HEADLINES

US Geothermal gets funding for Neal Hot Springs power project

Energy Business Review

Renewable energy company US Geothermal has received the first funding drawdown under the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) $96.8m loan guarantee to build a 23MW power plant at Neal Hot Springs in eastern Oregon, US. The Neal Hot Springs development ...
 
Inside Solyndra's Fall: Did The Department Of Energy Make A Massive Mistake?

Alternative Energy Retailer magazine

But when that solar manufacturer is the recipient of the Department of Energy's (DOE) first finalized loan guarantee and has hosted high-profile factory tours from President Obama, the news seems even more grim. Solyndra Corp.'s Aug. ...

Toyota Sets Nurburgring Lap Record for Electric Cars (Video)

Wall Street Journal (blog)

By Jonathan Welsh A Toyota electric car called the TMG EV P001 set a new lap record for electric cars of 7 minutes, 48 seconds around the roughly 13-mile Nurburgring race course in Germany. The “Ring” is a storied, demanding track that has seen the ...
 
BMW opens hydro-powered factory for electric vehicle bodywork

BrighterEnergy.org

Components from the Washington plant will be assembled into full vehicles in Germany. BMW said its all-electric i3 vehicle would have a life cycle emissions at least a third lower than for a highly-efficient combustion-engine car. ...

Volvo and Siemens will make electric vehicles

INAUTONEWS

Saving the planet by reducing the CO2 emissions or even cutting them down is every automaker's plan for the future and the latest partnership was signed between Volvo and Siemens, the two companies agreeing to produce electric vehicles. ...
 
Biofuel efforts continue with Blue Angels show

NavyTimes.com

Mabus is trying to put the Navy Department on pace to cut petroleum use in commercial vehicles in half by 2015, sail a strike group powered with a blend of alternative fuel by 2016, cut energy consumption ashore by 50 percent and make half of ...
 
Tough test for Japan's renewable energy strategy

The Australian

JAPAN is poised to undergo a radical change of direction on energy policy with both its government and its industrial sector belatedly embracing renewable energy. Deposed prime minister Naoto Kan strongarmed lawmakers into passing a feed-in tariff law ...
 
Department Of Energy Awards $145 Million To Solar - Solar Industry


Secretary Steven Chu has announced more than $145 million for 69 projects in 24 states that are designed to ...
 
 
 

Where’s the EVs

My trip to the Annual DC Car Show at the Washington Convention Center yesterday began with the customary trip down I-295 and ended at the cavernous venue. The show as usual was well put together. The management staff does a great job with this event.

You know a renewable energy blogger is only looking for one thing at a car show, Electric Vehicles. Bring’ em to me; give me the keys, man! I want to zip quietly and fast through town, I want to feel those regenerative brakes under my LL beans, I want to smell batteries, baby!! Okay maybe not the batteries.



Chevy Volt

To my surprise, the only test drive being offered while I was there was from a gasoline KIA. Maybe I came on the wrong day? Okay, there’s got to be some awesome EV displays inside, right? I mean the electric vehicle is finally here, in mass production, being marketed.

I entered through the large GM display on the top floor and headed for the volt. It was not readily noticeable, but it was in a prominent location. One volt up on a turntable, I could tell right away that today was not going to be the get behind the wheel and smell the leather as in all the other cars on the floor that had multiple models of the same car.

Going through the equally large Chrysler display area, no EVs here. Just large gas guzzlers, except for one GEMCARS in the corner with no one tending to it.



Sandwiched in between GM and CHRYSLER was FIAT. They had a few compacts that looked nice and roomy, except for the yellow 1970 500L. This car was so small; it looked like a circus clown vehicle.

At the other end of the second floor was FORD with an even larger area full of cars. There was a lot of buzz here, and there it was! Finally, an electric vehicle on the floor! I couldn’t wait to get in it! But wait, the door is locked, NOOOO! From the exterior, the FOCUS was a stout looking machine, roomy with large tires, and since I couldn’t get in it, I shook it! It felt solid and heavy, maybe because of the batteries! Next to it was the CMAX ENERGI, a plug-in hybrid.

While looking at the FOCUS, I had an opportunity to speak with Regions University law professor Bruce Cameron. We talked about range and speed of electrics compared to gasoline vehicles. He had a view that an electric could not hold its own against gas, explaining that he traveled over two hundred miles at a time on trips to the family vacation home, so although he wanted to give the electrics a try, the recharge time was not feasible for him. He also commented on diesels and the mpg they are able to achieve in Europe. I agreed that electrics today are being marketed to the commuter and told him about the Better Place program being explored in Israel.



Technology Superhighway

I worked my way downstairs to the “Technology Superhighway”, an area dedicated to new technologies such as EVs. I had visions of seeing bright lights gleaming on the freshly painted electrics, with hundreds of people waiting to sign up to purchase one of these machines. I found myself salivating! I worked this area last year both as a reporter and as a volunteer for the guys at EVA of DC. I had felt the great enthusiasm as all the new companies vied for market share in an all new world. As I came down the escalator, I saw the guys from EVA who had a good presence. These guys are hobbyists who work on their conversions and also own some factory EVs.

LI-ION Motors

I had the pleasure of meeting Frank Ziegler of LI-ION Motors Corp who eagerly explained the details of the company's offering, a sexy red hotrod that he claimed was currently the fastest EV in the world, a 0-60 in five seconds Supercar with 150 mile range, Lemans suspension and advanced batteries for $139,000.



Buckeye Bullet

  Regrettably, I did not see any of the same manufacturers exhibiting last year such as the THINK and BOLDER electric vehicles. The remainder of the cars were not all that interesting except for the electric dragster named the Buckeye Bullet.  The Buckeye Bullet was built and is maintained by a student-run team based at Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research ( CAR ) which provides facility space and support. Ohio State has partnered with Venturini Motorsports to build the buckeye bullet and the company now plans to open a Columbus office to help supply parts.Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that the lighting was too dim to make the cars gleam. I continued my search for the elusive EV, thinking there have to be more electrics in here.


Smart

 The Smart Center of Tyson’s Corner had three EVs on display and a total of five ready for lease. The car has a top speed of 62 mph and an 85 mile range, said Wallace Rumbarger of Smart Center.



NISSAN’s display was a partially enclosed area with a large opening in the front with the LEAF situated so it was the first car you saw. There were not a lot of gas vehicles. You probably guessed that the only LEAF had locked doors, but it passed my shake test. Solid.



Nissan Leaf

It was disappointing that manufactures such as VW, HYUNDAI, MINI, and TOYOTA didn’t have their EV’s present, not even concepts. I walked away from this year's Show thinking, if EVs are to take off, there’s got to be a better effort to promote them. More cars, various colors, doors unlocked and open, and please-- test cars! I guess we will have to wait until next year to see if things improve. Meanwhile, we just need to get to the dealerships ourselves for those test drives.



Written by George Lopez

"make green a reality" visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

The first Maryland Clean Energy Summit was held at the Hilton Baltimore-Inner Harbor on October 4th

 The first Maryland Clean Energy Summit was held at the Hilton Baltimore-Inner Harbor on October 4th. The event was created by the Maryland Clean Energy Center in partnership with The Solar and Wind Expo to give leaders in the clean energy industry a forum to discuss the current status of the industry and recommend to government officials, the public and each other the best way to make Maryland a leader in clean and renewable energy.

"From the beginning we felt that Maryland was ready for this type of event, but we weren’t sure the industry would feel the same way. In late July, we began to reach out to sponsors, and with the first call we knew we had made the right decision: Sponsors were extremely gracious and excited that we were hosting such an event. Sponsor interest was amazing, with major players such as GE, Toyota, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell and the Reznick Group in right from the beginning. We also had over 55 companies and organizations exhibit, and more than 300 enjoyed the conference exhibits and awards banquet. We ended up with a full house a week before the event; these results exceeded our expectations and left us looking eagerly towards the second annual Maryland Clean Energy Summit and Awards." said George Lopez, Executive Director, The Solar and Wind Expo.

"Our next step is to look over this year’s agenda, venue and other components so we can work on perfecting next year’s Summit. Since this event was packed with so many exciting speakers and exhibits, we may stretch the Summit over two days, and we may also change its hours." Mr. Lopez added.

Tesla Motors goes public, will partner with Toyota on all-electric RAV-4

Tesla Motors, the maker of a super-quick, long-range, all-electric sports roadster, began offering stock for sale on June 29. Tesla, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., is the first American automaker to go public since Ford did more than 50 years ago.


Tesla, which goes by “TSLA” on the NASDAQ exchange, raised $226.1 million in its initial public offering, according to Wired.com. Its shares sold for $20.64 apiece as of July 16.

A Tesla roadster owned by Bill Clark of Maryland was one of the biggest hits at the first Solar and Wind Expo, which took place in May – especially for those persons lucky enough to go for even a brief spin in the car. The roadster can accelerate from zero to 60 in under four seconds.

In another recent development, Tesla and Toyota announced that they plan to revive an all-electric version of Toyota’s RAV4. The small SUV will combine the RAV4 body with a Tesla electric powertrain. Toyota manufactured an all-electric version of the RAV4 in the 1990’s, and a number of these cars were sold in California. An electric RAV4 owned by Robert Neighbour, a member of the Electric Vehicle Association of D.C., that he brought to The Solar and Wind Expo also drew many visitors and much attention.