Who to Look For at the SOTU

When the camera moves across the gallery during tonight’s State of the Union, keep an eye out for two Arizona leaders in clean, renewable energy. Dr. Jeffery Britt, head of Tucson-based Global Solar will be there as a guest of Representative Gabriele Giffords (D-AZ). Donald Karner, the CEO of Phoenix’s own eTec, will be in the gallery, too, invited by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Global Solar

Thin-film solar cell

Britt’s company produces a variety of solar products, using the thin-film solar cells manufactured at its twin Tucson plants. One plant is powered by a 750 kW solar field.

“After working for many years in the solar energy industry,” Britt said earlier today.

“I am particularly interested to learn about the president’s proposals on renewable energy. Besides energy, there are so many critical national issues at stake now – health care, jobs, the economy – that make this a truly historic moment. I suspect that passion will be running high in the president and all the members of Congress. Television just cannot capture those feelings. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Giffords for giving me the opportunity to be present at this event.”

eTec

eTec charging stations

Donald Karner’s company should be familiar to Phoenix Sun readers. We’ve reported several times on eTec’s work designing, building and deploying new-generation battery chargers for electric vehicles.

eTec received nearly $100 million in stimulus funds to (I can’t help myself) jump-start the EV industry with charging stations being built in four states, primarily along highway corridors between major cities. eTec is installing several chargers along Interstate 10, for example, between Phoenix and Tucson.

It’s an exciting moment for clean, renewable energy in general and for solar power in particular. As the Senate drags its collective feet on passing a climate bill, companies like Global Solar and eTec are helping to reshape our economy, climate and even our way of life.

If you want to know the state of the Union, tune in tonight. When the camera is pointed at the gallery, you may get a good glimpse of the positive changes already underway here in Arizona — and throughout the Nation.

100 miles/charge

UPDATE

(January 28) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has announced a $1.4 billion loan to car-maker Nissan for retooling their factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, to manufacture the EV Leaf and for constructing  a new facility to build advanced batteries for the cars. The new factories are expected to produce 150,000 cars and 200,000 battery packs a year.

Chu added that the project will provide as many as 1,300 new jobs in Tennessee.

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Due out this fall in selected areas, the Nissan Leaf was a definite crowd-pleaser at a Phoenix area mall this afternoon. The fully electric car has a top speed of 90 mph, holds five passengers and has a 100-mile range on a single charge.

Charging ports

A close up of the plug-in area shows multiple outlets. Using an adapter, the Leaf can be plugged into a normal wall outlet for 110-volt charging, or a faster 220-volt line, or the less-than-an-hour service from a charging station.

Charging stations are being built in Phoenix and in other test markets. They’ll also be located at intervals along the Interstate between Phoenix and Tucson.

Inside View

Dashboard

The interior looked comfortable and surprisingly roomy, with a dashboard made of recycled plastic and the kind of touchscreen instrument panel that fits with the EV’s modern form and function.

One of the car’s high-tech features is its cellphone compatibility. You can program the car to send you a text message when it’s fully charged. Or, when it’s sitting in the garage, battery half-empty and not plugged in, it can text you a reminder to “feed” it.

All this and solar, too?

Yes, the Leaf comes equipped with a small solar panel built into the roof at the back of the car. Not large enough to power the car’s main battery, the panel does keep all electrical accessories charged (lights, radio, etc.)

They weren’t allowing test drives this afternoon, but I may be able to take it on the road this Monday morning. If that happens, I’ll be sure to post about it here.

What? You’ve never cheered for the hometeam?!

OK, forty-seven other projects were funded by the DOE’s $2.4 billion program focusing on electric vehicles (EVs). More than half the total ($1.5 billion) was targeted at improving battery technology — currently the most expensive addition to EVs. Another $500 million went to companies to produce electric drive components, such as motors and drive trains. The remaining $400 million is being used to buy test EVs and hybrids to deploy in cities across the country and to install the necessary infrastructure to recharge them.

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