ENERGIES... week of December 2, 2001
GINGER, IT, NOW SEGWAY HT. Much anticipated during the past year as
a revolution in transportation, the Segway HT (Human Transporter) was
unveiled this week to the mainstream media. The two-wheeled,
battery-powered, electric scooter uses a gyroscope and sensors for
stabilization making it difficult to topple. (Other scooters rely on the
rider's sense of balance to keep them upright.) The HT is certainly
interesting technology, but will it change the way the masses travel?
Let's look at the realities.
The HT has top speed of 12 -17 miles per hour, like many electric
stand-up scooters already on the market. Possibly too fast, too
dangerous to be used among slow-moving pedestrians on sidewalks.
Like other scooters the HT may be relegated to stay on roadways
where they are defenseless against three-ton sport utility vehicles.
And like other scooters, the Segway HT has no weather protection.
Open air transport is a clear-weather-only venture except for the most
hardy.
The HT should be on the market late next year for around $3000.
Those with a good inner ear can buy a lower-tech electric scooter for a
fraction of that.
However, the scooter can be used in other situations such as
traversing warehouses or on roads with few cars, for instance. The
company is already in talks with GE Plastics, FedEx, Delphi Automotive,
Michelin, and the U.S. Postal Service for HT use in commerce or
industry. And too, bicycles and sit-down scooters are still the mainstay
of personal transportation in much of the world. Not everywhere is as
car-pinched as the U.S. Expect Segway to appear in those markets.
So is the HT revolutionary? In its design and engineering, sure. But
for transportation no - unless, of course, roadway planners find ways to
separate low-speed vehicles like this, from high speed ones. That would
be revolutionary. Visit Segway at http://www.segway.com/ .
JAIL TOP SOLAR. The largest roof-top solar electric system in the
U.S. and the fourth largest in the world will be built atop a place you
don't want to be - the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in Dublin,
California.
PowerLight Corporation has been hired to expand the Jail's existing
solar array from 640 kilowatts to 1.14 megawatts - an additional 500
kilowatts of the company's PowerGuard(tm) Solar Electric Roofing System.
When complete, the expanded system should provide 30 percent of the
facility's daytime power needs. Based on current electricity rates paid
by the county, the expanded system, along with other energy efficiency
improvements to the jail, will save the county $400,000 in the first
full year of operation, $15 million over the expected 25-year lifespan
of the PowerGuard modules. Visit PowerLight at
http://www.powerlight.com/ .
NO HASSLE MASS TRANSIT. For some, even the inconvenience of dealing
with unknown and complex fares can discourage people from using buses,
subways, street cars, light rail or ferries. Any innovation that will
encourage people to use energy-efficient mass transit should be
considered a good thing.
In a public test program to begin next year, up to 4000 volunteers
in San Francisco will be trying out TransLink(tm) universal transit fare
cards on certain routes of six transit systems in the region. The smart
computer-chip-imbedded TransLink cards are loaded with a cash value
(which can be restored or increased), stored rides or monthly passes.
Commuters need only flash the credit card-sized device at an electronic
reader on a vehicle or at a station (without having to remove from a
wallet) and the correct fare for that ride will be deducted from the
card. The TransLink card and reader, will also factor in a number of
variables to calculate the correct fare, including different rate
structures for each transit operator, transfers, routes, length of
trips, time of day and special applicable discounts such as student,
elderly or for disabled riders.
No excuses. Anyone should be able to flash a TransLink card - even
to ride multiple transit services on one trip - for energy efficient
transportation to his destination. The Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC) is the main sponsor of the project. Visit the MTC at
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/ .
WORLD WIND WATCH. Soon after Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark sold its
40 percent stake in Spanish wind turbine maker Gamesa Eolica this week,
speculation arose that Vestas would be in a position to buy Enron Wind
should the division be spun off by bankrupt parent company Enron. First,
the newswire services reported no, Vestas had no interest in Enron Wind,
then reported yes, perhaps, if the price was right. (It will have to be
a real bargain.)
In the past Vestas has always said it likes to grow organically, not
by acquisition. So, for now, it's wait and see.
Vestas did say however that it would go ahead with plans to begin
production of wind turbines in the United States if the Production Tax
Credit (PTC) is extended. Extension of the PTC too, would make Enron
Wind, the only manufacturer of utility-scale wind turbines based in the
U.S., an even more appealing buy. The PTC makes wind generated power
price-competitive in U.S. markets.
Vestas, the world's number one turbine maker last year, plans to
increase its world market share in wind turbine sales from 18 percent to
25-30 percent in coming years. Gamesa Eolica was number two last year
with 14 percent. Vestas' sale of its share in that company creates
another competitor in the industry. Visit Vestas at
http://www.vestas.com/ , Enron Wind at http://www.enronwind.com/ and
Gamesa Eolica at http://www.gamesa.es/
NEW! NEW! NEW! ... NewsLinks...
--- Piaggio Unveils Scooter Engine with Orbital Technology
http://www.orbital.com/ (click Investor Relations, News, Releases)
(12/2/01)
--- Ballard Power and Ford Sign $69.1-million (US $43.9-million) for
Fuel Cell Engines and Related Support Services. http://www.ballard.com/
(12/3/01)
--- Pioneer Technology Converts Corn to Energy Alternative
http://www.pioneer.com/ (click Media Info, Press Releases, Corporate
News) (12/4/01)
--- Electric Fuel's Electric Bus Demo in Las Vegas Heralded as 'A New
Era for Transportation', Next Step - a Planned 10-20 Bus Demonstration
Fleet http://www.electric-fuel.com (12/5/01)
--- NCGA Sponsored Study Proves Energy, Economic Benefits of Renewable
Fuels Standard http://www.ncga.com/ (12/5/01)
--- Pennsylvania Gov. Schweiker Announces Historic Purchase of Green
Power; Renewable Energy to Supply 5 Percent of State Government's Power
Needs For Next Two Years; Action Marks Fifth Anniversary of PA's
Landmark Electric Competition Program http://www.state.pa.us/ (search
site, Good Luck!) (12/5/01)
--- US National Energy Bill to Provide Strong Support for Bio Fuels
http://www.dynamotive.com/ (12/5/01)
--- New Analysis Finds Daschle Energy Bill a "Good Start" on Energy
Efficiency but "Crucial Provisions Missing" http://aceee.org/ (click
Press Releases (12/5/01)
--- U. S. Utility and Danish Electricity Supplier Conduct First Trade in
Danish Greenhouse Gas Allowances; Landmark Trade Between Entergy and
Elsam Highlights Economic and Environmental Benefits of Greenhouse Gas
Trading http://www.entergy.com/ (12/6/01)
And at the Green Energy News website...
--- Securing Funding for Energy-Efficient Commercial Green Buildings
(including PV & renewable resources) is the Focus of a Sonoma State
University-Sponsored Workshop.
--- Consortium Formed To Commercialize Ocean Wave Power
--- Energy and Environmental Funding Opportunities
***** IBC's Offshore Wind Energy Conference promises to be an
informative event focusing upon the latest developments with the wind
energy sector. Visit http:www.ibcenergy.com/windenergy for further
details or telephone + 44 (0)20 7017 4052. *****
Send ENERGIES to a friend or colleague. Visit Green Energy News on
the Web at http://www.nrglink.com/ . For free ENERGIES subscription
contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Copyright Green Energy News Inc. 12/8/01
vol.6 no.36
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