TVA could handle charging of electric-powered
cars
Jun 17 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Tom Humphrey The Knoxville
News-Sentinel, Tenn.
TVA Chairman Bill Sansom told a panel of congressmen Monday that the agency
could easily handle future demand from electric-powered cars and offer a 20
percent discount -- so long as batteries are charged at night.
"If they wanted to plug in from noon to 6 p.m., that would be a challenge
for us," Sansom said.
Sansom joined representatives of auto manufacturing companies, battery
producers and others at a forum before three members of the TVA
Congressional Caucus. The lawmakers were Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander and
Democratic Rep. Bart Gordon, both of Tennessee, and Democrat Robert "Bud"
Cramer of Alabama.
TVA typically has excess electricity generating capacity during evening
hours, averaging at least 7,000 to 8,000 megawatts more than demand.
Alexander said that excess evening capacity is "the single greatest untapped
resource" of energy in the region.
The senator said a nuclear power plant produces about 1,100 megawatts per
day, meaning "the equivalent of five, six or seven nuclear powers plants" is
available at night. Alexander said he expects "tens of thousands of
Tennesseans" to switch to vehicles at least partly powered by electricity
within the next five years.
Sansom said TVA would operate more efficiently by using the excess capacity
during evening hours because it costs money to shut down generating capacity
when unneeded, then start the generators back up when peak demand hours
approach.
Also, the TVA chairman said electricity can be produced for battery-powered
vehicles using coal-burning generators with less carbon pollution than would
be produced by gasoline-powered vehicles.
Cars produce about a ton of carbon in using 100 gallons of gasoline,
typically traveling about 2,400 miles, he said. An electric-powered car
would travel about 3,600 miles on electricity production that would generate
a ton of carbon, he said.
Electricity distributors using TVA power are already running demonstration
projects in Nashville and Bristol that provide customers with "smart meters"
and charge them more for electricity used during peak demand hours and
considerably less at night.
Prior to the forum, Alexander drove around Nashville streets in a Toyota
Prius hybrid equipped with a special Lithium Ion Nanophosphate battery made
by A123 Systems of Boston that was installed at a cost of $10,000. The Prius
standard battery can drive only about a mile and a half on battery power
alone, while the special battery gives it a 30-mile range on electricity
without using gasoline.
Les Goldman, head of A123 Systems, estimated that the $10,000 cost can be
cut in half as demand for the batteries increases, triggering "economies of
scale" in production and as technology improves.
Goldman said that tests in Maryland, where electricity costs 11.7 cents per
kilowatt, show the Prius with an A123 battery can be charged for a 30-mile
trip with about 60 cents worth of electricity. Sansom said the figures would
be lower in the TVA area, where the cost of electricity is about 8 or 9
cents.
Jack Sayed, speaking for Nissan North America, said Nissan expects to
produce a hybrid car that can travel 100 miles solely on electric power by
2010. Alexander observed that such a car would effectively eliminate the
need for gasoline by a majority of drivers in their day-to-day commuting.
Gordon said that he can envision a time when "you can plug in your house,"
charging a battery during nonpeak hours to run household appliances, heating
and air conditioning on stored power during peak hours.
Alexander said running coal-fired generators at night will create more
pollution and the federal government should offer tax incentives or grants
to utilities for installation of equipment needed to reduce mercury, sulphur
and nitrogen emissions.
New revenue TVA receives from selling electricity at night could also offset
the cost of pollution-reduction equipment, he said. |