Volume 11, Issue 4
March 22, 2021 – March 28, 2021
Zihan Lin '23 | Rei Zhang ‘21 | Ben Buchovecky ‘23 | Joe Kawalec '21 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23
Commercial truck electrification is within reach
March 16, 2021 | ScienceDaily | Kiran Julin
The electrification of commercial trucking fleets has often been viewed as infeasible due to the current limitations of battery technology. However, a new study indicates that electric long-haul trucks are technologically feasible and economically viable if better policies are implemented. Researchers from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles found that an electric long-haul truck currently saves $200,000 over its lifetime in ownership costs compared to a diesel truck. Assuming future reductions in battery costs, electric trucks would have a 50% per mile lower total cost of ownership by 2030. Environmentally, the transition to electric long-haul trucks would have massive benefits, since they are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases. -BB
Will a British bioelectric hybrid plane really take off?
March 18, 2021 | Guardian Energy | Callum Tennant
In today’s market, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) comprise 6% of global jet fuel. Faradair, a UK startup, is aiming to develop a 19-seat bioelectric hybrid plane. The short hop aircraft is called Beha. The designers are hoping to power the takeoff and landing by electric motors powered by biofuels and recharged by solar panels. The replacement will reduce the notoriously high noise and carbon emissions that planes generate during the takeoff and landing. For places that have imposed a nighttime flight ban due to the immense noise, such as the London City Airport, the design can be a solution. Although the power density of electric power from SAF cannot fully support an aircraft, Europe’s aviation sector is projecting that SAF will make up 80% of the global jet fuel by 2030. All hopes considered, Beha is planned to carry its first class of passengers by 2026. - ZL
VW Announces New Battery Tech, End of Combustion Engines for Audi
March 18, 2021 | Forbes | Ariel Cohen
With the future of automobiles being partially focused on optimizing battery cost, performance, and capacity, Volkswagen (VW) is stepping up to the plate to meet that future head-on. It recently announced that the Group’s Audi vehicle manufacturer will no longer be developing new combustion engines. Instead, VW will be phasing in new “unified” prismatic battery cells as early as 2023. One of the primary goals with this battery shift is to gain an edge in the electric vehicle market and drive down costs. VW seems as if it is trying to go above and beyond the success that the U.S.’ Tesla has seen with their development of electric vehicles. With other international automobile companies sure to follow suit, the battery race is getting into full gear. -JK
U.S. Department Of Energy Awards $2 Million To Develop Clean Hydrogen Technologies
March 15, 2021 | US DOE | US DOE
The US Department of Energy recently announced 2 million dollars in award funding to four R&D projects aimed at advancing clean hydrogen technology. The DOE is working in partnership with four research teams at Auburn University, the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., the University of Kentucky, and University of Utah. These teams are all exploring different potential methods of co-gasification, a cleaner way to produce hydrogen with the potential for net-negative emissions; it involves combining organic waste with oxygen and steam under high pressures and temperatures. This investment is another part of President Biden’s plan to reduce climate change and carbon emissions. -RZ
Solar project aims to deliver training and equity to North Minneapolis
March 17, 2021 | Energy News | Frank Jossi
A Minnesota-based solar firm is tackling issues of equity and justice in the energy industry by partnering with Black and indigenous entrepreneurs and leaders to bring clean energy projects and jobs to their communities. Recently, CEO Ralph Jacobson worked with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians on a community solar project in Northern Minnesota. He is now hoping to work with Black entrepreneurs to install a similar residential solar project in a Minneapolis neighborhood, while also providing energy-oriented job training. While many people he works with have justified fears of gentrification and scams created by industry leaders, he hopes these projects will rebuild trust by ensuring that the opportunities of the clean energy transition are accessible to and inclusive of communities of color. -RB