Intelligent, Energy-Efficient Devices Unveiled at CES 2016

As reported by the Rocky Mountain Institute blog, Clean Energy Takes Center Stage at CES 2016. Consumer electronics are aligning with the need for enhanced energy efficiency and flexible connectivity is a major theme. A number of electric vehicles were introduced, either as concept cars or soon-to-be-produce vehicles. Smart home appliances are making major strides toward energy efficiency, with improved monitoring and demand shifting. And, as the Internet of Things gains momentum, more and more devices are communicating with each other, automobiles talking to smartphones, refrigerators relaying information, heating systems becoming remotely accessible.

What is surprising is that electric vehicle interest is soaring at the same time as oil prices are plummeting. From the article:

The rash of production EVs from auto makers is especially striking because oil prices are at a 12-year low. EVs have clearly evolved to become part of a long-term strategy by automakers to move beyond oil. All the EVs detailed here are based on underlying EV platforms (battery and chassis configuration) that can be reused as the basis for several different production models. 

These are all promising trends, offering a glimmer of hope that we can curb excessive energy use and reverse what sometimes seems irreversible: climate change.

As reported in RMI Outlet, the Rocky Mountain Institute's blog, reductions in storage battery prices are opening new opportunities for transforming energy use patterns. The Tesla Powerball battery, expected to reach the market in 2016, has caused analysts to rethink projections of home lithium-ion battery costs and potentially shake up utility industry practices in a number of geographies. The cost reduction is fairly dramatic, as highlighted by this excerpt from the article:

In our modeling for both The Economics of Load Defection from April 2015and its predecessor, The Economics of Grid Defection from February 2014, our average battery price in 2015 was $547/kWh. Our models did not assume a price close to $350/kWh until 2022 (the $429/kWh price arrived in our models in 2018). This means Tesla’s batteries are seven years ahead of the prices we modeled. (The $250/kWh utility price point didn’t appear in our models until 2028, though we didn’t specifically model a utility-sized solution.) A seven-year accelerated price reduction means tens of millions of more customers will be able to cost-effectively install solar-plus-battery systems than we originally modeled in our analyses.

Some utility companies are already signing up to offer the Powerwall to customers with a variety of incentives, including Green Mountain Power in Vermont.

Harley Goes Electric

In a sign that likely bodes well for the future of electric vehicle, Harley Davidson is testing a prototype, Livewire, that could be a very interesting addition to the market if they decide to go forward with it. Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Unlike many of the near-silent electric two-wheelers, this one has a sound much like a jet turbine spinning up (kind of remind me of my old Saab 900 Turbo). If you like the possibilities here, talk to your local Harley Davidson dealer and express interest.

Doing Van Gogh Proud with a Solar-Powered Bike Trail

Dutch cyclists on nighttime journeys through the province of North Brabant get to experience some of the magic from Vincent Van Gogh's well-known painting, The Starry Night, with their course illuminated by thousands of glittering stones. Van Gogh painted in Nuenen, adjacent to the path, and the bike path designer, Daan Roosegaarde, wanted to create a tribute to him.      

In a press release, Roosegaarde, commented: 

I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way, the technical combined with experience, that's what techno-poetry means to me. 

As noted in this Slate article:

The path is coated in photoluminescent paint that's also embedded with small LEDs powered by nearby solar panels. The path essentially charges all day so that it can glow during the night and it also has backup power in case it's overcast.  

Van Gogh went from total obscurity to become one of the most recognized, popular artists of all time. During an interview about his biography, Van Gogh: The Life, author Steven Naifeh explains the artist's popularity:

There’s an overwhelming genuineness to his paintings. Even if people know that he cut his ear off and was an unhappy person, he was able to extract jubilant images from the deep well of sorrow that was his life. One of Vincent’s favorite readings was Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Sorrowful but always rejoicing.” That is what his paintings do.

The Trike That Thinks Its an Electric Car

This entertaining hybrid, part three-wheeler, part bike, part electric car, goes by the nickname ELF. There's something intrinsically appealing about this little vehicle.

Grist did a quick profile on it and, if you're interested, a 7-minute video follows as well. A bit pricey ($5,495), but about as low impact as travel can be.

Specs in a nutshell:

The ELF can go up to 30 mph and carry up to 350 pounds, but doesn’t need any of that pesky car stuff like a license plate, insurance, or actual gasoline. The battery’ll charge in 90 minutes when plugged in, carrying you up to 14 miles — farther if you put your thighs to work.

Time is Running Out

A grim assessment from Common Dreams, offered without comment. . .

New Energy Strategy for Minnesota Evaluates Renewables

A new article in the RMI Outlet looks at a comprehensive evaluation in Minnesota to assess the value and potential of renewable energy resources to replace the infrastructure heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The move has elicited some corresponding excitement from businesses in the state.

And it is not just Minnesota’s government building momentum around an alternative energy future. The state’s Fortune 100 companies, such as Target and Best Buy, have set significant GHG reduction goals. Its power companies continue to expand renewable generation, including both solar and wind. And Minnesota’s civil society, pillared by organizations such as Great Plains Institute and Center for Energy and Environment, helps facilitate change and drive innovation in the energy and efficiency sector. That is why RMI was excited to support the Minnesota Department of Commerce in the development of a comprehensive guide to conducting an energy future study for Minnesota.

You can imagine that somewhere in the faraway, fictional land of Lake Wobegon, solar panels are appearing atop barn roofs and wind turbines are gracing ridge lines.