QUICK NEWS, April 15: A TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR FOR NEW ENERGY; PLUG-IN CARS SATISFY COMMUTERS; EV ENABLING BIZ TO BE $36BIL BY 2025

A TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR FOR NEW ENERGY Why 2015 Will Be a ‘Transformative Year’ for Renewable Energy in the US

April 14, 2015 (Solar Energy)

“…[ Medium-term Outlook for U.S. Power: 2015 from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF)] has some good news for anyone who supports a greener American energy sector: 2015 will be a “transformative year” for U.S. power, as more natural gas and renewable energy will combine with fewer coal plants to create a 20-year low in U.S. power sector emissions…[T]hese three factors will combine to drive carbon emissions from the power sector to their lowest levels since 1994…First, 2015 is expected to be a record-breaking year for the installation of renewable energy, with around 18 new gigawatts (GW) of power coming online from solar and wind. The previous record, set in 2012, was 17.1 GW, and most of that came from wind plants built ahead of tax credit expirations…This year will be different, because experts think we’ll see an equal mix of solar and wind projects…[S]olar will reach record installations in three areas: utility scale installations, like mega-projects in California, rooftop solar installations, and non-residential roof-space. This year and 2016 are important years for solar — especially for utility-scale solar — because the federal Investment Tax Credit, which offers a dollar-for-dollar reduction in federal income tax for those who invest in solar projects, is set to fall from 30 percent to 10 percent in 2017, a policy change that will make large-scale solar projects less appealing for investors…” click here for more

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PLUG-IN CARS SATISFY COMMUTERS Even As Batteries Age, Electric Cars Meet Commuter Needs: Study

Bengt Halvoffrson, April 14, 2015 (The Car Connection)

“…[Electric cars] can lose 20 percent or more of their range over a few years daily use…[T]hat dwindling range as the battery ages may be cause for some electric-car shoppers to either worry about budgeting for a replacement battery pack or forget about it and go with a hybrid instead…While it’s a valid concern for the few who are really pushing the range of their vehicles on a daily basis, researchers…[found] that even if their test Nissan Leaf EVs were to lose 20 percent of their capacity (officially 24 kWh, with an EPA driving range of 84 miles)…they can still meet the daily-driving needs of 85 percent of U.S. motorists. Even at 50 percent of its original storage capacity, about 80 percent of daily driving needs could still be met, the researchers calculated; and at 30 percent of the original, 55 percent would still have enough…” click here for more

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EV ENABLING BIZ TO BE $36BIL BY 2025 Connected Vehicles; Vehicle-to-X Communications and Supporting Technologies: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts

Q2 2015 (Navigant Research)

“…One of the key enabling systems for the success of [vehicle electrification and automated driving systems] is the provision of real-time data to vehicles, drivers, and pedestrians through vehicle-to-external communications (V2X) using dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)…Even before there is significant deployment of automated vehicles, V2X connectivity has the potential to alleviate some of these issues. DSRC-based V2X systems are anticipated to be deployed by OEMs beginning in 2016 and see rapid expansion over the next decade. In addition to the embedded OEM systems on new vehicles, aftermarket retrofit systems and new smartphones with DSRC capability are expected to be adopted. According to Navigant Research, global revenue from sales of OEM and aftermarket DSRC-based V2X systems is projected to reach more than $36 billion by 2025…” click here for more

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