This report presents the current status of sustainable energy development, including the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. The information is intended to provide financiers and policy makers with an overview of the status of the sustainable energy market to help them weigh their commitments to the sector.
There is an urban legend that goes "car companies are withholding the 100
mpg car". It might not have been true before... and now while not withholding
it, the 100mpg is ready - they're just being very
very slow to make it and sell it!
About half our electricity comes from coal, and that will change, at best, slowly as we move to renewables. But we need to keep in mind that when we're talking about cars, even coal-generated electricity results in lower greenhouse gas emissions compared with petroleum.
The United States House of Representatives has passed an Energy Bill requiring utility companies to produce 15 per cent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar power by 2020.
Consider the table below, comparing several different vehicle and fuel options. The prices shown are for the week of 7/23/07, to align with a comparable E-85 price. The electricity price is the most recent national average consumer price from the DOE's Electric Power Monthly.
There’s been an avalanche of news items lately about GM and Toyota and their planned use of lithium-ion batteries in PHEV (plug-in electric hybrid) cars. The bottom line is that GM seems to have stolen the tempo from Toyota (to borrow a piece of chess terminology), at least in the PR battle. (See links to some of the articles at the end of this post.)
Surf this: The potential market for wave energy -- electricity generated by offshore turbines -- is worth a staggering $1 trillion worldwide, according to the World Energy Council, a nonprofit research organization. In the United States alone, wave technology could supply 6.5 percent of the nation's energy. No wonder, then, that startups are rushing to stake claims before someone else drops in on the best waves.
According to a new report from NanoMarkets LC the global market for thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) is forecast to reach $7.2 billion by 2015, compared to just over $1.0 billion today.
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Most of the time, even resident Kim Charles does not notice the solar panels on her roof, the whisper of her SEER 17 heat pump water heater, the airtight, moisture-managed construction of structural insulated panels, the integrated design that allows most of the home's plumbing to reside within one wall, saving precious energy.
Not much more, he adds, saying that incorporating energy-efficient technology and design into what he describes as "mountain/craftsman style" homes will add 5% to 10% to the price tag, with buyers paying $350,000 and up for the homes, and somewhat less for a series of townhouses and condo units also on the drawing board.
This summer, teams from 20 universities are busy building enough homes to make an entire "solar village." The off-grid, self-powering homes will be on display for 10 days in October on the National Mall in Washington D.C., competing in the Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon.
What that means in practical terms, is that the thermodynamics of the building design (insulation levels, window performance, tightness, solar gain, etc.) must be good enough to allow the reasonable application renewable resources like solar or wind power to render the building a net zero energy consumer.
The new device also exhibits some unique electrical properties. While it can act like a traditional lithium-ion battery in that it stores energy and releases it as needed, it also has properties of a super-capacitor. These allow for quick discharges when necessary.
Joliet
Technology offer a full range of domestic and commercial
renewable energy generation systems, built around state
of the art technology, to guarantee high efficiency
levels and offer significant cost savings and reduced
reliance on conventional power sources.