MORE NEWS, 9-9: CONSUMERS WANT PLUG-IN CARS-POLL; N. CAROLINA WIND LOOKS OFFSHORE; GEOTHERMAL CHALLENGES; CALLS FOR U.S.-CHINA NEW ENERGY COOPERATION

CONSUMERS WANT PLUG-IN VEHICLES
48% of Consumers Interested in Purchasing a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, According to New Survey from Pike Research
September 8, 2009 (Business Wire via Reuters)

"Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are one of the most highly anticipated new product categories of recent years. Promising dramatically improved fuel economy over standard internal combustion engines, PHEVs are expected to drive significant benefits in the form of reduced carbon emissions and lesser dependence on foreign oil. According to a new survey from Pike Research, prospective consumer interest in the category is solid, with 48% stating that they would be 'extremely' or 'very' interested in purchasing a PHEV with a 40-mile range on a single charge…"

Preferences (click to enlarge)

"Other key findings of the survey…[85% said] improved fuel efficiency would be an important factor when choosing their next vehicle…[65% of those interested in PHEVs said they would] pay a premium price, over and above the price of a standard gasoline vehicle, with an average premium of 12%…[T]he availability of workplace, private, and public vehicle charging stations in their local area would be very important…[79% would invest] in a fast-charging outlet for their home…"

Obstacles (click to enlarge)

["...Electric Vehicle Consumer Survey] analyzes results
from a web-based survey of 1,041 U.S. consumers…[and] includes a detailed analysis of consumer demand and willingness to pay for PHEVs and their associated vehicle charging infrastructure. Segmentation analysis includes an examination of demand within different demographic and behavioral groups. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm`s website. [The cost of the full report is $2500]…"


N. CAROLINA WIND LOOKS OFFSHORE
Outer Banks wind farm planned; Outer Banks firm laying groundwork
John Murawski, September 6, 2009 (McClatchy via The Sun News)

"…For more than a year, a tiny Chapel Hill company has been laying plans for [an Outer Banks wind energy project the size of a small town] that would catapult North Carolina into a national leadership role in offshore wind energy development. Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corp. is eyeing federal waters about 25 miles offshore…

"An offshore wind farm has yet to be built in this country, and the hurdles are formidable. North Carolina is considered to have excellent wind resources, but fierce opposition has shot down proposals to build commercial wind projects in the mountains and on the coast."

N. Carolina has tremendous offshore wind assets... (click to enlarge)

"The planned Cape Lookout Energy Preserve likely would have to overcome intense public criticism and rigorous environmental scrutiny...could take seven years and would cost at least $900 million…[H]urricane-resistant towers [would be secured] to the ocean floor…Outers Banks…considers wind one of the country's best energy options…[and] plans to hold community meetings in the state's coastal counties to introduce the project to the public. The company also will apply for a federal permit to build towers in the ocean to test wind speeds.

"…[Wind energy is] the fastest-growing form of renewable power [in the U.S.]…Wall Street financiers and state governments are betting on wind power and other forms of renewable energy as states enact renewable mandates and Congress debates global warming legislation. The Obama Administration's stimulus package will pump in $3 billion to cover 30 percent of the costs…"

...And so do a lot of other states. (click to enlarge)

"…North Carolina lags other states that offer financial incentives and...[compromised] with opponents of offshore wind farms…[but is expected] to follow the lead of other states. Outer Banks' proposed 200-megawatt wind farm would [not be visible 25 miles from shore and would] generate enough power for about 42,000 homes. The project would require underwater transmission cables costing at least $2 million per mile to come ashore over beaches, dunes or wetland…[The proposed project] consists of [at least 50] oversize, three-blade propellers that turn tower-mounted generators…for the first phase…Plans call for eventually tripling the size of the wind farm to at least 150 towers spread out over 54 square miles if demand for the electricity increases.

"The Cape Lookout Energy Preserve wouldn't generate electricity until 2014 at the earliest…The Chapel Hill company still would have to run detailed studies on sea bed formation, bird flight patterns and fish movements, as well as commercial shipping lanes and military training zones. Large offshore tracts likely would be removed from consideration by conflicting recreational, environmental, commercial and military uses…The blades could pose a threat to birds, and the towers could confuse sea turtles and other marine animals...Outer Banks…will need $38 million to $45 million for the initial environmental and engineering studies…Support from [Progress Energy and Duke Energy, the state's most powerful utilities,] depends on how much they would have to pay for the electricity…"


GEOTHERMAL CHALLENGES
Growing Pains for Geothermal; A look at S-curves and drilling SNAFUs.
Toby Shute, September 4, 2009 (The Motley Fool via MSNBC)

"For some time now, I've been quietly rooting for geothermal power. It's clean, it's cheap, and unlike solar or wind, it provides a base load of power that doesn't depend on the sun shining or the wind blowing.

"…I spend much more time writing about the twists and turns of the solar industry…because there are so many more publicly traded solar businesses. Magma Energy [is] listed in Canada…Beyond Ormat, the pickings this side of the border are quite slim."

click to enlarge

"...[Technology S-cruves in renewable energy alterantives; Analysis and implications for industry and government, by Schilling and Esmundo,] has found that geothermal is both the most efficient alternative-energy technology and is also improving at the fastest rate…Picture flattish growth, followed by exponential growth, and then a flattening again -- hence the "S" shape. Geothermal and wind technologies are both in that steep middle phase, where they are making rapid efficiency gains, translating to a high return on R&D investment. Wind is further along that curve, while geothermal has shown no signs of slowing performance improvement. Solar is improving much more slowly.

"With geothermal poised to surpass the efficiency of fossil fuels with just a few billion dollars' more support (the authors peg the cost at $3.3 billion), the policy implications of this study are that our government funding priorities are out of whack…"

click to enlarge

"…[B]ut for geothermal to take the world by storm, it has to move beyond the exploitation of natural reservoirs such as occur at Calpine's Geysers facility and move to Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) that can pull the heat out of hot dry rock. Unfortunately, such projects have seriously stumbled lately…Australia's Geodynamics.. had an explosion at its Habanero 3 well in April. Commissioning continues to be delayed…[and] AltaRock Energy [in which Google's foundation invested] suspended drilling at the Geysers after failing to make it more than a third of its way to total depth [due to possible seismic disturbances]…This is disappointing…[but not] insurmountable…

"The geothermal industry, with a fraction of the government money thrown at fossil fuels over the years, will figure out how to drill through 12,000 feet of rock [just as the oil industry has]...[C]ommercialization of EGS would certainly be easier if the oil and gas industry would clue the geothermal folks in on the dark arts of deep drilling. The conspiratorially minded among us may conclude that the energy majors have no such interest in doing so…Even though Chevron is the biggest geothermal producer in the world, I certainly don't see the company [pushing EGS]…[and] companies such as Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil [prefer] biofuels. But with or without [help]…I do expect the geothermal business to grow by leaps and bounds…"


CALLS FOR U.S.-CHINA NEW ENERGY COOPERATION
Cantwell: US, China must cooperate on clean energy
Elaine Kurtenbach, September 7, 2009 (AP via Forbes)

"China and the United States should dismantle outdated trade barriers and cooperate in developing clean energy to help battle climate change and tap job-creating market opportunities, Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, said…

"Speaking to a conference on so-called "green technologies," Cantwell and Chinese officials both urged broader and deeper cooperation, noting that Cold War era limits on technology transfer are hindering both sides of taking advantage of opportunities to invest and create jobs…But such cooperation must be paired with real progress in protecting intellectual property…[and] by combatting piracy of the patents and trademarks…"

click to enlarge

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), member, Energy and Natural Resources Committee: "If we can deal with these intellectual property issues, it's huge. Hundreds of thousands of jobs can be created in both countries…"

"…Fu Zhihuan, a former minister of railways who now heads the China Energy Conservation Association…and other Chinese officials…urged that Washington move more quickly to allow faster and more open transfer of key technologies. Business communities on both sides have long lobbied for such changes, saying limits meant to prevent China from acquiring sensitive technologies that might be put to military use put U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage, especially with European companies."

China has the drive to build New Energy but, to achieve the emissions cuts China wants to achieve and the world needs it to achieve, China will need the world's best technologies. (click to enlarge)

"Among key areas where China needs help are clean coal technologies, solar energy, electric and hybrid vehicles and improved electricity grids…The U.S. leads in "smart grid" technology…the ways energy is transmitted, stored and consumed. Such technology is crucial for China, which has ramped up installed capacity for solar and wind power but faces hurdles in getting that power to the regions that need it…China's capacity to manufacture faster and more cheaply, in turn, can aid joint efforts to reduce costs…According to Cantwell, 650,000 of the 800,000 solar energy-related jobs worldwide are in China…"

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), member, Energy and Natural Resources Committee: "The basics can be summed up very easily…Jobs, jobs, jobs."