MORE NEWS, 5-15 (BETTER PLACE QUICK BATTERY SWITCH IS REAL; CLEAN WIND TO DIG DIRTY COAL; AUSSIE GOVT BETS $1.3 BIL ON SUN, EFFICIENCY)

BETTER PLACE QUICK BATTERY SWITCH IS REAL
Better Place Unveils First Automated Battery Switch for Japan EV Study; Demos Charging Infrastructure for Fixed and Switchable Battery Electric Cars
May 12, 2009 (Better Place)

"Better Place… achieved a milestone in accelerating the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles by demonstrating the world’s first battery switch technology along with electric car charging spots…Better Place was the only foreign company invited by the Japanese Ministry of Environment to demonstrate its switch technology…

"Better Place showcased its battery switch platform today using a modified NISSAN electric crossover SUV to demonstrate how to switch a depleted battery for a fully charged one. The company also demonstrated its commitment to open network standards by charging a fixed battery, electric car, via one of four Better Place charge spots…Recharging of the vehicle batteries is made possible by Sharp Corp. photovoltaic solar panels, creating a truly zero emission solution…"

From betterplace via YouTube.

"The Renault-Nissan Alliance is partnering with Better Place in Israel to enable zero-emissions mobility throughout the country by 2011…Better Place is committed to delivering a complete solution to drivers that includes in-car services, management systems and multiple ways for drivers to recharge their electric car including networks of charge spots and battery switch stations powered by renewable energy. The infrastructure offers drivers the same convenience to “top off” as they enjoy today with gasoline or petrol stations, with charge spots installed where you live, work, and shop, while battery switch stations are deployed for the exceptionally long drives."

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"The automated switch process, which takes about a minute, is faster than filling a tank with gasoline…The technology safely and quickly removes a depleted battery and transfers a fully charged battery into the vehicle…and the driver remains in the vehicle the entire time…The system works with two robotic battery shuttles on an automated track system…[One] holds the fully charged battery…while the other shuttle simply removes the depleted battery…[T]he track system returns the removed battery to a storage bay for recharging and preparation for use in another electric vehicle. The battery shuttles are designed…for universal application to a range of electric vehicles.

"The switch technology featured in the Yokohama exhibit will be further developed into production for the commercial switch stations, which will be deployed in Better Place markets around the world..."


CLEAN WIND TO DIG DIRTY COAL
Wind could power coal mines
Jeffrey Tomich, May 13, 2009 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Casper Star-Tribune)

"…Peabody Energy Corp.’s three Powder River Basin mining complexes in northeast Wyoming…aren’t just major sources of power plant fuel. The mammoth shovels, draglines and conveyors used to scrape away earth and transport coal to rail cars are also big electricity users.

"Like other businesses, the mining industry is constantly searching for ways to reduce energy costs. For Peabody, the world’s largest private sector coal producer, that quest has executives considering an unlikely option -- wind…Peabody is still in the early stages of its analysis and couldn’t say how many turbines it is considering or when a decision would be made."

It could be that Peabody wants to take advantage of one of the biggest natural resources in the West...(click to enlarge)

"Peabody is quick to note that it already benefits from low-cost electricity in Wyoming, fueled mostly by home-grown coal. But the company is also keenly aware of the state’s wind resources and is looking for ways to reduce its energy costs…Wyoming, which is easily the nation’s largest coal producer, also ranks No. 7 in the nation in wind energy potential…And wind energy development in the state is rapidly expanding.

"…[Gregory H. Boyce, Peabody’s CEO, recently said] the company supports the expanded use of all forms of energy…Still, the image of wind turbines spinning to help run the world’s largest coal mine -- Peabody’s North Antelope Rochelle mine near Gillette -- is ironic given the opposite positions that the coal and wind industries have been assigned in the debate over global warming and climate legislation."

...And it could be that Peabody knows it is running low on economically-recoverable coal. (click to enlarge)

"In fact, the development of wind farms in Wyoming and elsewhere could benefit the coal industry if it leads to the development of additional transmission capacity linking Plains states to larger cities…[C]oal-generated electricity is already being used to help build turbines and other components used in wind farms.

"Christine Real de Azua, a spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, D.C., said the possibility of wind turbines helping power Peabody mines in the Powder River Basin illustrates the flexibility of wind energy…And while [AWEA] is urging Congress to adopt legislation that will help fuel expansion of the wind industry, perhaps at the expense of other energy technologies, [it] isn’t anti-coal…"


AUSSIE GOVT BETS $1.3 BIL ON SUN, EFFICIENCY
Solar future looks bright as $1.3b boost gives power to the people
Stephanie Peatling, May 13, 2009 (The Age)

"The Federal Government will try to make the most of Australia's sunny climate by investing $1.3 billion in solar power initiatives…aimed at households and researchers… to vastly increase the amount of power that comes from an environmentally friendly source.

"A new solar flagships program will be created to turn Australia into a world leader in the generation of solar power…The Government [will] also increase the rebate for people who want to replace electric hot water systems from $1000 to $1600."

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"The Government has set itself the target of creating an additional 1000 megawatts of solar power - three times the size of the largest solar energy project in operation…[and] hopes householders will do everything they can to increase the energy efficiency of their homes.

"Energy efficiency is often referred to as low-hanging fruit by environment groups because it is relatively easy and cheap to achieve and can deliver significant greenhouse gas reductions."

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"The Government has already announced a program to offer people with little or no ceiling insulation up to $1600 to install the energy-saving batts…[The government will also introduce] new building codes to make sure new houses are as energy- and water-efficient as possible…[and] investigate how to install smart meters in houses and flats…

"The Government hopes its focus on energy efficiency will create thousands of new jobs, in a similar manner to Barack Obama's green jobs strategy for the US…

"As part of the budget, the Government also released the Wilkins review, a report by the former head of the NSW Cabinet Office, Roger Wilkins, on the effectiveness of the Government's energy-efficiency measures…The report recommended a significant streamlining of existing programs."