Al Gore Prioritizes Energy Innovation

At the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference I asked Vice President Al Gore about energy innovation. He answered with a surprisingly optimistic discussion of energy efficiency; renewable energy innovation in wind, solar, enhanced geothermal, and use of waste heat; and a transformative super grid. He also had some predictions for the Copenhagen Climate Summit.

Intelligent Electric Vehicles and Smart Grids

The smart electric vehicle is symbiotic with the smart grid. The new freeway-speed electric vehicles will also be smart electric vehicles (SEV). They will be smart about using energy inside the vehicle so that it can go 100 miles between charges. The SEV will be smart about navigation options that consider your preferences. The smart gird will be used to encourage cost-effective off-peak charging.

What Makes a Smart Grid Smart?

The answer is Intelligent Energy Transfer! It is smart to not waste energy and not waste money in power generation capacity, but it takes some intelligent technology and control to make it happen. Electricity energy storage is one of those key technologies to minimize transmission losses and enhance grid stability while adding more renewable wind and solar power.

Page 2 of 212