Clean Energy & Transport News Roundup (Floating Solar, Solar Roofs, GM, Audi, ABB, Plug-in Hybrids…)
In this edition of the clean energy and transport roundup, we’ve got news about Indian floating solar, energy storage mandate in Massachusetts, solar roofs, German solar auctions, Vancouver carbon reduction initiatives, Tesla Model X, Audi’s eROT system, GM’s plans to be a diesel leader, GreenTech Automotive, ABB’s fast charging supercapacitors, plug-in hybrid confusion, and more.
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Floating large-scale solar projects could be coming to India:
In the latest initiative, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has agreed to a proposal to pursue floating solar power projects on a large scale across the country, and especially in the states where land availability for setting up utility-scale solar power projects is a problem.
But may not reach its solar target this year:
An Indian ratings agency has projected that the expected solar power capacity addition in the country during the current fiscal will be significantly lower than the government’s own target.
Solar roofs planned by Musk & Co.:
It is not a system of solar panels mounted over an existing roof but the actual roof itself. “We’re going to be making a pretty interesting product and I’m excited to kind of reveal to you all at some point. But it is not just your typical module. It is both very efficient and it looks really, really good,” said Peter Rive, SolarCity’s chief technical officer and cousin of Elon Musk.
Germany keeps moving toward more green electricity:
The Federal Network Agency offered 125 MW for its fifth solar auction yet it was oversubscribed by 62 bids for a total of 311 MW tendered, reported PV Magazine. Of the bidding action, 25 projects won the bids and the Agency has allocated 130MW to them.
Massachusetts’ energy storage mandate:
“Irrespective of the eventual target, Massachusetts could become the first non-West Coast state to set forth a storage goal,” said Ravi Manghani, director of energy storage at GTM Research. “It could prove to be a blueprint for other states on the East Coast that share similar challenges related to resiliency, energy costs, and renewable, and grid modernization goals.”
Vancouver announced carbon reduction initiatives:
Under the aegis of its Renewable City Strategy, the city of Vancouver has committed to generate 100% of its energy from renewable sources before 2050. In implementing this renewable energy goal, International Wastewater Systems (IWS) has announced a series of wastewater heat recovery projects will be installed in Vancouver. The installations will be launched in partnership with both public and private sector interests.
Electric car startup misses first loan payment:
Tiny Green Tech Automotive, located in Tunica, Mississippi, is an electric car startup that has Elon Musk-type expectations. It once said it plans to sell 250,000 of its diminutive battery operated cars a year. The state of Mississippi, desperate for good paying jobs, loaned the company $3,000,000 to get its business started. On June 30, the company missed the first loan payment of $150,000. It’s not good news when the very first payment is missed.
Model X inventory option appears on Tesla website:
Tesla recently added a new “inventory” option on its website for those looking to purchase a Model X SUV, according to recent reports from Tesla stalkers. It should be noted, though, that the company doesn’t seem to have actually listed any yet — the option to buy that was is simply enabled.
GM wants to fill diesel powertrain vacuum left by VW:
GM thinks the Volkswagen diesel cheating scandal has left a vacuum in the marketplace — a vacuum it would be only too happy to fill. Speaking at the Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan last week, Dan Nicholson, GM’s vice president of global propulsion systems, said, “I am very optimistic about the diesel market in the U.S. It has been abandoned by others and we are happy to step in and be the leader. Frankly that’s what we’d like to do.”
And approves a new ultra low viscosity oil for its vehicles:
After two years of intensive testing, SAE 0W-20 ultra low viscosity oil from Idemitsu Lubricants America has been approved for use in General Motors products. The oil is the first ever to meet GM’s newest dexos-1™ standard for low viscosity oils. To obtain this distinction, ILA used proprietary technology to attain the required superior fuel economy and performance needed to meet and exceed GM requirements for current and future engine development.
People are dazed and confused about plug-in hybrids:
Say “hybrid” to most people and they think of a car like the Prius — smallish, goofy styling, but great gas mileage. You drive it until it needs gas then you fill it up and drive it some more. Say “electric car” to most people and they think you are talking about a Tesla. Drive it till the battery goes flat, then charge it for an hour or so and drive it some more. But when you say, “plug-in hybrid” to most people, they have no idea how the car works or why it makes sense for them to drive one.
ABB uses advanced supercapacitors for fast charging:
Swiss company ABB is a leading global technology company that specializes in power and automation control devices for industry. For the past 3 years, it has been using advanced supercapacitiors to rapidly recharge the batteries of electric buses in Geneva. Supercapacitors are like a spring that can be slowly compressed (charged) and then later release its stored energy very rapidly — in this case, to charge an electric vehicle. That means they can use energy from the electrical grid to get ready to recharge the next vehicle, whether its a bus, a truck, or a battery powered car.
Audi plans to recapture kinetic energy with electro-mechanical dampers:
Instead of vertical dampers, eROT will use horizontally mounted devices that have electric motors inside. They are connected to the wheels by levers and a series of gears. The motors allow precise control over wheel movements but they can also harvest some of that motion to generate small amounts of electricity. That juice is then sent back to the battery to be stored for later use.
Drill, Donald, drill:
Donald Trump told the Detroit Economic Conference this week that he will propose “a complete rethinking of our energy policy.” What does that mean? According to Trump’s stated plans, it apparently means the Koch Brothers win. Fossil fuel industries will get to extract every last molecule of oil, natural gas, and coal from the earth and burn them to produce profits for themselves. The fact that doing so will likely accelerate the pace of climate change and global warming and destroy human society is irrelevant to these charlatans who place profits above all else — including people’s lives.
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