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California Investing Millions to Build Hundreds of EV Charging Stations

June 20, 2014 in Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV News, San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Office of Governor Brown

Photo courtesy of Office of Governor Brown

SACRAMENTO – The California Energy Commission approved funding for cutting-edge clean energy projects at its monthly business meeting yesterday, including money for hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations, an innovative natural gas fuel tank, and emerging but proven technologies that are ready for the marketplace.

Electric Vehicle Fueling Infrastructure

To continue building the infrastructure needed to charge California’s growing number of electric vehicles, the Energy Commission approved 15 grants totaling more than $5 million to install 475 electric vehicle chargers in communities throughout California, including the cities of San Francisco, Burbank, Torrance and San Diego and the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles. These grants are funded by the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP).

“The Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program continues to support California’s goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025,” said Commissioner Janea A. Scott. “These community investments assist in building the network of charging stations needed, and help accelerate growth in the electric vehicle market.”

Natural Gas Advancements

To develop and demonstrate an advanced natural gas storage tank for light-duty vehicles, the Energy Commission approved a $1.2 million contract with BlackPak, Inc, funded by the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) natural gas program. BlackPak plans to build a storage system from carbon materials that will allow natural gas to be stored at a lower pressure. The system would reduce complexity and cost. The material can be easily formed into a range of shapes, allowing designers to integrate the storage system into a vehicle’s design without sacrificing passenger space. The award provides financial support to develop a prototype of the technology, building upon funding provided by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for early research and development. The Commission also approved PIER grants to develop natural gas plug-in hybrid vehicles to Transportation Power Inc., Efficient Drivetrains Inc., and Gas Technology Institute for $900,000 each.

“Developing alternative and cleaner transportation fuels and technologies are essential if California is to achieve its long term greenhouse gas reduction goals” said Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller “Our federal partners, including ARPA-E, are key players in advancing these initiatives.”

Emerging Technologies

The Energy Commission approved $4.4 million in PIER grants for proposals demonstrating emerging energy efficiency technologies that are past the “proof-of-concept” stage and ready to be demonstrated in an industrial setting under “real-world” conditions. Grants include funds for:

  • A novel infrared technology for dry blanching fruits and vegetables on a commercial scale that is up to 40 percent more energy efficient compared to methods currently used to produce crisp fruit and vegetable snacks.
  • A filtration system for wastewater treatment that uses a chemical reaction instead of the current energy-intensive processes.
  • A combustion system that uses an energy-efficient low-swirl burner that can switch between natural gas, propane and biogas in real time — which could make use of biogas from small source generators economically viable.

Also approved at the business meeting:

  • Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System: A $2.3 million loan for South El Monte to install solar PV systems at city-owned facilities. Each year, the project is expected to produce a million kilowatts of electricity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save the city approximately $135,000 in utility expenses. The loan is funded by the Energy Conservation Assistance Act.
  • Biodiesel: A $5 million ARFVTP grant was approved for Crimson Renewable Energy. The money will be used to upgrade equipment at its existing facility and increase biodiesel production from 17 million gallons to 22 million gallons a year.
  • Alternative Fuel Readiness Plans: The Commission also approved two more ARFVTP projects to help various regions of the State develop strategies for the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure.

View all items that were on the June business meeting agenda.

This article is a repost (6-19-14), credit: CEC.

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GM Surpasses 400 EV Charge Stations at U.S. Facilities

May 21, 2014 in Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV News, GM

Automaker has nearly 160 stations located at various manufacturing facilities

Infographic courtesy of GM

Infographic courtesy of GM

INDIANAPOLIS Based on growing employee demand, General Motors today (5-20-14) announced that it has installed 401 electric vehicle charging stations at its U.S. production and business facilities. More than 20 percent of the stations use electricity generated from solar canopies to help charge employee vehicles.

The majority of the stations are located at GM’s large engineering and corporate facilities in Michigan, where employee EV ownership is growing steadily. All charge stations are available free of charge to GM employees and visitors.

“GM’s commitment to installing a workplace charging infrastructure is among the most expansive of any corporation in the U.S.,” said Britta Gross, director of GM advanced vehicle commercialization policy. “Workplace charging is one of the most important things a company can do to raise plug-in electric vehicle awareness and energize employees.

“Once employees see how easy it is to plug in at home and work, and they realize the fuel savings, plug-in electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt begin to sell themselves.”

In addition to the workplace charging, GM has another 400 charge spots dedicated exclusively to vehicle development and testing. Chevrolet and Cadillac dealers have installed approximately 5,900 charge stations at their locations for owner use 17 of these dealerships use solar charging canopies.

“Workplace charging is now part of GM’s corporate sustainability plan and our employees want to be part of this positive change,” Gross said. “The key for any company is to take the first step and make it simple for employees to engage – in our case we started with outlets and free charging.”

GM’s charging count follows the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement that 75 businesses have committed to participate in its Workplace Charging Challenge to install charging stations for their employees.

The Workplace Charging Challenge, of which GM is a founding member, seeks to persuade America’s employers to commit to provide electric vehicle charging access to employees through partnership, advocacy and promotion.

“GM is an example of a partner who not only has more than 400 workplace charging stations deployed, but also is actively out recruiting other employer partners for the Challenge,” said Reuben Sarkar, deputy assistant secretary for transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, told attendees at the annual Electric Drive Transportation Association conference here.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com

This article is a repost (5-20-14), credit: GM.

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Ford Launches Electric Vehicle Charging Network for Employees; Customers Log 30 Million All-Electric Miles

September 16, 2013 in C-Max energi, Electric Vehicles, EV Campaigns, EV charging, EV News, Ford, Fusion energi

Image courtesy of Ford

Image courtesy of Ford

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 16, 2013

  • Ford launches new workplace charging network, allowing more employees to accomplish their daily commute entirely on electricity
  • Ford customers now have logged 30 million all-electric miles in the company’s full range of plug-in electric vehicles, saving more than 1.2 million kilograms of CO2
  • Ford delivered its best August U.S. electrified vehicle sales ever with 8,292 vehicles sold, up 288 percent over the same period a year ago. August marks the 11th consecutive month Ford achieved electrified vehicle sales records

More Ford employees soon will be able to drive to work entirely on electricity, thanks to a new workplace charging network being installed at nearly every Ford facility in the U.S. and Canada.

Ford plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at more than 50 of its company offices, product development campuses and manufacturing facilities. Installation will begin later this year and roll out across company facilities throughout 2014.

“Ford’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond our fuel-efficient vehicles to include our daily workplace,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford global director of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. “We know that a growing electrified vehicle infrastructure is key to making plug-in vehicles a viable option for more consumers. Ford is committed to doing our part to help grow that infrastructure.”

Ford employees will be able to charge the all-electric Focus Electric, as well as Ford’s two plug-in hybrids – the Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi – at the charge stations. The service will initially be free to employees for the first four hours. Ford estimates it will cost the company about 50 cents to fully charge a vehicle, saving employees up to $2 in gasoline each day.

Ford’s workplace EV chargers are different from competitor programs in that they will be networked together. As a result, the company will be able to gather additional information on electrified vehicle use, such as the number of hours vehicles are charging and the amount of CO2 reduced.

Ford already has more than 1,700 charging stations at Ford dealerships and company facilities in North America. The new workplace chargers will add approximately 200 more.

Throughout the U.S. and Canada, the number of charge stations – both public and residential – is growing rapidly. In 2009, there were 3,000 known public charge stations. Today, there are more than 20,000.

30 million electric miles

Ford Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi drivers typically make three of their four daily trips in all-electric mode, based on data from Ford’s MyFord Mobile app. In fact, every 10 days, Ford customers drive approximately 1 million miles on electricity alone. In total, Ford customers now have logged 30 million all-electric miles driving the full range of plug-in vehicles, saving more than 1.2 million kilograms of CO2.

Current customer data from the Fusion Energi and CMAX Energi is showing that three of every four trips are accomplished on electricity alone. By adding another charge during the day at the workplace, it is likely that employees will be able to accomplish all of their work week trips without using gasoline.

Electrified vehicle sales success

The popularity of Ford’s electrified vehicles led to the company’s best-ever retail U.S. sales results for Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles in August. That contributed to Ford’s best August electrified vehicle sales ever, with 8,292 vehicles sold, up 288 percent over the same period a year ago.

August also marked the 11th consecutive month Ford achieved electrified vehicle sales records. Nearly two-thirds of new Ford electrified vehicle sales are coming from buyers trading in other car brands.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 177,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

This article is a repost, credit: Ford, http://corporate.ford.com.

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Walgreens to Expand Solar Energy Installations to More Than 200 Stores

June 19, 2013 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

Upcoming Solar Rollout with Fellow Illinois-Based Company SoCore Energy Positions Walgreens as the Leading Retailer in Number of Solar Energy Installations

 (3-7-13) Walgreens announced plans to build what the company believes will be the nation's first net zero energy retail store, which engineers predict will produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes. Walgreens plans to achieve that by utilizing solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, energy-efficient building materials, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration. The store will be located in Evanston, Ill. Photo: Business Wire Courtesy of Walgreens


(3-7-13) Walgreens announced plans to build what the company believes will be the nation’s first net zero energy retail store, which engineers predict will produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes. Walgreens plans to achieve that by utilizing solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, energy-efficient building materials, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration. The store will be located in Evanston, Ill. Photo: Business Wire
Courtesy of Walgreens

DEERFIELD, Ill., June 19, 2013 – Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG), the nation’s largest drugstore chain, together with Chicago-based solar developer SoCore Energy, today said they will build more than 200 new solar installations at Walgreens drugstores throughout California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. This latest expansion will bring the number of completed solar installations at Walgreens stores to more than 350, making the company the leading retailer in number of solar powered stores.

“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and leading the retail industry in use of green technology,” said Thomas Connolly, Walgreens vice president of facilities development. “Because we operate more than 8,000 stores, we believe our implementation of sustainable energy technology can have a significant positive impact on the nation’s environment while also creating jobs.”

The upcoming rollout will produce an estimated 13.5 million kilowatt hours annually, the equivalent of offsetting the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 1,400 homes for one year. Included in the rollout is the Walgreens net-zero energy, LEED Platinum store in Evanston, Ill., which will feature more than 850 roof-top solar panels.

Walgreens will host the solar arrays, and SoCore Energy will own, operate, and maintain them. This model has proven to be successful for the two Illinois-based companies since 2011, when the two collaborated on a 53-store rollout across the state of Ohio.

“SoCore is proud to be developing one of the most important and sizeable distributed solar platforms ever constructed in the United States,” said President and CEO of SoCore Energy Pete Kadens. “We love working with companies that strive to be leaders, and after we are done here, Walgreens will have more solar locations than any other company in the US. This is a remarkable accomplishment for both Walgreens and the team at SoCore.”

“I commend Walgreens and SoCore on this innovative partnership and the strong commitment shown by these two Chicago companies to renewable energy,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “These companies are demonstrating what we in Chicago know to be true – that environmentally friendly business is good business and that there are real economic opportunities associated with the new technologies and advances that are associated with the greening of our cities.”

This unprecedented rollout is the latest of many green initiatives for Walgreens. The company currently operates three stores that have achieved a LEED certification level of gold, silver and certified; a store in Oak Park, Ill., using geothermal energy; a distribution center in Waxahachie, Texas, that generates energy though the use of wind; and 400 locations with electric vehicle charging stations. Walgreens drugstores use 25 watt fluorescent lamps (lowest wattage in the industry), LED cooler and freezer lighting and energy management systems in more than 5,000 locations. In addition, 15 Walgreens

distribution centers have achieved net zero waste, which means revenues from recycling exceed waste expense.

“Taking care of our environment is another way Walgreens can help people get, stay and live well in the communities we serve,” said Menno Enters, Walgreens director of energy and sustainability. “Walgreens will continue to strive for leadership in sustainability to create a happier, healthier environment for our customers and the communities we serve.”

Through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, Walgreens has committed to a chainwide 20 percent energy reduction by 2020.

About Walgreens

As the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,096 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

About SoCore

SoCore Energy (www.SoCoreEnergy.com) is the market leader in solar portfolio development and commercial rooftop installations. Focused exclusively on the solar energy needs of multisite retailers, REITs and industrial clients, SoCore combines engineering excellence and financial innovation to reduce the operational and bottom-line expense of solar energy implementation, cut energy costs and hedge against utility-rate increases.

This article is a repost, credit: Walgreens, http://news.walgreens.com/.

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At NREL, Sustainability Goes Beyond Campus, Source: NREL

June 15, 2013 in Environment, EV News, Greentech

Participants at the NREL Parking Garage Workshop tour NREL's new energy-efficient parking structure, which is expected to perform 90% better than a standard garage built just to code.  Credit: Dennis Schroeder Courtesy of NREL

Participants at the NREL Parking Garage Workshop tour NREL’s new energy-efficient parking structure, which is expected to perform 90% better than a standard garage built just to code.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Courtesy of NREL

The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) relies on a team of sustainability experts to make sure the lab “walks the talk.”

From its ultra energy-efficient buildings to its campus-wide infrastructure, NREL has built a state-of-the-art “laboratory of the future” to facilitate innovative research, development, and commercialization of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

NREL’s sustainability program, Sustainable NREL, underscores the lab’s success in leading the nation toward a clean energy future by engaging employees in a “living laboratory” that minimizes NREL’s use of resources, including energy, materials, and water, while receiving the maximum value from resources used.

“We apply what we learn to our facilities, and then we monitor, validate, and process the information not only from a building level, but a campus level as well,” said Sustainable NREL Director Frank Rukavina.

Sustainable NREL drives many of the day-to-day operations on the NREL site. The team helps integrate energy, water, and material resource conservation and efficiency applications at the lab. They also generate short-term and long-term planning measures for NREL’s “Campus of the Future” while overseeing data collection and analysis of performance metrics for federal reporting. Now the team is looking for ways to share that knowledge beyond the NREL campus.

“We are always looking for ways to educate people on what Sustainable NREL is and what we do,” Rukavina said.

(left to right) NREL's Jesse Dean, Wally Piccone from the City of Lakewood, and NREL's Frank Rukavina assess the utility room at the City of Lakewood's Graham House. NREL is coordinating a joint effort with the City of Lakewood and Red Rocks Community College to audit the Graham House and make suggestions for sustainable and energy-efficient modifications. The property was donated to the City and is used for public meetings and events. Credit: Dennis Schroeder Courtesy of NREL

(left to right) NREL’s Jesse Dean, Wally Piccone from the City of Lakewood, and NREL’s Frank Rukavina assess the utility room at the City of Lakewood’s Graham House. NREL is coordinating a joint effort with the City of Lakewood and Red Rocks Community College to audit the Graham House and make suggestions for sustainable and energy-efficient modifications. The property was donated to the City and is used for public meetings and events.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Courtesy of NREL

In addition, Rukavina said Sustainable NREL has a longstanding goal to foster social and environmental responsibility and implement initiatives that will showcase the laboratory as a global model for sustainability.

“We help with efforts to use NREL as a leading example for sustainable buildings and campus design,” Rukavina said. “We don’t just support and report; our focus is to export what we learn to other groups.”

Over the last few years, Sustainable NREL has been ramping up its efforts to be visible in the community and help showcase the renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies developed at NREL. Those efforts have been rewarded with a number of key awards from the White House and the Energy Department.

“While many of the lab’s researchers are hard at work developing the next breakthrough technology that will have a lasting impact on the energy landscape, we are following that model as well,” Rukavina said. “NREL is taking lessons learned and sharing them through reports like the NREL Biennial Sustainability Report and community projects like the Graham House and the NREL Parking Garage Workshop.”

Making the Graham House a Model of Energy Efficiency

Red Rocks Community College teacher Shawn LeMons samples heat loss at the Graham House. Students from Red Rocks Community College are helping NREL and the City of Lakewood with energy audits related to the property. Credit: Dennis Schroeder Courtesy of NREL

Red Rocks Community College teacher Shawn LeMons samples heat loss at the Graham House. Students from Red Rocks Community College are helping NREL and the City of Lakewood with energy audits related to the property.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Courtesy of NREL

Built in the 1948, the Graham House is a Frank-Lloyd-Wright-style home perched on a bluff in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. The 7-acre property has sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains, and it’s an ideal gathering place for small community meetings. That was the intent of owner Jean Graham when she donated the property to the city in 1997.

Now a park property that’s part of Lakewood’s Community Resources Department, the mid-century-era home is in need of an energy-efficiency makeover. In fact, the city hopes the makeover will benefit the community in two ways: with energy savings and as an educational showcase.

“We hope the Graham House will be a model project with energy-efficient systems that will help educate visitors on ways to save energy,” said Lakewood Director of Community Resources Kit Botkins.

With assistance from Sustainable NREL and Lakewood’s Red Rocks Community College, energy audits were completed for the Graham House earlier this spring.

“It is an older home so there are lots of ways we can improve its efficiency, including simple things like lighting and heating,” Botkins said. “These are improvements that other homeowners would be interested in making—and we also believe the enhancements will increase the facility’s use by the city, as well as residents.”

Although the city is still looking for funding for recommended improvements, the students at Red Rocks Community College have already benefited from the joint project.

“Working with the students at Red Rocks on the initial energy audit was intentional on the part of the city,” Botkins said. “We thought it would be cool to have students who are learning to do this, actually learn the process on an example in the field that they could be involved in from beginning to end.”

It’s More Than a Parking Garage

NREL's Shanti Pless leads a tour of NREL's energy-efficient parking garage. He also spoke to community planners about garage performance and design versus actual energy use during NREL's Parking Garage Workshop. Credit: Dennis Schroeder Courtesy of NREL

NREL’s Shanti Pless leads a tour of NREL’s energy-efficient parking garage. He also spoke to community planners about garage performance and design versus actual energy use during NREL’s Parking Garage Workshop.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Courtesy of NREL

NREL’s parking structure may look like your average parking garage. But “everything that we do at NREL has multiple purposes,” Rukavina said. “For instance, the parking garage—its purpose is for staff to park cars, but at NREL, it’s another laboratory for grid integration, electric vehicles, and sustainable building design.”

While it may not be glamorous, a parking garage typically uses 15% of the energy used by the building that it is designed to support. Making NREL’s garage an attractive structure that’s both affordable and high performing presented a unique combination of challenges. In the end, the design team came up with a structure that is expected to perform 90% better than a standard garage built just to code.

In March, NREL and the Energy Department hosted the NREL Parking Garage Workshop to share the message of parking sustainability with planning managers, construction managers, and other stakeholders. Attendees included representatives from the Regional Transportation District and Colorado Department of Transportation, local businesses, government agencies, and universities—many of which are planning to build parking structures in the near future. The goal was to communicate NREL’s building process and help others understand opportunities for replication while raising the energy performance of parking structures.

Linda Kogan, sustainability director for the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus, was one of the workshop attendees. “The workshop was incredibly valuable with very specific strategies that we are already pursuing to reduce energy consumption, including planning for electric vehicle charging stations. We will follow up on recommendations specific to energy-efficient parking garages such as occupancy and daylighting sensors, daylighting design, LED lights, and photovoltaic panels.”

“We feel that working with the community through these different agencies is a natural extension of our mission,” Rukavina said. “We’re planning to have an impact in the years and decades to come.”

Learn more about Sustainable NREL or view Sustainable NREL’s Biennial ReportPDF.

This article is a repost, credit, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, http://www.nrel.gov/news/features/feature_detail.cfm/feature_id=2218.