Creating tomorrow’s economic flush
by J.T. Long
On a warm September morning, Rick Wood peers over a bridge at clear waters streaming through the Putah South Canal into the Waterman Water Treatment Plant and nods approvingly. “Very low turbidity,” the assistant director of public works announces.
Contractors for Kiewit Pacific Co., descendents of the same Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co. that built the dam in 1953, are on site today installing rebar as part of a $67 million expansion and modernization project.
Both Lake Berryessa water and Delta water are surface sources and therefore tend to be free of damaging chemicals such as perchlorate that can infiltrate groundwater sources. Fairfield’s two water treatment plants — Waterman and North Bay Regional Water Treatment Plant — focus on disinfection and pulling out particulates. Sticky microsand added to rough filtered water in new oversized sifters allows gravity to do its part, pulling sediment out of the water before it is ozonated and chlorinated. To make this process more efficient, Kiewit is upgrading and expanding the Waterman facility from its current 16 million gallons per day (mgd) to a capacity of 30 mgd. Construction will take 30 months because it is being done in stages to allow almost continuous operation of the facility. And while Anheuser-Busch insists that its water come exclusively from Lake Berryessa, for most of the rest of the service area water from the Delta and lake are mixed with almost identical results. Wood says, “If I tasted a glass of treated water from each source, I couldn’t tell the difference.” The redundancy gives the district flexibility and reliability — a very important asset to manufacturing site managers.
Combined with North Bay Regional Water Treatment Plant’s 27 mgd capacity and 55.1 million gallons of treated water storage capacity in nine reservoirs, Fairfield has enough water to serve the city’s 106,000 residents today along with the 136,000 people and related jobs and service uses expected by 2025. “We will have enough water for another Budweiser if it’s needed,” Wood says.
In addition to more efficient treatment streams and seismic upgrades, renovations include a research station where University of North Carolina students and SID employees will work on site to find better ways to treat this valuable source of economic development.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
AmCan man plans biofuel plant in city
AmCan man plans biofuel plant in city
Company would manufacture biodiesel from waste materials from sources throughout Vallejo
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 05/07/2008
Parked in front of the future bio diesel manufacturing plant located at the West end of Lemon Street, the rear window of Jacque Barsotti's VW Passat reads 'Biodiesel Yum.' (Stacey J. Miller/Times-Herald)
If biodiesel is the wave of the future, Rodney Pitts said he plans to catch it and take Vallejo along for the ride.
The American Canyon resident said if all goes according to plan, he and his partners and investors will build a biofuel manufacturing plant on Vallejo's Lemon Street near the water. Pitts said the plant will produce fuel from waste materials from the nearby treatment plant and other sources, and produce no toxic waste of its own. Not even dirty water.
"Every city has waste materials it doesn't use, like brown oil, that can be used to make biodiesel," said Pitts, 42, a married father of a 4-year-old son. "Material from the waste treatment plant is now broken down into methane, brown oil and other elements and mostly winds up in landfills or the ocean, but we can make fuel out of it."
Pitts, a former Navy man and self-described "computer science guy," said he hopes his firm, Go Green Biofuels, will be able to build a 40,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres. The plant will eventually produce 30 million gallons of clean-burning fuel annually, he said. And not only will the plant be self-powered, it will generate energy to "feed into the grid," Pitts said.
The idea is to use special, self-re-generating algae oil to create fuel, which doesn't impact food supplies the way ethanol does, Pitts said. And unlike traditional fuel refineries, Go Green's process produces no toxic by-products or smell, he said.
"The only byproduct is glycerin, for which there is a growing demand for use in making plastics and from chemical companies, like Dow Chemical, who already want it," he said. "It's used in soaps, pet feed stock, all sorts of things."
In the past, some have questioned whether algae oil can be efficiently produced in enough quantity at a low enough cost to be a viable fuel option. That was before gas prices soared, Pitts said, adding that the fourth generation technology his firm uses, addresses those issues.
The facility Pitts hopes to create would take some 150 workers about a year to build and will employ at least 50 employees when it opens, he said. The plan is to hire only Vallejo workers for all phases of the operation. Company officials hope to break ground next month, he said.
"Vallejo has the perfect infrastructure for this, and we want to create jobs here, and educate people about biofuels," Pitts said.
To that end, Pitts will have a biofuel-powered recreational vehicle available for school presentations, he added.
"This will also attract other 'green' business to Vallejo. It could be huge," Pitts said.
Creating and building a market for biofuels will lower the cost of diesel, thereby lowering shipping costs, which, in turn, will lower the costs of everything else, Pitts said.
And as people see the benefits, more passenger cars will be built and sold that can run on this fuel, which will cost less than gasoline. Go Green already has contracts with several companies to supply biodiesel to their truck fleets, Pitts said.
"Biodiesel hybrids are already being built, and other countries are already using them," he said.
Vallejo's chief building official said what he's heard of Pitts' concept sounds good, but it's only a concept so far.
"He's met with some city staff members, including myself and presented his ideas, but no plans have been submitted to us," West said. "But the zoning is right for the site, and the concept is interesting. The city is interested and will help him with it if we can."
A rendering of the new Go Green Biofuels plant planned to open later this year at the west end of Lemon Street in Vallejo. (Courtesy photo)
• E-mail Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at RachelZ@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6824.
Company would manufacture biodiesel from waste materials from sources throughout Vallejo
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 05/07/2008
Parked in front of the future bio diesel manufacturing plant located at the West end of Lemon Street, the rear window of Jacque Barsotti's VW Passat reads 'Biodiesel Yum.' (Stacey J. Miller/Times-Herald)
If biodiesel is the wave of the future, Rodney Pitts said he plans to catch it and take Vallejo along for the ride.
The American Canyon resident said if all goes according to plan, he and his partners and investors will build a biofuel manufacturing plant on Vallejo's Lemon Street near the water. Pitts said the plant will produce fuel from waste materials from the nearby treatment plant and other sources, and produce no toxic waste of its own. Not even dirty water.
"Every city has waste materials it doesn't use, like brown oil, that can be used to make biodiesel," said Pitts, 42, a married father of a 4-year-old son. "Material from the waste treatment plant is now broken down into methane, brown oil and other elements and mostly winds up in landfills or the ocean, but we can make fuel out of it."
Pitts, a former Navy man and self-described "computer science guy," said he hopes his firm, Go Green Biofuels, will be able to build a 40,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres. The plant will eventually produce 30 million gallons of clean-burning fuel annually, he said. And not only will the plant be self-powered, it will generate energy to "feed into the grid," Pitts said.
The idea is to use special, self-re-generating algae oil to create fuel, which doesn't impact food supplies the way ethanol does, Pitts said. And unlike traditional fuel refineries, Go Green's process produces no toxic by-products or smell, he said.
"The only byproduct is glycerin, for which there is a growing demand for use in making plastics and from chemical companies, like Dow Chemical, who already want it," he said. "It's used in soaps, pet feed stock, all sorts of things."
In the past, some have questioned whether algae oil can be efficiently produced in enough quantity at a low enough cost to be a viable fuel option. That was before gas prices soared, Pitts said, adding that the fourth generation technology his firm uses, addresses those issues.
The facility Pitts hopes to create would take some 150 workers about a year to build and will employ at least 50 employees when it opens, he said. The plan is to hire only Vallejo workers for all phases of the operation. Company officials hope to break ground next month, he said.
"Vallejo has the perfect infrastructure for this, and we want to create jobs here, and educate people about biofuels," Pitts said.
To that end, Pitts will have a biofuel-powered recreational vehicle available for school presentations, he added.
"This will also attract other 'green' business to Vallejo. It could be huge," Pitts said.
Creating and building a market for biofuels will lower the cost of diesel, thereby lowering shipping costs, which, in turn, will lower the costs of everything else, Pitts said.
And as people see the benefits, more passenger cars will be built and sold that can run on this fuel, which will cost less than gasoline. Go Green already has contracts with several companies to supply biodiesel to their truck fleets, Pitts said.
"Biodiesel hybrids are already being built, and other countries are already using them," he said.
Vallejo's chief building official said what he's heard of Pitts' concept sounds good, but it's only a concept so far.
"He's met with some city staff members, including myself and presented his ideas, but no plans have been submitted to us," West said. "But the zoning is right for the site, and the concept is interesting. The city is interested and will help him with it if we can."
A rendering of the new Go Green Biofuels plant planned to open later this year at the west end of Lemon Street in Vallejo. (Courtesy photo)
• E-mail Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at RachelZ@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6824.
Survey: U.S. is top producer of wind power
Survey: U.S. is top producer of wind power
NATION IS WORLD'S LEADING PRODUCER OF WIND POWER, WITH MORE GROWTH FORECAST
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
Article Launched: 07/30/2008
The American Wind Energy Association is expected to release a survey next month that says the United States has become the world's leading wind producer, and that the industry expects rapid growth to continue in places like Texas, the Great Plains and California.
The survey calculates that the U.S. wind industry now tops Germany in terms of how much energy is being produced from wind. Germany still has more installed capacity - 22,000 megawatts vs. 17,000 in the United States at the end of 2007. But the average wind speed is stronger here, which means more energy is being generated, the group said.
And this year, Germany will add only about 1,600 megawatts of wind energy, while the United States will add more than 6,000 megawatts, said Randy Swisher, executive director of the association.
"The numbers themselves are not what matters," Swisher said. "What matters is that the wind industry around the world recognizes that the U.S. is the largest market."
That's important because many of the world's leading wind companies are not U.S. companies, and they will need to move manufacturing jobs here as the U.S. wind industry grows, Swisher said. His group says 4,000 wind-related manufacturing jobs have been added in the United States since 2007.
Currently, wind provides about 1 percent of U.S. electricity.
Pacific Gas & Electric has been using wind power for decades, and has been aggressive in adding new contracts for wind energy in the past four years as it strives to meet California's renewable energy goal of 20 percent by 2010.
PG&E has 1,164 megawatts of wind energy in operation or under contract, said spokeswoman Jennifer Zerwer.
Enxco, a wind developer, remains "very bullish" on California as a location for future projects, said Mark Tholke, who coordinates projects for the company out of its San Ramon office.
The company is adding jobs and buying land in places such as Tehachapi, Tholke said. It's also constructing a 150-megawatt project in Solano County, near Rio Vista.
The cost of wind power is almost comparable to fossil fuels such as coal, at between 4.5 and 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour, according to FPL Energy, builder of the country's largest wind farm in Horse Hollow, Texas. But building a wind farm costs more than a fossil-fuel plant - from $1.5 million to $2 million per megawatt of capacity vs. $800,000 for a natural-gas plant. Once constructed, though, wind plants have no fuel costs, compared with coal and natural gas plants.
The industry says that 250 to 300 average U.S. homes are served by 1 megawatt of wind energy.
NATION IS WORLD'S LEADING PRODUCER OF WIND POWER, WITH MORE GROWTH FORECAST
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
Article Launched: 07/30/2008
The American Wind Energy Association is expected to release a survey next month that says the United States has become the world's leading wind producer, and that the industry expects rapid growth to continue in places like Texas, the Great Plains and California.
The survey calculates that the U.S. wind industry now tops Germany in terms of how much energy is being produced from wind. Germany still has more installed capacity - 22,000 megawatts vs. 17,000 in the United States at the end of 2007. But the average wind speed is stronger here, which means more energy is being generated, the group said.
And this year, Germany will add only about 1,600 megawatts of wind energy, while the United States will add more than 6,000 megawatts, said Randy Swisher, executive director of the association.
"The numbers themselves are not what matters," Swisher said. "What matters is that the wind industry around the world recognizes that the U.S. is the largest market."
That's important because many of the world's leading wind companies are not U.S. companies, and they will need to move manufacturing jobs here as the U.S. wind industry grows, Swisher said. His group says 4,000 wind-related manufacturing jobs have been added in the United States since 2007.
Currently, wind provides about 1 percent of U.S. electricity.
Pacific Gas & Electric has been using wind power for decades, and has been aggressive in adding new contracts for wind energy in the past four years as it strives to meet California's renewable energy goal of 20 percent by 2010.
PG&E has 1,164 megawatts of wind energy in operation or under contract, said spokeswoman Jennifer Zerwer.
Enxco, a wind developer, remains "very bullish" on California as a location for future projects, said Mark Tholke, who coordinates projects for the company out of its San Ramon office.
The company is adding jobs and buying land in places such as Tehachapi, Tholke said. It's also constructing a 150-megawatt project in Solano County, near Rio Vista.
The cost of wind power is almost comparable to fossil fuels such as coal, at between 4.5 and 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour, according to FPL Energy, builder of the country's largest wind farm in Horse Hollow, Texas. But building a wind farm costs more than a fossil-fuel plant - from $1.5 million to $2 million per megawatt of capacity vs. $800,000 for a natural-gas plant. Once constructed, though, wind plants have no fuel costs, compared with coal and natural gas plants.
The industry says that 250 to 300 average U.S. homes are served by 1 megawatt of wind energy.
For sale: Slightly used wind farm
For sale: Slightly used wind farm
Sacramento Business Journal - by Celia Lamb Staff writer
SMUD’s wind farm in Solano County could be worth about $150 million to $180 million, based on the cost of building a similar-sized one.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is negotiating to sell its wind-power project in Solano County to a private company by the end of the year.
The utility would buy the wind power, potentially at a cheaper rate than SMUD’s current costs of operating the system.
SMUD representatives would not identify the potential buyer.
“Because we’re a municipal utility, we can’t take advantage of production tax credits that are available to private companies,” said Jon Bertolino, SMUD’s superintendent of renewable generation.
A federal tax credit of 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour produced from wind turbines expires at the end of this year, so SMUD is in a hurry to transfer the wind farm into private hands. The production tax credit would exist for 10 years from the date the private company purchases the wind project.
The utility is negotiating a contract that would include an option to buy the project back in 10 years, according to a SMUD staff report.
SMUD installed 23 wind turbines in 2003 and 2004, and added 29 larger turbines from May 2006 to December. The project produces up to 102 megawatts, or enough wind power for about 34,000 homes.
SMUD’s wind turbines could be worth about $150 million to $180 million, based on the cost of building a similar-sized wind farm today, said Case van Dam, the director of the University of California Davis Wind Energy Collaborative. The older turbines have likely depreciated in value, potentially knocking the price down.
Van Dam said he didn’t know who might be in the market for the wind farm, but it would be logical for one of the three other companies operating wind turbines in Solano County to buy the project.
Those companies include Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Energy, a subsidiary of FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL); Escondido-based enXco Inc.; and Iberdrola Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Spain-based Iberdrola Renewables S.A.
On July 17, SMUD’s board of directors authorized an extension of two wind-turbine operations and maintenance contracts with Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Denmark. The existing contracts, worth a total of $23.5 million, expire in 2010 and 2012. The board authorized up to $23 million for maintenance through 2017.
“The extension of the Vestas (agreements) assures SMUD that Vestas will be operating and maintaining the turbines during the full period where SMUD would not have ownership of the turbines,” according to a SMUD staff report.
Selling the wind turbines and buying back the power makes good business sense, van Dam said, because the utility would receive some of the benefit of the tax credit, and that could mean lower costs for SMUD customers.
“It could be a win-win for everybody involved,” van Dam said.
Sacramento Business Journal - by Celia Lamb Staff writer
SMUD’s wind farm in Solano County could be worth about $150 million to $180 million, based on the cost of building a similar-sized one.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is negotiating to sell its wind-power project in Solano County to a private company by the end of the year.
The utility would buy the wind power, potentially at a cheaper rate than SMUD’s current costs of operating the system.
SMUD representatives would not identify the potential buyer.
“Because we’re a municipal utility, we can’t take advantage of production tax credits that are available to private companies,” said Jon Bertolino, SMUD’s superintendent of renewable generation.
A federal tax credit of 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour produced from wind turbines expires at the end of this year, so SMUD is in a hurry to transfer the wind farm into private hands. The production tax credit would exist for 10 years from the date the private company purchases the wind project.
The utility is negotiating a contract that would include an option to buy the project back in 10 years, according to a SMUD staff report.
SMUD installed 23 wind turbines in 2003 and 2004, and added 29 larger turbines from May 2006 to December. The project produces up to 102 megawatts, or enough wind power for about 34,000 homes.
SMUD’s wind turbines could be worth about $150 million to $180 million, based on the cost of building a similar-sized wind farm today, said Case van Dam, the director of the University of California Davis Wind Energy Collaborative. The older turbines have likely depreciated in value, potentially knocking the price down.
Van Dam said he didn’t know who might be in the market for the wind farm, but it would be logical for one of the three other companies operating wind turbines in Solano County to buy the project.
Those companies include Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Energy, a subsidiary of FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL); Escondido-based enXco Inc.; and Iberdrola Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Spain-based Iberdrola Renewables S.A.
On July 17, SMUD’s board of directors authorized an extension of two wind-turbine operations and maintenance contracts with Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Denmark. The existing contracts, worth a total of $23.5 million, expire in 2010 and 2012. The board authorized up to $23 million for maintenance through 2017.
“The extension of the Vestas (agreements) assures SMUD that Vestas will be operating and maintaining the turbines during the full period where SMUD would not have ownership of the turbines,” according to a SMUD staff report.
Selling the wind turbines and buying back the power makes good business sense, van Dam said, because the utility would receive some of the benefit of the tax credit, and that could mean lower costs for SMUD customers.
“It could be a win-win for everybody involved,” van Dam said.
Energy plan generates possibility
Energy plan generates possibility
By Melissa Murphy/ MMurphy@TheReporter.com
Article Launched: 11/13/2008
At a time when many communities are struggling to survive the slumping economy, Vacaville is pinning at least some of its hopes to a new energy producing center proposed for land next to the city's wastewater plant.
Competitive Power Ventures of Maryland is looking to build a more than half a billion dollar station that generates electricity through a combined cycle process using about half of the recycled water from the city's wastewater plant.
"With the economy the way it is, it's hard to have projects down the pipeline," said City Manager David Van Kirk. "We're very fortunate to have this project come to Vacaville."
The city and the county will see about $6 million annually in revenue from the new energy plant, according to Andy Welch, project manager with Competitive Power Ventures.
In a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce Council of Major Employers Wednesday, Welch explained that the natural gas powered, Combined-Cycle Process produces electricity by changing the energy in its fuel into electrical energy.
The process is highly efficient, according to Welch, and produces enough power for 600,000 average California homes.
Keeping in mind conserving natural resources, the location of the plant will be on 25 acres at the junction of Lewis and Fry roads. Its proximity to the city's Easterly Wastewater Treatment Facility, will allow the station to use gray water from the treatment plant, and it will be able to tie into existing Pacific Gas and Electric lines near Meridian Road.
Construction of the CPV Vaca Station will create approximately 670 jobs for about two and a half years. Once the project is in operation, there will be 25 to 30 jobs.
Welch anticipates the project will be completed in 2013.
Until then, the company has to go through an application process, which will take at least two years before approval by the California Energy Commission.
"It's a pretty big deal," Van Kirk said. "This isn't an easy project. In the end it will help in keeping our costs down at our wastewater facility."
Welch also said that taking time to talk with residents is part of an ongoing effort to answer any questions they might have. A concern of noise has been expressed, but Welch said not to worry. In terms of noise levels in decibels, the new station would be only slightly noisier than the current levels on the site. In fact, the new station is significantly quieter than a hair dryer, according to Welch.
"We're very confident that we have a clean project," he said. "It's highly efficient and very flexible."
In terms of funding, CPV will wait until at least 2010 in hopes that the market will pick up by then, Welch said. He added that he believes PG&E will be interested in buying the energy produced at the plant.
By Melissa Murphy/ MMurphy@TheReporter.com
Article Launched: 11/13/2008
At a time when many communities are struggling to survive the slumping economy, Vacaville is pinning at least some of its hopes to a new energy producing center proposed for land next to the city's wastewater plant.
Competitive Power Ventures of Maryland is looking to build a more than half a billion dollar station that generates electricity through a combined cycle process using about half of the recycled water from the city's wastewater plant.
"With the economy the way it is, it's hard to have projects down the pipeline," said City Manager David Van Kirk. "We're very fortunate to have this project come to Vacaville."
The city and the county will see about $6 million annually in revenue from the new energy plant, according to Andy Welch, project manager with Competitive Power Ventures.
In a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce Council of Major Employers Wednesday, Welch explained that the natural gas powered, Combined-Cycle Process produces electricity by changing the energy in its fuel into electrical energy.
The process is highly efficient, according to Welch, and produces enough power for 600,000 average California homes.
Keeping in mind conserving natural resources, the location of the plant will be on 25 acres at the junction of Lewis and Fry roads. Its proximity to the city's Easterly Wastewater Treatment Facility, will allow the station to use gray water from the treatment plant, and it will be able to tie into existing Pacific Gas and Electric lines near Meridian Road.
Construction of the CPV Vaca Station will create approximately 670 jobs for about two and a half years. Once the project is in operation, there will be 25 to 30 jobs.
Welch anticipates the project will be completed in 2013.
Until then, the company has to go through an application process, which will take at least two years before approval by the California Energy Commission.
"It's a pretty big deal," Van Kirk said. "This isn't an easy project. In the end it will help in keeping our costs down at our wastewater facility."
Welch also said that taking time to talk with residents is part of an ongoing effort to answer any questions they might have. A concern of noise has been expressed, but Welch said not to worry. In terms of noise levels in decibels, the new station would be only slightly noisier than the current levels on the site. In fact, the new station is significantly quieter than a hair dryer, according to Welch.
"We're very confident that we have a clean project," he said. "It's highly efficient and very flexible."
In terms of funding, CPV will wait until at least 2010 in hopes that the market will pick up by then, Welch said. He added that he believes PG&E will be interested in buying the energy produced at the plant.
Firm secures turbine funding
Firm secures turbine funding
By Reporter Staff
Posted: 11/27/2008
Escondido-based EnXco, a subsidaiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles Co., recently announced that it has closed on the project financing for the Shiloh II Wind Energy Project under construction in the Montezuma Hills area of Solano County.
Lenders to the projects are Nord/LB as lead administrative agent, Dexia and Credit Industriel et Commercial; equity arranged by JP Morgan as lead investor with Wells Fargo and New York Life rounding out the investor group.
Construction of the 150-megawatt wind farm, consisting of 75 REpower 2 MW turbines, began in May, with commercial operation expected in December 2008. Pacific Gas & Electric will purchase the power generated under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The Shiloh II wind farm will be operated and maintained by EnXco Service Corporation.
"Bringing the financing to completion during this current financial crisis is testimony to the quality of our projects as well as to the long-term relationship with our financial partners," said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EnXco in a press release announcing the financing deal. "Even though funding is scarce, this further confirms that first class, high-quality projects will succeed."
EnXco, Inc. develops, constructs, operates and manages renewable energy projects throughout the United States.
By Reporter Staff
Posted: 11/27/2008
Escondido-based EnXco, a subsidaiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles Co., recently announced that it has closed on the project financing for the Shiloh II Wind Energy Project under construction in the Montezuma Hills area of Solano County.
Lenders to the projects are Nord/LB as lead administrative agent, Dexia and Credit Industriel et Commercial; equity arranged by JP Morgan as lead investor with Wells Fargo and New York Life rounding out the investor group.
Construction of the 150-megawatt wind farm, consisting of 75 REpower 2 MW turbines, began in May, with commercial operation expected in December 2008. Pacific Gas & Electric will purchase the power generated under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The Shiloh II wind farm will be operated and maintained by EnXco Service Corporation.
"Bringing the financing to completion during this current financial crisis is testimony to the quality of our projects as well as to the long-term relationship with our financial partners," said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EnXco in a press release announcing the financing deal. "Even though funding is scarce, this further confirms that first class, high-quality projects will succeed."
EnXco, Inc. develops, constructs, operates and manages renewable energy projects throughout the United States.
2010: The Electric Car Returns
2010: The Electric Car Returns
Posted By: Dale Schornack
VACAVILLE, CA - Five years ago, there were at least 100 all-electric vehicles on the streets in Vacaville. Ed Huestis remembered pulling up to a red light and seeing three EV-1s at the same intersection.
Huestis is the director of Vacaville's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program. The program uses federal air quality grant money to help residents lower the cost of buying or leasing an electric car. The $42,000 sticker price of an all-electric Rav4 EV could be knocked down to a more affordable $23,000. And when you consider there's no gas or oil changes to pay for, the price looks even more attractive.
In the drive to put more electric cars on the highway, Vacaville is miles ahead of any other city its size in the country. You still see signs at every highway exit in town, pointing the way to the nearest recharging station. There are 45 of them around town, including some that are powered by solar. You can drive a hundred miles on a charge, from energy provided by the sun. Now that's cool!
Well, sadly, these days there are only about 10 privately owned electric vehicles on the streets in Vacaville. The drive down the electric highway suddenly shifted into reverse in late 2003, when General Motors killed the EV-1.
In 1990, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), mandated that 10 percent of cars sold in California would need to be Zero Emission Vehicles by the year 2003. But under pressure from automakers, CARB backed off the mandate. That allowed GM to declare that there was no demand for an electric car and it killed the EV-1.
A thousand EV-1s were leased to drivers in California and Arizona. And they loved the sporty electric two-seater. The later models could run 100 miles on a charge, with quick acceleration on the highway.
When GM demanded the return of all EV-1s, drivers offered to buy the cars rather than be forced to give them up. No way. GM took them all back and smashed them flat.
Well, that was brilliant. A few years later, gas prices hit record highs, sales of gas-guzzling SUVs dropped like a rock, and GM lost millions and laid off thousands of workers. So now, GM and all the major automakers are scrambling to produce an electric vehicle.
The new wave of electric cars will begin appearing in showrooms in 2010. We will turn a corner, and there is no going back. Electric cars make too much sense. The driving range of the EV-1 was already more than enough to cover 90 percent of the driving we do every day.
The Chevy Volt, due out in a couple of years, will also have a small electric motor. It will re-charge the battery on longer trips, over 40 miles. And it will plug into a standard 110 volt home outlet.
Posted By: Dale Schornack
VACAVILLE, CA - Five years ago, there were at least 100 all-electric vehicles on the streets in Vacaville. Ed Huestis remembered pulling up to a red light and seeing three EV-1s at the same intersection.
Huestis is the director of Vacaville's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program. The program uses federal air quality grant money to help residents lower the cost of buying or leasing an electric car. The $42,000 sticker price of an all-electric Rav4 EV could be knocked down to a more affordable $23,000. And when you consider there's no gas or oil changes to pay for, the price looks even more attractive.
In the drive to put more electric cars on the highway, Vacaville is miles ahead of any other city its size in the country. You still see signs at every highway exit in town, pointing the way to the nearest recharging station. There are 45 of them around town, including some that are powered by solar. You can drive a hundred miles on a charge, from energy provided by the sun. Now that's cool!
Well, sadly, these days there are only about 10 privately owned electric vehicles on the streets in Vacaville. The drive down the electric highway suddenly shifted into reverse in late 2003, when General Motors killed the EV-1.
In 1990, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), mandated that 10 percent of cars sold in California would need to be Zero Emission Vehicles by the year 2003. But under pressure from automakers, CARB backed off the mandate. That allowed GM to declare that there was no demand for an electric car and it killed the EV-1.
A thousand EV-1s were leased to drivers in California and Arizona. And they loved the sporty electric two-seater. The later models could run 100 miles on a charge, with quick acceleration on the highway.
When GM demanded the return of all EV-1s, drivers offered to buy the cars rather than be forced to give them up. No way. GM took them all back and smashed them flat.
Well, that was brilliant. A few years later, gas prices hit record highs, sales of gas-guzzling SUVs dropped like a rock, and GM lost millions and laid off thousands of workers. So now, GM and all the major automakers are scrambling to produce an electric vehicle.
The new wave of electric cars will begin appearing in showrooms in 2010. We will turn a corner, and there is no going back. Electric cars make too much sense. The driving range of the EV-1 was already more than enough to cover 90 percent of the driving we do every day.
The Chevy Volt, due out in a couple of years, will also have a small electric motor. It will re-charge the battery on longer trips, over 40 miles. And it will plug into a standard 110 volt home outlet.
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