Energy Technology

Car makers leading in “cleantech” patents

This post from the Earth2Tech should be read by anyone who thinks Detroit has lost its mind -- not to mention its edge, its marketshare, and its future. Apparently car makers are registering plenty of patents (though the rate has slipped a bit from the same quarter last year). What could they be up to? Hybrids apparently.

[A]ccording to data on the number of granted patents in the first quarter of 2008, car companies are actually leading in terms of intellectual property [when it comes to “cleantech”]. New York-based intellectual property law firm Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti puts together the so-called Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) that follows granted patents for cleantech, and the firm says that in the first quarter of this year, automotive companies dominated the top 10.... Whether that means they’re charging ahead on implementing this technology, and not just filing for the patents, remains to be seen.

As the post points out, Honda is in the lead (16 patents in the first quarter of 2008), followed by GM and GE (11 patents apiece), then Nissan, Toyota, and Hyundai. Ford ranked tenth.

According to a release from Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti (available in PDF here), over the long term, fuel cells “continue to dominate the other components” in the world of cleantech. This graph, which encompasses every sector (not just the auto industry), makes that very clear:

Certain places also tend to generate more patents (thanks to industry centers in those locations). According to HRF&M, the hotbeds of activity, both domestically and abroad, are Japan, Michigan, California, Connecticut and Germany.”

posted by Stephanie Cohen | 4:40 pm
File As: Energy Technology

The Future of Plug-In Electric Vehicles

 

This week, the Brookings Institution and Google.org (the philanthropic effort that runs the Google Foundation) teamed up to run a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. exploring the future of plug-in vehicles (both hybrid and all-electric). Three issues were front and center:

1. Can U.S. automakers actually deliver on this technology?
    
2. Will American consumers buy these cars -- and keep buying them if oil drops back down to $60 or $70 a barrel?
    
3. Will Washington offer any incentives -- to manufacturers of batteries, to developers of new battery technology, or to consumers?

The answer to all three questions: Maybe.

What made this conference top-notch was the scores of business and technology people discussing their work in this area. They were able to convey just how difficult it is to get all the right trade-offs in a new concept car.

A transcript of the event -- sure to be worth a read -- will be posted at the Brookings site.

(Photo by Flickr user jurvetson [CC])

posted by Stephanie Cohen | 11:53 am
File As: Energy Technology

Indiana clean-coal plant price tag goes up...

Duke Energy filed a report with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission updating the agency on the expected cost of completing a clean coal gasification power plant currently under construction in southwest Indiana. The company upped the cost estimate of the plant by $365 million to $2.35 billion. This translates into a 2% rate impact for customers between 2008 and 2013. Duke president James Turner said the increase was similar to increases for other types of buildings. The plant is located in Edwardsport, Ind. and is expected to be completed in 2012. The 630-megawatt plant will use integrated gasification combined cycle technology. That total cost will be offset by about $460 million in local, state, and federal tax incentives.

posted by Stephanie Cohen | 12:53 pm
File As: Energy Technology, Coal