California utility issues RFP for plug-and-play storage systems to fill broader range of grid needs Someday, grid batteries will come in standard packages, ready to be plugged in as fast as utilities can find places and use cases for them. At least, that’s how utility Southern California Edison would like its next round of energy… Keep reading →
News broke on Wednesday that Nevada had apparently won the five-state competition to land Tesla Motors’ vaunted Gigafactory. A boost in manufacturing prestige and 6,500 jobs are expected to result – but is it possible this giant battery plant of the future could turn out to be a white elephant? OK, Lux Research didn’t go… Keep reading →
It’s not quite full-steam ahead on a Reno “Gigafactory” for Tesla – but the electric car company did confirm that it has pushed around a lot of Nevada dirt, while also keeping its options open in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. This revelation came in the company’s second quarter 2014 shareholder letter [PDF], issued… Keep reading →
A claimed breakthrough in solid oxide fuel cell technology Earlier this week, General Electric announced that it is initiating an entrepreneurial effort to commercialize its solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology for megawatt-scale stationary power applications. Billion-dollar fuel cell startup Bloom Energy also works with SOFC technology at this scale. GE has claimed a recent… Keep reading →
Coal and oil and gas producer Consol has agreed to sell its Consolidation Coal Company subsidiary, which holds five West Virginia coal mines, to Murray Energy for $3.5 billion. Consol aims to whittle its assets down to growth markets – natural gas production and coal for export – as the future of US power generation veers more… Keep reading →
Less than 16,000 battery electric vehicles and 2,000 plug-in hybrids were produced last year, according to IMS Research. But that figure will soar to 16 million by 2021, thanks in part to government initiatives driving innovation in motor manufacturing.
President Barack Obama wants to see 1 million electric vehicles on US roads by 2015, and his administration has implemented proposals for the US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE standards) of 54.5 mpg by 2025. Keep reading →
