If You Build It, Will They Charge?
By MATTHEW L. WALDTennessee Valley Authority Solar panels atop a charging station will generate electricity for cars in the spaces below.
A transition to electric cars isn't just a matter of the cars, but also of the infrastructure that goes with them, including public charging stations. The Electric Power Research Institute and the Tennessee Valley Authority plan to cut the ribbon on Tuesday on a prototype of a new kind of charging station, one that uses solar cells and batteries. But they do not work together in quite the way the public might expect.
The initial installation has six parking stalls, one of them extra wide for handicapped drivers, with carport roofs covered with solar panels. There are three refrigerator-size battery packs in a building that is heated and air-conditioned.
Under the program, called the TVA Smart Station Initiative, such charging stations are described as "solar assisted" because the panels generate only 12 kilowatts at noon on a sunny day, and the charging stations, when in use, draw 3.3 kilowatts for each vehicle, for a total of nearly 20 kilowatts. Cars will go three or four miles on a kilowatt-hour, and in Tennessee, where all of the charging stations will be installed, the cells atop each space will make enough electricity to move a car about 7,000 miles a year, according to John W. Halliwell, a senior project manager at the institute's research center in Knoxville.
Yet for much of the time, electricity from the cells will flow to the grid because no car will be there to charge. And to recharge the cars, the system draws power from the grid, so the sun does not have to be shining for a driver to charge up.
The batteries and the solar cells themselves are something like shock absorbers for the grid. If drivers want to charge their cars during peak periods on the grid, the charging station's batteries will meet part of that demand so that the impact on the grid is milder. Likewise, the solar cells will chip in with some energy, lessening the load on the grid.
"If with new technologies we can control these resources on the distribution side, we can eliminate the need for potentially very expensive upgrades to the distribution system," said James A. Ellis, the senior manager for transportation and infrastructure at the T.V.A.'s Technology Innovation Organization.
At the Electric Power Research Institute, which will be the site of the first charging stations, Mr. Halliwell said, the various elements could be used in any mix. The batteries, of an advanced lead-acid design, have a usable capacity of 30 kilowatt-hours. They will wear out if they get too hot and will not deliver much current if they get too cold, so one question is how much energy it will take to keep them at a comfortable temperature.
Years from now, Mr. Ellis said, batteries that began their life in electric cars but have lost some of their capacity might be suitable for use at the charging stations. In fact, one function of this program is to determine whether such batteries could be useful, although the batteries to be used in the initial trial are not the sort used in cars.
Researchers say they need to know a lot more about charging stations. Will drivers use them to get a full charge or simply park there for as long as they happen to be in the neighborhood, to add a few miles of range? (At 3.3 kilowatts, a typical car would add about 10 miles of range per hour of charging time.) Where are charging stations most likely to get used? Airports? Universities? Shopping center parking lots?
With the Chevy Volt hybrid and the Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle just hitting the streets, the question remains open.
Another question is economics: there is no mechanism at the moment for charging the driver for the electricity. Because the project is expected to cost $50,000 to $100,000 per space, some purpose beyond electricity sales will probably be needed to make it work, Mr. Halliwell said.
The institute and the T.V.A. hope to have about 125 parking stalls in place, most of them by the end of this year and mainly in the Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga areas.
Tennessee Valley Authority A Chevy Volt at a charging station at a Electric Power Research Institute lab near Knoxville, Tenn.
--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
1.25.2011
Re: Example of Solar Charging Station
Re: Solar Panel Mounts and Trackers
Increase a Solar Panels Electrical Output-
Solar Trackers
Solar Mounts
Solar Trackers and Solar Panel Mounts
Roof Mounts for Solar Panels
Ground Mounts for Solar Panels
Side of Pole Solar Panel Mounts
Top of Pole Solar Mounts
RV & Specialty Solar Panel Mounting
Active Solar Trackers
Passive Solar Panel TrackersSelecting Your Solar Panel Mounting
Mounting solar panels correctly is part of maximizing power production, and it is also an important way to protect your investment from the force of wind. The proper solar panel mounting provides stability and the proper directional and latitudinal orientation for the solar array.
Solar Panel Trackers
Although solar panel trackers are expensive, (several thousands of dollars) they can produce more power in a day than a fixed array as they "track" the sun's path. Solar trackers are often used in water pumping applications to maximize daily production (30-40% improvement over static solar panel mounting). They are generally custom built and take one to three months to manufacturer. One drawback to trackers is that they are subject to failure, as is any mechanical device, and could possibly get stuck in one position until fixed. Trackers are best suited for a handy individual. Each manufacturer provides a sizing sheet according to the number of modules you have and the configuration. These sizing sheets are often found in the Product Documentation tab of each product's specification page.
Solar Panel Mounting
When it comes to solar panel mounting options, you really have many from which to choose. Plenty of people opt for simple solar panel roof mounts, but if you live in a heavily wooded area or different kind of climate, rest assured you have other options. If you have solar power panels or solar arrays and you want to maximize their efficiency by gathering the most power possible, you'll want to consider a solar tracker. By using a sun solar tracker you'll help your solar panel get the most sun possible throughout the day as it automatically points your solar array to a perpendicular line with the sun. This type of active sun tracker uses a special sensor and is motorized so that you can walk away but your solar panel is adjusting all day long. If you are ready to mount your solar panel, make sure you investigate all of the options available. Set up the appropriate ground mounted solar panel system, roof system or pole mounted system and save money while you generate your own power. Enjoy the freedom of the road and powering your RV with solar panels rather than expensive fossil fuels.
--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Solar Panel Mounts and Trackers
Increase a Solar Panels Electrical Output-
Solar Trackers
Solar Mounts
Solar Trackers and Solar Panel Mounts
Roof Mounts for Solar Panels
Ground Mounts for Solar Panels
Side of Pole Solar Panel Mounts
Top of Pole Solar Mounts
RV & Specialty Solar Panel Mounting
Active Solar Trackers
Passive Solar Panel Trackers
Selecting Your Solar Panel Mounting
Mounting solar panels correctly is part of maximizing power production, and it is also an important way to protect your investment from the force of wind. The proper solar panel mounting provides stability and the proper directional and latitudinal orientation for the solar array.
Solar Panel Trackers
Although solar panel trackers are expensive, (several thousands of dollars) they can produce more power in a day than a fixed array as they "track" the sun's path. Solar trackers are often used in water pumping applications to maximize daily production (30-40% improvement over static solar panel mounting). They are generally custom built and take one to three months to manufacturer. One drawback to trackers is that they are subject to failure, as is any mechanical device, and could possibly get stuck in one position until fixed. Trackers are best suited for a handy individual. Each manufacturer provides a sizing sheet according to the number of modules you have and the configuration. These sizing sheets are often found in the Product Documentation tab of each product's specification page.
Solar Panel Mounting
When it comes to solar panel mounting options, you really have many from which to choose. Plenty of people opt for simple solar panel roof mounts, but if you live in a heavily wooded area or different kind of climate, rest assured you have other options. If you have solar power panels or solar arrays and you want to maximize their efficiency by gathering the most power possible, you'll want to consider a solar tracker. By using a sun solar tracker you'll help your solar panel get the most sun possible throughout the day as it automatically points your solar array to a perpendicular line with the sun. This type of active sun tracker uses a special sensor and is motorized so that you can walk away but your solar panel is adjusting all day long. If you are ready to mount your solar panel, make sure you investigate all of the options available. Set up the appropriate ground mounted solar panel system, roof system or pole mounted system and save money while you generate your own power. Enjoy the freedom of the road and powering your RV with solar panels rather than expensive fossil fuels.
--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Example of Solar Charging Station
If You Build It, Will They Charge?
By MATTHEW L. WALDTennessee Valley Authority Solar panels atop a charging station will generate electricity for cars in the spaces below.
A transition to electric cars isn't just a matter of the cars, but also of the infrastructure that goes with them, including public charging stations. The Electric Power Research Institute and the Tennessee Valley Authority plan to cut the ribbon on Tuesday on a prototype of a new kind of charging station, one that uses solar cells and batteries. But they do not work together in quite the way the public might expect.
The initial installation has six parking stalls, one of them extra wide for handicapped drivers, with carport roofs covered with solar panels. There are three refrigerator-size battery packs in a building that is heated and air-conditioned.
Under the program, called the TVA Smart Station Initiative, such charging stations are described as "solar assisted" because the panels generate only 12 kilowatts at noon on a sunny day, and the charging stations, when in use, draw 3.3 kilowatts for each vehicle, for a total of nearly 20 kilowatts. Cars will go three or four miles on a kilowatt-hour, and in Tennessee, where all of the charging stations will be installed, the cells atop each space will make enough electricity to move a car about 7,000 miles a year, according to John W. Halliwell, a senior project manager at the institute's research center in Knoxville.
Yet for much of the time, electricity from the cells will flow to the grid because no car will be there to charge. And to recharge the cars, the system draws power from the grid, so the sun does not have to be shining for a driver to charge up.
The batteries and the solar cells themselves are something like shock absorbers for the grid. If drivers want to charge their cars during peak periods on the grid, the charging station's batteries will meet part of that demand so that the impact on the grid is milder. Likewise, the solar cells will chip in with some energy, lessening the load on the grid.
"If with new technologies we can control these resources on the distribution side, we can eliminate the need for potentially very expensive upgrades to the distribution system," said James A. Ellis, the senior manager for transportation and infrastructure at the T.V.A.'s Technology Innovation Organization.
At the Electric Power Research Institute, which will be the site of the first charging stations, Mr. Halliwell said, the various elements could be used in any mix. The batteries, of an advanced lead-acid design, have a usable capacity of 30 kilowatt-hours. They will wear out if they get too hot and will not deliver much current if they get too cold, so one question is how much energy it will take to keep them at a comfortable temperature.
Years from now, Mr. Ellis said, batteries that began their life in electric cars but have lost some of their capacity might be suitable for use at the charging stations. In fact, one function of this program is to determine whether such batteries could be useful, although the batteries to be used in the initial trial are not the sort used in cars.
Researchers say they need to know a lot more about charging stations. Will drivers use them to get a full charge or simply park there for as long as they happen to be in the neighborhood, to add a few miles of range? (At 3.3 kilowatts, a typical car would add about 10 miles of range per hour of charging time.) Where are charging stations most likely to get used? Airports? Universities? Shopping center parking lots?
With the Chevy Volt hybrid and the Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle just hitting the streets, the question remains open.
Another question is economics: there is no mechanism at the moment for charging the driver for the electricity. Because the project is expected to cost $50,000 to $100,000 per space, some purpose beyond electricity sales will probably be needed to make it work, Mr. Halliwell said.
The institute and the T.V.A. hope to have about 125 parking stalls in place, most of them by the end of this year and mainly in the Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga areas.
Tennessee Valley Authority A Chevy Volt at a charging station at a Electric Power Research Institute lab near Knoxville, Tenn.--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
USA Supplies Wind Power to China-$11 Mill Contract
CleanTech Innovations receives $11 million In initial wind power supply contracts from China's largest energy company
january 25, 2011
CleanTech anticipates winning additional wind energy supply contracts throughout 2011.
The completion of the $20 million in bridge financing with institutional investors on December 13, 2010, made it possible for CleanTech to submit contract bids to HuaNeng before the December 18, 2010 bidding deadline.
CleanTech has submitted other contract bids to HuaNeng and other large energy companies in China. CleanTech anticipates winning additional wind tower supply contracts throughout 2011.
Bei Lu, Chairman & CEO of CleanTech commented: "These two recent contracts represent approximately 50% of our entire 2010 revenues. The new contracts are critical to meeting our 2011 revenue targets in a favorable market environment. CleanTech's management team is also the founders of our company. As CleanTech has already disclosed publicly, our entire management and insider holdings are locked up and prohibited from any share sales for at least 3 years through December 2013. CleanTech management's vested interest is completely aligned with those of our public shareholders. We look forward to delivering another year of record earnings growth in 2011."
Large state-owned energy companies such as HuaNeng are the final customers and integrators of the wind energy industry in China. Topping the five major power producers in China, HuaNeng accounts for 11.9% of domestic power capacity, and 17% of China's clean energy capacity. In 2010, HuaNeng accounted for 12.8% of China's total power generation.
cleantech.com/
--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Ireland Charges Cars with Wind Energy
Ireland Using Wind Energy to Recharge Electric Vehicles
january 25, 2011
The project is meant to demonstrate the smart-grid technologies needed to transfer and store wind energy in electric cars with lithium ion batteries. The EVs will be powered by a mix of wind power and electricity.
The project, coordinated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, is meant to demonstrate the smart-grid technologies needed to transfer and store wind energy in electric cars.
The Mega e-City electric cars, with a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a maximum range of 50 miles (80 km), are being test driven by eight households for one year, followed by another eight households in 2012 and eight more again in 2013. The Mega City is built by French niche-vehicle maker Axiam-Mega Group.
Each household has been fitted with a smart-charger unit that can be accessed remotely to allow the matching of available wind power with vehicle-charging requirements. The project aims to show the significant potential of charging electric cars using wind turbines, particularly under the difficult access conditions of an island environment.
Specifically, it seeks to both demonstrate the efficiency, reliability and maintainability of electric vehicles, as well as demonstrate the potential for locally generated wind power to supply their electricity requirements while also reducing reliance on imported fuels.
The test region includes the Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer islands, covering 18 sq.-miles (47 sq.-km). Inishmore is the largest island and is accessible by passenger ferry, but there is no car ferry. The road network on each of the islands has a speed limit of 32 mph (50 km/h).
The Independent newspaper says the islands draw a portion of their electricity from wind farms on Inishmaan and nearby Connemara on the mainland.
Initially, the EVs will be powered by a mix of wind power and electricity. But the proportion of wind-powered electricity will grow significantly as storage is improved.
"I am confident the lessons to be learned from the use of electric vehicles on the Aran Islands over the next three years will benefit many other communities throughout the country," Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Pat Carey says in a statement.
Social Protection Minister Eamon O Cuiv says island communities often feel they are among the last to benefit from new technologies.
"But in this instance, the people of Aran are to the forefront in pioneering an innovative and novel concept that offers tangible benefits in terms of reduced energy costs and a decreased reliance on imported fuel," he says. "Participating households will benefit from a transport fuel cost saving of up to 80%."
O Cuiv says the EV project is only one step in a larger project to show how wind and ocean energy might be used to provide the electricity, heat and transport requirements for the Aran Islands.
"By demonstrating the benefits of reduced energy-import reliance and costs, the islands could also serve as a learning model for the future energy system for the whole of Ireland," he says.
SEAI CEO Owen Lewis says Ireland has the twin goals of replacing 10% of its passenger vehicles with EVs by 2020 and of exploiting the availability of renewable energy resources, in particular wind.
Under government plans to put 6,000 EVs on the road by 2012, a grant of €5,000 ($6,646) is available to car buyers toward the purchase of the vehicles.
Lewis says the project on the Aran Islands is among the first initiatives worldwide to demonstrate the potential for electric vehicles fueled by wind energy.
"We are most encouraged by the positive reception to the project to date," he says. "Aran is a particularly useful test bed, as the islands have an abundance of wind power and mainly domestic consumers."
The EVs are being supplied by Green Machines Ltd., while Merrion Fleet Management Ltd. is providing full maintenance and support services for the trial. Klockner Moeller Ireland Ltd. developed the smart-charging units to meet SEAI's technical requirements.
By Alan Harman,
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Scott's Contracting
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5,115 MW- New Wind for USA
U.S. finished the year with a total of 5,115 MW of new wind power
january 25, 2011
America's wind energy industry built 5,115 megawatts of wind power last year, barely half of 2009's record pace, but entered 2011 with over 5,600 megawatts currently under construction.
America's wind energy industry built 5,115 megawatts of wind power last year, barely half of 2009's record pace, but entered 2011 with over 5,600 megawatts currently under construction - and with wind turbines cost-competitive with natural gas for new electric generation, utilities are moving to lock in favorable rates.
"Wind power is a great deal right now in many areas of the country," said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). "However, our industry continues to endure a boom-bust cycle because of the lack of long-term, predictable federal policies, in contrast to the permanent entitlements that fossil fuels have enjoyed for 90 years or more.
"Now that we're competing with natural gas on cost, we need consistent federal policies to ensure we have a diverse portfolio of energy sources in this country, and don't become overreliant on one source or another."
AWEA reported today that 3,195 megawatts (MW) of wind farm powered electric generating capacity came online in the fourth quarter of 2010. That performance was below the 4,113 MW installed in the same period in 2009, but a leap from the third quarter of 2010, when only 670 MW were installed. The U.S. finished the year with a total of 5,115 MW of new wind power.
Buoyed by a one-year extension of the 1603 Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy in the final days of the 111th Congress, the industry entered the new year with over 5,600 MW of wind farm electric power currently under construction, well above the same time a year earlier. Further projects are expected to start up in time to meet the new construction deadline for the tax credit, now set to expire at the end of 2011. The industry is likely to finish 2011 ahead of 2010 numbers, according to Elizabeth Salerno, AWEA Director of Industry Data & Analysis.
"Wind's costs have dropped over the past two years, with power purchase agreements being signed in the range of 5 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour recently." Salerno said. "With uncertainty around natural gas and power prices as the economy recovers, wind's long-term price stability is even more valued. We expect that utilities will move to lock in more wind contracts, given the cost-competitive nature of wind in today's market."
Total U.S. wind energy capacity now stands at 40,180 MW, an increase in capacity of 15% over the start of 2010, AWEA reported today. For the first time, U.S. wind farm capacity fell second to China's; China now has 41,800 MW in operation, an increase of 62% in capacity over a year ago, according to a Jan. 13 report from the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.
With uncertainty over national policies still holding back the U.S. industry, state targets for renewable energy continue to drive wind installations in many areas of the country. "We'll continue to work for a strong federal energy policy that drives the deployment of renewable energy technologies in the 112th Congress," Bode said, "but we'll also be defending and improving on state renewable targets, as well as promoting other sources of demand - such as more distributed and community wind projects, and corporate purchasing under the new WindMade trustmark."
The top five states for cumulative wind energy capacity at the close of 2010 all have such state targets:
Texas 10,085 MW; Iowa 3,675 MW; California 3,177 MW; Minnesota 2,192 MW; Washington 2,105 MW.
Texas, the leading wind power state in America for several years running, achieved a major milestone by surging past the 10,000-megawatt mark for total installations, a quarter of all wind capacity in the U.S., with the addition of 680 MW in 2010. Known as the hub of the oil-and-gas industry, Texas achieved the mark thanks to aggressive pursuit of renewable energy and a renewable electricity standard passed in 1999 and strengthened in 2005. On average, wind now generates 7.8% of the electricity in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) which covers most of the state, peaking as high as 25%.
Other states active in pursuing targets for renewable energy last year were Illinois (498 MW added), California (455 MW), South Dakota (396), and Minnesota (396 MW). Five more states, which generally began tapping their inexhaustible wind resources more recently than the leaders, showed growth rates above 100%. The list starts with Delaware and Maryland, which added their first utility-scale wind turbines in 2010:
Delaware & Maryland
First utility-scale installation
Idaho +140%
South Dakota +126%
Arizona +103%
With the addition of Delaware and Maryland, 38 states now have utility-scale wind farm projects, and 14 of those have now installed more than 1,000 MW of wind power.
www.awea.org/documents/reports/4Q10_market_outlook_public.pdf
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