you get the car's top acceleration at all speeds. The Focus was indeed zippy and responsive, but when I asked if it was better than the gasoline Focus, Ford's director of global electrification Nancy Gioia told me that it'd be the same--on purpose."
The bulk of production plug-in electric vehicles available now are either utility trucks, small cars that top out at 25 miles per hour, or the pricey Tesla Roadster sports car. Now automakers are building plug-in sedans and SUVs with lithium ion batteries designed for the mass market.
Judging from the cars I've driven, automakers are trying to strike a balance between enticing consumers with new technology but not asking them to make sacrifices. So even though electrification is shaking up the auto industry, the biggest learning curve for owners may be around fueling rather than driving. And if the goal is to make plug-ins mainstream, that's probably a good thing.
Consider the electric Ford Focus which is due out in 2011. It runs entirely on batteries for a range of about 100 miles and will be manufactured side-by-side with the gasoline edition.
During my drive two weeks ago, I was eager to feel the acceleration. Vehicles that run off electric motors have 'instant torque,' which means you get the car's top acceleration at all speeds. The Focus was indeed zippy and responsive, but when I asked if it was better than the gasoline Focus, Ford's director of global electrification Nancy Gioia told me that it'd be the same--on purpose."
Waiting in the Wings, Rechargeable Zinc Batteries | Green Energy News
Waiting in the Wings, Rechargeable Zinc Batteries | Green Energy News: "If it ain’t cheap it can’t compete. That coarse sentence should be the motto of every company wishing to replace oil with something else.
Anyone who thinks oil is going away soon is mistaken. Government (ours in particular) doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to demand a significant cut in consumption, like upping the fuel economy standard to 100 mpg.
Oil isn’t running out either, but oil is getting more and more difficult to find and retrieve. (BP announced a giant Gulf of Mexico find this week – at 35000 feet, one of the deepest wells drilled to date, illustrates this fact.)
Oil companies, too, are drooling over the prospect of drilling at the North Pole. If that happens you can bet that oil companies hope to eventually weaken the resolve of Antarctic’s managing governments to allow for drilling in the now-pristine continent. There’s no reason to think that there isn’t any oil there. Every other continent has oil, why shouldn’t Antarctica?
Oil will disappear as a basis for transportation fuel when something comes along that offers the same basic features: power-packed, cheap, stored energy that’s easy to handle and quick to refuel with."
Anyone who thinks oil is going away soon is mistaken. Government (ours in particular) doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to demand a significant cut in consumption, like upping the fuel economy standard to 100 mpg.
Oil isn’t running out either, but oil is getting more and more difficult to find and retrieve. (BP announced a giant Gulf of Mexico find this week – at 35000 feet, one of the deepest wells drilled to date, illustrates this fact.)
Oil companies, too, are drooling over the prospect of drilling at the North Pole. If that happens you can bet that oil companies hope to eventually weaken the resolve of Antarctic’s managing governments to allow for drilling in the now-pristine continent. There’s no reason to think that there isn’t any oil there. Every other continent has oil, why shouldn’t Antarctica?
Oil will disappear as a basis for transportation fuel when something comes along that offers the same basic features: power-packed, cheap, stored energy that’s easy to handle and quick to refuel with."
Metal Fuels on My Mind | Green Energy News
Metal Fuels on My Mind | Green Energy News: "For example, the theoretical energy density of a Zinc-air battery (1370 Watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg)) is significantly higher than average commercial Li-ion batteries (about 200 Wh/kg). Although previously relegated to hearing aid batteries, recent advances, including those provided by QSI, have enabled new applications for metal-air, such as portable electronic devices and light electric vehicles."
Metal Fuels on My Mind | Green Energy News
Metal Fuels on My Mind | Green Energy News: "Among my favorites are metal-air fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Metal-air technology, for now, includes Zinc-air (Zn-air), Magnesium-Air (Mg-air), Aluminum-air (Al-air). Lithium-air (li-air) is apparently possible and one would think many other metals could be used to store and generate electricity when exposed to the stuff we breathe.
The roots of metal-air goes back a century or more – much more – but I won’t get into that in this story.
I like the zinc, magnesium and aluminum in metal-air batteries and fuel cells because, unlike Lithium, all are abundant on the planet, particularly aluminum. (It’s the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust.) All are easily recyclable too. The use of any of those three metals with the “air” technology would allow for unlimited, low-cost energy storage for stationary and mobile applications. The hurdle of energy storage would be leaped."
The roots of metal-air goes back a century or more – much more – but I won’t get into that in this story.
I like the zinc, magnesium and aluminum in metal-air batteries and fuel cells because, unlike Lithium, all are abundant on the planet, particularly aluminum. (It’s the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust.) All are easily recyclable too. The use of any of those three metals with the “air” technology would allow for unlimited, low-cost energy storage for stationary and mobile applications. The hurdle of energy storage would be leaped."
Sopogy Brings CSP to Rooftop Market | Green Energy News
Sopogy Brings CSP to Rooftop Market | Green Energy News: "Sopogy has introduced SopoFlare is the first commercially available Concentrating Solar Power technology designed specifically for rooftop installations. The technology is used to create steam, solar thermal air conditioning, drying, dehumidification, desalination, hot water. In addition SopoFlare utilizes Sopogy’s proprietary integrated tracker and storage solutions and is priced at 30% cheaper than competing rooftop solar technologies, according to the company. The system retrofits into existing facilities reducing natural gas consumption giving users an estimated 3 year payback on installation.
SopoFlare combines the revolutionary features and applications of Sopogy’s award winning SopoNova (tm) 4.0 concentrating solar thermal collector, in a smaller, lightweight, environmentally rugged collector. SopoFlare’s compact design at 8 feet long by 2.5 feet wide is perfect for quick and easy installation by local HVAC and plumbing professionals."
SopoFlare combines the revolutionary features and applications of Sopogy’s award winning SopoNova (tm) 4.0 concentrating solar thermal collector, in a smaller, lightweight, environmentally rugged collector. SopoFlare’s compact design at 8 feet long by 2.5 feet wide is perfect for quick and easy installation by local HVAC and plumbing professionals."
Ford and Azure Dynamics Team to Deliver Battery Electric Commercial Van | Green Energy News
Ford and Azure Dynamics Team to Deliver Battery Electric Commercial Van | Green Energy News: "Ford Motor Company has announced that Azure Dynamics Corporation has joined in a collaborative effort to deliver a pure battery electric Ford Transit Connect van for the United States and Canadian markets in 2010. Azure will integrate its Force Drive(TM) battery electric drive train in the Transit Connect van for commercial fleet and retail use.
The collaboration with Azure Dynamics for the Transit Connect BEV will build on the existing business relationship between Ford and Azure as well as their shared experience with battery supplier, Johnson Controls-Saft."
The collaboration with Azure Dynamics for the Transit Connect BEV will build on the existing business relationship between Ford and Azure as well as their shared experience with battery supplier, Johnson Controls-Saft."
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