China Investment Corp. has been selling shares in energy companies, including AES Corp., a US utility, as it seeks to limit energy market volatility risk. “CIC, which purchased billions of dollars in resources-related holdings between 2009 and the first half of 2012, is closely watched by investors world-wide for signals on where China is steering… Keep reading →
Fueled by technological innovation and favorable state policies, the plug-in electric vehicle market surged in 2013, with year-over-year sales increasing 83%. In its first full year on the market, Tesla Motors reported global Model S sales of 22,300 units for 2013. Most recently, Tesla beat fourth quarter sales estimates of under 6,000 by delivering 6,900… Keep reading →
SolarCity has unveiled an energy storage system for businesses. The system includes software that determines when to charge and when to discharge so as to minimize the utility bill. They use batteries from sister company Tesla motors. Although SolarCity has previously teamed batteries with rooftop solar, the new DemandLogic systems are meant for peak shaving.… Keep reading →
Tesla has a strong and growing presence in Germany, with 5 existing dealerships and 5 more coming soon, which is why the German safety regulator’s review of the company’s recent fire incidents is so important. “Tesla received a recent inquiry from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), regarding the Model S post-crash fire… Keep reading →
Dubbed the world’s most advanced wind turbine drive-train testing facility and a grid-scale distributed power generation simulator, the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center dedicated yesterday at Clemson University is state of the art. The facility will vet technology needed to upgrade the aging US power grid. “Central to updating and improving the efficiency and reliability of the aging… Keep reading →
Luxury electric car manufacturer and Wall Street darling Tesla announced 3rd quarter earnings yesterday that contained mixed results. The company reported a record 5,500 Model S deliveries, which beat its own expectations, but the financials were mixed. “The company’s earnings, excluding special charges, came in at $16 million, or 12 cents a share, just ahead… Keep reading →
Video of a Tesla luxury electric car burning after an apparent battery problem went crazy time all over the internet and major news organizations across the US yesterday. But while a battery malfunction at the darling of the electric car industry would be news worthy, what if it was a hoax designed to profit from… Keep reading →
California energy regulators believe energy storage capacity could reach up to 8,000 MW by 2020, and could be further accelerated by renewables targets and the ongoing closure of one of two of the state’s nuclear power plants.
Michael Gravely, deputy chief of R&D at the California Energy Commission said he anticipated “fairly substantial amount of increase in services” in energy storage to balance the grid and integrate renewables over the next decade. Keep reading →
You might fear for the future of any car whose battery sparked, smoldered, or burst into flames during government safety tests.
That’s what happened to the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric/gasoline hybrid touted as GM’s leading response to popular demand for cars that consume less gasoline and emit fewer greenhouse gases than the automaker’s thirstier conventional models. Keep reading →
