Solar and geothermal are a match made in heaven. Both are great sources of clean energy, but solar power needs a backup for when the sun isn’t shining (whether nighttime or a cloudy day). That’s where geothermal is a great partner. It’s a consistent form of energy that can smooth out the gaps in solar power and during the day when demand is greatest, you have the benefit of receiving power from both sources.

The project received $40 million in tax support from the Department of Energy through the Recovery Act. Stillwater is one of 14 geothermal sites in Nevada and Utah that received investments from the DOE to accelerate geothermal power development.

DOE Secretary Steven Chu says “As the first of its kind in the world, this project demonstrates how we can tap renewable energy sources to provide clean power for American families and businesses and deploy every available source of American energy.”

via DOE

Image via Nevada State Office of Energy

The country is planning to install 16 GW of solar photovoltaic power and 25 GW of concentrated solar power. This breakdown makes sense with CSP being very well suited for hot desert environments.

The country hopes to cut down on its oil use and increase its presence in the solar power industry. Saudi Arabia is opening up bidding for the projects in two different rounds with project sizes ranging from 5 MW and up to determine who will build the installations.

via PV Magazine

The SuperStation will connect the three major grids in the country: the east, west and Texas grids. It will cover 22 square miles near Clovis, New Mexico and open the door for transferring renewable energy from one part of the country to another. Now wind power generated in Texas and the Great Plains can be sold to markets on the East Coast and solar power generated in California can make it to Texas.

Getting that renewable energy from the remote areas where large projects are often located to population centers has been one of the main hurdles to really powering this country with renewables. Tres Amigas could create a nationwide market for the power generated by renewable energy projects, boosting demand and helping the industry to grow.

Beyond just helping fuel renewable energy, the hub could also make the nation’s power system more reliable if all the major grids are interconnected, though smart grid technologies will also be necessary to really modernize and secure our power system.

Tres Amigas will initially only be able to transfer 750 MW between the eastern and western grids, but that starting point is better than we what we have now.

via Huffington Post

A new, small-scale wind turbine suitable for rooftop use is under development in Australia. The Windpod looks more like a cylindrical, vertical-axis wind turbine, than a ‘pinwheel’ horizontal-axis turbine, but is deployed on its side.

The Windpod G1 has a diameter of 450mm and a length of 2200mm (about 18 inches by 86.5 inches) and can produce up to 1 kilowatt of power. However, the cut-in wind speed seems to be around 4 meters/second (about 9 mph), and full power is not reached until a wind speed of 12.5 meters/second (nearly 28 mph). Locations with strongly directional prevailing winds would be suitable for this system, but with the high wind speeds necessary, it’s unlikely this approach will replace other types of wind turbines.

We’ve seen other rooftop turbines that aim to use the slope of a residential roof as a wing to help drive more air through the turbine and increase its power output. The Windpod is also proposed for installation at the ridge of a sloped roof or at the roof or corner edge of a larger building, where increased wind effects are strongest. Unlike some other roof-edge turbines we’ve seen, the Windpod seems particularly well suited for this kind of application, although it’s a fairly limited and specialized use.

Installed cost for the Windpod in Australia is estimated to be AU$7,000-7,500/kW (At current rates, the US and Australian dollar are almost on par with one another).

via: Treehugger

The electric RAV4 looks a lot like its gas-fueled counterpart, but has some EV-only specs. The body was tweaked to deliver better aerodynamics and the headlights, daytime running lights and rear combination lights are all LEDs. The interior features an eight-inch touchscreen display for navigation, EV drive information and settings controls.

Drivers can choose between driving in Sport or Normal mode, with the former choosing performance over efficiency, taking the vehicle from 0-60 in just 7 seconds and has a max speed of 100 mph. The Normal mode slows things down with a max speed of 85 mph and goes from 0-60 in 8.6 seconds to preserve battery life. The RAV4 is expected to have a range of 100 miles and have a charging time of six hours.

The price has been set at $49,800, though tax credits and incentives will likely lower the price quite a bit. It will launch in late summer in four California markets — Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego — with a wider roll-out to follow. Toyota expects to sell about 2,600 units over the next three years.

via Toyota

The car is a two-person city car that hovers above the ground and travels via electromagnetic roadways. The Hover Car looks a lot like a flattened fish bowl with its circular design and large glass panels. Simon Loasby, Head of Design at Volkswagen Group China, said “The creative ideas from the ‘People’s Car Project’ give us a valuable insight into the wishes of Chinese drivers. The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design.”

Out of 119,000 submitted ideas, the other two picked by Volkswagen to become concept cars were The Music Car, which features OLED lights that create light shows to the driver’s music and The Smart Key, which is just what it sounds like — a car featuring a touchscreen key that provides information on the car’s fuel level, security and more.

None of the cars will go on to become production models, but Volkswagen says they will use the people-designed vehicles to inspire features in future car models. Darn. I really wanted that Hover Car.

via Volkswagen