Solar Impulse CEO Andre Borschberg was in the cockpit. The aircraft's nearly 12,000 silicon mono-crystalline solar cells-mounted on its wings and on its horizontal stabilizer-absorbed the sun' rays on the ascent and supplied the craft's four electric engines and lithium-polymer batteries, enabling Impulse to average about 26 miles per hour for the flight. Organizers say the flight set records for both the longest and highest solar-powered flight by a piloted aircraft, with the craft reaching just over 28,000 feet above sea level.
Solar Impulse, seven years in the making, took its maiden flight on April 7 in Switzerland, staying aloft for more than an hour as a test pilot put it through its paces. During the night flight, Borschberg told his ground control crew that the cold caused his water supply to freeze and his iPod battery to fail. A second Solar Impulse aircraft, the HB-SIB, has been developed to attempt several consecutive 24-hour flight cycles and will be built this summer, according to the Solar Impulse team.
Success in its day-and-night trials would enable the aircraft to attempt its first trans-Atlantic crossing, possibly by 2012. See the Solar Impulse press release and Web site.
U.S. Utilities Must Embrace Clean Energy to Remain Competitive
Several key trends in the U.S. electric utility industry are making it essential for them to provide cleaner, low-carbon electricity while enabling customers to better manage and reduce their energy use, according to a new report.
"The 21st Century Electric Utility: Positioning for a Low-Carbon Future," was prepared by Navigant Consulting, Inc. for Ceres, a coalition of organizations that works with companies to address sustainability challenges.
The report identifies four key industry trends toward cleaner energy:
- growing imperatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
- increasing policy and regulatory momentum that will make coal-based generation less competitive,
- increasing use and policy support for energy efficiency and Smart Grid technologies,
- and declining renewable energy costs.
Key Roadblocks that are preventing utilities from acting more quickly:
- uncertainty about future policies for carbon emission reduction;
- rates based on electricity sales, which reduce utility incentives to promote energy efficiency;
- the limitations of today's power grid to integrate large amounts of renewable energy and to enable energy management for utility customers.
The report concludes that utilities should manage carbon emissions based on existing and foreseeable carbon-reduction requirements; pursue all cost-effective energy efficiency measures; integrate cost-effective renewable energy resources into the generation mix; incorporate Smart Grid technologies, and conduct robust and transparent resource planning. Utilities that implement these practices with support from legislators and regulators will be more likely to attract low-cost capital. See the Ceres press release and the full report (PDF 2.9 MB).
Ceres was also involved with a recent report that examined the emissions performance of the top 100 electric power producers in the U.S. The report notes that since 1990, power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides decreased 54% and 52%, respectively, while carbon emissions increased by 30%.
The report also finds that relatively few power producers are responsible for significant percentages of the air emissions from U.S. power plants. For example, five of the top 100 U.S. power companies emit nearly 25% of the industry's carbon emissions. The report also summarizes the trends affecting the industry. See the Ceres press release and the full report (PDF 8.1 MB).
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
