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ISO, PacifiCorp outline EIM implementation plans for Oct. 1

September 16, 2014 in Environment, EV News, EV Star of the Week, Greentech, Solar, Wind

Stephen Berberich CalISO CEO Photo courtesy of CalISO

Stephen Berberich
CalISO CEO
Photo courtesy of CalISO

Folsom, Calif. – The California Independent System Operator (ISO) and PacifiCorp will launch the Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) on October 1 in planned stages to ensure seamless integration.

For the past several months, EIM has been tested in a simulation environment. During October the EIM will run parallel to PacifiCorp’s existing systems, giving both organizations a more accurate view of actual market and operating conditions. PacifiCorp will submit daily schedules of demand and supply to the ISO, with EIM creating advisory dispatch instructions based on accurate data to optimize the EIM area. Binding dispatches and related financial settlements will begin on November 1.

“I am grateful for the partnership we have with PacifiCorp and our shared commitment to launching a successful market that produces lower energy costs and improves how we integrate renewable resources,” said California ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich.

“The EIM marks an important step toward improving the way energy is managed in the West and I’m pleased we remain on track to bring the benefits of increased coordination to our customers and the region this fall,” said Pat Reiten, president and CEO of Pacific Power, a unit of PacifiCorp.

The ISO and PacifiCorp, two of the largest western grid operators, announced a partnership in February 2013 to create the real-time energy market facilitated by the ISO and set a “go-live” target of Oct. 1, 2014.

Once fully operational, the EIM is expected to reduce energy costs and improve integration of renewable resources, among other benefits. An additional participant, NV Energy, has been given regulatory approval to participate in the EIM in 2015.

The new market will use industry-leading technology to automatically meet demand with the lowest cost resource across the West. This is effective in using excess generation produced by wind and solar resources during especially favorable weather conditions that otherwise would go unused. The increased geographic diversity also means utilities can pool resources and reduce costly reserves.

This article is a repost, credit: CalISO.

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by EV News

Lucas di Grassi snatches win after dramatic last corner crash

September 13, 2014 in Electric Vehicles, EV enthusiast, EV News, EV Star of the Week, FIA Formula E

Audi Sport ABT’s Lucas di Grassi stole victory in the inaugural Formula E Evergrande Spring Beijing ePrix after Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld crashed in a last corner battle for the lead.

Heidfeld walked away unscathed from a nasty looking incident after contact with Prost left him unable to control the car and flipped into the tyre barrier.

As the pair approached the final corner the Venturi driver dived up the inside in an attempt to the take the lead. The Frenchman moved left to defend and inevitably lead to their wheels colliding.

Heidfeld said: “I thought it was going to be a very big crash as well. Once I hit the kerb it felt like I was in the air forever. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact and then I thought ‘Oh that was lucky!’ I have a small pain in my calf but apart from that I’m perfectly fine.”

After clambering out from underneath the car Heidfeld, clearly aggravated, confronted Prost. However, Di Grassi won’t complain as he picks up the full 25 points and with it takes the lead of the championship.

He said: “Firstly, I’m happy Nick [Heidfeld] is ok and it shows how safe these cars are. To win the race is like a dream come true. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The team did a great job all through practice and qualifying, yes we made a few mistakes but overall I’m extremely happy to be the first ever winner of a Formula E race.”

Andretti driver Franck Montagny finished runner-up nearly three seconds adrift of Di Grassi as the Brazilian’s team-mate Daniel Abt crossed the line in third place. On return to the pitlane Abt was handed a time penalty for exceeding the battery consumption. The German driver used 28.2kW of the allocated 28kW available.

Katherine Legge and Jaime Alguersuari were also penalised for being over the limit.

Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird was eventually promoted to claim the final place on the podium. Andretti’s new signing Charles Pic put on a strong display to finish fourth ahead of Karun Chandhok.

Mahindra team-mate Bruno Senna retired on the opening lap after being squeezed between the two Amlin Aguri cars. The Brazilian broke his left-front suspension and consequently brought out the Qualcomm Safety Car.

Despite topping four of the five pre-season tests, e.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi failed to finished after retiring on lap 19.

Takuma Sato picked up two points for Amlin Aguri posting the fastest lap of a 1.45.101 in the final moments of the race.

After a dream start in the first ever Formula E race in Beijing, Lucas di Grassi begins his title assault on the Barcelona World Cup.

FIA Formula E Championship – Drivers’ Standings
1. Lucas di Grassi – 25
2. Franck Montagny – 18
3. Sam Bird – 15
4. Charles  Pic – 12
5. Karun Chandhok – 10
6. Jerome d’Ambrosio – 8
7. Oriol Servia – 6
8. Nelson Piquer Jr – 4
9. Nicolas Prost – 3
10. Stephane Sarrazin – 2
11. Takuma Sato – 2
12. Daniel Abt – 1
13. Jaime Alguersuari – 0
14. Nick Heidfeld – 0
15. Michela Cerruti – 0
16. Katherine Legge – 0
17. Ho-Pin Tung – 0
18. Sebastien Buemi – 0
19. Jarno Trulli – 0
20. Bruno Senna – 0

This article is a repost, credit: Formula E.

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by Jack Collins

The Electric Streetcar

September 28, 2013 in Electric Vehicles, EV News, EV Star of the Week, Streetcar

Tucson Streetcar being delivered Photo courtesy of City of Tucson

Tucson streetcar being delivered
Photo courtesy of City of Tucson

The modern electric streetcar is the star of the week. Modern streetcars improve the quality of life for urban dwellers.

Across America, demand is increasing for modern efficient electric streetcars. Two major trends are behind the change:

  1. Peak oil is causing greater urbanization and significantly increasing the demand for public transit.
  2. City officials are increasingly turning to clean electric transportation (zero-emissions) for climate and health reasons.

The modern streetcar movement is revitalizing downtown America and creating long-term manufacturing jobs. Tucson, Arizona, recently received its first streetcar from United Streetcar, an American company with manufacturing facilities in Clackamas, Oregon. Salt Lake City proudly revealed its modern streetcar design on 9-4-13 and expects the line to be ready in December 2013. Siemens is manufacturing the Salt Lake City streetcar in its manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California. Kansas City recently received grant approval for its streetcar from the US Department of Transportation. These are just a few examples of America’s streetcar revival.

The electric streetcar is the most prized mode of city transport due to its zero-emissions, smoother ride, large viewing windows and wide doors for entry and exit. In comparison, the bus seems uncivilized. Streetcars bring a higher quality of life which is only fully understood with experience. Around inner-city streetcar lines, shops typically flourish due to increased foot traffic and cleaner air. The streetcar revival will likely aide city officials and environmental activists in moving towards zero-emission city zones.

US Department of Transportation Secretary Foxx is a streetcar advocate, and he will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming American Public Transportation Association (APTA) conference, September 30. Many transit officials and industry specialists will be attending the conference to share best practices.

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by Jack Collins

Dr. Alan Gotcher

September 21, 2013 in Battery Energy Storage, Environment, EV News, EV Star of the Week, Ford, Greentech

Xtreme Power / Duke Energy, Notrees Energy Storage Project Photo courtesy of Messe Dusseldorf North America

Xtreme Power / Duke Energy, Notrees Energy Storage Project
Photo courtesy of Messe Dusseldorf North America

Dr. Alan Gotcher is the star of the week.  He is the CEO of Xtreme Power (power management and energy storage solutions).  Xtreme Power and partner, Duke Energy, were recently honored as the winners of the Energy Storage North America Innovation Award for the Notrees Wind Energy Storage Project in Texas.  Notrees is the largest wind energy storage system in North America with 36 MW of battery storage.

Xtreme Power / Duke Energy, Notrees Energy Storage Project Photo courtesy of Messe Dusseldorf North America

Xtreme Power / Duke Energy, Notrees Energy Storage Project
Photo courtesy of Messe Dusseldorf North America

The Xtreme press release stated: “Xtreme Power and Duke Energy, the largest electric power holding company in the U.S., completed the Notrees project in December 2012 – providing environmentally friendly and flexible capacity to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the electrical grid in Texas and manages 75% of the deregulated market in the state.  The Notrees project represented Xtreme Power’s eighth successful project installation in one year.  To date, Xtreme Power has installed 77 MW in the field and counted 25,239 MWh charged/discharged.”

Ford Motor has a Xtreme battery storage system with solar power (Detroit Edison) at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan.  According to Ford, the solar battery storage system saves the company approximately $160,000 a year.  At this plant, Ford manufactures the Focus Electric, C-Max energi and Fusion energi.

Dr. Gotcher has successfully developed several storage working models in the field and has attracted great attention with the significant 36 MW storage system at Notrees.  Xtreme is a private company which has been funded since in its founding with over 90 million from some very notable investors, such as Dow Chemical, BP and Fluor.  Xtreme Power is obviously one to watch.

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by Jack Collins

Anand Chandrasekher

September 14, 2013 in Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV Star of the Week, FIA Formula E

FIA Formula E race car Spark - Renault SRT 01E single-seater Photo courtesy of Renault

FIA Formula E race car
Spark – Renault SRT 01E single-seater
Photo courtesy of Renault

Qualcomm Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Anand Chandrasekher is the star of the week.  Mr. Chandrasekher arranged an agreement between Qualcomm and FIA Formula E to showcase Qualcomm’s wireless charging technology (Halo) in FIA Formula E racing (electric car racing).

FIA Formula E will commence racing in September 2014.  The competitions will take place on city streets in ten host cities, including London, Beijing and Los Angeles.

Qualcomm’s plan is brilliant.  The company is in the pole position to accelerate the adoption of wireless EV technology by showcasing the technology at ten major cities.  More importantly (with public acceptance), wireless EV technology will accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles due to its fueling convenience.  The technology can be utilized in parking places and roadways to charge electric vehicles (even as these vehicles move).

Qualcomm’s website states: “Qualcomm is pioneering the development of Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) technology as a way to bring Electric Vehicles (EV) to the mass market.  Simplicity and Ease of Use are key features of Qualcomm Halo WEVC, which will help drive global EV adoption.”

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