QUICK NEWS, March 13: THE PRESIDENT TO TALK ENERGY; HOW TO BOOST EV SALES; MEASURING THE SUN

THE PRESIDENT TO TALK ENERGY Obama Confers With Energy, Oil Executives on Second-Term Agenda

Roger Runnigen, March 8, 2013 (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

“President Barack Obama has conferred with more than a dozen oil, natural gas and clean-energy executives, as well as academic advisers, at the White House in advance of an energy-policy speech [March 15 at the Argonne National Laboratory, near Chicago. It was billed as a meeting on Obama’s second term ‘clean energy agenda,’…and coping with climate change]…

“The meeting included Jim Hackett, chairman of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC), the second-biggest U.S. independent oil and natural gas producer by market value; Lew Hay, chairman, NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE), which sells energy from natural gas, wind and nuclear power sources…Alex Laskey, president and co- founder, Opower Inc., a provider of energy-monitoring software…Debra Reed, chief executive officer of Sempra Energy (SRE), a U.S. natural gas distributor; Terry Royer, president and chief executive officer of Winergy Drive Systems Corp., a maker of wind-turbine parts…”

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“…Jeff Shaw, chief executive officer of Southwest Gas Corp. (SWX), a natural gas distributor; Fred Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp. (FDX), operator of the world’s largest cargo airline…Cynthia Warner, chairman and chief executive officer of Sapphire Energy Inc., a producer of fuel from algae…[Shirley Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and former chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Bill Ritter, a former Colorado governor and clean-energy advocate who’s director of Colorado State University’s Center for New Energy Economy, and Cass Sunstein, now a professor at Harvard Law School and former regulatory adviser at the White House Budget office in Obama’s first term].

“Since Obama took office, domestic oil and gas production has increased annually, energy production from renewable sources such as wind and solar has more than doubled, and emissions of carbon pollution have decreased…The energy talks at the White House covered the role of natural gas in in the U.S. economy, new opportunities for renewable energy such as wind, solar and advanced biofuels, the importance of clean energy research and development, and increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses…”

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HOW TO BOOST EV SALES What Will It Take To Boost The Overall Success Of EVs?

7 March 2013 (Renew Grid)

“Charging stations and battery-swap locations are the most crucial to developing a sustainable electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, according to respondents to a recent survey by PwC...[T]he global hybrid and EV market share [is projected to] reach 6.3% by 2020. As municipalities continue to work with the private sector to meet future demands and develop ‘smart cities,’ finding the ideal ratio between integrated public charging stations and the number of EVs on the road is a prevailing challenge when investing in existing and future infrastructure…

“Approximately 25% of survey respondents said one public station for every 20 EVs is an ideal ratio, while 20% indicated one station for every five vehicles is ideal…Roughly 80% of respondents also indicated that 30 minutes or less charge time is considered fast charging for EVs.”

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“…46% of respondents felt that long-term total cost of ownership savings is the most likely reason consumers would be willing to pay an up-front premium for an EV. PwC says automakers continue to evaluate the price premium consumers are willing to pay for an EV…[and found] consumers willing to pay a premium price would need to remain under $5,000 (PHEVs 57.9%, PEVs 47.7%)…

“Survey respondents indicated global collaboration (26.6%) will lead the development and production of EVs and supporting technologies by 2020. Respondents said China will lead by 2020 (25.9%)…[A]utomakers are working to find a balance between production and consumer demands. The trend is to build where you sell. Automakers planning for long-term success will likely have the competitive edge.”

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A TOOL TO KNOW THE SUN Sun Number Develops New Solar Analysis and Sales Tool

12 March 2013 (Solar Industry)

“Sun Number LLC has released a new tool designed to improve solar companies' capabilities to analyze the solar potential of properties and close sales with customers.

“The tool, developed with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot program, utilizes high-resolution aerial data, advanced GIS technology and proprietary algorithms to produce instant analyses of the solar potential of residential and commercial building rooftops…Solar companies can immediately obtain information about a property's solar suitability without an on-site visit.”

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“Sun Number helps solar companies identify properties that have high solar suitability for proactive sales efforts. The online tool also shortens the sales cycle by providing suitability information for properties, including specifics on rooftop morphology and the impact of shade…It takes into account the pitch of every roof section, the orientation of every roof plane, shade created by surrounding buildings and shade created by surrounding vegetation that might impact solar potential.

“Additionally, Sun Number scores take into account regional factors, such as average sunshine for the market, atmospheric conditions, availability of local solar incentives, regional cost of electricity for calculation of solar savings, and other factors.”

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