MORE NEWS, 7-16 (“PUSH WIND” SAY THOSE WHO KNOW; AIR FORCE TO FLY SUN; B OF A TO FINANCE TESLA EV BUYS)

“PUSH WIND” SAY THOSE WHO KNOW
Experts call for federal wind power push
Jennifer A Dlouhy, July 13, 2009 (Houston Chronicle)

"The U.S. could dramatically boost electricity generated from wind by investing in research on lighter turbines, taller towers and more efficient generators, energy experts from New York and Texas told a House panel…

"For wind power to play “a more prominent role in the nation's energy mix,” there must be financial support for research aimed at improving “performance and reliability,” said John Saintcross, a program manager with the New York State Energy Research and Development Corp…Andy Swift, the director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University, said federal spending to develop more efficient technologies could combat the reliability and cost problems that have limited wind power."

The energy assets await development. (click to enlarge)

"Although the Department of Energy has estimated that wind resources on and off U.S. shores could power the country several times over, wind energy now accounts for just 2 percent of the nation's electricity supplies…The Energy Department last year predicted that wind could provide 20 percent of the nation's electricity portfolio by 2030, assuming that the capital costs of wind energy projects decreased by 10  percent and turbines become more efficient.

"The House…is weighing a bill…that would create an $800 million program for research and development in wind energy technologies…[and] funnel $200 million a year into research aimed at improving efficiency and cutting costs of wind energy systems…"

The more the R&D, the faster the turbines get bigger. (click to enlarge)

"…[A]s wind turbines and rotary blades get bigger, research may be needed in designing component pieces that can be fabricated and installed on site rather than being trucked across the country…[and] research is needed to improve forecasting — and reliability — of intermittent wind. Current forecasting is usually based on data collected…far below the typical turbine height of 80 meters…

"One of the biggest obstacles to wind power is the nation's aging electrical transmission grid, which was designed to accommodate power generation at centralized plants close to the urban customers they serve. Earlier this month, billionaire investor T. Boone Pickens said he was delaying his plans for a $10 billion wind farm in West Texas until a new transmission line is complete."


AIR FORCE TO FLY SUN
Dye-sensitized Solar Cells To Power Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
July 14, 2009 (Air Force Office of Scientific Research via Science Daily)

"Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are expected to power Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the future because they are an optimum energy harvesting source that may lead to longer flight times without refueling.

"The University of Washington's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project team, with lead researcher Dr. Minoru Taya is working on airborne solar cells by using a flexible film and a thin glass coating with transparent conductive electrodes. He has found that DSSCs made from organic materials, which use (dyes) and moth-eye film, are able to catch photons and convert them into synthesized electrons that can harvest high photon energy."

Solar Challenger, built by aeronautical engineering legend Paul MacCready, flew the English Channel powered by solar cells in 1981. (click to enlarge)

"A few years ago the team mounted dye-sensitized solar cells on the wings of a toy airplane. The propeller was effectively powered, but the plane was not able to become airborne because the glass based solar cells they were using were too heavy. Upon experimentation, they decided to use film battery technology, which worked and in fact, enabled the plane to fly…"

DSSC solar cells are uniquely efficient. (click to enlarge)

"The team is currently working on DSSCs with higher PCEs using bioinspired dyes, which are installed in the wings of the UAV (airborne energy harvesters)…[as well as] researching the challenges of DSSCs' technology and are seeking to learn how durable they are and how well their technology may integrate with other Air Force vehicles. The team is also trying to determine how to build the solar cells in the wing surface of the aircraft and how to store energy harvested from them…

"In the end, the team hopes to reach their goal of developing large, flexible DSSCs with higher energy conversion efficiency. Generally, solar cells that are larger have decreased efficiency. Therefore, the team is using a metal grid, which has high surface resistance and can accelerate electron transport for larger-sized flexible DSSCs while maintaining high efficiency."


B OF A TO FINANCE TESLA EV BUYS
Bank of America to finance Tesla Roadster purchases
Ken Bensinger, July 14, 2009 (LA Times)

"With a Tesla -- like a Ferrari -- if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it...[A]t $109,000 and with just enough trunk space for a pitching wedge and a decent bottle of single malt, the all-electric Tesla Roadster would hardly appear to be the car for the guy who counts his every dime. But now, thanks to Bank of America, cheapskates (read: the lumpen masses) may finally have an entree into the electric sports car market.

"The Charlotte, N.C.- based banking behemoth, long a leader in auto loans, will begin offering financing for the purchase of a Tesla. Qualified borrowers will be eligible for a loan of up to 75% of the value of the car and can have up to five years to pay it off…[which] means for just $20,000 down, you too can get behind the wheel of the coveted Roadster."

An expensive remedy for male menopause, yes, but...(click to enlarge)

"Of course, that number isn't exactly accurate. It includes a $7,500 tax credit that you don't get until you file your taxes next year. It also doesn't account for $10,628 in sales tax and $1,322 in registration fees you'd pay if you were a resident of Los Angeles. (Sadly, the new car sales tax deduction included in this year's stimulus bill doesn't apply to cars that cost as much as a Tesla. Ditto for the Cash for Clunkers program.)

"So, in reality, for just $30,237.50 down -- or about the sticker price for a Ford Mustang Premium GT, you too can get behind the wheel of the coveted Roadster."

...The technology is driving all this and now B of A is helping drive it, too. (click to enlarge)

"Then you get to make monthly payments, which Tesla suggests could run at around a 5% annual rate, of a mere $1,700 a month. At the end of the day, you'll have paid just shy of $12,000 in interest on the electron-fired hot rod as well…

"Leaving aside the fact that there's a pretty darn long waiting list just to get a Tesla, one might wonder just how many Americans can afford $30 large down and a monthly nut as much as a nice one-bedroom apartment on the Westside just for the right to drive an electric car…Another question also comes to mind: Which lasts longer, the monthly payment or the 6,831 lithium ion cells in the Tesla battery?"