May 15 2009

The Green Seen

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy caught our attention this week:

• The British government plans to hook up 50 million gas and electric smart meters in England, Scotland and Wales by the end of 2020, which would make it the world's largest smart meter rollout. The $12.3 billion program aims to connect most of the homes and small businesses in Great Britain. Utilities British Gas, Npower and EDF Energy are running trials with meters from BGlobal, PRI and other companies. Here in the U.S., smart meters now account for about 5 percent of all meters, according to a report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Florida shows the biggest market growth at 10.4 percent in 2008 versus less than 1 percent in 2006.
• Automaker BMW is launching an electric-car test with a lease program for its Mini E vehicle. BMW will lease battery-powered Mini coupes in the next few weeks to 450 drivers in California, New York and New Jersey for $850 a month plus taxes and insurance. They will use the cars for daily commutes and charge the batteries at home. BMW will use data from the test to produce a new  electric vehicle to sell in the U.S. in 2012. General Motors plans to roll out its plug-in electric Volt in 2010, Ford says it will introduce an electric Focus compact in 2011, Mitsubishi Motors is to sell an electric car in Japan in 2010, and Nissan Motor Co. has an EV expected in 2012.
• Montreal has launched the first large-scale bicycle-sharing system in North America, beginning with 3,000 bicycles and 300 bike stations in the city's downtown core. The city will run the system itself and fund it with fees from riders. Montreal spent about $13 million U.S. to develop and launch the system, which is supposed to become financially self-sufficient.
• General Electric Co. is seeking federal stimulus money to help build a factory in upstate New York to manufacture batteries for a hybrid railroad locomotive and other industrial equipment. The batteries will use a sodium-metal halide technology to store large amounts of energy, and they could also be used in a smaller scale for hybrid and plug-in electric cars.

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