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Electric airplanes for short flights

Posted on by Meguil Ethan Gonzales

By Paolo von Schirach

President, Global Policy Institute; Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bay Atlantic University, both in Washington, DC

Unlike in Europe, Japan or China, in America passenger railways have been neglected. While this may change in the future, at this time there are no fast trains networks. The only exception is the “Eastern Corridor” (Washington, DC – New York City – Boston) that is served by semi-fast trains. For the rest of the large country, to travel from point A to point B Americans have essentially two choices: drive or fly. However, large commercial carriers do not fly to small cities.

And here is the business opportunity for innovators who are busy producing short haul electric airplanes that would fly short distances relying on a vast network of underutilized small airports. In the U.S. there are several airplane manufacturers in this new space. Among them: Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Airflow, and Pyka, all of them California based. But big giants like Boeing and Airbus in Europe are also working on their electric planes prototypes.

Large electric airplanes flying long distances are technically and financially impossible. They would make no economic sense for airlines. The main problem is the weight of the batteries. To fly long distances, a large airplane would need many large batteries weighing several tons. With this huge weight handicap, it would be impossible to carry many passengers. Airlines could not make any money.

Whereas for short flights the picture changes entirely. We are talking about 250 miles, or about 400 km, on a small airplane powered by an electric motor that could carry 7 to 9 passengers.

And why would anybody want to start this type of business? Very simple. There must be many people who would rather not drive 3 or 5 hours to get to a destination not served by traditional commercial air carriers. A short flight on an electric airplane could be relatively inexpensive, because the small airlines would have much lower operating costs compared to carriers operating turboprops, and therefore would be profitable, even charging low prices for their tickets.

How could they be profitable? Well, to begin with, because of much lower fuel cost. Charging the batteries of the airplane would cost a few dollars. Refueling a turbo-prop plane for the same trip costs several hundreds of dollars. Besides, electric motors are low maintenance. They do not require the constant overhaul of conventional engines. Therefore, given lower operating costs, this could be a good business, considering that regional airlines flying electric planes could take advantage of about 5,000 underutilized small airport in the U.S.. (Commercial carriers limit their operations to about 30 large U.S. airports).

I a word, the basic infrastructure needed for this new business is already there, ready to be used. New regional carriers flying low cost electric planes will have to identify the most promising routes and then convince people who would normally drive to take their planes instead, for speed and convenience.

And there is more. Some companies are working on vertical takeoff and landing electric planes that would be a combination of helicopter and airplane. They could be used as small cargo planes to deliver medical equipment or other important merchandise on a helipad in an urban area. Companies operating them would have an advantage because their operating costs would be much lower than those associated with helicopter services. Same arguments apply. Much lower fuel costs. Lower maintenance costs.

Is this a small transportation revolution in the making? Time will tell. But the technology for reliable small electric planes is there. Some are only    a few steps away from certification. And the cost analysis suggests that new airlines focused on short haul services using electric aircraft will be profitable.

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Hydraulic fracturing is now recycled

Posted on by Meguil Ethan Gonzales

By Paolo von Schirach

President, Global Policy Institute; Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bay Atlantic University, both in Washington, DC

Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, is the phenomenal technological innovation that unleashed a U.S. boom in the production of oil and gas. Until a couple of decades ago, most energy experts agreed that America had practically exhausted most of its known oil and gas reserves.

Economic Challenge 

This new reality presented an enormous economic challenge for the biggest hydrocarbons consumer in the world. Billions of dollars had to be spent every day to pay for vitally important imported oil and gas. Besides, this dependence on foreign suppliers of a critical commodity presented an enormous new national security risk. How could the U.S. economy survive in case of major oil and gas flow disruptions caused by conflict?

Of course, many hoped that renewable energy would come to the rescue, allowing America (along with many other countries heavily reliant on fossil fuels) to switch over to wind and solar. Nice idea, but not doable in the short or medium term on the scale required, given the low energy efficiency and high cost of renewable energy technologies.

Renewable Energy

The outlook for renewables has improved dramatically in the last few years. However, even today a total switch to renewable energy remains a rather distant goal. Meantime, like it or not, America, just like the rest of the world, continues to run largely on fossil fuels.

And here comes the fracking revolution to the rescue. Energy experts knew very well that there are vast amounts of oil and gas trapped in shale rock formations, in America (also in Argentina, China, and elsewhere). The problem was the prohibitive cost of extracting oil or natural gas from shale. Enter George P. Mitchell, the founder of Mitchell Energy & Development Corporation.

Mitchell improved on and later perfected a technology first developed by the U.S. Department of Energy that consisted in drilling into shale formations and then pumping into them high-pressure water laced with sand and other chemicals. This disruptive force breaks the rocks, allowing the oil and gas to be freed and pumped to the surface.

Conventional Energy

The extensive use of fracking, combined with horizontal drilling, made North Dakota almost overnight into a major U.S. oil-producing state. Pennsylvania became a leading natural gas producer. Texas, already a big player when it comes to conventional energy, became the leading shale oil producer in America.

As a result of this fracking revolution, today the United States is the biggest oil and gas producer in the world, bigger than Russia or Saudi Arabia. This new reality has had an enormously positive impact on energy security and on the cost of energy. Before fracking, America had to spend a fortune every day to import absolutely necessary energy sources. Now it produces most of its energy at home.

Environmental Concerned

Needless to say, environmentalists are not happy with any of this. They see the fracking revolution as an additional obstacle on the way to a carbon-free, green future. They also pointed out that fracking requires enormous quantities of water, something that could create a water scarcity crisis in dry regions of the U.S. Besides, water pumped into wells becomes toxic waste difficult to dispose of after it has been used for fracking.

Recycling Fracking Water

But here comes more innovation. Energy companies became acutely aware of the water problems they were creating, diverting water from agriculture and human use to fracking, as well as the issue of safely disposing of large amounts of polluted water resulting from fracking. An article in *Fiscal Notes*, a Review of the Texas Economy titled “Recycling Fracking Water” describes how Apache, an energy company, figured out ways to successfully filter the water used in fracking, so that sand, minerals, and oil residues could be totally eliminated.

In some regions, this filtered water can be safely used for agriculture. In other areas, it is used again and again for new fracking operations. Thanks to innovative filtering technologies, fracking no longer represents a threat to scarce water supplies, especially in regions prone to droughts where water is essential for irrigating fields as well as for human consumption.

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Solar energy power from fabrics?

Posted on by Meguil Ethan Gonzales

By Paolo von Schirach

President, Global Policy Institute; Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bay Atlantic University, both in Washington, DC

How about a tent that produces the electricity necessary to satisfy the needs of campers or field hospitals? Pvilion, a U.S. company based in Brooklyn, New York, can make them for you, following your specifications in terms of size and preferred material. Is this the new frontier of solar energy applications?

Renewable Energy

When we think about renewable energy, we generally think wind and solar. These days, solar panels are very popular. We can have a large number of them, arranged in rows, and this becomes a large solar power plant connected to the electric grid that can supply enough electricity to satisfy the power needs of thousands of homes. Or we can have some panels on the rooftops of individual structures, commercial buildings, or homes, that will satisfy the electricity needs of those buildings.

Because of significant cost reductions in the manufacturing of solar panels, in the last few years, prices for solar have plummeted worldwide. Hence, a huge demand increase. Along with the rest of the world, in the U.S., there has been an explosion of demand for solar panels, especially in California, the U.S. state traditionally in the lead when it comes to adopting innovative, renewable energy solutions.

Demand has peaked in U.S

But now we see that in the U.S., demand has peaked. While the market is still good, there is far less enthusiasm for solar. In part, this has to do with cost. While costs have come down, now the big savings in the U.S. are gone.

And here are some reasons. Most solar panels are imported from China, by far the largest world producer (about 80 percent of total supplies). U.S. providers now want to rely more on U.S.-made panels. However, these panels cost more because the U.S. industrial base for solar is much smaller. Therefore, no economies of scale. And then customers now have to deal with higher installation costs.

Besides, the generous schemes whereby utilities in the past paid good prices for excess electricity supplied to them by individual households equipped with solar panels have been phased out. Therefore, while overall the cost of panels is down, the huge economic advantages that existed until recently now have largely disappeared.

Customize Solar Panels

Another drawback with these conventional solar panels is that they are rigid structures, therefore not easily adjustable to the specific needs of individual customers, while other needs could not be met at all.

Enter Pvilion. This company has come up with innovations that make solar more appealing for buyers who need customized products. Working with specialists who have optimized the design of various types of tents and coverings, large and small, Pvilion developed a technology to embed solar panels into various fabrics.

New Market for Solar Energy Power

This way, one can have tents and coverings with solar energy generation embedded in them that can be easily folded and transported, just like regular tents. With this innovation, new markets for solar power can be opened and developed. Think of tents and other movable structures used by the military in remote areas, field hospitals in battle zones, or first responders supplying people stranded by hurricanes or floods.

Now all of these entities can pack tents with embedded solar panels that can be folded, unfolded, and set up on-site, without the need to transport clunky solar panels to provide power to the camps. Likewise, no need to transport heavy generators and all the fuel necessary to power them. With solar-powered tents, first responders or expeditionary military forces can have the power supply they need without adding the weight and inconvenience of loading up extra equipment.

Solar Energy Solution

The same value proposition applies to the organizers of major events, such as big concerts. Instead of carrying heavy generators for lights and electronic instruments and all the fuel necessary to power them, the whole power supply will be in the canvas of the movable tents or coverings that will have to be carried anyway to provide enclosed spaces for the events.

Thanks to Pvilion’s customized products, these end-users can have at the same time tents, canopies, shelter structures, and power generation. By recognizing these new markets, Pvilion has broadened the potential customer base for solar energy solutions.

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