Lots of Energy was Generated at our June CleanTech Meetup

Lots of Energy was Generated at our June CleanTech Meetup

Our  June 21 meetup, held at EcoFitness Gym in Midtown, was something of a Summer Solstice party! We celebrated both the longest day of the year AND the exciting things local companies are doing in the area of energy generation.  EcoFitness Gym is the brainchild of Jose Alvina, a Marine who with colleagues hatched a scheme to recover energy from workout equipment in a Forward Operating Base in Iraq to keep batteries charged to power various devices, as a backup to generators which broke down often.  EcoFitness has a handful of exercise cycles that incorporate small generators which provide resistance for workouts, harvesting the kinetic energy as kilowatt-hours. This power is fed into storage batteries and offsets part of the electricity requirements for the gym itself.  As Jose explained, this is only one way the gym is trying to be green. A focus on recycling, health, and energy efficiency provides more opportunities. While not all the equipment at the gym is set up to harvest the energy from exercising, Jose has a vision for other ways to do so in the future.  The gym is in an alley between 18th and 19th Streets and L and M Streets. It is right behind Mulvaney’s if you are trying to find it.

 

Anthony Ng and Erik Stokes from the California Energy Commission also spoke.  Anthony outlined the CalSEED and EPIC programs of the CEC. Erik reviewed the evaluations the Commission is doing on piezoelectric devices to harvest energy from applying pressure to certain crystal materials that convert that into electricity.  The CEC currently has two research contracts underway. One is looking at putting piezoelectric under roadways, using the normal compression from traffic to generate electricity. The research will evaluate whether a half mile of roadway would produce enough to power 5,000 homes.  The second contract is looking into smaller uses of piezoelectric.

Finally, Mike Carroll, CEO of HeliosAltas, showed us the progress he has made on his small hydroelectric generators.  He is targeting generator sizes in the 5 to 75 kW range with his unique undershot waterwheel system that installs in existing canals and conduits.  The target for these products are remote areas away from any grids, mostly in developing countries. HeliosAltas has managed to reduce costs for its units by about 75% while doubling the efficiency.  Mike said they have a great deal of interest from overseas customers and are partnering with an established company that will manufacture, sell and install the product. One test unit has now been operating trouble-free for over two years in the Philippines.  You will likely hear much more about this company in the future.

Attendance at this meetup set a new record again.  We hope more can join us for future ones. The next one is planned for September and the focus will be solar companies.  Please invite friends to come to it. We love the momentum. Let’s keep it growing!

We are taking July and August off as far as Meetups go but we are doing other events.  We will be participating in the Startup Summer Party on July 17 at The Urban Hive, headed up by Startup Grind, one of CleanStart’s partners.  Last year over 300 people attended. There will be startup demo booths (available for $50 if you want one), lots of good food and live music. More info available here.   You are also invited to join us at the next Sacramento Green Drinks on July 10, an informal social event for all interested in greening up the region.  We are planning to have it at Hot Italian at 16th and Q Streets, but watch for the official announcement. We hope to have one on every first Tuesday of each month.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

National CleanTech Venture Forum Open for Entries

National CleanTech Venture Forum Open for Entries

Here’s a great opportunity to consider if you are looking to raise money.  Rice University in Houston holds an annual forum for cleantech companies to present to dozens of investors.  It is one of the best forums of this type in the US. In the past 16 years, presenters have raised over a $1 billion from participating in the forum.  The investor who come are actually looking for clean tech startups to back. In that sense, it is a better platform than in Silicon Valley where clean tech is definitely low on the priority list.   

It is tough to get in, but once in a startup has a pretty good chance of getting funded.  The best news is that there is no fee to apply. If selected to present there is a modest $225 fee.  Applications are due July 13, so you would need to get busy. Details are here.

Even if you are not ready this year to apply, keep this forum on your radar screen.  It is an annual event, so you might be ready next year.

June 2018 Newsletter

Big Bang Attracts Big Crowd

Last Thursday night was the UC Davis’s Big Bang Awards Event, the culmination of all the effort since November of last year.  Over 50 teams were winnowed down through the process to five finalists. Besides cash awards for first and second place, the audience chooses a “People’s Choice” winner.  In addition, there were nine sector awards and 8 awards for those that entered posters. In all over $100,000 was given out.

CleanStart sponsors one of the sector awards each year and gives $2,500 to the best team that had clean technology at the heart of their business.  This year, DTE Materials won the CleanStart Prize. They developed hemp plant-based fibers that result in  higher performing, cost-effective, and more sustainable home insulation than existing cellulose insulation as a substitute for petroleum-based fiberglass insulation. Their insulation alternative can address the concerns of health and sustainability without sacrificing cost and performance. They also won the overall Energy Prize of $10,000 sponsored by Sierra Energy.  For more on DTE and its bio-based insulation, you can look at their website and at a short video on YouTube.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

EVs Predicted to Dominate New Car Sales in 30 Years

EVs Predicted to Dominate New Car Sales in 30 Years

According to a new report just issued by Bloomberg New  Energy Finance, sales of new battery-based and plug-in hybrid EVs will likely grow more rapidly than most think.  Global sales this year are likely to reach 1.6 million vehicles, up from 1.1. million in 2017. The report projects sales to surge to 30 million vehicles in 2030, based on EVs becoming cheaper to make than internal combustion engine-based vehicles.  By 2040, sales could grow to 60 million units and represent 55% of all light-duty vehicles sold. Unsurprisingly, the report sees China as the largest EV market, with half of all sales in 2025, with outright bans on ICE car sales in large cities.

The main driver of this growth is a predicted 70% drop in battery prices to $70/kWh from the current level of $209/kWh.  Interestingly, the report tends to discount entirely the contribution of hydrogen fuel cell EVs. Instead, the low battery prices undercut any economics of fuel cell vehicles.  Elon would agree.

A couple of things I doubt they got right are:

  1.  Battery prices and availability will be constrained by shortages of cobalt.  I agree that lithium will not be the constraint. There will be too many improvements in harvesting and recycling lithium for this to be a serious constraint.  But the focus on a crucial role for cobalt means the report implies that advances in using manganese and titanium instead, or even using lithium in metal form, will stall out.  That just doesn’t seem likely. Even now the popularity of non-cobalt lithium batteries is growing pretty fast.
  2.  Shared-use vehicles will be a tiny fraction of all EV sales.  You have to be an optimist on autonomous vehicles to believe otherwise, but I am one.  The growth in Uber, Lyft, and the like show that people are not as tied to owning every vehicle they use as they are at present.  EVs make autonomous vehicle use simple and easy. In increasingly congested cities, the hassles of car ownership and the expense of parking in my view will drive a much faster switch to shared-use.

The report is filled with a lot more thought-provoking analysis.   Check it out.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.