Cleantech Blog

Energy and Cleantech – It’s not a Zero Sum Game Guys

cleantechorg — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:28:20 +0000

By Neal Dikeman A quote in a recent Wired article claiming cleantech is getting pounded epitomizes the zero sum mentality prevalent in the renewable energy and cleantech discussion. ‘Even solar’s biggest allies on Capitol Hill — people such as Edward J Markey, a top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — fear the [...]

Tesla to Ship 5,000 Model S in 2012

John Addison — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:03:09 +0000

from original post at Clean Fleet Report I’m sitting behind the wheel of this new Tesla Model S wishing that I could drive it away. I can’t. This prototype does not have a drive system. It is on display at the Clean-Tech Investor Summit, getting serious interest from attending CEOs and venture capitalists that can [...]

Concentrating (on) Utility-Scale Solar Energy

Richard T. Stuebi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:47:35 +0000

Last week, at the invitation of organizer Green Power Conferences, I attended their Solar Power Generation USA conference in Las Vegas. Of course, there are innumerable events pertaining to the solar energy space, and each needs its own niche of differentiation. This conference pertained solely to utility-scale solar power projects. In other words, this is [...]

Deep Pu

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:01:13 +0000

The USA Today recently ran an uncommonly in-depth article about the massive efforts to clean-up the decommissioned and horribly contaminated Hanford nuclear site in rural Washington state. A relic of the Manhattan Project and the Cold War, Hanford was the primary site for the production and refinement of plutonium (atomic symbol Pu) for the U.S. arsenal of [...]

Electric Car and Hybrid Car Sales will Triple in Next Six Years

John Addison — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:19:56 +0000

from original post at Clean Fleet Report Pike Research’s John Gartner forecasts that global sales of hybrid and electric cars will grow from 995,000 in 2011 to 2,870,000 in 2017. Half the hybrid cars and all of the EVs will use lithium battery packs by 2017. In fact, the latest hybrid cars from Ford, Buick, [...]

Gartner Forecasts 100,000 Electric Car Sales for 2012

John Addison — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:31:20 +0000

from original post at Clean Fleet Report Gartner, the largest technology market research firm, is forecasting 100,000 electric car sales in 2012 in the United States. Yesterday, I took in the presentation at the SV Forum and then talked with Thilo Koslowski, Vice President of Gartner’s Automotive and Vehicle Practice. He acknowledged that 100,000 is [...]

U.S. Water Infrastructure: FAIL (Almost)

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:57:35 +0000

The Water Innovations Alliance (WIA) recently completed an assessment of the state of the U.S. water infrastructure, which was given an overall grade of D- by the American Society of Civil Engineers in its most recent infrastructure report card. Underlying that nearly failing grade, the WIA produced some startling statistics in a recent newsletter (not yet posted to [...]

Ford Expands Customer Choice – Lowers Manufacturing Cost

John Addison — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:58:36 +0000

original post at Clean Fleet Report The new Ford Fusion gives car owners unprecedented choice in powertrains and fuel economy. The Ford Fusion can be offered with an efficient EcoBoost engine or as a hybrid with better mileage than any midsized sedan or as a plug-in hybrid that allows many trips to use zero gasoline. [...]

Is Sodium Sulfur (NaS) Battery a viable Grid Energy Storage Solution?

David Anthony — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:41:06 +0000

On September 21st, 2011, sodium-sulfur (NAS) batteries installed at Mitsubishi Materials Corp’s Tsukuba Plant, Japan, caught on fire. It took firefighters more than 8 hours to control the blaze, and two weeks to extinguish the fire. NGK Insulators Ltd., the company that manufactured the energy storage system, said the fire authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire. NGK has suspended production of its NAS cells, and advised customers around the world refrain from using their batteries until it tracks down the cause of the fire and finds a solution.

Blue Is The New Green

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:21:07 +0000

I don’t know exactly when “green” became the de facto official color of environmentalism, but it dates back at least to the 1970s, when European political parties rooted in ardent environmental positions took the name “Green”. But, as Paul Markille noted in The Economist‘s excellent annual round-up of speculations for the new year — “The World [...]

Kia Optima Hybrid – Car Review

John Addison — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:26:43 +0000

from original post at Clean Fleet Report It’s an ideal California day for this test drive of the Kia Optima Hybrid. As the day warms, we will be able to open the sunroof, even though it is January. The sky is so clear that we can see the Farallon Islands 26 miles from shore. The [...]

Banking on a Low-Carbon Energy Future

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:31:49 +0000

One of the world’s largest banks, London-based HSBC (NYSE: HBC) issued last September a very interesting research report entitled “Sizing the Climate Economy”. At less than 60 pages, it’s an excellent read for those interested in the future growth of the advanced energy economy. There are really too many highlights to capture all of them in this [...]

Think Small – Electric City Cars

John Addison — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:02:26 +0000

Volkswagen’s “Think Small” is ranked as the most successful campaign in advertising history according to AdAge.com. The ad campaign ranks ahead of iconic Nike’s “Just do it,” Clairol’s “Does she … or doesn’t she,” and Apple’s “1984.” VW’s agency DDB launched the “Think Small” campaign in 1959. The VW Beetle soared in popularity at the same time that GM, Ford and Chrysler cars were expanding, adding weight and growing fins.

New Year’s Resolution: Commercialize Free Energy Technology

David Niebauer — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:26:49 +0000

by David Niebauer In the tradition of starting off the New Year with a resolution, I have decided to go large this year. I predict that 2012 will be the year that low energy nuclear reaction technology (LENR), also known as “cold fusion,” breaks out of the lab and into the commercial market. I hereby [...]

2011 In The Rear-View Mirror: Objects May Be Closer Than They Appear

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:29:39 +0000

It’s that time again: sifting through the detritus of a calendar year to sum up what’s happened over the past 12 months. Everybody’s doing it — for news, sports, movies, books, notable deaths…and now even for cleantech: here’s the scoop from MIT’s Technology Review, and here’s a post on GigaOM. So, my turn [drum roll, please], here’s [...]

Shale gas is starting to affect markets….

Mark Henwood — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:05:28 +0000

The oil gas ratio hit a new record high December 27th with gas trading at $3.11/mmBtu and WTI going for $101.25/bbl yielding an energy ratio of 5.61. In simple terms this means gas is trading at the equivalent of $18.05/bbl crude. The market is starting to notice this rapid shift in natural gas economics. Back [...]

Global Photovoltaics: The Little Engine That Could

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:10:25 +0000

When Ron Pernick co-founded the green-tech market research company Clean Edge back in 2000, he made a bold prediction. By 2010, he said, solar power would be a $23.5 billion industry. To say that Pernick’s prediction was greeted with skepticism is somewhat of an understatement. In 2000, sales of photovoltaics (PVs) totaled $2.5 billion, worldwide. [...]

It’s A Nano World

Richard T. Stuebi — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:04:53 +0000

For the uninitiated, “nanotechnology” refers to the science of the very small, engineering particles and their corresponding materials at the nanometer scale. For a sense of perspective, at one-billionth of a meter, a nanometer is about 1/60,000 of the width of a human hair, so we’re talking engineering not just at the microscopic scale, but the [...]

Shale Gas Poses Financial Threat to Clean Tech

Bill Paul — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:45:47 +0000

By Bill Paul What a coincidence that as ExxonMobil’s interest in shale gas grows, the company declares, in its latest long-term energy forecast, that it has seen the future and it is natural gas. Or as the Wall Street Journal put it, “Exxon Declares Gas King” Every clean tech advocate and investor should beware [...]

Shale gas drives oil / gas spread to a new record

Mark Henwood — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:07:01 +0000

On January 13, 1994 the ratio(*) of the price of oil to the price of natural gas was 1.14. Today it hit a record high over this period of 5.26. Gas traded at $3.28 today, just 21% of the $15.38 / mmBtu it traded for on December 13, 2005. Shale gas is providing gas in [...]