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You are browsing the archive for February 2014 – EV News Report.

Avatar of Jack Collins

by Jack Collins

Tesla Raises Two Billion, Gaga for Giga

February 28, 2014 in Battery Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles, EV enthusiast, EV News, Large Energy Storage, Tesla

Tesla Giga Factory rendering Image courtesy of Tesla

Tesla Giga Factory rendering
Image courtesy of Tesla

Tesla Painted a Picture for Wall Street

Tesla sold the Giga Factory to Wall Street, raising two billion from convertible notes, helping to alleviate doubts about the company’s ability to become a major auto mass producer. The five ($800 million) and seven year ($1.2 billion) convertible notes pay meager coupons of .25% and 1.25% respectfully, which should raise few near-term financial concerns considering Tesla’s fantastic sales growth expectations. The stock (TSLA) hit a high of $265 on Wednesday, which came shortly after a bullish report ($320 price target) from Morgan Stanley Analyst Adam Jonas. TSLA closed at 244.81 per share today, down 3.06%.

CEO Elon Musk is the golden boy with the Midas touch. He knows how to paint a picture, and this last one had sustainable sugar plums dancing in Wall Street’s head, with solar, wind, and batteries galore. Mr. Musk also plays to win and to win big, holding a 27% stake in Tesla as of December 31 2013, which is greatly admired by most players, big and small.

Goldman Sachs keeps dragging along in TSLA’s rearview mirror, raising its price target to $170, but remaining skeptical about the stock’s valuation. Goldman is not alone in thinking Tesla’s 30 billion market capitalization is excessive, but most skeptics have been silenced due to Tesla’s excellent execution and business integrity.

Tesla Production Guesstimates

Tesla plans to be producing about 1,000 electric cars a week by the end of 2014 at its Fremont Factory, up from about 600 a week today. By 2020, the future Giga Factory is expected to produce enough batteries for 500,000 Tesla electric cars a year, which is the approximate capacity limit of the Fremont Factory. On the Q4 conference call, CEO Musk expressed his best guesses for future demand for the Model S and X, estimating about 1,000 a week for each, possibly more for the X, leaving the remaining capacity for the Gen III. For clarity, let’s round these figures to be 50,000 S, 50,000 X and 400,000 Gen III by 2020.

Gen III, The Major Road Ahead

As of December 31 2013, Tesla had only produced about 2,500 Roadsters and a little over 25,000 Model S cars. These are small numbers; however, Tesla has tremendous opportunities ahead within the two trillion dollar plus global new auto market (CEO Elon Musk stat. Q4 cc). The Gen III is the big act to come. If the Gen III lives up to expectations, Tesla will need more Giga, more Fremont Factory, more Supercharger, more everything Tesla.

Tesla has been studying charging strategies for apartment dwellers. On the Q4 cc, CEO Musk simply stated: “We are working pretty hard on that. We believe we’ve got some good solutions. We’re going to talk more about that in the coming months.”

Morgan Stanley sees Tesla also disrupting the electric utility business with stationary battery storage. Certainly, Tesla has an opportunity in this field, especially in home energy storage with its relationship with SolarCity, but it is still far too early to judge the long-term technological direction of this market. There are multiple battery designs and chemistries that may prove to be more economical as stationary storage but unsuitable within an electric vehicle. Regardless of the battery storage business, Tesla has plenty of lithium-ion battery demand for electric cars for years to come.

Tesla tweeted today: “Tesla Superchargers have charged over 10 MILLION miles to Model S. Enough to go to the Moon & back 20 times.”

The Oil Elephant in the Room

President Barack Obama shakes hands with a worker as he and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx tour the Metro Transit Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 26, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with a worker as he and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx tour the Metro Transit Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 26, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Vice President Joe Biden sits at the controls of one of Amtrak's new "Cities Sprinter" electric locomotives at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 6, 2014. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Vice President Joe Biden sits at the controls of one of Amtrak’s new “Cities Sprinter” electric locomotives at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 6, 2014. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

With peak oil a primary concern, President Obama and Vice President Biden spent time recently reviewing transit electric vehicles. Maybe, just maybe, they will entertain the Hyperloop idea.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil closed the week at $102.59 per barrel. Brent is around $109. With Cushing oil inventories declining to normal levels, the spread between WTI and Brent should near parity.

The world has been locked into a doomed relationship with the oil market, being led by the dubious Saudi America, setting up the world economy for a hard fall. Saudi America is a fantasy state that ignores oil depletion, and it is crowding out normal economic development, wasting monies and time on energy projects that are archaic.

Tesla has the most sensible strategy to a sustainable world, aiming first at reducing gasoline demand.

Giga Factory Future

The future for electric cars, renewables and battery storage has never looked better, with particular thanks to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla plans to have the Giga Factory powered by wind and solar, with battery storage most likely as well. Panasonic is expected to be a major partner in the future factory, building upon its existing supplier relationship to Tesla today. Tesla CEO Musk expects there to be multiple partners due to the heavy capital costs to build the factory, estimated at 4-5 billion.

By 2020, the Giga Factory battery cell output is expected to be an incredible 35 GWh/yr, producing more battery cells than the entire 2013 worldwide market, according to Tesla Motors. In its first year of production (2017), the factory is expected to drop battery pack costs by more than 30% due in large part to economies to scale. It is in 2017 that Tesla plans to start ramping production of its much awaited and much needed Gen III car.

In a blog post, Tesla highlighted Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada as states in the running for the Giga Factory site, which would employ approximately 6,500 people. Unfortunately, California has been mysteriously missing from the Giga Factory location list, surprising many due to the obvious logistical benefits for Tesla. California Governor Jerry Brown announced yesterday that he will be running for re-election, which is great news for the environmental movement. Maybe Governor Brown still has time to talk Giga and Hyperloop too.

About EV News Report

EV News Report is a community blogging website for electric vehicle and greentech enthusiasts, as well as peak oil activists. Please help accelerate the electric vehicle and greentech movements by submitting an original article to EV News Report by following the video instructions on the About tab.

The world is transitioning from the fossil fuel age to the clean electric energy era. Two major world emergencies are driving this change:

1. There are over 7 billion people on the planet according to the United Nations. Today’s worldwide economic growth is placing tremendous demands on the energy sector. Unfortunately, according to the International Energy Agency, approximately 80% of the world’s energy is derived from fossil fuels. Absent an energy revolution, climate research tells us that the planet will be significantly warmer and altered for future generations.

2. The oil market is expensive and fragile. The door is open to green alternatives; however, high oil prices may destroy the currencies of oil dependent nations before the EV and greentech revolutions have a chance to reach mass adoption.

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Avatar of Jack Collins

by Jack Collins

San Francisco Electric Revolution, Follow that Tesla

February 22, 2014 in Electric Bus, Electric Vehicles, EV News, San Francisco, Streetcar, Sustainable San Francisco, Tesla, Wind

San Francisco's N Judah Streetcar splits the City, running on the east-west axis. EV News Report took a quick 3 question survey of 50 Muni transit riders. This survey was composed of 26 females and 24 men, ranging in ages from 21 to 80, waiting at streetcar and bus stops, primarily in Cole Valley, San Francisco: An electric streetcar and bus arrive at the same time heading to your destination (hypothetically), which would you choose to ride? 42 Streetcar, 8 Bus Did you know that trolley buses and streetcars run on 100% renewable hydro power? 28 No, 22 Yes Would you prefer to ride a 100% renewable powered vehicle? 50 Yes, 0 No

San Francisco’s N Judah streetcar splits the City, running on the east-west axis.
EV News Report took a quick 3 question survey of 50 Muni transit riders. This survey was composed of 26 females and 24 men, ranging in ages from 21 to 80, waiting at streetcar and bus stops, primarily in Cole Valley, San Francisco:
1. An electric streetcar and bus arrive at the same time heading to your destination (hypothetically), which would you choose to ride? 42 Streetcar, 8 Bus
2. Did you know that trolley buses and streetcars run on 100% renewable hydro power? 28 No, 22 Yes
3. Would you prefer to ride a 100% renewable powered vehicle? 50 Yes, 0 No

New Streetcar Decision

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will be deciding on the next generation streetcar before the end of summer 2014, and the Agency (Muni) expects the new streetcars to start arriving in late 2016. SFMTA Spokesman Paul Rose would not say which companies were bidding, but he did state that four companies were competing. Mr. Rose added that the new streetcars and technology enhancements should significantly increase capacity and efficiency.

The SFMTA calls these modern streetcars, light rail, but we will stick with the common San Francisco term, streetcar. Riders of the N Judah that were interviewed around rush hour had some colorful language to describe these transit vehicles, none used the word, light. One elderly female rider was baffled as to why the SFMTA could not fix the rush hour capacity problem.

The SFMTA added express rush hour buses along the N Judah route in recent years, but this fix is not satisfying for most; the majority of transit riders prefer the streetcar. The SFMTA would be wise to involve residents, particularly transit riders, in the procurement process. What’s on the streetcar menu? By serving transit cake, instead of packed sardines, the SFMTA can help its own policy, Transit First. Streetcar success can open more doors for San Francisco transit and renewable projects.

Follow that Tesla

To accelerate its drive to 100% renewable, San Francisco leaders need to study the Tesla playbook, starting at page one, great all-electric transportation. No, the City cannot simply float shares to build an electric empire, but it can tap a multitude of resources and willing partners that share a vision of a sustainable San Francisco. Tesla Motors has had no trouble getting people excited about the electric energy revolution, including some stock analysts that cover the company. Great products, the Model S and Supercharger, are the heart of Tesla, but the soul is the company’s vision, to move away from oil to all-electric transportation, to a sustainable world.

Tesla stock (TSLA) has rocketed higher (post Q4 earnings) due to a robust demand outlook for the Model S and X; the shares closed the week at $209.6 per share. On the Q4 conference call (2-19-14), CEO Elon Musk stated that he thinks it’s a good idea to raise additional capital, hinting about the funds required for a battery factory. Obviously, Tesla stock at its current price makes a great potential source of capital (secondary offering). CEO Musk added that he would elaborate on the upcoming battery factory (Giga Factory) plans next week.

“Even though there is zero marketing for the Model X, (pause). It’s like if you are going fishing, the fish are jumping in the boat. [Pause] We are not trying to sell the Model X at all, but the demand seems to be remarkably high.” – CEO Elon Musk

Success feeds success at Tesla.

Goodbye to Oil

With oil scarcity and climate change being major worldwide concerns, San Francisco leaders will have little trouble convincing many residents to ditch gasoline powered cars. The City could help the cause by making it more expensive to own and operate an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, and take back much more roadway for transit, electric vehicles, biking, running and walking. The oil market does not care about San Francisco or its bond rating, but the next mayor of San Francisco will be forced to deal with the oil market, barring a geological or technological miracle.

San Francisco will fare better than most major cities in this era of peak oil, due to its condensed size and affluence, making alternatives to the internal combustion engine somewhat easy. Legislative Aide Jess Montejano (Supervisor Farrell’s Office) said that Supervisor Farrell does not support congestion charges, preferring improved transit options and market dynamics to move people from (ICE) cars to alternatives. Mr. Farrell is one of the leading political voices in San Francisco today.

In the shale oil patch in North Dakota, oil production numbers from the North Dakota Department of Minerals Resources showed a slight drop from November to December, from 29,293,592 barrels to 28,620,049. The natural decline of the existing oil wells and cold weather halted the shale oil miracle in North Dakota. At some point, not that far down the road, the barrel numbers will peak and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil will go for a ride. WTI oil currently trades at about $102 per barrel.

The 49 All-electric Trolley Bus splits the City, running on the south-north axis. "With 52 percent of its bus and rail fleet composed of zero-emission vehicles, Muni accounts for 17 percent of all trips made in San Francisco, but only 1 percent of total citywide greenhouse gas emissions." - SFMTA 2013 Annual Report

The 49 all-electric trolley bus splits the City, running on the south-north axis.
“With 52 percent of its bus and rail fleet composed of zero-emission vehicles, Muni accounts for 17 percent of all trips made in San Francisco, but only 1 percent of total citywide greenhouse gas emissions.” – SFMTA 2013 Annual Report

Clean Renewable Powered Transit

San Francisco’s all-electric streetcars and all-electric trolley buses are powered by 100% clean renewable Hetch Hetchy hydro energy, making these vehicles the smartest green choice on rails and wheels for City transit riders. Yes, the famous San Francisco cable cars are powered by Hetch Hetchy electricity as well, but most locals refrain from indulging in the cable car pose, leaving that to the hordes of tourists.

These public transit EVs do not have the same acceleration nor low drag coefficient of a Tesla Model S, but they are environmentally friendly, convenient and move a lot of residents and tourists from point A to point B, every single day.

Overall, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) average daily ridership is about 704,000, which is an incredible statistic considering that San Francisco has a total population of 825,000. According to SFMTA Spokesman Paul Rose, about 400,000 take the bus (trolley, biodiesel, and hybrid) and about 300,000 take rail (streetcar and cable car).

SFWPS at 525 Golden Gate, LEED building. One hundred years ago, construction began on the Hetch Hetchy water reservoir and power project, initialized with a railroad extension to the Yosemite site in order to carry materials from San Francisco. The first electric power services started as early as 1918; O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923; and the first Hetch Hetchy waters flowed to San Francisco in 1934.

SFWPS at 525 Golden Gate, LEED building.
One hundred years ago, construction began on the Hetch Hetchy water reservoir and power project, initialized with a railroad extension to the Yosemite site in order to carry materials from San Francisco. The first electric power services started as early as 1918; O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923; and the first Hetch Hetchy waters flowed to San Francisco in 1934.

San Francisco Water Power and Sewer

It is San Francisco Water Power and Sewer (SFWPS) that proudly manages the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Project, which brings clean water and power to the City from its reservoir and hydro power systems that initiate at Yosemite. SFWPS Director of Communications Tyrone Jue has been thinking of marketing ideas to best capture this clean renewable energy image on transit EVs, which would help direct attention to the City’s ultimate goal of becoming 100% renewable.

Today, the Hetch Hetchy power project generates about 200 MW on average, with a maximum capacity of 400 MW. On an annual basis, it generates about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours (SFWPS), providing power to San Francisco facilities and services: SF Airport, SF General Hospital, SF Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI), SF Police Department, SF Fire Department, City tenants, Hunters Point Shipyard and Treasure Island.

“San Francisco consumes about 6,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually, with a peak load of roughly 970 MW.” – San Francisco Department of the Environment Danielle Murray (100% Renewable Task Force).

Driving to 100% Renewable

The California drought reminds us that hydro power can fluctuate significantly and that it’s important for the City to exploit a multitude of renewable options, including battery storage. In recent years, SFWPS has expanded into solar (7.5 MW) and biogas (3.1 MW) as well, and is looking to add more. Altogether, SFWPS provides about 17-18% of San Francisco’s electric energy, and its portfolio is all renewable (Tyrone Jue).

Of course, greater energy efficiency and distributed energy uptake are basic San Francisco Department of the Environment goals that should not be minimized, helping residents and businesses go green. Distributed energy is the most likely technological winner in the long-term.

On average, California gets about 15% of its electric energy from hydro, with the spring and early summer being the highest hydro periods due to snowmelt; however, electric energy demand is highest in the summer when Californians turn on the air conditioners. San Francisco’s summer weather is quite the exception with its mild climate; some would call the City’s summers foggy and cold, but to San Franciscans that’s home.

San Francisco Wind Energy Diversification

One longtime San Francisco resident, waiting for the N Judah streetcar, put it succinctly: “Anybody that has lived in this town knows about the wind.” Pacific Ocean offshore winds are a huge potential source of renewable energy, but most West Coast offshore locations are too deep for ocean anchored/bedded windmill designs. However, the relatively shallow waters around the Farallon Islands (27 miles to the west of San Francisco) have potential, according to Stanford University researchers in a 2009 study.

US Fish and Wildlife Refuge Manager Gerry McChesney said that the Farallon Islands are a fantastic nesting ground for seabirds, with thousands circling in the air at times. Stanford University wind researcher Michael Dvorak (now at Sailor’s Energy) was somewhat pessimistic about the chances for an offshore wind project near the Farallon Islands due to environmental concerns. After sailing around the Farallones, Mr. Dvorak said the pristine environment made an impression on him. He thinks that Cape Mendocino has the best characteristics for a major California offshore wind project due to the persistently strong winds and relatively shallow waters. Mr. McChesney concurred that Cape Mendocino is extremely windy! He recalled an aerial survey that he did of the area in a small twin engine plane with brutal winds.

Stanford Professor Marc Jacobson (Civil and Environmental Engineering) said that San Francisco could potentially run an underwater cable to a Cape Mendocino wind project, but that cable would be expensive. He thinks floating wind projects might be more plausible, if engineered correctly for storms. On the phone, his voice was hoarse after lecturing the next generation of solar and wind experts (environmental engineers) at Stanford, so he directed me to the Stanford SWEP website to learn more about their projects. Lastly, he added that some of his students had worked with the San Francisco Department of the Environment looking for suitable locations for windmills within the City. You can explore more on this topic on the Department of the Environment’s website: here.

About EV News Report

EV News Report is a community blogging website for electric vehicle and greentech enthusiasts, as well as peak oil activists. Please help accelerate the electric vehicle and greentech movements by submitting an original article to EV News Report by following the video instructions on the About tab.

The world is transitioning from the fossil fuel age to the clean electric energy era. Two major world emergencies are driving this change:

1. There are over 7 billion people on the planet according to the United Nations. Today’s worldwide economic growth is placing tremendous demands on the energy sector. Unfortunately, according to the International Energy Agency, approximately 80% of the world’s energy is derived from fossil fuels. Absent an energy revolution, climate research tells us that the planet will be significantly warmer and altered for future generations.

2. The oil market is expensive and fragile. The door is open to green alternatives; however, high oil prices may destroy the currencies of oil dependent nations before the EV and greentech revolutions have a chance to reach mass adoption.

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Avatar of Jack Collins

by Jack Collins

Sustainable San Francisco, Racing to 100% Renewable

February 6, 2014 in Battery Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles, EV News, Geothermal, Greentech, Large Energy Storage, Solar, Sustainable San Francisco, Tesla, Wind

photo (22)

The healthy influence of Tesla Motors in San Francisco has naturally pushed the clean renewable electric movement forward. Nowadays, Model S cars dot San Francisco streets, and the Model X and Gen III are expected to join the S relatively soon. Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Palo Alto headquarters are in the South Bay, about 45 minutes south of San Francisco by car.

SolarCity Spokesman Will Craven stated by email: “According to an internal customer survey, 6.5% of SolarCity customers own an electric vehicle, compared to EV’s .6% market share of all cars sold. Electric vehicles and rooftop solar are an ideal match, especially when you consider that a PV system essentially helps pay for the car and fuel costs.”

The electric energy revolution is the new road ahead. This is the New Energy Deal; renewable energy systems embedded into homes, buildings and landscape. San Francisco has an active commercial PACE program, called GreenFinanceSF, and the City plans to revive a residential PACE program by late spring, according to Rich Chien with the SF Department of the Environment.

Sharon Hoff of the SF Department of the Environment has stated that the City is aware of the need for overnight EV charging facilities for apartment dwellers. Her department has some good ideas; however, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has authority over the municipal parking garages and has a Transit-First Policy. The SFMTA may want to consider adding the future Tesla Gen III to its transit list.

Renewable San Francisco

As with many progressive cities today, San Francisco is driving towards a goal of 100% renewable energy. According to SF Renewable Energy Program Manager Danielle Murray, the City reached 46% renewable including large hydro as of the most recent collection of statistics. However, to get from 46% to 100% renewable, San Francisco needs battery storage to store intermittent renewable energy from the wind and sun.

The weather does not always cooperate for large hydro either; even large hydro and geothermal renewable leader, Iceland, could use large battery storage. Due to low reservoirs, Iceland’s state power company, Landsvirkjun, may have to reduce power to customers in the near-term.

To say the least, renewables are in; fossil fuels are out! The last San Francisco based fossil fuel power plant (natural gas / diesel plant in the Potrero Hill neighborhood) closed about two years ago after the completion of the Trans Bay Cable (TBC); the TBC brings energy from primarily California sources, including renewables. By utilizing renewables with large battery storage in the future, the TBC offers one potential path to raise the City’s renewable percentage significantly. The latest statistics for California renewables can be found here.

Battery Storage

Harvard scientists have been testing a promising organic flow battery that has the potential to revolutionize the energy world. This battery storage system could store large amounts of wind and solar energy (in a relatively cheap manner) that could be utilized upon demand, enabling the world to greatly accelerate the uptake of renewable energies. These Harvard scientist are still in the “test tube and beaker stage” according to CEO Trent Molter of Sustainable Innovations, a business and technology partner with the Harvard team.

On the phone yesterday, Harvard’s Michael Aziz stated that he is excited about the prospects for this new battery, especially as large commercial / utility-scale battery storage. “The economics look better as we scale up,” said Dr. Aziz. He feels confident about the cycle life, having cycled the battery 106 times, but he still needs to complete thousands of cycles to be sure, prior to commercialization. Currently, he is evaluating possibilities to obtain a “higher voltage.” He wants a demo version that “works so well” that it wows the market. No, William Gates has not contacted him yet with a check to race the battery to market, but he has received a number of calls from the media.

Michael J. Aziz (pictured) and others at Harvard University have developed a metal-free flow battery that relies on the electrochemistry of naturally abundant, small organic molecules to store electricity generated from renewable, intermittent energy sources. (Photo by Eliza Grinnell, SEAS Communications.) Courtesy of Harvard University

Michael J. Aziz (pictured) and others at Harvard University have developed a metal-free flow battery that relies on the electrochemistry of naturally abundant, small organic molecules to store electricity generated from renewable, intermittent energy sources. (Photo by Eliza Grinnell, SEAS Communications.)
Courtesy of Harvard University

In a Fox Business interview on January 14, 2014, Dr. Aziz stated: “We have a design that allows us to discharge for many hours to even days, because we store the energy in chemicals outside the battery itself.” Dr. Aziz continued: “We have the first battery chemistry that has a really good chance of coming in for less than a cent a kilowatt hour.”

CEO Molter envisions a 200 kilowatt modular battery storage system that would be scalable to service small to very large energy storage needs. He plans to start with a portable “show and tell” system in order to demonstrate the product and build awareness; however, he stressed that Harvard still has work to do in the lab. Molter sees the world developing into a “mishmash” of energy systems: distributed energy, micro grids and large grid energy. With greater innovation and time, energy paths should favor distributed energy, depending on the multitude of variables in the local environment.

Renewable Island

There are many 100% renewable island examples and projects in development around the world, where a number of approaches have been taken, such as: Samsoe Island, Tokelau, Isle of Eigg and Aruba to name just a few.

As something akin to an island economy, San Franciscans can relate to the insular energy revolution which has been sprouting around the world. Despite its large population of about 825,000 (US Census Bureau), the City has a small feel, being atop a scenic peninsula; San Francisco is only about seven miles long by seven miles wide. In this town, it is often easier, quicker and more pleasant to walk, run or bike to your destination than to wade through the transit system.

As the oil barrel depletes around the world, San Franciscans will certainly manage better than most. We can gather on our Better Market Street and talk about a better world, the electric energy revolution. We may even see tailpipe smoking bans in the City’s future, keeping the internal combustion engine out of downtown pedestrian zones. Oh, they may rev their engines in disapproval, but most people don’t want to breath carbon monoxide. The City has programs in place to help businesses and residents go healthy green: CleanPowerSF, Municipal Installations, GreenFinanceSF and SF Energy Map.

So, here we go running off to 100% renewable, but we all know it’s not that simple. Fortunately or unfortunately, San Francisco residents do not have very large home electric bills due to the mild climate, which has limited the demand for solar systems, 4024 (residential and commercial) as of last count (Danielle Murray), with the predominate number being residential. However, as more and more City residents and businesses purchase electric vehicles, these customers will also purchase solar systems (vice versa). Of course, being San Francisco, we will continue to experiment with all renewable options, as did the Golden Gate National Park Service (picture below).

photo (24)

The Golden Gate National Park Service (NPS) has recently turned San Francisco’s Crissy Field into a natural paradise, which has attracted a boom of tourists walking, running and biking along the San Francisco Bay Trail (Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge). Locals also flock to this park, as do the “nearly 100 species of birds” (NPS) to the restored tidal marsh (picture below).

photo (26)

Moving Ahead with Renewables

California Independent Systems Operator (CalISO) Spokesman Steven Greenlee said that CalISO is studying how California can eventually go 100% renewable, utilizing large battery storage systems and various aggregated distributed energy systems. At present, he says the state is on target to reach its goal of 33% renewable by 2020 (California Renewables Portfolio Standard).

Today, as the world’s financial structure creaks and groans around expensive oil, we can now imagine a better environment ahead. It would be best to just let go of the oil world and trust the market to build anew. The puzzle pieces to 100% renewable are coming together. If oil went to $200 a barrel, the demand for electric vehicles, as well as solar, wind, and other renewables (including battery storage) would skyrocket, fostering greater innovation to come.

We can see clearly now that a sustainable world unites us and how the fossil fuel world has divided us. In great contrast to oil, there’s plenty of sun, wind, water and geothermal in the world to sustain our energy needs. In the San Francisco Bay Area, epicenter of the counter culture movement and the technology boom, there’s no shortage of energy ideas to change the world for the better. Team Tesla recently drove across the United States, Los Angeles to New York, via Supercharger in 76 hours. Go Tesla!

About EV News Report

EV News Report is a community blogging website for electric vehicle and greentech enthusiasts, as well as peak oil activists. Please help accelerate the electric vehicle and greentech movements by submitting an original article to EV News Report by following the video instructions on the About tab.

The world is transitioning from the fossil fuel age to the clean electric energy era. Two major world emergencies are driving this change:

1. There are over 7 billion people on the planet according to the United Nations. Today’s worldwide economic growth is placing tremendous demands on the energy sector. Unfortunately, according to the International Energy Agency, approximately 80% of the world’s energy is derived from fossil fuels. Absent an energy revolution, climate research tells us that the planet will be significantly warmer and altered for future generations.

2. The oil market is expensive and fragile. The door is open to green alternatives; however, high oil prices may destroy the currencies of oil dependent nations before the EV and greentech revolutions have a chance to reach mass adoption.

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