Renewable Energy News » Power Storage

Nissan Partners in Off-Grid Solar EV Charging Project

Green Energy News — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:09:59 +0000

Solar Charging Project Brings Renewable Energy Future to Jordan-

AllCell Technologies, a leading manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs, has teamed up with multiple cleantech companies to create a completely off-grid solar EV charging station. Located in Amman, Jordan, the station can charge both a Nissan LEAF and multiple light electric vehicles simultaneously, is off-grid and includes a lithium-ion energy storage system that is protected from the scorching heat of the desert sun using AllCell’s thermal management system. The country, despite its ideal location for energy derived from oil, is apparently lacking in fossil fuel resources and imports over 90 percent of its energy. What the country lacks, however, it makes up for with a solar radiation zone perfect for generating clean, renewable energy which has been largely untapped as of yet.

The charging station consists of a 3 kilowatt solar canopy developed by Sun Phocus, AllCell’s 25 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion energy storage system, and DBT’s Level II charging station. For the project, Nissan provided its all electric Nissan LEAF vehicle, Matra contributed two electric scooters and a pair of electric GEM cars – with each GEM car incorporating a solar roof. AllCell CEO Said Al-Hallaj, who has been overseeing the project since the fall of 2010, is very excited at what the future will hold for energy impoverished nations like Jordan. “The combination of solar energy, electric vehicles, and energy storage holds enormous promise as a solution to multiple problems inherent in today’s energy systems. The benefits include reduced oil consumption and carbon emissions, increased peak electricity generation, and grid-friendly load shifting. As the prices of solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles continue to fall, such a system will be economically feasible in the near future.” The charging station will serve as a model for a large-scale infrastructure project to eventually help the government meet its goal of using at least 10 percent renewable energy by 2020.

Heat Waves and Our Aging Electrical Grid

Green Energy News — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00:16 +0000

Article Originally Posted on Care2.com, by Author Kristina C.-

The heat wave that has already taken 22 lives has reached the East Coast. I confess to cranking up the air-conditioning, though not to the icebox-like conditions of my local supermarket. I’m just hoping we won’t have a power outage like the three-day one that Ottawa had. As Bryan Walsh writes in Time magazine, the heat wave is putting our aging electricity grid to the test.

Con Edison, the New York power company, actually pays industrial clients who volunteer to reduce the amount of electricity they use. But people are also using “extreme power” in their homes as well and, these days, people staying inside on 40 degree Celsius/104 degree Fahrenheit days means that lots of electrical appliances including TVs and computers are on. Power companies have no choice but to turn to aging power plants:

To meet the excess demand — which can be double the amount of power consumed during a cool day in April — utilities will activate peaker plants: small, inefficient power plants that are turned on and off as needed. Because they’re so inefficient, the power they produce is more expensive than the juice from the backbone fleet — and because the plants tend to be older, they can also lead to more air pollution as well. But when the temperature stays north of 90 F for days on end, those peaker plants are often the only thing preventing a brownout or even a blackout. And this heat wave will be particularly stressful because it will last for so long — at least through the weekend — and will cover such a large portion of the country. The grid will be reaching its limit, with little room for error

Barring a “region-wide blackout” as happened in 2003 (and on a day when it wasn’t as hot), Walsh says that the grid “should weather this heat wave, and all the other high-temperature days to follow this summer.” But the reality is that the grid, like the knob and tube wiring we found in our 1920s house when we moved in, was built in the early 20th century. It wasn’t, that is, meant to power the increasingly sophisticated, and numerous, devices we use today. Walsh writes:

Speaking to members of his advisory board yesterday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu warned that the electrical grid might not be able to handle the new renewable electricity generation expected to be brought online over the next 10 years. (Renewable power from intermittent sources like solar or wind tends to put more stress on the electrical grid than steady sources like coal or natural gas.) More heat waves of the sort the U.S. will experience over the next few days — headed our way over the next few decades — will only stress the grid further. That sizzling sound you’re hearing isn’t just the asphalt.

It’s a reminder that, as we sweat through the heat wave, we don’t have to have the lights on throughout the house, do loads of laundry in the early afternoon when energy use peaks and have the TV, two computers and the AC blasting away. I’ve found it helpful to do two things that might seem the opposite of what to do when outside feels like a steamy sauna: Drink hot tea (something I got in the habit of doing after spending a summer in Taiwan in an un-air-conditioned apartment) and go outside for relatively short, but more frequent, periods; my son still insists on riding bikes and going on walks in the hot weather and doesn’t seem to mind that it is over 100 degrees as he’s sprinting down the sidewalk.

Stay cool, but — though you may need to due to medical conditions — there’s no need for many of us to keep our homes icy cold.

Scotland Plans to Use 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2025

Green Energy News — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:30:54 +0000

New Goal Places the Country Head and Shoulders Above Current Global Targets-

First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, recently announced that, with new goals set into motion, the country may be running off “at least” 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2025. “Scotland has unrivalled green energy resources and our new national target to generate 80 percent of electricity needs from renewables by 2020 will be exceeded by delivering current plans for wind, wave and tidal generation,” Salmond said last month at the Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh. “I’m confident that by 2025 we will produce at least 100 percent of our electricity needs from renewables alone, and together with other sources it will enable us to become a net exporter of clean, green energy.” He said that the plan will focus on strategies such as investment in infrastructure; appropriate supply chain; continuing advancements in renewable technologies and procedures; finance; careful monitoring and regulation of the electricity grid; as well as management of the marine environment. Scotland is planning to generate most of its power from offshore as well as onshore wind farms. With a recent launch of what continues to be the world’s largest tidal power plant, the country is also a leader in wave hydropower – generating enough power for roughly 1,000 homes.

Green Power Islands to Generate and Store Clean Energy

Green Energy News — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:30:01 +0000

Uninhabited Islands Around the Globe May be Used to Generate & Store Energy for Later Use-

Gottlieb Paludan, a Danish architectural firm, has come up with a revolutionary plan to store green energy which may help to solve the world energy crisis. The firm has proposed to take the world’s uninhabited islands and turn them into Green Power Islands, in which energy would be generated on land through wind or solar — depending upon the climate — and the surrounding water would be used to store the power using pumped hydro. Pumped hydro is an efficient and feasible way to store energy and, not to mention, has been successfully used around the world for years. Renewable energy can be particularly unreliable, since the blowing wind and shining sun is only available throughout a portion of the day. Thus, pumped hydro allows the energy captured throughout the day to be stored effectively and can be used at a later time when the need arises. The firm has specified many areas around the globe which would be an optimal site for the Green Power Islands: their native Denmark, the Florida Keys, Jiangsu in China, Manama in Baharain and Tamil Nadu in India. Each of these areas are saturated with unsettled islands and boast an ample supply of either wind or sun. Their plan intends to drive at least 75 percent of the energy captured into the grid. For more information, please visit the Green Power Island website.

STORAGE 2010 Act to Provide Investment Tax Credits to Energy Storage Facilities

Green Energy News — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:56:28 +0000

Legislation to Boost U.S. Grid Efficiency-

A new legislation was recently introduced in the Senate to provide an investment tax credit (ITC) to energy storage facilities. Senate Bill 3617 – the Storage Technology of Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2010 (the “STORAGE 2010 Act”) – would provide up to $1.5 billion in tax credits to storage projects which are connected to the U.S. electric grid. This initiative is intended to support intermittent energy sources, including wind and solar power, while moderating energy demands during peak hours and facilitating a “smart grid” that is thoroughly more reliable in order to improve the U.S. electric grid and provide cheap electricity to the nation. The STORAGE 2010 Act would help improve the efficiency, versatility and reliability of the U.S. electric grid, and would offer more affordable energy storage technologies for homes and businesses. It would offer ITCs for storage systems connected to the electric grid, and on-site energy storage for businesses and homes. The STORAGE 2010 Act would provide a 20 percent ITC for facilities that store energy for delivery or use at a later time, granted that such facilities are connected to the nation’s electric grid. This ITC is capped at $30 million per qualifying project. In tax credit allocation, the Energy Secretary would be required to select projects which are commercially viable and that represent a variety of technologies, applications, and project sizes. Priority would be granted to projects that provide the greatest increase of reliability or economic benefit, that enable the greatest improvement in integration of green energy resources with the grid, or that enable the greatest increase in efficiency in grid operation. The legislation would also offer a 30 percent investment tax credit to businesses and homeowners for on-site storage projects. Those ITCs would be capped at $1 million each year, per qualifying project. If the proposed bill becomes law, the tax incentives would help boost the economy and create a solid foundation for renewable energy generation throughout the nation.

Learn How to Work with Utility Companies to Commercialize Your Products

Green Energy News — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:13:32 +0000

**UPDATE: COMPANY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT & CONFERENCE HAS BEEN CANCELED W/OUT REFUNDS. IF YOU HAVE LOST MONEY VIA ENGEX, CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE.**

EngEx 2010 in San Diego, July 29th – 31st, 2010

EngEx is providing an overview of the Technology Resource Incubator Outreach Program (TRIO), a statewide program designed to nurture new innovative technologies from universities and investor firms through symposiums, training, and support services. Program participants are provided with a roadmap to help them understand the utility environment and are given the tools necessary to develop cost effective energy efficiency and IDSM technologies or programs. By doing so, the program will speed up the availability of new innovative technologies and products.

The TRIO program is designed specifically to help participants gain the necessary perspective and receive the tools needed to work with the California Investor Owned Utilities (IOU’s) such as Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas).

The overview will give participants the necessary information for:

How to do business with utilities
Utility transparency for entrepreneurs
Outreach to entrepreneurs, universities and investors through subject matter expertise, along with incentives and rebates programs
Shortening the commercial process for cost-effective energy efficiency technology

The EngEx 2010 conference & exhibition is creating business opportunities by uniting 39 fields of engineering for collaboration, integration and providing a platform to exhibit innovation.

The EngEx focus is:

Energy
Water
Infrastructure
Environment

EngEx Creates Business Opportunities through:

Technology Innovation Showcase
Grants, Loans & Venture Capital Funding
Federal / State Govt. Contracts
Exports of Technology & Services
International Project Procurement
Research Collaboration & Recognition

EngEx has participation from 9 federal government agencies. Participants can choose from nearly 50 workshops that help in creating business opportunities for the private sector.

Interview with EngEx Founder (Part 1)

Green Energy News — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:26:36 +0000

**UPDATE: COMPANY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT & CONFERENCE HAS BEEN CANCELED W/OUT REFUNDS. IF YOU HAVE LOST MONEY VIA ENGEX, CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE.**

Interview with EngEx Founder/President, Kausain Shaikh, Part 1-

Green Energy News recently sat down with EngEx founder/president, Kausain Shaikh, to discuss the unique opportunities available at the 2010 EngEx conference and exhibition in San Diego, CA. EngEx is an innovative engineering conference and exhibition, and will feature the nation’s leading experts in energy, transportation, water, and environment to collaborate, and exhibit ideas that will help to transform and revitalize the U.S. economy. The engineering exhibition will showcase various topics and educational discussions in renewable energy, fuel infrastructure, carbon capture & reuse technologies, wastewater treatment, sustainable planning, cloud seeding, desalination, and much more. EngEx will offer networking opportunities with hundreds of utility and municipality decision makers, and will also offer in-depth information into government contracts with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of Transportation (DOT) funding, federal land procurement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), export consulting and engineering services with the World Bank, small business loans with top U.S. banks, obtaining a SBA Small Business Innovation Research Grant, as well as SBA, SBIR & STTR proposal writing.

Alaska Clean Energy Development Act

Green Energy News — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:06:46 +0000

Proposed Law Designates Hydropower as Renewable Source of Energy for Alaska-

Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, recently proposed the Alaska Clean Energy Development Act – or H.R. 5352. The legislation would identify statewide hydropower as renewable for the purposes of the renewable tax credits, federal programs, and standards, if it is less than 50 megawatts or is generated through the use of a lake tap or siphon, pumped storage, or a run of the river system. “The passage of this bill will allow Alaskan communities the potential to generate cheap power and energy with small hydro projects,” Young said. “Hydropower is a renewable, nonpolluting, and reliable energy source, but for some reason was not considered renewable by Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi in her ‘energy suicide act’ of 2007. “America needs not only more oil, gas, coal, nuclear but also hydro and other forms of renewable energy. Alaska has great possibilities when it comes to generating electricity through hydropower, but have not been eligible for many grants, tax credits, and other federal funds because it has not been designated renewable. Hydro is an essential renewable for Alaska, and it needs to be recognized.”

EngEx Adds President of Shell to Speak Plus Discount for Exhibit Booths

Green Energy News — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:16:58 +0000

**UPDATE: COMPANY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT & CONFERENCE HAS BEEN CANCELED W/OUT REFUNDS. IF YOU HAVE LOST MONEY VIA ENGEX, CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE.**

Why Attend EngEx 2010

Renewable / Non-Renewable Energy, Water, Infrastructure, Environment
Collaborate | Integrate | Innovate

EngEx 2010 is quickly becoming the place to be this summer. This is the inaugural event and is taking place July 29-31st in San Diego, Ca at the San Diego Convention Center. Not only is the location the best place to be during the summer, but the topics that will be covered and the companies that are going to be there are creating quite a buzz in the renewable, non-renewable, water, transportation and environmental sectors.

Topics you won’t want to miss:

* Overview and future plans of Offshore drilling. A hot topic indeed with all the controversy around the recent oil spill in the Gulf. The MMS (Minerals Management Services, a department of the U.S. Department of Interior), who is responsible for the use of the waters off the coast of our nation, will be speaking on this subject and the direction in which the government is pursuing.

* Overview and future plans of Onshore drilling. Onshore drilling is just as controversial as offshore drilling, and the Bureau of Land Management (another department of the U.S. Department of Interior), will be speaking on the future of drilling on U.S. lands.

* Cloud Seeding. This is a very unpublicized and often misunderstood topic. Cloud seeding is the process whereby dispersing substances into the air, it changes the amount or type of precipitation that comes from the clouds. Hence, we can make it rain or we can even suppress hail and fog when needed around airports. Southern California Edison is a leader in this science, and will be speaking on innovative technologies that have are being developed and the future of cloud seeding and how it can help with our water shortage issues. * Coal. With the recent accident in West Virginia, the coal industry is once again in the spotlight and best/safe practices are a hot topic. At the conference, facts, technology development and the future of coal will be discussed.

Creating jobs and boosting the economy:

* High-Speed Rail in America. It is no secret that the U.S. is far behind in its public transportation system. Europe and Asia have some of the most sophisticated systems available, and it’s time for the United States to get on board and create a mass transit system that will save energy, fuel and reduce traffic congestion on our highways. The U.S. High Speed Rail Association will be speaking at EngEx on the future of high speed rail and the new systems that are currently being developed.

* Exporting technologies to underdeveloped countries. The news has repeatedly stated that the future of environmental technologies will be in the underdeveloped countries. These countries will grow dramatically over the next 5-10 years compared to the developed countries, and there are a multitude of opportunities on which U.S. small businesses can capitalize. The U.S. Department of Commerce will be speaking to this subject and showing businesses how to take advantage of government resources to find international buyers.

* Access to Government Grants & Contracts. Even in this down economy, there are money and contracts available to small businesses – they just don’t know how to take advantage of them. The Small Business Administration will be leading several “how-to” sessions on taking a small business through the steps needed to take advantage of these grants and contracts.

* Career Fair. EngEx 2010 will be providing a career fair with a multitude of companies searching for new talent. Yes, there are still jobs out there and you will want to be there to get in front of these employers!

Financial and Opportunity Resource Center:
* In the center of the Exhibition Hall, EngEx 2010 is creating an Opportunity and Financial Resource center. This center will provide attendees with direct access to banks, venture capitalists, angel investors, patent attorneys and government officials. If you want to get your questions answered directly without going through the struggles of finding the right person, this is the place to be!

Alternative Fuels Vehicle Showroom:
* Electric vehicles, electric trucks, solar vehicles, and electric bicycles are just a highlight of the alternative fuel vehicles that you will be able to see at EngEx 2010. A showroom of the hottest, newest vehicles will be available in the exhibition hall for attendees to see where the future of alternative fuel vehicles is moving.

University Research Poster Panel:
* Our future is in the hands of students from all around the world who have the brightest and most innovative minds and are creating the solutions we need to keep this planet healthy and viable for future generations. Students from all around the world will be presenting their research in energy, water, infrastructure and environmental technologies.

Shell Energy North America
Diamond Sponsor!

SABA Motors
Showcasing Affordable Plug-In Electric Roadster

NEW! Speaker: * Mark Quartermain, President Shell Energy North America

NEW! Participants: * M2M Data Corp * Energy Dynamics * CleanTech San Diego * Keiwit

NEW! Universities that have partnered with EngEx 2010 & will be submitting their research: * San Diego State University * Calgary ISEEESA

NEW! Student Presenters bringing their research to EngEx 2010: *Ben Glass, MIT – *Anas Najy, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi – *Akinwale Coker, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

ABOUT ENGEX 2010

The challenges that face us are interconnected and synergistic. EngEx is the only conference event that brings multidisciplinary, synergistic entities, institutions and associations together to transform “what if…” into “now possible!

EngEx approach is horizontal covering a broad spectrum of technologies for Energy (renewable & non-renewable), Water, Infrastructure, and the Environment. This approach provides for exhibitors and attendees to be co-located for better collaboration, education, and integration that naturally results in enhanced innovation.

While there are a few renewable-only shows, please note that there are no other events that offer a horizontal approach that encompasses non-renewable, energy efficiency, renewable, transportation, water, and environmental technologies under one roof.

Given the current economic times, a horizontal approach is far more attractive to businesses of all sizes, in lieu of attending several vertical events that are not only very costly, but also limit outreach opportunity. Hence, one venue, multiple opportunities.

Giant Gravel Batteries to Improve Renewable Energy Technologies

Green Energy News — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:22:16 +0000

New Technology Could Offer Solution to Seemingly Unreliable Renewable Energy Technologies-

An avant-garde technology is being implemented into wind turbines and solar panels which may potentially offer secure energy storage even when wind and sunlight is not readily available. By allowing electricity to be stored while environmental elements are out of reach, giant-sized batteries made with gravel are anticipated to improve renewable energy generation and will dampen constant criticism of opponents who claim that the renewable energy technology is not economically viable. “If you bolt this to a wind farm, you could store the intermittent and relatively erratic energy and give it back in a reliable and controlled manner,” says Jonathan Howe, founder of Isentropic and previously an engineer at the Civil Aviation Authority. The gravel-based battery would, according to Isentropic, be capable of storing energy equal to that of the former all while using less space – and cash. The company’s technology begins with two silos filled with a pulverized rock such as gravel. Then, electricity is employed to heat and pressurize argon gas which is fed into one of the silos; and, by the time the gas escapes the chamber, it has cooled to an ambient temperature while the gravel itself is heated to 500°C (or 932°F).

The gas is then directed into the second silo where it expands back to normal atmospheric pressure. This stage acts as an oversized refrigerator – causing the gas and rock temperature inside the second chamber to drop to -160°C (or -256°F). Any energy originally produced by the wind turbines is stored as a temperature variation between the two rock-filled silos – so to release the energy, the cycle is reversed, and as the energy changes from hot to cold it powers a generator that makes electricity. Isentropic guarantees an energy efficiency of up to 80 percent and, because gravel is inexpensive, the cost of a system per-kilowatt-hour of storage would be between $10 and $55. According to Howe, the energy in the sizzling silo can be easily stored for extended periods of time; and by his calculations, a silo that stands 50m tall and was 50m in diameter would only lose half of its energy through its walls if left undisturbed for three years. David Bott, director of innovation programs at the Technology Strategy Board, one of the sponsors of the 2010 Clean and Cool trade mission said: “Isentropic have done something very exciting, by revisiting scientific theory and coming up with a new technology that answers the need to match the generation of electricity with its use. For instance, the system could enable the more efficient use of wind power, by storing the energy generated by a turbine until it is needed. We need ways to store the energy we generate when we have a surplus, so that it can be used when we need extra and this innovative new system could provide the answer.”