Driving rural energy access: a second-life application for electric-vehicle batteries

Building rural energy infrastructure in developing countries remains a significant financial, policy and technological challenge. The growth of the electric vehicle (EV) industry will rapidly expand the resource of partially degraded, ‘retired’, but still usable batteries in 2016 and beyond. These batteries can become the storage hubs for community-scale grids in the developing world. We model the resource and performance potential and the technological and economic aspects of the utilization of retired EV batteries in rural and decentralized mini- and micro-grids. We develop and explore four economic scenarios across three battery chemistries to examine the impacts on transport and recycling …

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Alternative Investment Structures in Electric Power

 

Electric utilities today are no longer the steadfast and predictable businesses they once were. There is continued deregulation of energy markets facilitating stronger competition, increasing price volatility due to global demand growth and the issue of climate change driving widespread government subsidized promotion of renewable energy. As utilities begin to cope with changing market forces, they are exploring opportunities with tax advantaged, yield oriented investment vehicles to help improve economic returns.

Navigant Energy’s Lucas Porter explores this changing landscape, recent transactions and future trends in the “Alternative Investment Structures in Electric Power” white paper.

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Global EV Outlook: Understanding the Electric Vehicle Landscape to 2020

The Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI) is a multi-government policy forum dedicated to accelerating the introduction and   adoption of electric vehicles worldwide. EVI is one of several initiatives launched in 2010 under the Clean Energy Ministerial, a high-level dialogue among energy ministers from the world’s major economies. EVI currently includes 15 member   governments from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as participation from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

This report examines the anticipated trend of EV’s in the global marketplace through 2020.…

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Spatial and Temporal Heterogeneity of Marginal Emissions: Implications for Electric Cars and Other Electricity-Shifting Policies

In this paper, we develop a methodology for estimating marginal emissions of electricity demand that vary by location and time of day across the United States. The approach takes account of the generation mix within interconnected electricity markets and shifting load profiles throughout the day. Using data available for 2007 through 2009, with a focus on carbon dioxide (CO2), we find substantial variation among locations and times of day. Marginal emission rates are more than three times as large in the upper Midwest compared to the western United States, and within regions, rates for some hours of the day are …

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Shifting Gears: Transcending Conventional Economic Doctrines to Develop Better Electric Vehicle Batteries

Like all economic policy debates in the United States, energy and climate  policy is shaped by competing “economic doctrines.” Those who subscribe  to the neoclassical economic doctrine see climate change as a relatively  straightforward problem caused by failing to charge polluters of  greenhouse gases (GHG) for the full costs of their emissions. Once the  price is right, the theory holds, the market will respond appropriately (if it  hasn’t already) and develop the needed solutions. By contrast, those  informed by neo-Keynesian perspectives favor a more direct response,  such as subsidizing renewable energy or requiring its use. Finally, those  supporting the innovation… View Full Resource

Shifting Gears: Transcending Conventional Economic Doctrines to Develop Better Electric Vehicle Batteries

Like all economic policy debates in the United States, energy and climate  policy is shaped by competing “economic doctrines.” Those who subscribe  to the neoclassical economic doctrine see climate change as a relatively  straightforward problem caused by failing to charge polluters of  greenhouse gases (GHG) for the full costs of their emissions. Once the  price is right, the theory holds, the market will respond appropriately (if it  hasn’t already) and develop the needed solutions. By contrast, those  informed by neo-Keynesian perspectives favor a more direct response,  such as subsidizing renewable energy or requiring its use. Finally, those  supporting the innovation …

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Plug-In Electric Vehicle Deployment in the Northeast: A Market Overview and Literature Review

Plug-­in electric vehicles, or PEVs, have recently become available across the nation on an unprecedented scale. A successful mass deployment of these vehicles could create many public benefits, facilitating a transition away from an oil-­‐dominated transportation system while reducing air pollutants and carbon emissions. However, widespread consumer acceptance of PEVs will depend on collective action from a diverse array of stakeholders, including electric utilities, manufacturers, nonprofits, and governments at all levels. Coordinated regional and local efforts are needed to accelerate and accommodate PEV deployment.

In 2011, the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) launched the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network, comprised of …

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Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Exhaust Emissions and User Barriers for a Plug-in Toyota Prius

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are vehicles that have both an internal combustion engine, electric propulsion and batteries, which can be charged from the electricity grid. Plug-in Hybrid vehicles are the possible next step in the evolution of Hybrid Vehicles (HEVs). Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles being available as prototype and demonstration vehicles, a few production models are now entering the market. Plug-in hybrid vehicles come in many different designs with quite different technical concepts and characteristics. PHEVs can be used for longer trips without charging, meaning that there will be no “range anxiety”. The same car can be used for both …

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Cost-effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery capacity and charging infrastructure investment for reducing US gasoline consumption

Federal electric vehicle (EV) policies in the United States currently include vehicle purchase subsidies  linked to EV battery capacity and subsidies for installing charging stations. We assess the cost-  effectiveness of increased battery capacity vs. nondomestic charging infrastructure installation for  plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as alternate methods to reduce gasoline consumption for cars, trucks,  and SUVs in the US. We find across a wide range of scenarios that the least-cost solution is for more  drivers to switch to low-capacity plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (short electric range with gasoline  backup for long trips) or gasoline-powered hybrid electric vehicles. If more gasoline …

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Plug-in Electric Vehicle Market Overview

An overview of the PEV market from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.…

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