Gone are the days that electric vehicles are only for hippie environmentalists. A new breed of EV's is on the rise – “affordable luxury” cars with telematics, beautiful LED touchscreen control panels connected to the cloud, in-vehicle WiFi, heightened safety, and whatever else EV car designers can dream of. With these new features comes a redefinition of the relationship between driver and vehicle that could resemble our intimate relationship with smartphones. 

In addition to new safety and connectivity features, electric vehicles are also among the first to harvest big data on automobiles and driving habits. Built-in GPS battles range anxietyby informing the driver how far the car battery can last and where the nearest charging stations are. On the supply side, utilities are now able to receive real-time sensor data about EV battery chargethrough the cloud so they can effectively manage electricity demand.

Regulation and financing are gradually picking up speed to match the upswing in EV’s this year. Nevada just became the first state to approve self-driven cars, a move that makes Google’s self-driven Toyota Prius a lawful reality. BMW and Audi are working on similar models. Audi is experimenting with lasers that detect obstacles for active emergency braking, as well as photo mix sensors for all-weather night vision. To amp up safety, Audi is also prototyping a self-parking car with sensors that warn drivers whether it is safe to exit the car. For mobile connectivity, Audi is testing an external cellular antenna that would communicate with a smartphone’s NFC chip for “2 to 3 bars more” of connection.

In addition to reducing traffic by inefficient drivers, computer-driven cars could be the safer, more convenient alternative to manually driven cars. Though drivers are still responsible for what the car does, they are allowed to text and drive and will have less of a chance of getting pulled over by the cops. The time usually lost to commute could be used for something productive, especially as in-vehicle wireless and mobile connectivity become mainstream.

Despite transforming the relationship between cars and their drivers into a story of convenience and connectivity, electric vehicle companies are not without risk. Some struggle, and some fail. As a nascent sector, electric vehicles are exposed to both technology risk with battery storage and speed, and market risk, in convincing the general public to overcome stereotypes of driving electric as “expensively earth-friendly.” Battery companies and their financing fluctuate with the launch (or recall) of EV's, as evidenced by the drop in stock prices of battery maker A123 on news that Fisker Automotive lost its remaining $339M DOE loan and closed shop on a plug-in EV factory.

Nonetheless, more chemical companies, traditional battery manufacturers and automotive parts suppliers are venturing into EV battery tech as the industry is set to launch 14 new electric vehicles in 2012, standardized on a single charger (technically, three different voltages of a single charger). In its third acquisition of battery technologies in two months, German chemical company BASF announced today that it acquired Merck KGaA's electrolytes business for high-performance lithium ion batteries. 

Tesla, Fisker and others are contributing to a growing car trend that marries luxury with affordability, traditionally mutually exclusive concepts. Last Thursday, Haas Alum and Fisker Board Member David Anderson showcased the 2012 Fisker Karma in the Haas courtyard. As competition heats up among EV manufacturers, Anderson brought the plug-in hybrid sports sedan to Haas on the same day that Tesla launched the Model X Electric SUV, which brings eco and luxury to the perennial soccer-mom minivan.

Intimating the relationship between the car and its driver may just be the answer to jumpstarting widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Instead of a necessary evil, commuting can be enjoyable, or at least productive, with in-vehicle wireless connectivity. EV owners can be proud to drive a luxurious, faster-than-a-Porsche-911-Carrera car that also happens to be environmentally friendly. Articles like “Is Tesla the Next Apple?” are encouraging signs for the EV industry. At the very least, expect to hear more previously unimaginable phrases tossed around, such as, “sleek minivan.”

Editor's note: Welcome to our first Department Spotlight! Each month, a different BERC VP will introduce his or her home department and highlight the unique purpose it serves. First up is the Energy and Resources Group. Enjoy!

UC Berkeley has vast offerings in the fields of energy and climate—from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Energy Biosciences Institute to the Energy Institute and CITRIS. Natural scientists, engineers, economists, and social scientists at Berkeley all contribute much to the fields of energy science, entrepreneurship, and policy. Yet many students at Berkeley are frustrated by the lack of coordination between these schools, departments, laboratories, and institutes.

The Energy and Resources Group (ERG) was founded in 1973 to span these divisions. ERG’s mission is “education and research for a sustainable environment and a just society.” ERG has become a unique interdisciplinary community of graduate students, core faculty, and over 100 affiliates and researchers from across the campus.

ERG’s flagship course is ER100/200 Energy and Society, typically taught by Professor Daniel Kammen. Energy and Society helps students develop an understanding – and a technically and socially deep working knowledge – of our energy technologies, policies, and options. Like many ERG courses, it promotes an interdisciplinary understanding that explores the scientific, technical, economic, social, political, and environmental opportunities and impacts of our energy system.

Like its coursework, ERG’s core faculty span several disciplinary fields. ERG’s home on the 3^rd floor of Barrows hall houses experts in development, policy, ecological economics, water systems, engineering, and public health. ERG has traditionally been an independent graduate group at UC Berkeley, but joined the College of Natural Resources (CNR) last year.

Equally diverse is the research that ERG students undertake, either as part of a M.S. degree or as a terminal Ph.D. You can find ERG students applying fields as diverse as behavioral psychology, civil engineering, ecological economics, or biogeochemistry to advance energy and resource scholarship.

You can learn more about ERG by visiting http://erg.berkeley.edu/, or stopping by our home in 310 Barrows Hall.

President Obama released his 2013 budget proposal last week, and it is an exceptional piece of election-year politicking. Praised by the left and panned by the right for its idealistic tone, it is widely expected not to get very far toward actual policy, given the current makeup of Congress. Even so, Mr. Obama’s new budget contains a number of interesting items relating to renewable energy.

The full extent of the renewable energy provisos in the budget has been examined elsewhere, but it is worth listing a few of the more notable:

• The reintroduction of the recently-expired Clean Energy Cash Grant program, which provides grants to clean energy startups and was seen as a major driver of the solar energy boom in the Southwest.
• A substantial increase in funding to the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, which funds R&D to make solar energy more cost-competitive.
• Eliminating $40 billion in tax breaks and incentives for oil and gas companies.

There is a buried lead in the budget, though -- one which reveals the idealism (and political impracticality) of the budget proposal as well as Obama’s penchant for speaking from both sides of his mouth.  This is the proposed Clean Energy Standard, which the White House describes as “the centerpiece of the Administration’s clean energy strategy.”  The Clean Energy Standard would require utilities to obtain 80 percent of their energy from “low-carbon” sources by 2035. 

While this is a seemingly admirable goal, it has been criticized as a form of so-called “green-washing” due to the details of what qualifies as a “low-carbon” source of energy.  Among the qualifiers are nuclear power, which has rather obvious environmental issues; natural gas, which is largely obtained through the potentially environmentally harmful (according to the EPA) practice of fracking; and upgraded coal-burning power plants, which would simply do better at capturing the pollutants they emit.

Mr. Obama’s Clean Energy Standard is reminiscent of Renewable Portfolio Standards, or RPS, which are state-level initiatives that mandate specified levels of renewable energy production within a state’s overall energy portfolio, to be achieved by a certain date.  California probably has the most visible RPS program, mandating 33% of total energy procurement by 2020.  While 39 states have some form of RPS in place (you can see a map comparing them here), they vary considerably, from the watered-down and non-binding “Alternative Energy Goal” of states like Oklahoma and Indiana, to the robust standards of states like California and Colorado.

Key to the effectiveness of an RPS is the definition of included technologies, which is where Mr. Obama’s plan falls woefully short.  California’s RPS does not include nuclear, natural gas, or “clean coal” in their standard, and go so far as to exclude all but small hydropower projects.  Mr. Obama’s plan would likely do nothing to specifically encourage renewable energy, instead giving a boost to one form of fossil fuel (natural gas) over another (coal). 

It may give the impression of being an RPS, but in reality the Administration’s Clean Energy Standard appears to be a deft example of green-washing.  Because it is packaged within the Administration’s controversial budget, the Clean Energy Standard has what’s been called “Zero percent” chance of becoming law.  However, it is illustrative that the question of renewable energy, and its role in the energy future of America, will be a dominant issue in the upcoming elections.       

Stay tuned for more on Renewable Portfolio Standards, as they’ll be examined here next week.  In the meantime, check out this 2008 report from the Berkeley Lab on the implementation and effects of RPS.

Less than 2 weeks left to apply for DOE's $200,000 FLoW Business Plan Competition!

The application deadline is February 28th - all that is required is a one-page abstract so don't hesitate, apply today.

Click here to register and apply

OVERVIEW

FLoW: A consortium of universities led by the California Institute of Technology, invites student teams throughout the Western U.S. to participate in the Department of Energy’s national business plan competition for clean energy. The competition shines a spotlight on the best young innovators in the country, and attracts the follow-on support that brings game-changing new ideas to market quickly. Northern CA will be sending three teams to the Western Regional Final to compete for $200,000 in prize money (First Place - $100,000, Second Place - $60,000, Third Place - $40,000).

THE PERKS

• $200,000 in prize money
• Expert mentoring
• Free legal services - IP and patent advisory
• Opportunity to pitch to top tier investors
• Represent UC Berkeley, one of the top energy-research universities in the world

UC Berkeley's Role

The Berkeley Energy Resources Collaborative (BERC) and the UC Berkeley Energy and Climate Initiative, are co-organizing Round 1 of the competition. The Round 1 Sub-Regional Competition will be held at UC Berkeley in late March. The top three teams will advance to the Western Regional Finals at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) on April 30th. The winning team from the Western Regional will then advance to the Final this summer in Washington, DC. 

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission Deadline: one-page abstract

When: February 28th - Click here to register and apply

Round 1: The Sub-Regional Competition/Workshop held at UC Berkeley

When: April 6th

What: Eight teams from Northern California will be selected to participate in a single-day competition and workshop where they will present their business plans to a panel of judges. Afterwards, teams will work with investors, entrepreneurs and other experts to refine their business plan and pitch. The top three teams will automatically advance to the Regional Finals. The remaining teams will be eligible for selection as wild cards - a total of 10 wild card teams will go on to compete in the Regional Finals.

Round 2:  The Western Regional Finals held at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

When: April 30th
What: Teams will compete for $200,000 in prize money (First Place - $100,000, Second Place - $60,000, Third Place - $40,000).

Round 3: The National Finals held in Washington D.C.

When: Mid-June

QUESTIONS?

Eligibility: Email the FLoW Western Regional Director - Stephanie Yanchinski, stephanie.yanchinski@caltech.edu

Other questions: Email the Berkeley FLoW Organizers - Blake Briddell, blake_briddell@mba.berkeley.edu and Julian Sproul, jsproul@berkeley.edu

The Artemis Water Tech Top 50, a not-for-profit collaborative initiative, is seeking interns for the 2012 Artemis Water Tech Top 50 from 15 June through 15 September. 

BACKGROUND

Each year, the Artemis Top 50 recognizes the most promising water technology start-ups--more detail at http://artemistop50.com/. 

At the Artemis Project, we welcome the opportunity to work with dedicated individuals who share our passion for market-driven water efficiency and environmental sustainability. This opportunity will put you at the heart of the emerging water tech industry.  It will connect you to a global network of investors and executives. We are looking for self-motivated, diligent, passionate candidates who will thrive in this atmosphere. 

INTERNSHIP

We are looking for someone with an interest in both business and water resources management. Recent graduates of undergraduate environmental business or science programs are the most likely candidates, but the position is open to capable and insightful candidates who have relevant experience in an emerging field. 

Artemis Water Research Fellows will research and reach out to relevant water tech companies for the Top 50 Competition, and support the evaluations of the judging panel. 

Responsibilities 

-Build and maintain the Artemis Project database

-Research relevant industry trends

-Inform companies about the Artemis Project Top 50 and encourage them to apply

-Review applications from water tech start-ups

-Be a liaison between for the Artemis Top 50 and applicants

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

-Strong outreach skills

-Ability to digest and organize large amounts of information

-Ability to work independently

-Strong critical thinking skills

-Clear and concise writing skills

-Efficient time-management skills

-Ability to clearly verbalize and present research

-Superb attention to detail while maintaining ‘big picture’ perspective

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in applying for the summer of 2012, please send an email to Orly Hindi at careers@theartemisproject.com with the subject title "ARTEMIS INTERNSHIP APPLICANT". Please attach your most recent resumé in WORD or PDF format, as well as a short introduction.

Please note that this is an unpaid internship. 

The office of the Vice Chancellor of Research here at UC Berkeley is organizing YESS!  What is YESS?  It's a collaboration between the Office Science & Technology from the French Embassy in the United States, and the EU Center of Excellence and stands for the Young Engineers + Scientists Symposium.

This year's symposium will focus on a very timely and exciting topic--nanoscience for clean technologies and will feature dynamic speakers from the US and Europe.

YESS will take place March 20th through the 22nd at the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley.

Here's what Graham Fleming has to say, "We are fortunate enough in the Bay Area to have a critical mass of French and other European researchers and we are hoping to take advantage of this by creating a space in which young researchers such as yourselves (PhD candidates, post docs, young faculty members) from both sides of the Atlantic can come together and discuss their respective research endeavors around the use of nanotechnologies."  

Some examples of key topics that will be explored are:

• Reducing the Cost of Photovoltaics with Nanotechnologies
• Carbon capture, storage and utilization
• Waste heat recovery via thermoelectricity
• Efficient electronics through nanotechnologies
• Scaling Nanotechnologies to the Market — Tremendous Challenge
• Are nanotechnologies sustainable and green?
• Nanotechnologies and Energy Storage — Pushing Energy Density to the Limits

Go visit the symposium website at: http://yess2012.org/program/  where you can register and check out the flyer here!

The NRG Battle – World Edition is a competition organized during World Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur where you and 100 other global top talents work for four days in multidisciplinary teams of five on challenging cases provided by companies such as Shell. At the end of the four days each team presents their idea in a 3-minute pitch to an expert jury consisting of CEO’s and directors from the energy sector. The jury nominates three teams that will pitch their idea once more to 5000 delegates at the World Gas Conference, who will choose the winner of the NRG Battle - World edition. All team members of the winning team receive an ‘around the world’ ticket.  

You can find the trailer on youtube: http://youtu.be/Y0q8NBYomhI

Download the flyers for more information on how to enter for this exciting competition!

Informational flyer

General Info University 

C12 Energy, along with the City of Berkeley's Office of Economic Development, will be hosting our next Berkeley energy happy hour next week! 

We hope you can join us for our first happy hour in the Berkeley Skydeck, where we can watch the sun set over Berkeley as we sip our beers and discuss how, exactly, we can use the sun's energy (among other energy topics).

Feel free to forward this invitation to other professionals, students, and energy geeks in the Bay Area.

Details:

Thursday, 2/23/12, 5-8 pm

Berkeley Skydeck, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Penthouse

RSVP to Antonio Baclig at antonio.baclig@c12energy.com