On my recent trip across country, I drove on many highways across 30 different states. Every highway was a bit different, from the two lane roads in Wyoming to the massive six-lane highways outside of LA. But all of them lacked the same thing; electric vehicle chargers. That would make any cross-country trip in an electric car difficult, if not impossible. One of the few exceptions was along Highway 101, in California.
SolarCity and Rabobank, who installed the electric vehicle chargers, have gone one step further and added 200 kW worth of solar panels to these charging stations. Clean, free energy, anyone?
It was only a few weeks ago when my girlfriend and I drove from San Diego all the way to Seattle. It was quite the trip, and we saw a lot of interesting things along the way, including a number of Tesla Roadsters. I wondered out loud how these cars were able to travel so far from charging stations (we were between L.A. and San Francisco at the time) when Nicole pointed out some of the electric vehicle chargers. Much to my surprise, they looked like they were being charged by solar panels!
Solar technology is not perfect, and en masse, it is unlikely they’d be able to provide enough electricity to drive even half of California, at least not right now. For the relatively few people driving electric cars right now though, this is a fine start to an electric vehicle charging infrastructure. So when do those of us on the East Coast get some love?
Source: Rabobank
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About Christopher DeMorro
What is the capital cost of this 200kW capacity?
What is the capital cost of this 200kW capacity?
Clean, free energy, anyone? Well THE SOLUTION IS HERE
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DESERTEC-Map_large.jpg
(For illustration: the red squares indicate the space needed for solar collectors to produce the present power for the world (18.000 TWh/y, 300×300 km2), …for Europe (EU 3.200 TWh/y, 125×125 km2) and for Germany or MENA (Middle East and North Africa, about 600 TWh/y, 55×55 km2).
Clean, free energy, anyone? Well THE SOLUTION IS HERE
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DESERTEC-Map_large.jpg
(For illustration: the red squares indicate the space needed for solar collectors to produce the present power for the world (18.000 TWh/y, 300×300 km2), …for Europe (EU 3.200 TWh/y, 125×125 km2) and for Germany or MENA (Middle East and North Africa, about 600 TWh/y, 55×55 km2).
And, Constantin, what is the capital cost of this 18.000 TWh/y capacity, with its 300×300 km2 solar collectors?
Where, please, can I borrow that sum of money for ‘free’?
Don’t ever talk about ‘free energy’ unless you can answer that satisfactorily.
And, Constantin, what is the capital cost of this 18.000 TWh/y capacity, with its 300×300 km2 solar collectors?
Where, please, can I borrow that sum of money for ‘free’?
Don’t ever talk about ‘free energy’ unless you can answer that satisfactorily.
DESERTEC !That is your answer ! Gas burns and never comes back John ! Solar returns your money in a 10 years time OIL just burns and poluts !!!
DESERTEC !That is your answer ! Gas burns and never comes back John ! Solar returns your money in a 10 years time OIL just burns and poluts !!!
http://www.desertec.org
http://www.desertec.org
asloa for John …EU talks up Desertec plan: Saharan solar just five years away – http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/06/21/eu-talks-up-desertec-plan-saharan-solar-just-five-years-away/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/DESERTEC/71899751457?ref=ts
asloa for John …EU talks up Desertec plan: Saharan solar just five years away – http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/06/21/eu-talks-up-desertec-plan-saharan-solar-just-five-years-away/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/DESERTEC/71899751457?ref=ts
No, Constantin, that is not the answer to my question.
I did find it eventually though, in Table 3 on page 36 of the ‘White Book’ (www.desertec.org/en/concept/whitebook/). To pick one particularly optimistic number, they predict that ‘in 2050, lines with a capacity of 5 GW each will transmit about 700 TWh/y of electricity from 20-40 different locations in the Middle East and North Africa to the main centres of demand in Europe.’ This will require an investment of 350 billion Euros for the Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, and another 45 billion Euros for the High Voltage Direct Current transmission lines, which totals 395 billion Euros.
This gives an electricity cost of 0.05 Euros/kWh once it is delivered to Europe. And, as Section F makes clear, there is some way to go before these costs are achieved.
So it’s certainly not free.
Whether it represents an attractive investment proposition is another question altogether.
No, Constantin, that is not the answer to my question.
I did find it eventually though, in Table 3 on page 36 of the ‘White Book’ (www.desertec.org/en/concept/whitebook/). To pick one particularly optimistic number, they predict that ‘in 2050, lines with a capacity of 5 GW each will transmit about 700 TWh/y of electricity from 20-40 different locations in the Middle East and North Africa to the main centres of demand in Europe.’ This will require an investment of 350 billion Euros for the Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, and another 45 billion Euros for the High Voltage Direct Current transmission lines, which totals 395 billion Euros.
This gives an electricity cost of 0.05 Euros/kWh once it is delivered to Europe. And, as Section F makes clear, there is some way to go before these costs are achieved.
So it’s certainly not free.
Whether it represents an attractive investment proposition is another question altogether.
I saw this today, thought it was a pretty good idea for a license plate on a Tesla.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovelylor/4314594042/
I saw this today, thought it was a pretty good idea for a license plate on a Tesla.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovelylor/4314594042/
so when everyone in country is forced to drive strictly electric where is that electricity coming from to recharge ?? hydro no tearing those down coal fired, nope not in US. oil plant not if those anti carbon people get there way, Nuclear keep dreaming not likely the dems killed that 30 years ago oh are we going to put solar panels over the southwest in hundred square mile grids id like to see the sierra flubs response on that idea oh thats only ten by ten miles by the way . Hydrogen gas generation by nuclear power plant would be the way to go nuc plants are pretty none peak during night hours but thats never going to happen with the antis everything they really are the haters aren’t they