Comments on: Hail, Caesar! New JCESR Projects Aims For Revolution In EV Battery Research

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:37:00 +0000

Lance, that’s some claim. As many studies have shown, solar is a key solution to our water, food, and climate crisis: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/02/clean-energy-is-needed-now-climate-scientists-climate-economists-say/
Regarding costs: we write on that subject basically every day. have a stroll through our archives.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:11:00 +0000

Hello! It’s now 2013!!

PV systems are environmentally benign, at least among the most benign of our options to create electricity. They are best in terms of bird/bat kills. Second best in terms of lifetime CO2 output. Tied with wind in terms of pollution during operation.

And their prices have become extremely sweet.

Were we installing rooftop at German cost ($2/watt) you could put a solar system on your roof that would power your ride for the next 40+ years and it would cost less than $6k.

$6k / 40 years / 12 months = a $12.50 monthly “gas” bill.

By: Lance Sjogren

Lance Sjogren — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Obviously a statistic that he made up. Actually, it would not speak well for EV owners if they have photovoltaic systems in their homes, since those are decades away from being either economically or environmentally benign.

By: Chimene Stewart

Chimene Stewart — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:04:00 +0000

Hi, here’s the link to the final video with Venkat. He’s also answering additional questions via YT comments if you or anyone else wants to know more. Thanks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ukJZS0BJs&feature=share&list=UUCgnbEL97epv-RhIZWHEhuA

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Awesome. We’ll have to broadcast that opportunity!

By: Chimene Stewart

Chimene Stewart — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:33:00 +0000

Have a question about the future of batteries? Email askascientist@lbl.gov and Berkeley Lab’s Venkat Srinivasan may answer it in a follow-up video next week. He’s a big part of a new Department of Energy hub tasked with making huge advances in battery performance. If you’re curious about what’s next for EVs, what it’ll take to store electricity from solar panels for use at night, or why your smartphone keeps dying – Venkat’s your guy. http://youtu.be/F-hJUpLHQNU

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:46:00 +0000

yes, please, get us a link!

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:08:00 +0000

98%? I’d sure like to see a link to those numbers.

It would be great if you’re right, but that seems so high….

By: Science Guru

Science Guru — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:02:00 +0000

Carter,
Hard factual statistics prove that just over 98% of all electric car owners have a photovoltaic solar energy system on their roof to power not only the car but all of the electricity that is used in the home. Only a tiny percent of coal, gas or nuclear derived electric power ever goes into charging an electric car.
Check your facts before posting such nonsense.

By: Ronald Brak

Ronald Brak — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:28:00 +0000

As electric cars are much more efficient than standard internal combustion cars, even in a extremely coal heavy grid overall CO2 emissions are about the same, and very coal heavy grids are quite rare these days. So if you live in Melbourne you might be better off with a fuel efficient hybrid or one of Melbourne’s many LPG vehicles, unless you are a day charger with solar panels. But wind and solar are gradually killing coal plants in Australia and it will take time for electric cars to be seriously marketed here (the Nissin Leaf doesn’t even accept Australian/European power) so it might not be long before electric cars are a clear winner even in dirty, filthy, brown coal Melbourne. (Well, Melbourne itself isn’t dirty and filthy from coal. The coal mutants are mostly confined to the Hunter Valley. Although instead of extra heads the mutations usually just result in, you know, cancer.)

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:42:00 +0000

That’s just wrong, Carter. Very, very wrong.

During the first half of 2012 coal provided only 36% of all electricity generated in the US. And that number will continue to decrease, we have around 100 coal plants scheduled to close in the next few years and we are building no new ones.

By: Jeff King

Jeff King — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Your theory is wrong since only 35% of energy came from coal this year. Now most of it did come from natural gas, but just because its not great now doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t start the switch because any battery research helps renewables and if we can lesson our need for oil thats a great first step

By: Carter Newton

Carter Newton — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:10:00 +0000

No matter how you do it, someone, somewhere butned coal to make that electricity happen each time a battery is recharged 75% of the time in the US, and more elsewhere. Feel good in LA but not so good in Virginia with acid rain all over.

Write about CNG for cars; that is something that makes good sense now; batteries will sometime in the distant future.

By: JMin2020

JMin2020 — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Thanks for the post Tina. This almost makes me want to pay more taxes. There is a sense of pride that is derived of good advances made via tax dollars well spent on meeting our energy and transportation needs with advanced technologies. I am glad we are making headway and the future is looking brighter in these areas.