Jeff Siegel
December 10: 47,500 Electric Cars
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Electric Car Sales Soar. . .Again
In case you missed it, Todd Woody over at Forbes reported last week that electric car sales reached a record in November for the fourth consecutive month. Total sales of electric cars for 2012 are now up to 47,500.
You can read the entire piece here.
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Chinese Win Bid for US Battery Maker
Well, we thought Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) was going to take the lead on this one. We were wrong. Wanxiang America Corporation has just picked up nearly all of A123’s assets for $256.6 million. A bargain if we’ve ever seen one. The only thing Wanxiang didn’t get were military contracts, which have been acquired by U.S.-based Navitas Systems for $2.25 million. You can read more here.
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100 Megawatts of South African Solar
Suntech (NYSE:STP) and Siemens (NYSE:SI) are getting ready to supply about 100 megawatts of solar panels for two projects being developed in South Africa. The systems are expected to produce about 180 gigawatt-hours of electricity, or enough to power about 15,000 homes.
December 11: Solar Installations Booming
- According to a new report, 684 megawatts of solar panels were installed in the US during the third quarter. This is 44 percent more than Q3 of last year. And solar installations in the current quarter may nearly double from Q3 to 1,200 megawatts. This would represent the most installations ever in a three-month period. The U.S. Now has more than 6.4 gigawatts of installed solar electric capacity, or enough to power more than one million average American households. You can read more here.
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Shell Goes Solar
Royal Dutch Shell, along with three venture capital firms, is pumping $26 million into GlassPoint Solar – a California solar startup that uses the sun to heat water and create steam for enhanced oil recovery. Most of these operations burn natural gas to create steam, but GlassPoint claims its technology is cheaper. You can read more about that here.
12-12-12: Is 99% Renewable Energy Possible?
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99% Renewable Energy
According to a new study by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College, a well-designed combination of wind, solar, storage and fuel cells could nearly exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low.
You can check on the details here.
- Electric, Natural Gas Fleets Mandated in Indianapolis
By 2025, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard hopes to transition the city’s entire fleet of vehicles to electric and natural-gas powered vehicles. The Mayor says this transition should save taxpayers $1,200 a year per car. You can read more here.
December 13: Is China’s Solar Industry Getting Desperate?
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Another Billion Dollars for Chinese Solar
Well it looks like the Chinese government is jumping in again to save its struggling solar industry. The Middle Kingdom’s finance minister recently reported that China will raise its subsidies for its solar sector by $1.1 billion this year. As well, the nation will continue to integrate more solar domestically in an effort to work through excess inventory.
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Nissan Ready to Ramp-Up Production of Electric Car
Nissan announced this week the launch of the United States’ largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in Smyrna, TN. The facility, which is making battery components for the ramp-up of production of the all-electric Nissan LEAF early next year, is one of three of its kind operated by a major automaker. Check out the video below. . .
DISCLOSURE: No positions
Jeff Siegel is Editor of Energy and Capital, where his notes were first published.
