Renewable energy

  Mission * Why Vehicles Need to use Electricity > Peak oil > Climate change > Renewable energy > Smart grid > Vehicle-to-grid > Vehicle-to-home

Currently most of our electricity is generated from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. In the future we should transition to use of sustainable, renewable power sources such as wind, solar, hydro and biofuel to generate clean green electrical power.

News Sources

• renewable energy "electric vehicle" - Google News
• ScienceDaily: Renewable Energy News
• Clean Power News | CleanTechnica
• Renewable Energy News - renewableenergyworld
• Green News | Green Technology | VentureBeat
• Renewable - Power Engineering
• Renewable Energy Magazine
• Electric Hybrid vehicles - Renewable Energy Magazine
• renewable energy - Huffington Post Search

News

• 2013.08.11 - Renewable energy, not fracking, is the best choice for California - Sacramento Bee "The oil and gas industry is lobbying hard to expand hydraulic fracturing – a dangerous process commonly known as fracking – into the Central Valley's world-class agricultural lands, and there's no shortage of controversy over the projected impacts."
• 2013.08.01 - Drill for energy? Yes, for more geothermal - Sacramento Bee "Let's ask why we aren't doing more drilling for another of California's golden resources, geothermal energy – which doesn't require fracking and doesn't have the myriad environmental consequences that come with natural gas."
• 2013.07.23 - Wind Energy Now Cost Competitive With Coal in India - IEEE Spectrum
• 2013.07.19 - Straight from the sun: The renewables revolution has landed : Renew Economy 19july2013
• 2013.07.17 - Why consumers say electric cars and green energy go together : Renew Economy 17july2013
• 2013.07.17 - Green with anger: The future is now for electric vehicles - Chicago Tribune 17july2013
• 2013.07.16 - Next-gen wind turbines with storage are cheap, reliable and brilliant : Renew Economy
• 2013.07.10 - Electric vehicles prove more popular when green energy is available - Augoblog Green 10july2013
• 2013.06.14 - US Energy Department creates roadmap to foster geothermal development - Renewable Energy Magazine
• 2013.04.23 - 100 Percent Renewable Energy is 100 Percent Possible | The Energy Collective 23april2013
• 2012.08.26 - Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Charger Unveiled - CleanTechnica "An intriguing solar-powered electric vehicle charger has been created and recently unveiled by Princeton Satellite Systems in Plainsboro, New Jersey. Called a SunStation, it employs solar panels to recharge electric vehicles"
• 2012.08.14 - GE, Urban Green Energy set up first integrated, wind-powered EV charging station "GE and Urban Green Energy might not be the first to install a wind-powered EV charging station ... The partnership just installed the first Sanya Skypump just outside of Barcelona to serve corporate and government drivers with truly clean energy"
• 2011.06.01 - Oregon to install electric-vehicle chargers along I-5 | Green Tech - CNET News "The electric-vehicle chargers are part of Oregon's "Green Highway" project, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
• 2010.01.00 - Green Power for Electric Cars - Transport & Environment "In the coming decades, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles could play a significant role in this move towards sustainable transport. If these vehicles run on renewable electricity, they could substantially cut CO2 emissions and improve local air quality. Electric vehicles might even help to make the electricity sector more sustainable, if the batteries in the vehicles could be used to manage the variable output of an increasing share of wind and solar-based power generation."
• 2009.06.17 - The Future of Energy: A Realist's Roadmap to 2050 | Popular Science
• 2008.12.03 - Hawaii makes electric car part of green power initiative | Ars Technica "the state announced an ambitious program that would see it obtain 70 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2030."

Videos

• renewable green power wind solar - YouTube

2013.05.23 - Renewable Energy - Modern Marvels This program describes renewable energy sources including solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, and biomass. "Oil is becoming more expensive and more scarce. Its diminishing quantity affects millions on a personal and industrial level. Without oil and other fossil fuels many industries will shut down completely. ... there is new emphasis on researching renewable power sources. These resources are not only readily available, but cause less damage to the environment than their fossil (fuel) counterparts." Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) fueled with electricity from renewable energy sources can help reduce the greenhouse gas pollution caused by transportation.

Hawaii Renewable Energy Roadmap

Hawaii is working towards becoming a leader in use of electric vehicles fueled with local renewable energy.

• Fifteen Year Roadmap for Sustainable Energy in Hawaii 30jan2012 Watson and Frank describe their plan for Hawaii to transition from using imported fossil fuels to electricity generated from local renewable energy (sun and wind). Gasoline-fueled vehicles would be replaced with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These PHEVs would be fueled with renewable electricity for all short distance travel. Whenever travel distances exceed the capacity of the vehicle's battery, then the PHEVs would use liquid biofuels for long distance travel. This would provide a sustainable energy economy without sacrifices in lifestyle.

• Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations in Hawaii - Hawaii State Energy Office "To reduce Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuel, the State of Hawaii has set a goal of achieving 70% clean energy by 2030. This undertaking will require transforming its current energy production and consumption. A key component to reducing fuel demand and utilizing locally produced renewable energy will be a vibrant plug in electric vehicle (EV) market and Hawaii is looking toward EVs to build a clean transportation future. The widespread deployment of EVs in Hawaii is a key approach toward the reduction of fossil fuel dependency and Hawaii’s drivers have enthusiastically adopted EVs as their mode of transportation."

• Hawaii's Energy Future - Electric Vehicle "Even if the electricity comes primarily from oil, as it does in Hawaii at present, switching to electric vehicles will use substantially less oil at lower cost to reach the same level of mobility. Using electricity in millions of vehicles would substantially reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the transportation sector with only a modest increase in the emissions of the electrical sector. If renewable energy is used instead of fossil fuels, the benefits will be even greater." Latest developments, Benefits of electric vehicles, Hawaiian Electric companies’ present EV activities, The commitment, Why move to electric vehicles?, EV History in Hawaii

• Electric Cars in Hawaii - Honolulu Civil Beat "Hawaii is considered an ideal spot to introduce electric vehicles because the size of the islands limits driving distances and the state has some of the highest gas prices in the nation. The state's mix of renewable power sources, including wind, geothermal and solar, is another draw, because it means that the overall carbon footprint of electric vehicles here would be lower than in many other parts of the country. Hawaii stands to benefit as an early adopter of electric cars. The move would help the state achieve its goals in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which aims to reduce the state’s dependence on imported oil for power and transportation."

• Biofuels Study, Final Report to the Legislature, In Accordance with Act 203, Session Laws of Hawaii, 2011 - files.hawaii.gov pdf "Hawaii’s liquid fuel needs may be met by a combination of petroleum-based and renewable fuels (i.e. biofuels) made from organic (biogenetic) materials such as plants. Biofuels are produced worldwide, including some production in Hawaii. According to local sources, major barriers to local production include price and investment risk; feedstock availability; and lack of long-term leases for large tracts of contiguous land areas."

• Electric Vehicles | Honolulu Clean Cities "A key component to reducing fuel demand and utilizing locally produced renewable energy will be a vibrant plug in electric vehicle (EV) market and Hawaii is looking toward EV’s to build a clean transportation future." Local Programs and Partners, Local Resources, Local Publications.

Biofuels

• electric vehicles biofuel - Google News
• Biofuels Digest
• Biofuels - Greentech Media
• Biofuel - Green Fleet Magazine

• Fuels America
• Biofuels, Biodiesel and Ethanol - The New York Times
• Biofuels - Solid, liquid, or gas fuels made from biomass - alternative-energy-news.info
• Biofuels | Environment | The Guardian
• Biofuels | Energy Sources | Chevron
• IEA - Biofuels - International Energy Agency
• BP Biofuels
• Biofuels Center of NC
• Biofuels - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Biofuels - American Council On Renewable Energy
• Advanced BioFuels USA
• Biofuels and alternative transport fuels - Shell Global

• 2013.07.25 - Biofuel Makers Seek to Ease Mandates to Avert Congress - Bloomberg
• 2013.07.24 - Expert: What Farmers Need from Biofuels Policy in 2014 | Farm Journal Magazine
• 2013.07.25 - Clean, green high-performance biofuels from carbon dioxide
• 2013.07.25 - Biofuel Makers Seek to Ease Mandates to Head-Off Lawmakers - Businessweek
• 2013.07.22 - Biofuel groups swing back at oil industry, defend federal blending mandate - The Hill's E2-Wire
• 2013.07.24 - Alaska Airlines to buy biofuel from Hawaii company - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Organizations

• California Center for Sustainable Energy
• Green Power Network - DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy "news and information on green power markets and related activities. The site provides up-to-date information on green power providers, product offerings, consumer protection issues, and policies affecting green power markets."
• ChargePortland: electric cars, electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations in Portland, Oregon "The City has developed a strategy to address the many issues around adoption of this new technology: "Electric Vehicles- The Portland Way” was adopted by the Portland City Council on July 20, 2010." "Climate Action Plan ... sets in place our community’s ambitious sustainability roadmap to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050."
• Running on Green Power! - Gouvernement du Québec "working now to make a much bigger place in Québec’s transportation system for electric vehicles. This action is also motivated by a desire to replace petroleum with renewable energy. Québec more than anyone else can use its hydroelectricity — a clean and renewable energy source — for transportation purposes."
• Green Riverside - Green Power Premium " is a voluntary program available to all RPU electric customers interested in helping Riverside achieve and surpass its renewable energy goals. As we work together to develop energy resources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, we reduce our use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. This is how we'll achieve a green energy future."
• Policies plug into electric vehicle future | Renewable Northwest Project "Transportation is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon. Plug-in electric vehicles offer an exciting solution. They have no tailpipe emissions, making them cleaner to operate than any conventional vehicle. The shift toward electric vehicle adoption, though, is just the first step. Here in Oregon, we can encourage the development and use of technology that enables the charging of electric vehicles with 100 percent renewable energy, so they generally can be zero-emissions vehicles and not powered by an energy mix that includes dirty fossil fuels."
• Running on Green Power - ACTION PLAN FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES - government of Québec " 'As the world's fourth-largest producer of hydroelectricity, which is a green and renewable form of energy, Québec has a number of assets that will help stimulate the use of electric vehicles within its territory and make the shift towards a less oil-dependent economy,' said Minister Normandeau."