QUICK NEWS, October 13: TROUBLED VW TURNS TO THE EV; SOLAR RESEARCH FUNDING FADING; OPPORTUNITIES IN BLDG ENERGY MGMT
TROUBLED VW TURNS TO THE EV Volkswagen is pegging its fate to a major bet on electric cars
Steve LeVine, October 13, 2015 (Quartz)
“Volkswagen, confronting a daunting threat to its size and prestige, is making a dramatic pivot to electric vehicles. The move has seemed a likely one since mid-September, when the German company was caught running about 11 million diesel vehicles with fake emissions controls…[But it just announced] it will create a standardized electric architecture that can be used in all VW Group vehicles, and is meant to allow travel of 250 to 500 kilometers (156 to 312 miles) on a single charge. The flagship will be a retooled luxury Phaeton, an $80,000 sedan for which VW had planned only diesel and plug-in hybrid versions for the 2018 or 2019 model years. Now, the Phaeton will [challenge the Tesla S as] all-electric…The decision significantly raises VW’s profile in a coming electric-car collision at the end of the decade, when the world’s major carmakers are expected to introduce numerous electric models with lower price points and much better performance than those currently available…” click here for more
SOLAR RESEARCH FUNDING FADING The U.S. needs a solar energy revolution. But it’s laying off solar energy researchers
Chelsea Harvey, October 8, 2015 (Washington Post)
“…[Fifteen solar research staff members at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were laid off] due to federal funding cuts…And another 40 to 60 staff members are expected to be lost through a voluntary separation program that the lab will initiate…Almost all of the researchers already laid off were involved in ‘next generation,’ or long-term, solar research…It’s the latest sign of a trend that experts say is undermining U.S. efforts to promote alternative energy: Federal funding for solar energy research has declined steadily over the past several years, despite emphasis from the Obama administration on continued investment in research and development of clean energy technologies…[It seems] to decline a little more every year…[T]hey have occurred despite significantly higher budget requests each year from the White House…” click here for more
OPPORTUNITIES IN BLDG ENERGY MGMT Building Energy Management Systems Boom Due to Falling Cost and $1.4B in VC Funding; Tools to gather and analyze energy data in buildings are increasingly using SaaS models and pricing as low as $0.01/ft2…
October 13, 2015 (Lux Research)
“…[Building energy management services (BEMS) have benefitted from falling costs and $1.4 billion in venture funding] from 2000 to 2014, about 26% of all investment in building energy technology domains. A third of this total was in software, 27% in energy services, 25% in sensors and controls, and 13% in semiconductors…[according to Beyond the Walls: Benchmarking BEMS Software and Hardware] from Lux Research…Newly available data streams and acquisition devices mean the definition of BEMS has taken on new capabilities from low- to high-touch, such as performance benchmarking to detailed equipment performance monitoring. The cost across the spectrum ranges from $0.005-$1.00/ft2 per year, but are often less than $0.01/ft2 for low-touch tools…A flurry of activity has taken place in the hardware-centric segment, particularly by companies such as Circuitmeter that do non-intrusive load monitoring. Companies in this segment need to remain targeted on specific vertical markets…” click here for more
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