Green Tech

In just over 20 years, the U.S. could wean itself from coal and oil for electricity generation and nearly halve its gasoline consumption, according to an analysis done by energy experts at Google.

The search giant's Google.org philanthropy on Thursday released updated numbers and policy recommendations on how the U.S. could dramatically change its energy consumption by 2030.

According to its Clean Energy by 2030 Web site:

Google's proposal will benefit the U.S. by increasing energy security, protecting the environment, creating new jobs, and helping to create the conditions for long-term prosperity. Some of the necessary funds will be public, but much of it will come from the private sector--a typical approach for infrastructure and high technology investments.

The immediate policy proposals posted Thursday from Google.org program manager Michael Terrell and Google policy counsel Harry Wingo are:

Google.org's projections for eliminating electricity generation from coal and oil by 2030. Click on image to enlarge.

(Credit: Google)

• Change the renewable energy subsidy so it does not rely on tax credits, a policy that is less effective now because corporate profits are drying up.

• Fund existing programs to invest in smart grid technologies, which will allow consumers to monitor energy usage.

• A $3 billion appropriation to weatherize 1 million U.S. homes, which will cut energy bills by about 30 percent.

• Mandate that U.S. government agencies purchase energy from renewable sources, use energy-efficient building products, and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

At the core of Google.org's energy transformation proposal are mandates to increase efficiency of electrical appliances and vehicles; rapid increase in the use of wind, solar, and geothermal; and a transition to plug-in vehicles.

Pressure building for fast action?
It's the most recent call to Washington leaders for quick action on energy and the environment.

President-elect Barack Obama earlier this week reiterated his campaign pledges to invest heavily in clean-energy programs and make the U.S. a leader on climate change.

Sen. Barbara Boxer on Thursday said that a simplified climate change bill will be introduced next year. Meanwhile, the replacement of Rep. John Dingell by Henry Waxman at the head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is interpreted as a move that can accelerate energy policy reform.

Google first introduced its 2030 energy road map in October of this year; CEO Eric Schmidt, an adviser to Obama, made speeches earlier this year, calling on the federal government to show more leadership on climate change by fostering clean-technology businesses.

A number of other high-profile individuals and groups, including former Vice President Al Gore and businessman T. Boone Pickens, have called for government-led "moonshot" programs in energy, recalling how the Apollo Program in the 1960s led to a flourishing of technology progress.

Obama advisers have indicated that clean energy will be one of the incoming administration's top priorities, tied to economic recovery. Whether the administration can successfully pass legislation, such as regulations on carbon emissions, remains to be seen, of course.

There is significant support for action on climate change and clean energy among voters and businesses. But any sort of bold policy proposals will face stiff resistance in Congress.

In the past two years, several attempts to pass carbon regulations, renew renewable energy tax credits, and increase fuel-efficiency standards have been defeated.

Here's a sampling of green-tech news, with quick commentary.

• Waxman Defeats Dingell in Race for House Energy Committee Chair - The Washington Post
  California Rep. Henry Waxman's win is potentially significant change for clean-energy legislation, as Michigan Rep. John Dingell had been criticized for resisting higher fuel economy standards.
• Boxer to move 'streamlined' climate bill - TheHill.com
  California Sen. Barbara Boxer looks to quickly live up to Obama's environmental pledges, with climate change legislation and $15 billion a year on renewable energy.

• Oil could fall to $40/bbl in 2009: Deutsche Bank - Reuters
  In general, falling oil prices are bad for the clean-tech sector, particularly biofuel firms.
• Clean Energy Confronts Messy Reality - The Wall Street Journal
  Utilities are scaling back capital-spending plans, with renewable-energy projects getting the ax.
• Omron Prototypes Compact, Simple Vibration-powered Generator -- Tech-On!
  Japanese firm looks for cheap, small chips to turn vibrations into electrical energy.
• Electricity from Waste Heat - Technology Review
  This report focuses on another company jumping into the waste heat business. Talk about a cheap energy source.
• Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year: Hypermiling - Gas 2.0
  If you're not hypermiling when you drive, you're apparently out of touch.
• Software Billionaire Tom Siebel Assembling $20M Green Building Contest - Greentech Media
  The latest software guy to get the green-tech bug.
• Leading Entrepreneurs View Climate Change as a Growing Strategic Concern, According to New Ernst & Young Survey - Press release
  Data shows that climate change is a business driver, creating demand for clean-tech products.
• Patrick pushes solar for big-box stores - The Boston Globe
  Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick looks to tweak building codes to incentivize energy efficiency and solar endeavors.
• Utilities to test solar at existing gas plants - Las Vegas Review-Journal
  This sounds obscure, but it's actually one way to significantly reduce the cost of solar-thermal power plants.

Upstart Boston-Power is within months of having its long-lasting batteries shipped in notebook PCs, as it eyes expansion into portable power packs and electric cars.

The three-year-old company says its Sonata batteries are able to recharge to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, versus two hours to get to a 90 percent charge in conventional notebook batteries. And Boston-Power's batteries can be recharged 1,000 times before their performance starts to wane, versus 150 times in today's laptops, according to founder and CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud. Typically, the amount of computing time that a laptop battery supplies goes down after hundreds of charges.

Boston-Power founder and CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud holding a Sonata lithium ion battery cell.

(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks)

I caught up with Lampe-Onnerud on Tuesday at the Fourth Conference on Clean Energy in Boston. Ironically, we bumped into each other at a water cooler where I was doing what so many laptop toters are stuck doing: plugging into a free outlet because my battery was dying.

Lampe-Onnerud says the arrival of Sonata batteries will mean a completely different user experience, allowing people to go all day without having to carry cords and search out public power outlets.

Hewlett-Packard last year said it has tested Boston-Power's batteries.

Without mentioning HP by name, Lampe-Onnerud said Boston-Power expects to announce its first customer soon. A company representative on Wednesday said Sonata-powered laptops will be available early next year. Lampe-Onnerud added that the company is working with smaller laptop providers as well.

Boston-Power, which has raised $70 million, has a technology road map to improve further on performance. In its labs, it has batteries able to recharge 1,400 times. Next year, it intends to release a portable power source for recharging consumer electronics, either through a USB connection or a small solar panel, Lampe-Onnerud said.

In two years, it expects to have a product for plug-in electric cars, she added. "The specifications for laptops and electric cars are remarkably close," she said.

The company has done a number of things to improve lithium ion battery performance and safety, according to Lampe-Onnerud. The company has also redesigned the battery pack to have fewer cells and has made a number of manufacturing improvements, she explained.

She argued that the Sonata batteries are a "clean technology" because they are more energy-efficient. The company also seeks to use less harmful reactive chemicals and no heavy metals.

To manufacture its batteries--a significant business challenge for any new battery company--Boston-Power has set up factories in Taiwan and China.

Hyundai's Blue Drive hybrid system will debut in the Sonata.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

Hyundai has been reaching for the stars lately, comparing its cars to other automakers' luxury models and launching the Genesis luxury sedan. Now the company wants to be "the most fuel-efficient automaker on the planet," according to Hyundai Vice President for Product Development John Krafcik. To achieve its lofty goals, Hyundai showed off its Blue Drive hybrid power train at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. This power train works similarly to full hybrids from Toyota and Ford, powering the car under electric or a combination of gas and electric, but Hyundai takes a leap forward by using third-generation battery technology.

The lithium polymer battery pack is smaller than those used in other hybrids.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

Current production hybrids use nickel metal hydride battery packs, while various automakers look to lithium ion battery packs as a second-generation storage technology. Hyundai is working with supplier LG Chem to develop lithium polymer batteries for its hybrid power train. Lithium battery technology has greater power density, so Hyundai's battery pack can deliver the same power while taking up half the space of a nickel metal hydride battery pack. Hyundai also says lithium polymer batteries use simpler construction than lithium ion batteries, so they can be 20 percent smaller. Hyundai is testing the batteries to make sure they can meet a 10-year/150,000-mile life.

Besides the battery, Hyundai's hybrid system uses a 30 kilowatt electric motor and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Hyundai is developing this system for the next generation of the Sonata, and expects to be building Sonata Hybrids for the U.S. market in 2010. In this application, the gas engine will shut down when the car is stopped. When the driver presses the accelerator, the car starts moving under electric power only until the car needs enough oomph that its power management module decides to crank over the gas engine.

See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

It's not for sale, but 500 lucky people will determine if it should be. Learn more as Brian Cooley takes a look at the Mini E Electric on the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The San Francisco Bay Area is a region already well known for its fabulous food, innovative technology, and breathtaking beauty. In the coming years, we could add one more thing to the list: electric vehicles.

On Thursday, the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose held a press conference at San Francisco's city hall to announce their ambitious goal of turning the Bay Area into the electric vehicle capital of the country. Here are details of the nine-point plan that will launch in December, as released by the San Francisco Mayor's office:

• Expedited permitting and installation of electric vehicle charging outlets at homes, businesses, parking lots, and other buildings throughout the Bay Area;

• Incentives for employers to install EV charging systems in their workplaces and provide similar incentives to parking facilities and other locations where EV charging stations can be installed;

• Harmonize local regulations and standards across the region that govern EV infrastructure to achieve regulatory consistency for EV companies as well as expanded range for EV consumers;

• Establish common government programs that promote the purchase of EVs;

• Link EV programs and infrastructure to regional transit and air quality programs;

• Establish programs for aggressive pooled-purchase orders for EVs in municipal, state government, and private sector fleets, and future commitment of purchasing preference for EV vehicles;

• Expedited permitting and approval for facilities that provide extended-range driving capability for EVs in the region through battery exchange locations or fast-charging;

• Identify and secure suitable standard (110V) electric outlets for charging low-voltage EVs in every government building in 2009;

• Identify roll-out plan for placement of 220V EV-charging equipment throughout each city including city parking lots and curbside parking.

Better Place aims to bring its electric-car charging network to the Bay Area, where plans are afoot to promote battery-powered vehicles.

(Credit: Better Place)

Better Place aims by 2012 to bring a $1 billion electric-car infrastructure system to the California Bay Area, whose leaders unveiled policies Thursday to fast-track the adoption of electric cars.

The Palo Alto, Calif., start-up will apply its unique business model, followed in Israel, Denmark, and Australia, of providing the public stations to charge vehicles and swap out leased batteries.

Shai Agassi, Better Place founder and CEO, said he hopes to wrap up permitting in the Bay Area within the next year, roll out the infrastructure in 2010, and fine-tune its technology over the next several years as more electric cars come to market.

"We need to stop the conversation of whether this is Detroit versus Silicon Valley, whether this is Michigan versus California, and we need to start talking about this as the next generation of the car," he said. "We hope that by the time we deploy, we'll see our friends from Renault and Nissan but also the three U.S. manufacturers developing cars that have a plug, and have the ability to drive around the city and charge as they go."

Mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, Chuck Reed of San Jose, and Ron Dellums of Oakland joined Agassi at San Francisco City Hall, promising to launch policies in December to support companies and consumers adopting electric cars. (The event was broadcast online via Webcast.)

Among their plans are expedited permitting for car-charging outlets with incentives for businesses and garages installing them or providing battery-swapping. The mayors also pledged to standardize regulations across the region, working with clean-air and transit programs.

"I believe the big game changer is electric vehicles and plug-in technology," said Newsom, explaining that transportation accounts for 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in California and exceeds 54 percent in San Francisco.

Widespread usage of electric vehicles over two decades would save consumers $175 billion in fuel costs and bring a $120 billion boon for battery makers, according to early results of a study by the Venture Lab at the University of California at Berkeley.

"Look what happened when we built ARPANET in 1979," said Robert Kennedy Jr., describing the rise of the personal computer. "The reason for that is we created the infrastructure that made it easy for manufacturers and consumers to take advantage of the technology." Kennedy is partner and senior adviser of VantagePoint Venture Partners, the biggest investor in Better Place.

In statements, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi praised the electric vehicle announcements for the potential to boost the economy and reduce pollution.

Coulomb Technologies is developing networked equipment for charging electric vehicles at the curb.

(Credit: Kim Smith/General Motors)

Coulomb Technologies has inked deals with service stations throughout California to provide smart equipment for charging electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2009.

Solar panels will power some of Coulomb's networked equipment, which can provide electric cars about a 10-mile driving range after an hour of charging.

The dozens of planned locations include gas stations along Interstates 101, 5, and 99, which snake north to south through much of California's length. A few of the stations will be closer to cities, and some already offer a mix of cleaner fuels, such as hydrogen, biodiesel, and ethanol.

"It's very similar to a gas pump business, where we provide the equipment that allows station to run a business," said Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal.

Coulomb sells its technology to service stations, which set the consumer pricing. Although some may offer car charging as a free perk, Lowenthal said he thinks the price per charge should be about half of the equivalent in gasoline.

The Campbell, Calif., company aims to establish hundreds of charging stations by the end of 2009.

It has been readying its technology for a December launch of public stations in San Jose. In tests around Silicon Valley, the company has been working to prevent interference to its wireless communications from sources including UPS delivery trucks pulling up near the car-charging stations, Lowenthal said.

Although financing has dried up with the economic downturn, interest from potential customers is strong thanks to the anticipated releases of the GM Chevy Volt and a plug-in Toyota Prius in the next two years, he added.

Coulomb faces plenty of competition from Better Place and other start-ups building the infrastructure to charge electric cars. Nissan announced a joint effort Thursday to test charging systems with the state of Oregon. Lowenthal said he envisions multiple companies succeeding in the coming years.

"We assume it will be something like cell phones where there are multiple providers and roaming agreements," he said.

VW Jetta TDI gets on stage to accept its award.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

LOS ANGELES--The Green Car Journal gave its 2009 Green Car of the Year award to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. This year's list of nominees included the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and Smart ForTwo. The Jetta TDI uses a 2-liter, turbocharged, diesel, four-cylinder engine to achieve an EPA-rated 41mpg highway fuel economy and 30mpg city. Volkswagen's new clean diesel technology makes the car legal in all 50 states, meeting California's stringent Air Resources Board requirements, under which is qualifies as a SULEV, or Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. The panel of judges included Jay Leno, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke, and legendary auto tuner Carroll Shelby.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid gets left out in the cold.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

Green Car Journal opened itself up for criticism last year by naming the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid as its 2008 Green Car of the Year. Diesel proponents will applaud the choice of the Jetta TDI for 2009, but the two hybrids on the list, with AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) emissions ratings, might seem more deserving. The Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid probably didn't make it due to fuel economy hovering around 30mpg, but the Ford Fusion Hybrid has an estimated economy of 38mpg city and 35mpg highway, plus a very cool instrument cluster that coaches people to drive more economically. The judges were most likely swayed by the price, with the Jetta TDI coming in at below $22,000, while the Fusion Hybrid will most likely come in above $27,000.

See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

SunRun has secured financing from U.S. Bancorp to expand its solar power purchasing program to 2,000 more homes in the next year, the San Francisco start-up said Thursday.

U.S. Bancorp, the parent of U.S. Bank, has committed $105 million in tax equity, a fund that will allow the bank and SunRun to take advantage of the federal solar subsidy, which is a tax credit.

SunRun's business model--one being pursued by a handful of new solar installers--is to provide financing to homeowners and small businesses interested in installing solar panels.

Rather than pay the up-front cost of buying and installing panels, the consumer pays a smaller initial fee and then monthly electricity usage at a rate lower than the utility. SunRun and its financial backers own the panels and maintain them.

This sort of contract, called a power purchase agreement, has fueled rapid growth of solar electric installations at corporations in the past few years.

These types of investments--which are difficult to secure amid the slumping economy--are structured to offset tax bills for businesses and generate steady cash for investors.

So far, SunRun has more than 300 customers, all of which are in California, said President and Chief Operating Officer Nat Kreamer. He added that the company hopes to expand in the East Coast.

In addition, SunRun said Thursday that it has added David Buzby to its board. Buzby is the chairman of SunEdison, a company that handles purchase power agreements for corporations and utilities.

Update at 9:30 a.m. PT with correction to clarify SunRun's business model.