US-China Green e-Letter Vol. 1 Issue 5, October 2009

Editor-in-Chief: John Reinsch, Director of Public Communications
Senior Articles Editors: David Chang, Dena Chen, Jacob Croegaert, Eddy Park

UCGEC NEWS:

Greeting remarks for the second U.S.-China Green Energy Forum by Dr. Han Qide, Vice Chairman, Standing Committee of National People’s Congress of China

Collaboration as the Key to Saving our Planet:

This year’s annual conference kicked off on the evening of October 22, 2009 with a gala dinner co-hosted by the UCGEC and BCAIA. This event drew in sponsors from all over Silicon Valley and garnered attendees from both sides of the pacific. The subject of the evening: saving the World. The question: How? The answer: Collaboration.

Dean Shankar Sastry kicked off the speeches with his call for hybridization of policy and technology through lessons learned by the semiconductor industry. Moore’s law, as applied to cleantech, would have policymakers set the agenda for technologists by setting attainable targets for carbon reductions. By having these targets in place, the investment and R&D communities then have realistic, and perhaps mandatory, targets to motivate their work. Hopefully, policymakers at the local, national, and international levels will echo Dean Sastry’s call for a carbon roadmap.

Representing the investment community, Steve Westly, spoke about how the US and China are at a pivotal point in history. Mr. Westly reflected on how China has put forth a great deal of effort to jumpstart its cleantech industry and expressed dismay with the US’s reticence. All in all, his message was simple: more collaboration between the US and China, NOW.

Finally, Xiaohong Guan, Dean of the School of Electronic & Informational Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, discussed the current state of the art in cleantech. Dean Xiaohong discussed how we might eventually integrate all the technologies under the umbrella “cleantech” into a working model to mitigate climate change. Further, how the US and China will both serve pivotal roles in the testing and implementation of these technologies.

The overall message was simple: collaboration at all levels will save our planet. This means policymakers collaborating with the cleantech industry to form a carbon roadmap, both the US and China collaborating at all levels, and cleantech industry sub-groups collaborating to fully and efficiently integrate clean technologies.

Developing the Strong Smart Grid: Avenues for US-China Collaboration:

The Second Annual U.S.-China Green Energy Conference began its panel sessions with presentations from three representatives of key leaders in the smart grid field: Xiaomin Bai of the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI), John Skinner of Intel, and Jack McCall of American Superconductor. Stephen Lee, a leading voice at the Electric Power Research Institute and a UCGEC board member, moderated the panel.

Mr. Bai lent insight into the way that China is preparing to integrate smart grid technology into its rapidly growing electricity infrastructure. Mr. Bai mentioned that China is monitoring developments of new transmission technologies in the U.S. carefully to see which of them may fit China’s smart grid needs. CEPRI and the State Grid Corp of China (which covers 80 percent of the country) have a threephase strategy designed to reach the goal of operating a smart electric grid nationwide by 2020.

Speaking for Intel, John Skinner, discussed how intelligence in the smart grid must be distributed throughout the grid, much as power generation itself will come from many different places in the grid. The effectiveness of this “distributed intelligence,” Mr. Skinner said, depends on its standardization, so that different providers in different grid sections can coordinate their systems.

Superconducting lines and equipment, Mr. McCall said, will increase the efficiency and resiliency of grid components while reducing their size and weight. In the case of a developing grid such as China’s, these components can be utilized in new construction whenever feasible.

The United States, with its competition and its variegated regulators and markets, can serve as a laboratory for continuing innovation and experimentation in smart grid development. By contrast, China will be able to forge ahead with a unity of purpose, using its resources to construct a nationwide smart grid in the course of the rapid growth of its existing grid. China will not face disjunctions between jurisdictions or conflicts among regulators, as will the United States, and it will therefore serve as an example of what can be achieved on a large scale. The two models should complement one another, as Mr. Bai, Mr. Skinner, and Mr. McCall here indicated. Developing a working smart grid – a key element of the clean-tech economy – is a task that invites close collaboration between China and the United States.

Creating the Model Eco-City: Langfang

The talk throughout the day dealt with several important pieces of the economic puzzle – the use of smart grids, new investments in energy sources, and the ultimate destination of mass transportation. But what every speaker made reference to was how each one of these ideas and strategies would fit into the bigger picture. Dr. Karl Stahlkopf of Sennet Renewables described the entire ecocity idea as an opportunity to do more all at once so that “net costs would come down.”

Langfang seeks to be the first complete Green City that brings together all the lessons learned in the past. After pointing out how no city has managed to become self-sufficient and sustainable while maintaining its adaptability and standard of living, Carolina Woo proclaimed that their vision would have all this because they would use their plan that they had developed to take an existing city and bring the people and land together.

This blueprint applies nature to a city in a very literal manner. Janine Benyus, the president of The Biomimicry Institute, laid out how the study of a city’s unique environment can provide crucial clues toward optimizing efficiency such as when harvester ant nests indicate a need for slowing down rainfall or how tap roots engage in hydraulic redistribution show a possible solution for water storage. Ms. Benyus says her philosophy behind eco-city development is to “meet our needs in ways that do not destroy but rather enhance the places that will take care of their offspring.” While eco-cities like Dongtan and Tianjin exist, these are localized communities that are being built into cities. Steve Townsend points out that ecocities are still in an embryonic state and that this is still more of a “marketing” idea which will not be the answer for most modern cities. These designers know that Langfang’s model of transforming an existing city will be the blueprint for future eco-cities.

The project of Langfang is still young but the ideas and vision brought forth by the panel were exciting. Taking a city and increasing its efficiency and sustainability by the magnitude described by the five speakers should be the goal of every modern city. The architects have computed the numbers, written the plan, found the technology, and convinced a city. With Langfang in a position to be a model for ALL cities, Langfang is a city worth keeping an eye on.

Creating Sustainable Prosperity with Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

It seems an impossible task to resolve sustainable development and renewable energy challenges in a mere hour and thirty minutes. However, the UCGEC’s sustainable development panel made remarkable progress in examining some of the core issues business, industry, law, science, and architecture face when searching for sustainable solutions. Co-organizers James Caldwell (CEO of E3 Regenesis Solutions) and Mike Zhang (Executive VP of the UCGEC) successfully united a unique group of experts to discuss the common challenges amongst the green energy community. The session’s speakers included: Mr. Huang (President of White Box Technologies), Ms. Adamson (Partner at K&L Gates LLP), Mr. Heller (President of Heller Manus Architects), Dr. Fang (President of Best Solar) and Dr. Stahlkopf (Partner at Sennet Renewables).

The general consensus was that government-industry collaboration is crucial to the success of creating sustainable energy efficient technologies. The current market, while burgeoning, is not yet prepared to compete on its own. In its infant stage, it is vital for legislators and the government to provide political and financial support to the green energy industry. Examples of recent successes include the Chinese Green Olympic Village, modern advancements in green leasing and government regulation, government subsidies, and government commitments to transit based density development. While the US and China have each come a long way, it is this generation’s duty and our government’s responsibility to inspire collaboration, commitment, and technological improvement. Only through mutual support between government and industry, can we create a sustainable world.

Tracking the Progress of and Challenges Facing Fleet Electrification:

It’s the great global warming culprit. It’s the image we recall when someone mentions something about carbon emissions or foreign oil. It’s the car. Entire city and regional infrastructures are built around the assumption of mobility that these vehicles provide. Perhaps for this reason we see some of the most exciting innovations in the transportation sector. The second U.S.-China Green Energy Conference gave us some insight into that progress.

Byron Shaw, Managing Director of General Motors’ Advanced Technology Silicon Valley Office, confirmed the progress that many have been anticipating for a while now: the Chevrolet Volt. Electric cars have failed to appeal in the past. They have short ranges and charging takes much longer than refueling a tank of gas. To address this concern, General Motors developed the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid, the ostensible future of hybrid cars. It runs solely on its electric motor for short trips, usually under 40 miles, but has the ability to switch over to its gasoline engine, which also charges the battery to take over again when at capacity. Santa Clara has been making strides in improving public transit. Mike Hursh, Deputy Director for Maintenance Operations, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), revealed plans for a BRT, or Bus Rapid Transit, which will run longer and faster routes than traditional bus lines and be easily converted to a light rail line if ridership rises.

Marty Mellera, Manager of Environmental Planning, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, reinforced the advantages of public transit in his city, renowned for its high rate of ridership. San Francisco has the advantage of its urban density, and connecting their buses directly to the city’s power grid allows it to scale its hills and limit their environmental impact. Yet the ridership is almost too high and their transportation infrastructure is stressed and overloaded, so they face the challenge of maintaining the system in working order.

Electric and hybrid-electric buses may be embraced by cities like San Francisco, but for more sprawling layouts, Douglas Bennett, Director of Business Development for Altair Product Design, may have a better solution: diesel-hydraulic buses. Diesel engines have become cleaner and more efficient in recent years, and Altair’s product designs have engineered theses buses to shed weight wherever possible. But of course, concepts must be put to practical use. Robert Rehn of National Renewable Energy Lab helps test these developments and innovative propulsion systems for viability in applied usage.

While the challenges we face are daunting, it is more than encouraging to see such bright minds dedicated to addressing the issues. We often overlook power generation and environmentally friendly design because they are done behind the scenes. Most of us don’t care where our power comes from as long as we can turn on the light or use our computers. The choice of transportation is deeply personal to most and so we feel like we have a greater stake in their development.

A MARVELL-ous Reception:

The Conference events closed with a luxurious and purposeful reception hosted by Marvell cofounders Dr. Sehat Sutardja and Ms. Weili Dai. Marvell showcased its Power Factor Correctionequipped universal laptop battery chargers. Each attendee received a complimentary unit – saving who knows how many watts of energy!

Speaking at the reception were Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) and Congressman David Wu (D-OR) of the U.S. House of Representatives. Both Congressmen reiterated the message that had resounded throughout the day: Collaboration at all levels to achieve our goals.