Nissan works on recharging Leaf with solar power

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By YURI KAGEYAMA

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) - Japanese automaker Nissan is testing a super-green way to recharge its Leaf electric vehicle using solar power, part of a broader drive to improve electricity storage systems.

Nissan's Leaf went on sale late last year, but the automaker is looking ahead to about five years time when aging Leaf vehicles may offer alternative business opportunities in using their lithium-ion batteries as a storage place for electricity.

Nissan Motor Corp. acknowledges that, once the Leaf catches on, a flood of used batteries could result as the life span of a battery is longer than an electric vehicle's.

Electricity generation and storage are drawing attention in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused massive blackouts in the country's northeast. A nuclear power plant that went into meltdown, Fukushima Dai-ichi, after backup generators were destroyed by the tsunami, is also renewing fears about a power crunch.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110711/D9OD9FEG1.html

---

Nissan Motor Co. chief vehicle engineer Hidetoshi Kadota demonstrates a quick charge of a Nissan Leaf by a solar-assisted EV charging system at Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Monday, July 11, 2011. Nissan is testing a super-green way to recharge its Leaf electric vehicle using solar power, part of a broader drive to improve electricity storage systems. In the new charging system, electricity is generated through 488 solar cells installed on the roof of the Nissan headquarters building. Four batteries from the Leaf had been placed in a box in a cellar-like part of the building, and store the electricity generated from the solar cells, which is enough to fully charge 1,800 Leaf vehicles a year, according to Nissan. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I think it's a great idea.

But...how long does it take to recharge the vehicle?

It needs to be efficient.

[freshwest]

2. That seems hard to believe. I only see a tiny solar panel there. Backed up by AC?

[NYC_SKP]

4. The solar modules are on the building's roof.

The little square on the diagram is probably an LCD display.

:hi:

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Did you read the OP?

Lots of panels on the roof,blah, blah, blah...sounds g-reat to me.

[freshwest]

8. I read the OP and looked at the picture. A friend has her entire garage covered with panels and it..

Takes care of her all-electric two-story home with 5 people, with power also sent back to the grid. I am a huge supporter of solar power and alternative energy, as is my community, where everything public is being converted to solar. We believe strongly in it. :hi:

I didn't see the roof panels in the picture as I was skimming through LBN. It's too late to edit my reply, I didn't word it right and was not implying it wasn't going to work, just what I saw was confusing, seemed impossible if the white column was the charging station. Honestly, I was hoping they had developed some fantastic new technology to use less roof space within that white column. :)

Oh, well, my mea culpa can bump the thread again. :blush:

[boppers]

15. From the OP:

electricity is generated through 488 solar cells installed on the roof of the Nissan headquarters building

[freshwest]

18. But it didn't say they were all needed to recharge only ONE car. They're using that for everything.

I say good for them, with their nuke problems they can't get into solar fast enough.

My community is putting solar on everything, from bus shelters, parks, pole lighting, public buildings, whatever is needed on the highways, etc. Some apartment buildings are powering up with them, some businesses, and residential homes.

We've had some people with tiny homes who use nothing but solar panels for lighting and reducing their carbon footprint. If you have a roof and can afford a few panels, it can happen for you.

There are also plenty of passive ways to make use of solar energy for cooking, heating, distilling water, all sorts of things. It's amazing, of course, it all takes people off the grid. We've got members here on DU who have been off the grid a long time. If I was able to move to the country, I'd be off the grid myself. Great feeling of freedom.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Cool! It will probably mislead a few people who aren't familiar with the technology.

But that's OK.

First, it's not "488 solar cells" but rather "488 solar modules", likely in the neighborhood of 200 Watt DC rating each. You'd be lucky to fit one on the roof of the Leaf.

So what they have is a battery based energy banking system so that their cars will charge up on 100% stored solar instead of grid energy.

Very cool!

K/R

[Thegonagle]

20. They state they can charge 1800 Leaf vehicles per year, which means that 488 solar panels

installed on the roof at Nissan (very rough estimate, and I'm not too good at math in my head) can provide an 8 hour full charge to 2 cars at a time, a 12 hour full charge to 3 cars, a 24 hour charge to 6 cars, or some factor thereof, depending on the exact configuration of the system.

Or in other words, it takes 244 panels to fully charge one car in roughly 8 hours.

Seems like a lot of panels to dedicate to a 75-100 mile charge in a reasonable amount of time?

Yeah, I think so too.

There's no denying that transportation of people and goods requires a lot of energy.

EDIT: forgot to take into account the many hours of darkness in a year. Crud...

So maybe it only takes 122 panels to fully charge a Leaf in 8 hours, but it still seems like a lot.

The transition to renewable won't be cheap, fast, or easy, but we need to start cranking out panels, panels, and more panels, keep improving wind power, refurbish and improve existing hydro, and rethink how the distribution system works to distribute a varying (but often predictable) baseline of renewable sources.

[customerserviceguy]

6. It's a stunt

Nobody is going to have enough roof area to recharge their Leaf the way this is being presented, at least not with solar cells working at the efficiency levels they do today.

I fervently hope that those efficiencies improve, but it's way too early to celebrate this.

[James48]

7. Riiiiggghhhttt.

Let's see.....


Four hundred eighty eight modules (at roughly $500 apiece) works out to about $244,000 for the solar panels. Then add in about 10K for the wiring, plus inverter, etc.

and we're talking a cool quarter of a million for one car's charger.


Sure.

Sorry- but I'm a biofuel kind of guy. Ethanol works for me. Thanks. And cost competitive with gasoline. I'm a realist.

[freshwest]

9. Gee, my friend's full two-story house solar system only cost $20K.

[James48]

10. But you are not charging your car, are you. n/t

[freshwest]

11. She's got a Prius. It plugs in. It's not for everyone. Enjoy your ethanol.

[mr clean]

16. +1

[Bluebear]

22. +

[quaker bill]

13. "it is enough to charge 1800 cars per year"

say I have only one of them and it only requires one charge a day. This system is large enough to keep a fleet of 5 charged every day. Correcting the math still leaves it absurdly expensive, as gasoline is far cheaper for the life of the car. But it is closer to reasonable. I think your $500 a panel is currently high and will come down over time.

[Devil_Fish]

23. Costco has pannels that are much cheeper.

http://www.costco.com/Common/Search.aspx?Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&whse=BC&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Dr=P_CatalogName%3aBC&in_dym=1&N=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&Ntk=Text_Search&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&lang=en-US&D=solar+panel&search=solor+panel&Ntt=solar+panel&topnav=

And I have been able to find used pannels even cheeper then these.

[Odin2005]

21. Ethanol is a pork-barrel scam that makes people in the 3rd World starve.

Using FOOD to make fuel is insane.

[wordpix]

12. Nissan's stock just went up---a corporate step in the right direction

[tammywammy]

14. That's a cool idea

With Nissan and others investing into solar the price will come down and make something like this more feasible to the general public one day. While solar recharging vehicles is a bit out there today, there's no telling what it'll be like in even another 5 years. At least Nissan is trying.

[defendandprotect]

17. They should all be solar soon ---

See: "Who Killed The Electric Car?" -- at your library!!

[azul]

19. Each car can come with a solar power kit, as an extra.

I have 4k watts of solar panels tied to the grid. At about 38 latitude I get about 20kWh per day production average over the year. My electric car (130v DC, 22kW LiFePO4 pack) uses about 11kWh for my 55 mile commute (7-8hr charge time).

The panels are guaranteed for 25 years, and look like they may last 100. It is a big investment up-front, but it will continue to pay dividends way down the road. The total cost of the PV system was $15k after rebates and credits, the electric car conversion about the same. I think I'm set for life.

[Devil_Fish]

24. your awesome. NT

[PoliticAverse]

25. "the life span of a battery is longer than an electric vehicle's." - Really?!

I'd like to see some numbers for this claim.

[mopinko]

26. i always thought they should put thin film solar on the

roof of the car at least. lots of research from the solar challenge car race. it may not totally recharge the car, but at least you have some hope if you get stranded.

[Uncle Joe]

27. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Omaha Steve.:thumbsup: