Energy Storage

Ford Powers into Electric Car Business

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If it’s true that it takes a crisis to force change then the US car manufacturing sector understands this better than anyone. Detroit has undergone a renaissance in the wake of the global economic and financial meltdown, broadening their offerings to include more fuel efficient passenger vehicles, hybrid models and electric cars.

“We are experiencing technological changes in automobiles that I have not seen in my lifetime,” said Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford at a recent reception to promote Ford’s partnership with sustainability innovator SHFT.com. AOL Huffington Post is also a founding partner of the site. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Which energy startups will survive and thrive over the next five to ten years?

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 /  Published April 9, 2012 at 4:15 PM

How The Power Grid Is Blocking EV Adoption (And What To Do About It)

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The charging cord for the Tesla Model S electric car

There is a hidden barrier to electric vehicles (EV) adoption – our electric grid. EVs could significantly increase peak demand and thus impact grid reliability. AMI and demand response technologies are often promoted as the solution for this uptick in peak demand. But we also need to look at other, grid-based solutions to enable broader adoption of EVs. Here are a few reasons why: Keep reading →

 /  Published April 6, 2012 at 1:00 PM

The Future of Energy in New York

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Imagine trying to manufacture and deliver gifts to all 2 million kids in New York City the exact moment they wake up on Christmas morning, without being able produce or store them anywhere ahead of time. You would either have to maintain toy-manufacturing plants on the roof of each home, or construct a supersonic delivery system with unlimited flexibility. The rest of the year, these plants and the high-end delivery system would sit idle until the next Christmas arrived.

If you’re thinking this scenario seems ridiculous and wildly inefficient, you’re right. So it’s surprising to learn that this is how the world thinks about and builds our current electric power infrastructure. This type of planning process was necessary ten years ago based on the state of the world, but today, advances in new technologies such as energy storage and demand response can fundamentally change this scenario. Keep reading →

 /  Published April 6, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Cleantech Risks Losses To Electronics In Energy Storage Quest

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Consumer electronics could be the winners in the quest for energy storage – cleantech’s holy grail – rather than electric vehicles or the integration of renewables.

Dan Adler, president of the influential California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), told last week’s Cleantech Forum in San Francisco: “It is the holy grail and that’s why we continue to focus on this notion that there’s some piece missing.” Keep reading →

 /  Published April 5, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Utility-scale Battery Technology Could Be Around the Corner

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A rare earth mining operation in China’s Jiangsu province

A rare earth metal called vanadium could provide an energy storage solution for some of the challenges renewable energy sources face. The intermittent nature of wind and solar power can make these distributed sources difficult for utilities to manage within the electrical grid. Vanadium flow batteries can accommodate renewable energy by storing massive amounts of electricity and releasing it into the grid as needed when demand increases. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Time To Give Electric Storage Proper Credit?

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View of the Torresol Energy Gemasolar thermasolar plant in Fuentes de Andalucia near Sevilla, southern Spain, taken on October 4, 2011. Gemasolar is the first commercial-scale plant to apply central tower receiver and molten salt heat storage technology.

Electricity is a hoarder’s worst nightmare. It is difficult to capture and store on a large scale and within seconds of being created it disappears. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 5, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Energy Technology Could Go Viral If Prices Fall

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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates delivers remarks on the state of energy February 28, 2012 during the US Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland near Washington, DC. Gates was joined by US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees energy following cell phones and “going viral” worldwide if the costs of advanced batteries teamed with efficient solar panels can be reduced enough. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 29, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Lithium Battery A Solar Storage Game Changer?

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The wonders of solar and wind power are incredibly promising, but the true barrier to effective energy use is in the storage. When the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, the battery takes center stage. Therefore, making energy storage systems as efficient as possible has taken over the labs and minds of researchers around the world.

Giving a new perspective to your mother’s assertion that it’s what’s inside that counts, researchers at the University of Southampton believe it’s perhaps most true when talking about batteries. Their research presents a compelling argument that lithium batteries are the clear choice over traditional lead acid batteries for storing the sun’s energy in photovoltaic systems. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 22, 2012 at 12:15 PM

Electricity Transformation Coming – To What?

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The US energy system will be transformed beyond recognition in the next quarter century, but the only certainties are that no one knows what it will look like and it will cost a lot of money.

Electricity’s future is about “disruptive technologies,” speakers including Secretary of Energy Steven Chu told the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the Department of Energy’s National Electricity Forum Feb. 5-9 in Washington DC, and the power industry needs “partnerships” with state regulators to invest in the uncertain new era. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 14, 2012 at 7:00 AM
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