by EV News
May 9, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Politics, Solar
Solar power is an increasingly important building block on our path toward a clean energy future. Watch the video below for an inside look at the solar panels we recently installed on the roof of the White House:
This article is a repost, credit: White House Blog. Video courtesy of White House.
by EV News
April 3, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar
Image courtesy of SEIA
BOSTON, MA – Nonprofit organizations and solar companies from across the nation today announced the launch of the National Solar Schools Consortium at the widely-attended National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference, which began today in Boston.
The goal of the Consortium is to act as a unified voice for the growing solar schools movement, promoting the use of solar energy on K-12 and post-secondary schools, consolidating and coordinating current and future solar curriculum and resource development, and providing tools designed to help schools explore solar energy options both on campus and in the surrounding community.
“It’s estimated that thousands of schools across America have already installed solar panels – but tens of thousands of others are still tethered to fossil fuels,” said Prof. Sharon Dannels, Chair of the Educational Leadership Department at the GW Graduate School of Education and Human Development. “According to a recent study of California schools, an average-sized 313-kilowatt solar system prevents the emission of an estimated 200 pounds of smog-forming pollution a year.”
To kick off its efforts, Consortium representatives will be presenting at several workshops at the NSTA Conference, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. During these presentations, teachers and other education professionals will be encouraged to share their needs for expanding access to solar energy and related educational resources for their schools. Interested stakeholders can also communicate these needs by completing a brief form on the Consortium website, www.solarschools2020.org.
“More and more schools across the country are discovering the benefits of going solar,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “Today, solar is the fastest-growing source of renewable energy in America, creating thousands of new jobs, pumping billions of dollars into the U.S. economy and helping to reduce pollution. For schools, solar can provide a curriculum where science, economics and the environment all intersect. SEIA is honored to be part of the National Solar Schools Consortium.”
The Consortium comprises representatives of leading environmental, educational, and solar-focused non-profit organizations, as well as for-profit solar businesses. Founding Consortium members include the Brian D. Robertson Memorial Solar Schools Fund, Community Power Network, Elephant Energy, the Foundation for Environmental Education, KidWind, Make It Right Solar, Mosaic, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Solar Energy Industries Association, The Solar Foundation, SolSolution, The Three Birds Foundation, and Women in Solar.
For more information on joining the Consortium, contact Andrea Luecke at [email protected].
About SEIA: Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to champion the use of clean, affordable solar in America by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.
About The Solar Foundation: The Solar Foundation® (TSF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to increase understanding of solar energy through strategic research that educates the public and transforms markets. Since 2010, TSF has published its annual National Solar Jobs Census, which established the first credible solar jobs base line for the U.S. The Solar Foundation is considered the nation’s authority on the solar labor force and advises many organizations on the topic. TSF is also a leading provider of educational materials on the economic impacts of solar for local governments through its work with the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition, TSF chairs the National Solar Schools Consortium, a group of stakeholders seeking to make solar a larger part of the national K-12 system. More at TheSolarFoundation.org
This article is a repost, credit: SEIA.
by EV News
March 26, 2014 in Electric Vehicles, Environment, EV News, Greentech, Honda, Solar, Sustainable San Francisco
03/25/2014 – DAVIS, Calif.
A 9.5kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system mounted on the roof will generate more energy than the home and Fit EV consume on an annual basis, due in large part to the efficient design of the home. Photo by Dorian Toy.
Courtesy of Honda
Honda today marked the opening of Honda Smart Home US, showcasing technologies that enable zero net energy living and transportation. The home, located on the West Village campus of the University of California, Davis, is capable of producing more energy on-site from renewable sources than it consumes annually, including enough energy to power a Honda Fit EV for daily commuting. A Honda-developed home energy management system and an energy efficient design will allow the home’s occupant to use less than half of the energy of a similarly sized new home in the Davis area for heating, cooling and lighting. The home is also three times more water-efficient than a typical U.S. home. See videos about Honda Smart Home US.
Honda Smart Home US, construction of which began in April 2013, will serve as a residence for a member of the UC Davis community, whose selection will soon be announced. The fully-furnished home comes equipped with a Honda Fit EV battery electric vehicle for the resident’s daily transportation.
In addition to showcasing Honda’s vision for sustainable, zero-carbon living and personal mobility, the home will function as a living laboratory where the company, along with researchers from UC Davis and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), will evaluate new technologies and business opportunities at the intersection of housing, transportation, energy and the environment.
Honda’s environmental efforts extend beyond personal mobility to address two of the primary sources of CO2 emissions: cars and homes. Together, energy used to power homes and light duty vehicles contributes to approximately 44% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in the United Statesi. Technology that enables distributed renewable energy generation to supply power to homes and cars seamlessly is one of the key potential pathways to address climate change.
UC Davis’s West Village, where the Honda Smart Homes is located, is the largest planned zero net energy housing development in the U.S. Opened in 2011, West Village is home to the university’s internationally recognized research centers focused on energy efficiency, sustainability and transportation.
A 10kWh battery energy storage system in the garage, using the same lithium-ion cells that are used in the Honda Fit EV, allows stored solar energy to be used at night, when household demand typically peaks and electric vehicles are usually charged. Photo by Dorian Toy.
Courtesy of Honda
Honda Smart Home US implements Honda’s home energy management system (HEMS), a proprietary hardware and software system that monitors, controls and optimizes electrical generation and consumption throughout the home’s microgrid. A 10kWh battery energy storage system in the garage, using the same lithium-ion cells that are used in the Honda Fit EV, allows stored solar energy to be used at night, when household demand typically peaks and electric vehicles are usually charged. Honda’s HEMS leverages the battery to balance, shift and buffer loads to minimize the home’s impact to the electric grid. The system will also enable Honda to evaluate the second life, or re-use, of EV batteries in grid applications, home-to-grid (H2G) connectivity and other concepts.
Honda’s HEMS is also capable of improving grid reliability by automatically responding to demand response signals and providing other grid services. If the electricity grid is overloaded, for example, Honda Smart Home is capable of shedding its load and even supplying power back to the grid. This type of smart grid connectivity will enable the mass deployment of electric vehicles and renewable energy without sacrificing grid reliability.
Honda Smart Home US brings together innovative technology and the latest green building concepts:
A 9.5kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system mounted on the roof will generate more energy than the home and Fit EV consume on an annual basis, due in large part to the efficient design of the home. All of the energy for space heating, space cooling, ventilation, lighting, hot water, appliances and consumer loads, in addition to the transportation energy for the Honda Fit EV, is supplied by the solar panels on the home.
The Honda Fit EV included with the home has been modified to accept DC power directly from the home’s solar panels or stationary battery, eliminating up to half of the energy that is typically lost to heat during DC-to-AC and AC-to-DC power conversion. When the solar panels are generating electricity at full capacity, the vehicle can fully recharge in approximately two hours directly from sunlight.
When the solar panels are generating electricity at full capacity, the vehicle can fully recharge in approximately two hours directly from sunlight. Photo by Dorian Toy.
Courtesy of Honda
In homes and cars, heating and air conditioning systems consume significant amounts of energy. In the ground beneath Honda Smart Home’s backyard, eight 20-foot deep boreholes allow a geothermal heat pump to harness the ground’s relatively stable thermal sink to heat and cool the home’s floors and ceiling throughout the year. Researchers from UC Davis will evaluate the performance of the system to determine its adaptability to mainstream use.
Concrete accounts for approximately 5% of global, man-made CO2 emissionsii. This large CO2 footprint is a result of producing cement – the concrete’s “glue” – by heating limestone to more than one thousand degrees Celsius. This heating requires the burning of fossil fuels, while the chemical reaction itself also releases CO2. A naturally-occurring substance called pozzolan was infused into the Honda Smart Home’s concrete to replace half of the cement typically needed. A technique called post-tensioning, which uses steel cables to compress the concrete slab, was also used to reduce the amount of concrete and steel needed. Watch videos on pozzolan and post-tensioning.
The LED lighting used throughout the home is not only five times more energy-efficient than conventional lighting; it is also designed to support the health and wellness of the home’s occupants. Honda worked with researchers from the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis to explore new circadian color control logic. Mimicking the natural shifts in daylight that occur from morning to night, the circadian-friendly lighting design allows occupants to select lighting scenes that complement occupants’ circadian rhythms and support nighttime vision. The amber hallway night lights, for example, provide enough light to navigate through the home in darkness without depleting a photopigment in the human eye called rhodopsin that helps humans see in low-light conditions. This allows occupants to move about safely and return to sleep quickly and easily. Exposure to bright, blue-rich light during the day helps put body and mind in an alert and energetic state, but at night, blue light can disrupt circadian sleep cycles. Therefore Honda Smart Home minimizes the use of blue light at night.
Honda Smart Home is designed to be extremely energy efficient by taking into account local weather conditions, sun direction and the home’s outer shell. Known as “passive design,” these techniques reduce the energy needed for heating and cooling while maintaining comfortable living conditions.
The Honda Smart Home’s south-facing windows are optimized for heating and cooling, while the north-facing windows are positioned to maximize natural light and ventilation. This will keep the home naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Double stud walls, cool roofing material and a fully insulated concrete slab all contribute to the home’s energy efficiency.
Sustainable materials were used throughout the construction process. Rather than cover the concrete foundation with wood, diamond pads were used to create a smooth, polished finish. For the roof, metal was selected, which is more recyclable than asphalt. All lumber used in the construction process was sustainably harvested from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), while advanced framing techniques were used to reduce the amount of material needed. Honda Smart Home will seek a number of “green” certifications, including US Green Building Council’s LEED, National Association of Home Builders’ National Green Building Standard and U.S. EPA’s Energy Star. Finally, 96% of the construction waste associated with the project, including drywall, brick, plastics and lumber, was recycled.
The Honda Smart Home US was designed to address specific challenges associated with the transportation and energy sectors in the United States. California’s Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, for example, sets a goal for all new homes to be zero net energy beginning in 2020.iii Through a combination of advanced technology integration, energy efficiency measures and sustainable design techniques, Honda Smart Home surpasses that goal by producing enough energy to power the home and an electric vehicle on a daily basis.
Hundreds of channels of energy data generated by sensors throughout the house will be shared with PG&E and UC Davis researchers. In addition, Honda’s Environmental Business Development Office, in conjunction with Honda R&D, will use the home as a living laboratory to test new technologies and evaluate new environmental business opportunities.
Regular updates on the home can be found at www.hondasmarthome.com. Contribute to the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #HondaSmartHome.
Honda Smart Home is expected to generate a surplus of 2.6 megawatt-hours of electricity over the course of a year, while a comparable home will consume approximately 13.3 megawatt-hours. This results in a net offset of nearly 13,100 pounds of CO2 per year, even when taking into account California’s relatively clean electricityiv. The excess energy anticipates potential future increases in energy needs, such as the addition of more occupants or electric vehicles to the home, and an increased daily commute.
The savings are even more dramatic when you consider Honda Smart Home produces its own transportation fuel. CO2 savings rise to more than 23,500 pounds per year versus a comparable home and vehiclev.
Honda Smart Home is three times more water-efficient than a typical U.S. household. In a typical home, the toilet alone can use 27 percent of household water consumptionvi. Dual-flush toilets with WaterSense certification, along with low-flow faucets in the sinks and showers and a high-efficiency washing machine and dishwasher all contribute to water savings. A technique called xeriscaping was used in the garden, where 30% of a typical home’s water is consumed. Plants that thrive naturally in arid climates were selected, while filtered greywater recycled from the home is the only source of water other than rain.
“With the Honda Smart Home, we’ve developed technologies and design solutions to address two primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions – homes and cars,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to the public dialogue about addressing CO2 emissions.”
“In West Village, UC Davis made a commitment to build zero net energy housing and gave our research center the goal of creating the first university hub to focus and energy and transportation research,” said Dan Sperling, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. “Honda Smart Home is a dynamic environment that will help the university meet its research objectives and is a perfect example of the industry partnerships we strive to build.”
UC Davis has long served as a proving ground for innovations in environmental sustainability. Sierra Magazine named UC Davis the nation’s #1 Cool School in its 2012 ranking of the country’s greenest colleges. In 2011, UC Davis West Village opened its doors and is on track to become the nation’s largest planned zero net energy community. Four UC Davis building complexes are certified LEED Platinum, the highest ranking awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Aggressive recycling, composting and reuse efforts prevent more than 63 percent of campus waste from entering landfills annually. Through its Climate Action Plan, the campus has reduced greenhouse gas emissions below year 2000 levels and expects to reach year 1990 levels by 2020. The campus also boasts more than 42 miles of bike paths and more than 20,000 bike racks, earning it a gold award from the League of American Bicyclists.
Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Honda has led the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) rankings of overall vehicle environmental performance since 2000, and a Honda vehicle has topped the list of America’s greenest vehicles from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for eleven out of the past thirteen years. The company leads all automakers with thirteen LEED-certified “Green Buildings” in North America. Ten of its 14 North American manufacturing facilities are zero-waste to landfill.
In 2006, Honda became the first automaker to announce voluntary CO2 emissions reduction targets for its global fleet of automobile, power sports and power equipment products and its global network of manufacturing plants. Today, the company is striving for even greater reductions in CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change, while also working to minimize waste, water use and the total environmental footprint of its operations worldwide.
Honda established operations in America in 1959, and now employs more than 26,000 associates in its U.S. sales, R &D and manufacturing operations with a capital investment of more than $12.5 billion. Over 95% of Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. are produced in North America, using globally and locally sourced parts.
This article is a repost, credit: Honda.
by EV News
March 22, 2014 in Climate Change, Environment, EV News, Oil, Solar
Paul Gilding
Photo courtesy of Post Carbon Institute
I think it’s time to call it. Renewables and associated storage, transport and digital technologies are so rapidly disrupting whole industries’ business models they are pushing the fossil fuel industry towards inevitable collapse.
Some of you will struggle with that statement. Most people accept the idea that fossil fuels are all powerful – that the industry controls governments and it will take many decades to force them out of our economy. Fortunately, the fossil fuel industry suffers the same delusion.
In fact, probably the main benefit of the US shale gas and oil “revolution” is that it’s keeping the fossil fuel industry and it’s cheer squad distracted while renewables, electric cars and associated technologies build the momentum needed to make their takeover unstoppable – even by the most powerful industry in the world.
How could they miss something so profound? One thing I’ve learnt from decades inside boardrooms, is that, by and large, oil, coal and gas companies live in an analytical bubble, deluded about their immortality and firm in their beliefs that “renewables are decades away from competing” and “we are so cheap and dominant the economy depends on us” and “change will come, but not on my watch”. Dream on boys.
Their delusion however, is good news for the world. If the industry really understood what was happening, it would pull out all stops to prevent it. While they’d ultimately fail, it would cost us decades of lost time – decades we can’t afford if we are to stabilise society and reduce the risk of collapse.
I intend to spend this year writing about these trends. They can’t be covered in a single column because they are so broad and interconnected. In fact this is perhaps the best example I’ve seen of system wide transformational change driven by parallel, apparently disconnected forces. Here I will provide an overview, with further reading, so you can more easily see the signals emerging around us. I’ll then dive into more detail over the coming months.
I think it’s important to always start with a reminder of the underlying context. As I argued in my book The Great Disruption, dramatic economic change is not a choice we get to make it, but an inevitable result of physical science. This is because business as usual, with results like ever increasing resource constraint or a global temperature increase of 4 degrees or more, would trigger economic and social collapse. So the only realistic outcomes are such a collapse or an economic transformation that prevents it, with timing the only big unknown. I argued transformation was far more likely and, to my delight, that’s what we see emerging around us today – even faster than I expected.
In parallel, we are also seeing the physical impacts of climate change and resource constraint accelerating. This is triggering physical, economic and geopolitical responses – from melting arctic ice and spiking food prices to the Arab Spring and the war in Syria. (See here for further on that.) The goods news in this growing hard evidence is that the risk of collapse is being acknowledged by more mainstream analysts. Examples include this commentary by investment legend Jeremy Grantham and a recent NASA funded study explained here by Nafeez Ahmed. So the underlying driver – if we don’t change in a good way, we’ll change in a very bad way – is gathering acceptance.
So while it now frames thinking in this area, the mistake many make is to then extrapolate that risk into a likely global policy response as the main driver of change. The thinking goes that we need a “Pearl Harbour moment” – a physical event that forces a global policy agreement to change. As I also argued in The Great Disruption, that’s not how systems change or how our global market society works. Things are far more chaotic and messy – though ironically probably more predictable.
In that systems context, economics is the best lens through which we can both see the triggers for transformation and are able to measure its progress. And let’s remember we care more deeply about economics and markets – at both the personal and macro level – than about polar bears or ecosystems. Crazy and irrational, but still true.
So when we see the price of solar plunge at extraordinary speed and watch it’s deployment swing like a wrecking ball through the utility sector, we should acknowledge it’s going to have more impact on the human system response to climate change than the terrifying acceleration of the melting of the Arctic.
And when I say wrecking ball I probably understate it. As this excellent overview from Stephen Lacey at Greentech Media explains, the utility sector now faces a “death spiral”, and it’s likely many of them won’t make it. This is not a theoretical future crisis – growth in renewables is the prime reason the top 20 European utilities have lost $600 billion (no, not a typo!) in value over the past 5 years. That’s what the financial carbon bubble bursting in a sector looks like – ugly and messy – and there’s many more to come.
The utility death spiral is a great example of system complexity that is simple to understand. Solar energy costs have plummeted – so far that in most places you can get electricity cheaper from your own solar panels than you can from a utility. The impact on the grid of people doing so at scale is to lower the overall cost of electricity generation by reducing both peak demand (and so peak pricing) and lowering volume. Utilities are then stuck with expensive physical assets, less sales and lower margins, so they need to increase either the cost per unit of power or impose grid connection charges to customers. But doing either gives customers more motivation to leave the utility – thus the death spiral.
And the disruption is worse for old players because this is not just technology switching. The whole sector is moving to a distributed rather than centralised system, thereby inviting in countless new, nimble competitors into the space. This is fundamental structural change that is going global, as Giles Parkinson from RenewEconomy explains.
If you think this utility problem isn’t enough to seriously threaten the overall fossil fuel industry, then think again – this is just one of a number of fronts where they’re being hammered. Long term expert on oil and energy trends, Richard Heinberg, explains the oil story well in this podcast, while this excellent overview from Chris Nelder, shows how oil, gas and coal are all under serious pressure. Like Heinberg, Nelder also argues the “soaring cost of producing oil has far outpaced the rise in oil prices”. Nelder also notes that in the US alone, 60 GW of coal power plants are expected to be taken off line by 2016 – double the volume forecast by the EIA less than 2 years ago. Things are moving very quickly now.
This is all just a brief insight into what’s happening and just touches on the complexity and interconnectedness of various disruptive trends.
I haven’t mentioned the revolution underway with electric cars, where Tesla is valued at more than half of GM – despite the latter producing 300 times as many cars! Do you think the market knows where that is going? Or the incredible impact of China having to clean up their air or risk economic and social unrest – knowing when China acts the market impacts are world scale.
Or the role of digital technology and dot com billionaires in driving disruptive change via the move to a distributed energy system – one characterised by rapid innovation and entrepreneurship and the arrival of the “Internet of Things”. It’s in these connections between innovations that the most interesting disruptions are developing. So electric cars become grid storage devices for home renewables, with each car a mini-power station in peak times. I’ll never look at a city car park the same way again.
Already businesses in the US can get battery systems from Coda Energy to even-out grid power use and avoid peak pricing. With software monitoring the grid to know the highest value time to respond, it can be installed at zero cost then paid for by sharing the savings with the battery company! And the solar industry is at last in boom times, with the HSBC’s Global Solar index up 65% last year and already up 23% in 2014.
It won’t be long before all these new players take on the old ones in a battle of “business vs business”, a moment I’ve argued was coming. Knowing how fast new technology players can sweep away slow movers, that will be an interesting battle to watch!
And all this brings increasing recognition by investors that the carbon bubble and stranded assets are serious financial risks, which in turn reinforces the growing power of NGO campaigns against coal and CSG along with their fossil fuel divestment campaign. Then of course there is the role of climate policy which, given the threat to civilisation, seems like it might gain traction at some point!
So, as I see it, the game is up for fossil fuels. Their decline is well underway and it won’t be a gentle one. Of course they won’t just be gone in few years but once the market and policy makers understand what’s happening, it will become self-reinforcing and accelerate rapidly. Markets come into their own in situations like this. They rarely initiate change, but once they’re racing down the hill, it’s time to jump on board or get out of the way. It’s an ugly and brutal process for those involved, but it gets the job done quickly.
When that occurs, we may find that those forecasts by myself and others like Tony Seba from Stanford University, that the oil, coal and gas companies will be all but obsolete by 2030, might turn out to be conservative after all. Interesting times indeed.
This article is a repost, credit: Paul Gilding, Post Carbon Institute.
by EV News
September 19, 2013 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar, Wind
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
Photo courtesy of DOE
By Dr. Ernest Moniz
For decades, America has chased after the promise of clean, domestic energy. But even as costs fell and technology matured, that clean energy future seemed to linger just beyond our reach. Critics often said this new world would “always be five years away.” Today, that is changing.
In recent years, costs for numerous critical clean energy technologies — wind power, solar panels, super energy-efficient LED lights and electric vehicles — have fallen significantly. The accompanying surge in deployment has been truly spectacular. Such a surge is tantamount to topping the barricades — a level of cost reduction and market penetration that will enable a full scale revolution in the relatively near term. A new Department of Energy report, “Revolution Now: the Future Arrives for Four Clean Energy Technologies” documents this transformation and what it means for America’s energy economy. The clean technology revolution is upon us.
While these technologies still represent a small percentage of their respective markets, that share is expanding at a rapid pace and influencing markets. For instance:
As these new markets continue to expand, so will the challenges and opportunities associated with transforming America’ energy system. Already increased energy efficiency and distributed solar energy are posing challenges to traditional utility business models. America will have to invest in building a smarter, more robust and resilient electrical grid with an extensive network of EV chargers and new approaches to consumer bills. These challenges are in fact emblematic of success for America’s clean energy markets.
But why are these markets growing so fast? Policy plays an important role — and not just for renewables. For instance, from 1980 to 2002, the federal government’s production incentives for unconventional natural gas laid a foundation for that sector’s dramatic rise. Today, time-limited tax credits for wind, solar and electric vehicles, in concert with technology and manufacturing advances, are stimulating a similar market expansion.
Of course, these are also great products that bring real benefits to consumers.
For example, no one likes the hassle of repeatedly buying and replacing incandescent light bulbs. A mother who installs a quality LED fixture when her child is born will not need to replace it until that child goes to college — or even graduates. By that time, each LED light she installs will have saved her about $140 in electricity costs. By 2030, LED lights will save Americans $30 billion a year on energy alone.
Forty years ago, an oil embargo sparked panic, rationing and fuel lines across America. But today, Americans can declare their independence from oil, skip the gas lines and recharge at home for the equivalent of about $1.22 a gallon – as opposed to $3.56 for gasoline. We call this low-cost electric fuel an eGallon, and — depending on where you live — eGallon savings can be quite compelling. For instance, in Washington State a gallon of gasoline is almost $4, but the equivalent eGallon costs only 85 cents because of clean, low-cost electricity.
These market revolutions are enabled by robust private-public partnerships for research, development, demonstration and deployment — including some sizable investments from the Energy Department. And the President’s Climate Action Plan, which calls for commonsense steps to reduce carbon pollution and address the effects of climate change, will further accelerate the development and diffusion of these, and other, transformative energy technologies.
Today, we can finally say with confidence that America is witnessing the shift to a cleaner, more domestic and more secure energy future. It is not a faraway goal.
This article is a repost, credit: Department of Energy.
by EV News
September 7, 2013 in Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV News, Solar
Lt. Gov Sue Elspermann with renewz CEO Sass Peress
Photo courtesy of renewz
R&D facility opened at the foot of US Navy’s Crane Naval Center becomes first energy storage lab to feature SILFAB’s advanced technology solar panels, Newberry, Indiana (PRWEB) September 06, 2013
renewz sustainable solutions inc., today announced the completion of its state-of-the-art isola™ solar powered carport at the Battery Innovation Center in Newberry, Indiana, adjacent to the US Navy’s largest battery testing and research base. The solar charging carport system was developed by Renewz® and combines American-made electrical equipment from Eaton with SILFAB’s superior efficiency solar panel technology.
“The completion and deployment took just a matter of days for this first solar power canopy on our new facility grounds,” said Charles LaSota, President of the Battery Innovation Center. “renewz’ rapid-assembly design, combined with an innovative solar technology and power management package, proved to be fastest and least disruptive to our operations of any others we found on the market, something we believe will be of great importance to future opportunities for our armed force bases in their pursuit of energy independence around the world. The need for robust solar-recharged energy storage operating systems becomes more apparent as the number of electric vehicles in our defense arenas increases.”
“When called to action, our team delivered a seamless experience for this customer in record time,” said Sass M. Peress, CEO of renewz. “Built right at the front steps of the US Navy’s largest battery development facility, this modular two-car solar canopy took just two days to assemble without need for any foundation trenching thanks to its ballasted design. Having now built several solar carports in 2013 of this type, our technology and team have clearly demonstrated how armed forces, educational institutions, governments, power utility and corporate entities around the world can quickly and easily deploy renewable, clean energy supplies for their electrical vehicle charging infrastructure, while powering their electric fleets towards true ‘zero-emission’ targets.”
“We at Silfab understand the importance of energy storage for the continued expansion of alternative energy, and are glad to support the Battery Innovation Center,” said Paolo Maccario,General Manager and COO of Silfab. “We also believe that the mission critical operations of our Armed Forces, require robust and reliable solutions, while also fostering continued innovation. This aligns with the business philosophy Silfab prides itself of. High density and “smart” solar PV modules are just some examples of such innovation. I wish to congratulate all the partners in this project for sharing the same relentless pursuit of perfection and technological advancement.”
renewz sustainable solutions, inc. develops and delivers unique solar carport projects based on careful matching of design, technology and brand requirements of its clients. Through the delivery of recognizable, easy-to-implement, and effective solutions, we help clients discover ways to increase their energy independence and security, with leading environmental stewardship…from road to roof®. For more information, visit http://www.renewz.com, facebook.com/renewz or view our videos at youtube.com/renewzsolutions/.
Silfab is a leading North American, fully-automated solar photovoltaic module manufacturer. Its founding partners have been leading innovators of photovoltaic technology since 1981. With 30+ years’ experience, our production process of module manufacturing is continuously being improved. Equipped with the most advanced fabrication technologies, within in a 100,000+ sq. ft. facility, with an annual capacity of 145MW, Silfab is committed to providing the highest quality, high performance modules manufactured within the western hemisphere. For more information, visit http://www.silfab.ca/.
The Battery innovation Center (BIC) in Southwest Central Indiana is a unique “not-for-profit” organization that pulls together world class talent from industry, academia, and government laboratories to provide for the rapid commercialization of new and emerging energy storage system technologies through collaborative research and development. It’s “state-of-the-art” new $15.6M laboratory at Crane@WestGate Technology Park near Naval Support Activity Crane provides unique prototype manufacturing capability for Li Ion batteries, battery characterization and performance test and evaluation capabilities, as well as large scale energy storage devices,charging/discharge systems, and green energy sources for Micro Grid and grid management research and validation. Designated as a U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency (EDA) Proof of Concept Center for Energy Storage technologies, BIC has an active cooperative research and development agreement with NSWC Crane for conduct of unique power and energy research and development opportunities. For more information, visit http://www.BICindiana.com/.
This article is a repost, credit: Renewz Sustainable Solutions, http://renewz.com/.
by EV News
August 31, 2013 in Electric Bike, Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV News, Solar
Antonio Contreras and his Solar Powered HPC HT-1 Electric Bike.
Photo courtesy of Hi-Power Cycles
Hi-Power Cycles releases revolutionary new 120-300 watt portable solar panels that will allow consumers the freedom to ride their electric bikes anywhere by virtue of the sun.
Chatsworth, CA (PRWEB) August 30, 2013
Hi-Power Cycles employee Antonio Contreras commutes to work 30 miles round trip each day powered directly by the sun’s energy. His solar powered electric bike allows for viable and sustainable energy usage and freedom from reliance on fossil fuels. Thanks to Hi-Power Cycles and their brand new solar charging systems, Antonio is able to commute to work and back without costing him one cent.
Harnessing the power of the sun is now easier than ever, thanks to Hi-Power Cycles and their brand new portable, folding solar systems that are capable of charging large scale electrical equipment. Antonio claims he is now saving about $3500 a year which more than pays for his bike with zero reliance on the energy grid.
Armed with the world’s most efficient (24%) commercially available solar cells, Hi-Power Cycles has incorporated them into a lightweight, waterproof, foldable nylon charging system. This system is now able to output up to 300W and is able to charge any DC battery system. For his purposes, Antonio uses the 300W folding panel to charge his 650Watt-hour 52V Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Battery system from his electric bicycle in a little over 2 hours. He says his solar charge is even faster than the standard 120V wall charger that originally came with his bike.
The 300W panel itself weighs about 17 lbs and can stow in a backpack. Antonio says Hi-Power Cycles also offers other panels ranging in size from 60W all the way to 300W. With their custom charge controllers, Antonio says the nominal 24V panels can charge anything from a 12V DC car battery all the way through a specialized 90V lithium battery as the output voltage can be dialed in exactly as the customer wishes.
Aside from the monetary savings, Antonio says that his favorite part of the commute is when he actually arrives at the office refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to start the day. “This is in stark contrast to when I used to ride a normal pedal bike to work. Not only did it take 2-3 longer, but when I arrived I immediately proceeded to the restroom to wash the sweat off and put on a change of clothes. I am forever grateful that aspect of my life is now over and done with.”
Another exciting aspect of going solar: “I don’t have to worry about peak times or charging during off-peak hours to get the cheapest rates from the power companies. In fact, I answer to my own power company now- the sun. It is such a thrill to develop all of this energy for free just by placing the panel out in the sun for a few hours. I can get a maximum of 35 miles of electric only range at about 18 mph out of my bike from just one solar charge.” For most commuters, this is more than enough, especially in cities congested with traffic. In fact, the national average for a two way commute for the average American is 32 miles. So, the 2000W electric bike or conversion kit from Hi-Power Cycles will cover the average American’s commute to work- all powered by the sun.
Hi-Power Cycles plans to expand production of their folding solar panels to meet the extreme demand from both consumers and dealers alike. Chris Hunt, founder of Hi-Power Cycles said, “We are extremely proud to pioneer the manufacture of these high powered folding solar panels that not only serve recreational users, but have industrial applications as well. The possibilities are endless with these panels, and we are excited to continue seeking the most efficient and well designed solar cells in the world.”
This article is a repost, credit: Hi-Power Cycles, http://www.hi-powercycles.com/.
