The Vatican has unveiled a new book detailing the Holy See’s solar power initiatives. “The Energy of the Sun in the Vatican” was presented last week during a press conference by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican City State. It details two solar projects undertaken by the Vatican in the last two years – the installation of …
DF Cast: GM Rolls Out First Volts Today
It’s a red letter day for General Motors today, as the very first Chevrolet Volts rolled off the assembly line today at the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan. The Volt is the world’s first electric vehicle that also has a gasoline-powered generator, allowing it to keep on driving past the usual 40-mile battery limit. In this edition of the …
Chevy to Highlight Volt During Web Event
Chevrolet will be highlighting a promise the company made three years ago – to design, build and sell the world’s first electric vehicle with extended-range capability, the Volt – in a web event tomorrow (Tuesday) morning: To commemorate this milestone, we’ll host an event at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly facility – the home of the Chevrolet Volt. The pre-show begins at …
Holiday Travel Underscores Need for Electric Vehicles
The long Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend is underscoring the need for more electric vehicles on the nation’s roads. This article from Public News Service uses the example of North Carolina, where more than half a million families are traveling this weekend, spending about $12.4 million on gasoline. And that number will be even higher nationwide: Electric cars have long been …
Book Review – Jolt!
The Age of Electric Cars is finally coming. Despite a stutter back in the late 90s when electric vehicle (EV) development came and went spurred by the passage and elimination of California zero emission policies, electric vehicles have come back. And if author James Billmaier is correct, in his book “JOLT! The Impending Dominance of the Electric Car,” they are …
Is the Age of Electric Vehicles Finally Upon Us?
The LA Auto Show took place last week and several of the hottest cars were electric vehicles (EVs). On display were the much anticipated Chevy Volt along with its current biggest competitor the Nissan Leaf. According to Chevy, the Volt will be available sometime this year for pre-order and manufacturing will begin sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Once …
Pennsylvania Awards $8M For Energy Projects
The federal government may be dragging its heels on passing energy tax incentives but at least several states are not. Earlier this week Iowa announced several awards for energy projects and now Pennsylvania is doing the same. Governor Edward Rendell, through the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant Program, has awarded 21 projects funds for a total just shy of $8 million. …
What’s Next for Alternative Energy?
Many reports in the past year have come out and determined that alternative energy such as wind and solar will have a major impact by 2030. However, in a new report released today, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) says that the impact could happen sooner than others predict. “What’s Next for Alternative Energy?” examines seven influential and promising alternative energy …
CEC Awards $9.6M in Energy Grants
Good news today for several California biofuel producers. The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved eight grants worth more than $9.6 million along with $11,969,855 in private funds. Each winning project demonstrated its ability to reduce petroleum use, reduce pollution and provide jobs. The categories of industry that were eligible for funding included biofuels, manufacturers of electric vehicles and batteries, …
Book Review – Power Hungry
You may remember Robert Bryce from his book, “Gusher of Lies,” Bryce is back with his new book, “Power Hungry.” I shouldn’t have liked this book – his last one made me angry. I should have stopped reading after the introduction – he made his point of the book very clear. But I read the entire book and believe it …