Electric Vehicles: Challenges on opportunities for the grid

I found this post on Smart-Grid-Seeker, it is so well written that I decided to post it here too. Find the original post here

Electric Vehicles (EVs) were another of the key themes of the Networked Gridconference that was held in Palm Springs CA on May 18-19. In this column I will discuss the emergence of a credible electric vehicle market and some of the opportunities and challenges that this presents for the industry.

Electric vehicles are not a new idea. The earliest electric cars emerged in the mid 19th century and, in the early years of the 20th century they competed effectively with gasoline powered cars. Over time however, advances in internal combustion technology, reduction in noise and vibration, and other improvements led to the pre-eminence of gasoline powered cars which offered greater range and reduced fueling time compared to their electric counterparts. EV’s continued in the form of electric powered trains and trams and in niche markets such as fork lift trucks. There have been many attempts over the years to re-introduce the concept of electric cars but in each case, issues with charge times, battery technology and “range anxiety” – the fear of running out of power with no available charging stations nearby, have contributed to the failure to significantly penetrate the mass market.

Now, due to increased oil costs, concerns about the link between carbon based fuels and climate change, the environmental impact of oil and gas exploration as evidenced by the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and improvements in battery technology, charging infrastructure and new business models, we appear to be on the brink of a breakthrough in mass market adoption of EV’s.

The Nissan Leaf which will launch later this year is expected to retail for around $25,000 after tax incentives. It claims a range of 100 miles although heater or AC use will reduce this. However, Nissan suggests that the range reduction can be minimized by pre-heating/cooling the vehicle while it is still charging. Charging options include a 110/120V 20A trickle charge cable that plugs into a regular US household electrical outlet. For faster charging, Nissan recommends a custom installed 220/240V 40A charging dock that reduces the charge time to 8 hours. This model works well for single family homes in the affluent suburbs. It is less clear how this will work in apartment buildings and condominiums or in inner-city areas where few people have home garages in which to install the charging stations. This may be another factor that leads to uneven uptake on EV’s across the territory of a utility. A 480V quick charging capability will eventually be available but the cost of this type of charging station means that it will likely be confined to commercial charging stations and will not be suitable for home use. Autoblog has more info on the Nissan Leaf.

Chevrolet’s research indicates that 75% of people in the US commute 40 miles or less each day and their 2010 entry into the EV market, the Chevy Volt, has a range of 40 miles but also has an onboard gas generator that can extend the range to hundreds of miles on a full tank of gas. Charging time is quoted as 10 hours or, with a 240V charging station, as little as four hours. Autoblog has also reviewed the Chevy Volt.

In addition to these all-electric cars, there is also a range of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) including converted versions of standard hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic etc. The Leaf, Volt and the PHEV’s are basic family cars. At the upper end of the spectrum, for those EV enthusiasts with over $100,000 to spare, there is the Tesla Roadster which claims a range of 245 miles and a motor providing 288 HP, 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph (electronically limited). Those are Tesla’s parentheses, not mine!

So with all these exciting developments, it looks like EV’s may be here to stay. They offer lower cost to operate, reduced dependence on foreign oil, environmental benefits and a certain caché that comes with being an early adopter of the next big thing. But, what does this mean for the electric industry?

One major concern for the utilities is the impact of the additional current drain that will be required to charge these vehicles. It is assumed that most EV owners will opt for the 240V chargers to provide a guaranteed overnight charge. These chargers represent a draw on the grid that is equal to or greater than an average home: the Nissan Leaf, drawing 40A at 240V represents 9.6KW demand. The grid is architected with local transformers for every 6-10 homes on average. One EV on a transformer probably won’t create any problems but the fear is that these vehicles will be adopted in clusters. If we start to see 3 or 4 EV’s on a single transformer, there is a very real concern that the additional load will cause those transformers to fail, especially if the vehicles are allowed to charge during peak hours. Demand response is a key Smart Grid solution that needs to be in place to enable the expected growth in EVs, but there are unique aspects of demand response that come into play here.

During a panel discussion on Smart Grid and Electric Vehicles at the Networked Grid event, Matthew Crosby, Regulatory Analyst at the California Public Utilities Commission noted that CPUC is working on ways to link charging of EV’s to available wind capacity. As wind capacity ramps up, EV’s would be allowed to charge faster but when the renewable power on the grid drops, the EV charging would slow down. This concept can be extended to integrate charging stations with residential or commercial generation capacity from wind, solar or other sources. Community microgrids with their localized ability to control supply and demand and to shape power supply based on priority may offer a more comprehensive solution to this issue, especially if adoption of EV’s is unevenly distributed throughout the macrogrid.

New companies are emerging who are building out an infrastructure of charging stations to address the issue of range anxiety. Some of the leaders in this field who were part of the Networked Grid panel on EV’s include; Better Place, AeroVironmentand Coulomb Technologies. More than just charging stations however, these companies are offering vehicle charging services to their customers using advanced networking technologies.

Coulomb believes that the value of their company is in networking and software, not hardware. They monitor their charging stations every 14 minutes and provide an iPhone app that will guide drivers to the nearest unused, in-service, charging station.

Better Place offer a battery swap service in addition to charging stations. They believe that by owning and maintaining the batteries themselves, they can extend the life of the battery by ensuring that it is charged under ideal conditions and they can eliminate the charge time concern for their customers.

The custom charging stations offered by all of these companies include sophisticated technology to implement demand response based on signals from the utility. They also contain technology to allow the EV’s to act as distributed storage for the grid. This technology, known as Vehicle to Grid (V2G), could in theory be used to regulate voltage on the grid or to meet peak demand without the need for peaking generators. However, Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies stated categorically that he does not believe V2G is going to happen. There are a number of concerns with this technology including the fact that the customer does not want to return to their vehicle to find that battery depleted as a result of V2G activity. Other issues include the potential impact on battery life of additional charge-discharge cycles and the consequent effect on manufacturers’ warranty obligations and the fact that technically, in the current EV’s that are coming to market, the charging stations do not have a direct connection to the battery to implement V2G but are constrained to work through an on-board charger within the vehicle. Rob Bearman of Better Place believes that they will be able to lower the cost of charging if they can generate revenue via V2G and, because of Better Place’s battery swap model, they would be in a position to provide battery storage for the grid using offline battery banks.

Matthew Crosby discussed a debate about whether CPUC and other public utility commissions who currently regulate electricity utilities have the jurisdiction to regulate the pricing structures for public, residential and commercial charging services? Companies like Better Place and Coulomb don’t actually sell electricity by the KWh as utilities do. Coulomb charges by time and Better Place by mile. They argue that they are no different from other businesses that sell a product that uses electricity as an input to deliver a service (e.g. Laundromats). The input (electricity) is regulated. The outputs (clean, dry clothes) are not. CPUC actually ruled on this question on May 21and sided with the charging infrastructure providers in agreeing that the sale of electricity as a motor vehicle fuel did not make the operator of that facility a utility. They will now move onto look at distribution grid readiness, and associated costs and benefits of various options to enable a viable market for EVs in California.

Clearly there is a lot of work ahead for regulators, utilities, charging infrastructure providers and EV manufacturers but it does appear that a new era of affordable, economical, clean energy transportation is at hand and the industry is ready to embrace the technical and business challenges and ensure mass market success for this new generation of EV’s.

nialljmcshane

What is solar energy?

Today, as environmental awareness and oil prices skyrocket, the potential of solar energy technologies that directly harness the energy of the sun is increasingly desirable and economically feasible. Every year the Earth receives energy in abundance. Some energy is absorbed by green plants and used to make food by photosynthesis. So, ultimately, the Sun is the source of most energy resources available to us. There are three categories that define every type of solar energy technology.
First, the heat and light that is collected is used in its original form of heat or light such as in a greenhouse. Passive collection is much easier to include in new construction because retrofitting an existing building can be difficult and costly. Active solar collection implies converting solar energy to a more usable form of heat or electricity.
A second consists of heat collection and heat-driven mechanisms, such as converting water to steam to power a steam engine that generates electricity. Electric processes use photovoltaic cells that create a moving electric charge that produces a direct electric current.
Finally, a third distinction in solar energy concerns the degree of concentration used in harnessing the suns energy. Concentrating systems engage mirrors and lenses to direct the sunlight to the area of collection.
Some Advantages of solar energy are:
•Solar energy is a renewable resource. Although it cannot be utilized at night or on cloudy days, its availability may be generally relied upon day after day. The solar energy supply will last as long as the sun.
•Oil, on the other hand, is not renewable. It takes millions of years to form. Currently, oil reserves are being depleted at a rate much quicker than more would take to develop.
•Solar energy is non-polluting. Of all the advantages of solar energy over oil, this is perhaps the most important. The burning of oil releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. In addition to this, the process of obtaining it may result in damaged ecosystems through dredging or spills.
•Solar cells are long-lasting and require very little maintenance
• Although solar panels and their accessories (solar lights, etc.) may be expensive to buy at the onset, money is saved in the long run. This is because energy from the sun is widely available and free. Today rising oil prices are a major frustration on many government as well as individual levels.
•Solar powered lights and other solar powered products are very easy to install. This is because there are few wiring issues and little need to ever dig supporting trenches.
The many advantages of solar energy range from benefiting your pocketbook to benefiting the environment. In contrast, few features could be considered disadvantages. These include the current costliness of solar cells, as well as the fact that solar power cannot be created at night or on darkened days.

Turkeys don't pray for Christmas

After helping to secure the Headquarters of the International Renewables Energy Agency for Abu Dhabi, Colombia backed off the whole idea behind the creation of the Agency itself. The Southamerican authorities realized that the proposed principles of the renewables energy gospel are against their own interests, as the agency does not see as Renewable Energy the Hydro-power generation.

As such, the upcoming the IRENA's approach is pushing boundaries towards unprecedented limits for the assessment of the feasibility of new infrastructure projects. In order to get a project resourced by a multilateral organization, variables such as human rights, bio-diversity impact, social development, among other progressive conceptions will need to be taken on board, in order to achieve a truly green renewable energy. The 20th century idea of taking the economic benefits as the overall balancing part of the equation for the approval of multilateral investment will need to be revised, in order to achieve a fairer production of energy.

From the point of view of the old-school governments in the developing world, the only way to achieve progress might seem to be the same way that the developed countries walk down since the industrial revolution. What they do not seem to get is that they could avoid the cruelty, pain and misery of the traditional development programs only if they embraced a novel approach for energy generation.

The difference between the traditional financing of projects and the financing of Renewables is remarkable.   For starts, green energy means energy generation by sustainable and environmentally friendly means. To achieve this level, the local communities need to be involved in the decision making process of the projects;  furthermore, the bio-diversity and the environment need to be preserved in order to keep the green credentials of sustainability. Whereas traditional investment decisions made the 'social' ingredient something marginal, the renewable energies, in order to success need to give them a heavier weight.

It will be difficult to get rid of the traditional thinking, as after all the whole establishment will feel challenged at some stage. The point is that if we all not change our bad habits, the future of the new generations seems to be tainted by wars for territory and resources, not just of hegemony or supremacy as until know, but for survival simply.

Where are the Renewables related jobs in the UK?

At last the UK business establishment defined the plan that will give the British Renewables Industry the push to compete with its European and world 'would-be' peers. After decades of de-regularization and privatization of British industry,  the manufacturing industry is down to its knees. But now there is a potential new opportunity to explore, and take advantage from, within the Renewables entourage. Just as in the pre-industrial times, the UK faces today the challenge of being over-shadowed by the european business that are coming across the channel to fish any opportunity.  


The kick off the Round 3 for the offshore wind industry will bring plenty of opportunities of job creation, as over £100 billion as expected to be invested by the private sector.  Hence the whole supply chain is being impacted by the demand of a highly-skilled work force able to deliver the projects that back the whole idea. Let's just name some of the hottest positions in the highly-skilled renewables market these days:
Blade maintenance technicians
Carbon Analysts
Civil Design Engineers
Electrical Design Engineers
Energy Efficiency Engineers
Energy Management Consultants
Environmental Planners
Forest carbon specialists
Geothermal Engineers
Head of wind projects
Hydrologists
Innovation project director - Wind turbines
Offshore renewables project manager
Offshore Wind engineer
Offshore Installation Engineer
Noise Consultants
Lincs offshore windfarm site engineer
Lecturers in Renewable technologies
Sustainability consultant
Renewable Energy Engineer
Wind turbine develpment- Electical and Mechanical engineers  

Companies creating jobs related to Renewables technologies:
Kingspan, 163 jobs in Portadown
Iberdrola, 200 jobs in Glasglow
Scottish and Southern Energy, £20 million investment in Glasgow
EDF Energy Renewables, 1,000 MW of UK renewable energy production

Why Oil Prices Are So High

Why Oil Prices Are So High

Very interesting point towards the scarcity of the crude oil after the recesion crisis as the main reason for the current high prices, in spite of a reduced demand.

"What we may be experiencing is what Robert Rapier calls Peak Oil Lite, with the early effects of Peak Oil arriving. Demand is rising faster than supply. In its July 2007 report the International Energy Agency predicts OPEC spare capacity will decline to minimal levels by 2012. The lack of spare capacity means, that price volatility increases with price spikes occurring in the event of supply disruption."

Beautiful offshore wind farms

Ireland


Denmark

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Renewables around the world

Almost every single country in the Middle East has announced some kind of plan that involves investment in civil projects and are seeking experts such as Commercial Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers and Cost Engineers to help run these ground breaking projects. The prediction for the future is an extraordinary potential growth of the civil industry and with many of these ambitious projects underway, the region will start to see a dramatic transformation in its economic performance and quality of life.

Europe has invested heavily in solar power in the past decade. Data below show that over the period 1996-2007, the amount of energy generated using the sun's rays has quadrupled within the European Union.

The U.S. (481MW) ranked fourth in new solar electric capacity in 2009, behind Germany (3,800MW), Italy (700MW), and Japan (484MW). The U.S. (2,108MW) also ranked in fourth place in cumulative solar electric capacity behind Germany (8,877MW), Spain (3,595MW), and Japan (2,628MW). The U.S. ranked in tenth place in new solar electric capacity per capita (1.6 W per capita) and ninth place in cumulative solar electric capacity per capita (6.9 W per capita).

Subsidies for fossil fuels are small. Taxes on environmental externalities are difficult to quantify and economically painful. The best way to level the playing field and reduce the need for renewable incentives would be getting rid of monopolies, including deregulation reform and the use of feed-in tariffs instead of rigged bidding.