Butch

Lithium Ion Batteries and GEVs: False Gods for the New Millennium

I believe your argument is slightly flawed. I think you neglected to account for the CO2 emitted during the manufacture of the batteries. I can accept that the emissions for the manufacture of the vehicles themselves may be similar, but for the batteries.

Entergy's Spin-Off Plan: Considering the Alternatives

Seems like a holding company a la Exelon wold be the best solution. Regulators like stuff to regulate and what could be more fun than nuclear power stations. Better yet, sell the business to Exelon. And, no, I am not an Exelon employee. Just a stock holder.

The Larger Energy Implications of Hydrogen Autos

There is either an error or a bias in your reporting on this issue. While I strongly support the development of wind and solar, you statement that they are the only way "to achieve the full environmental benefits of the hydrogen economy vision" is incorrect. Nuclear power is an excellent, environmentally clean source for creation of hydrogen, especially using the advanced high temperature designs. As noted by several European environmentalists, we wouldn't be facing the current issues of high atmospheric concentrations of CO2 if all industrialized nations had followed France's lead and built nuclear power plants.

LED Lighting for the Masses

Cree today announced that they will be hiring 575 new employees to meet demand for LEDs for light modules for Chinese streetlights and other uses.
www.newsobserver.com/n...

Electricity Is Not an Energy Source

Thank you for your intelligent and rational post. We would indeed be better off using electricity from hydro and nuclear sources to power our stationary uses of energy. Wind and solar have a contribution to make but they can not provide for all of our needs without a significant increase in the cost of electricity. It is unfortunate that a large number of citizens do not have a good understanding of nuclear power. Also, did you know that the government (using NERC as the source) does not count Canadian capacity (largely nuclear and hydro in the Northeast) in determining capacity available to serve US load? This seriously understates the capacity available to serve the energy needs of the New England and New York power pools thus distorting policy discussions in the political realm.

Prospects for Electric Cars

I hate to sound negative. I am a strong proponent of HEVs and I believe that PEVs will someday become useful means of transportation. However, the statement that nighttime charging does not require investment in utility infrastructure is only true up to somewhere between 25% and 50% market penetration. In addition, there are utilities where electric heat predominates that have a nighttime peak load in cold weather. Efficiency programs can partially close the gap, but ultimately the utility delivery system will need to be reinforced. Other proposals such as for large scale deployment of generation on the distribution system to support micro-grids may actually require reinforcement even sooner than high market penetration of PEVs.

Banking: The Regulators Overlooked the Basics

It would be lunacy to presume that a government that expressly encouraged banks to make loans to marginally (or completely) unqualified borrowers under the pretext that everyone should be entitled to own their own home would allow regulators to step in and prevent such loans.

Why the Electric Car Mileage Debate Is Meaningless

I must take exception to your statement that electricity is cheaper than gasoline. I drive a car that cost about the same as the projected price of the Chevy Volt. I have constructed a spreadsheet that calculates the break even between an all electric vehicle and mine. For an assumed in and out total,theoretical cycle efficiency of 90% for the electric car (not likely) and $3.00 a gallon for the gas car the statement would hold true for electricity costing about $0.14 or less. For more realistic total cycle efficiencies that break even cost drops to $0.12 or less. There are some places where the delivered cost of electricity is currently less than $0.12 per kWh and many where it is more. When the cost of solar and wind start to have their true impact on the cost of electricity it will go up even more. True, the cost of gasoline can be maintained at any desired level by taxes to force the conversion to EVs. But this is a distorted perspective driven by political considerations and will have a significant negative impact on the well being of the vast majority of citizens. If one truly wants to maintain a price for electricity that the average citizen can afford, support the development and deployment of the LTFR.

Xcel Energy Ditches Solar Fee Proposal

If you lived in an area where the fee for grid maintenance has been separated from the energy component this would not be an issue. My fellow energy users and I pay $24 per month for grid maintenance and pay for the energy we use separately. Or we are paid for the energy we provide to the grid. This is the fair and proper way to charge for these transactions. For clarification, we are an electric co-op. We voted to do this. It is the way all electricity bills should be structured.

Grid Based Energy Storage: Notes, Questions and Heresies from Infocast Storage Week

If you are not invited back next year it will only diminish the validity of the conference. Evangelists sitting around telling each other the same story from different perspectives never advance the state of the art. They need to be challenged and either meet the challenge or evolve. Thanks for saying what needs to be said.

Hydro Power: The Underloved Energy Source

A great example of the effect of punitive regulation re hydro: Here in the upper peninsula of Michigan a relatively low head dam will likely be removed and the associated generation retired - against the wishes of the local population. The reservoir provides camping, excellent fishing habitat, a refuge for several protected species of migrating birds in addition to the low cost electricity supplied to the local grid. It has been in operation for almost 80 years without an incident. Oh yes, no salmon or other species spawning affected.

Unfortunately, the it does not meet the new and improved state and federal requirements for flood control (for which is was never intended). The new rules would require the expenditure of millions of dollars to upgrade the structure to withstand what we were told is a 500 year flood. Local hydrological experts offered evidence that such a flood probably has not occurred since the end of the last ice age. All to no avail. The owner of the dam says it would take over 20 years to recoup the required investment and it is cheaper to remove the dam.

Mortgage Rate Update: No Threat to Recovery Yet

I don't know why you chose to start your chart in 1998, but I would suggest taking a deep breath and build one beginning in 1972 or before. I bought my first house in 1975. Interest rates were significantly north of 10% and no one in their late 20s and working a regular 9 to 5 job could get a mortgage with less than 20% down without mortgage insurance. Even then one might not qualify. I wonder how many of those commenting on this issue actually lived through the last big period of stagflation. It wasn't pretty, but we survived. Save first. Spend later.

Li-ion Battery Technologies: Understanding Their Development Path

John, I find your posts provide some of the most useful and insightful information on the internet. Thank you.

With regard to energy storage technologies to support wind and solar, the more I read about thermal storage (liquid salt) the more sense it makes. The energy density is huge, deep discharge is not a problem, it can store energy from any electrical source, the round-trip efficiency is excellent and it is relatively inexpensive.

I would appreciate your perspective.

Thanks

California Not a Trendsetter on Energy Policy

I have watched the train wreak that is California "energy policy" develop for over 20 years. The only constant is this: fantasy posing as philosophy trumps rational thought ever time. Searcher hit the bullseye with his/her comment above.

American Superconductor: Hooking Up the Grid

@LKofScotland: Efficient? Technically - yes. Economically - not if there are viable alternatives. More secure? The cables are subject to all of the same sources of damage as any other, plus if the cooling goes off so do the cables. There are niches for this technology today and with continued effort it will become more feasible economically. But dollar for dollar I'd put my personal money into existing infrastructure to get the best bang for the buck.