HRFM Today

GE announces Fuel Cell plant in Saratoga-Innovation grows in New York Cleantech

GE will build a Solid Oxide fuel cell plant in Saratoga County, NY to take advantage of research performed at GE's R& D Center in Niskayuna according to the Business Review.  GE has indicated that the goal is to use natural gas in a cleaner way to generate electricity using fuel cells-which may be particularly valuable given the recent boom in natural gas drilling and the high cost of producing hydrogen fuel in other ways. 

 

GE is calling its new venture a Start Up business and indicates that a breakthrough in Solide Oxide fuel cell technology has allowed it to pursue a Pilot Plant producing Fuel Cells that reach an unprecedented 65 percent efficiency improved 

Industry Focus: Cleantech: Tesla's Trademark Woes Continue in China

Just when it thought it was safe to get back in the trademark waters, Tesla has been hit again with a trademark roadblock - this time in China.

Tesla had apparently thought it was over its China problem and it had appeared to move on to a trademark dispute with Ford regarding its Model E Model ?, when problems in China then reared their ugly heads. A Chinese man with whom Tesla had thought it come to an agreement with has now sued for trademark infringement to stop the Silicon Valley automaker from further marketing and sales, seeks to shut down its showrooms and supercharger network … ohh … and seeks over three million dollars.

The problems encountered by Tesla in China relative to trademarks has been echoed by others, such as Apple, which has had its own issues relative to the use of IPAD in China and the Cupertino company reached its own multimillion dollar agreement to facilitate the entry of its top selling tablet into one of the world's largest markets.

The desirability and enforceability of intellectual property protection - trademark rights in this case - in China is an issue which is raised often as companies of more modest means than Apple and Tesla decide whether or not to enter China.  A key question is the likelihood of protection of their intellectual property rights in China if it was ever to become necessary. As shown by the Tesla test case, it could be that things are never really decided as much as one may like in China. However, it is also clear that there is no likelihood of protection at all if steps are not taken to procure one's trademark (and other IP rights) in China. The question of course is whether or not the risk is worth the potential business reward of doing business in one of the world's largest markets. Lucky for the rest of us, Tesla and Apple may lead the way …

By Victor Cardona

 

Industry Focus: Cleantech: SolarCity, Financer and Installer to Become Manufacturer too - Buys Silevo - Set to Build Factory in NY

SolarCity, which installs solar panels on residential rooftops and sells electricity back to the owners of the roof, has decided to get into the manufacturing business by agreeing to purchase Silevo Solar (formerly Sierra Solar).  According to Forbes, Elon Musk and the other founders of SolarCity have decided to invest now to ensure an adequate supply of panels when the solar market reaches a state where government subsidies are not necessary.  

IP Focus: Cleantech: Tesla to Offer Charger Patents for Niente, Nada, Zero

In keeping with its upstart ways, Tesla will offer its Intellectual Property to competitors in an effort to get more electric vehicle infrastructure in the wild. According to the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index, Tesla was 8th in hybrid/electric vehicle patents in 2013 and is in the top ten for hybrid/electric vehicle patents since 2002.  Elon Musk may be nuts ... crazy like a fox maybe ... for giving away its IP for EV chargers.  Mass EV adoption requires EV drivers to be confident that they can get from point A to point B without being stranded.  Standardization of EV chargers will be necessary for this and thus the growth of the EV industry.  In an example from the 20th century, what if you drove up to the gas pump and gas pump wouldn't work with your car ... the gas was there but you couldn't use it ... this is the current dilemma for the EV industry ...

By Victor Cardona

Industry Focus: Cleantech: Mercedes Competes with Tesla in EV's While Tesla Competes with Itself . . . Fuel Cell Cars Coming, Patents All Around

Telsa and Mercedes both have EV's but Mercedes has Tesla Inside.  Toyota, the Hybrid/Electric leader this year according to the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index, is less enthused about EV's and is instead pushing Fuel Cell cars.  Of course, GM, who is not coming out with a fuel cell car that we know of, leads in fuel cell patents.  New state incentives for EV's also coming ...

Read more on our CEPGI blog.

Industry Focus: Cleantech: Model E too close to Model T?

Sure doesn't look like a Tesla could be confused for Ford's classic working man's car. Actually Tesla's Roadster is shown since the Model E - if that is what it is finally called - isn't in production yet.  That hasn't stopped the trademark for its upcoming vehicle from being the subject of controversy however ...  

As previously reported, Tesla seems to have a problem picking names that aren't already used by others or aren't similar to other marks used a long time ago (talking about you, Model T).  Tesla is similar to Apple in this regard which unveiled its iPhone a few years back without having clear title to the mark over Cisco, its owner at the time.

 

Industry Focus: Cleantech: NY Battery and Energy Storage Test Center Opens

The BEST Testing and Commercialization Center was inaugurated on April 30, 2014 in Rochester New York. The Center Is a collaboration of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY BEST) with DNV GL.  The facility is focused on the testing of battery and other energy storage technologies and is located at the former Kodak Manufacturing campus.  A ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by Lt. Governor Duffy and assorted officials. 

Industry Focus: Cleantech: CLEAN ENERGY PATENT GROWTH INDEX 2013 Year in Review

U.S. patents for Clean Energy technologies in 2013 were at an all time high of 3175, which was 114 more than 2012.  GM took the annual Clean Energy Patent crown back from Toyota after lending it to the Japanese automaker last year and GE the year before.  Solar patents led all other technologies for the first time, ending the long reign of Fuel Cell technologies back to 2002.  The United States led all other countries in the number of granted U.S. clean energy patents followed by Japan and then a slew of others.  California again led U.S. States while Michigan jumped and New York fell, swapping the second and third spots from 2012.

Read more on our CEPGI blog.

Industry Spotlight: Cleantech: Hairy Particles: Paper Battery Gains a Partner, Looks for Customers, and Receives a *Hairy Patent*

Paper Battery Co. signs up a partner and looks to sell its paper thin patches to smartphone manufacturers.  This 5 year old start up in Troy, NY hopes to bring in $3 million in revenue by the end of this year. and $10 million in revenue by the end of 2015.  Commercial production is planned for 2014 in areas such as cloud computing and mobile computing applications, along with wearable electronics and  mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. 

 

Paper Battery has one patent  issued last August.  The main patent claim (i.e., the enforceable part of a patent) relates to nanoscale tethering between layers of an energy storage electrode. The electrode includes several hairy particles which promotes transport of electrolyte between neighboring particles of the electrode and have high surface area microstructures.  Paper Battery head, Shreefal Mehta believes that its ultracapacitor technology could help redefine how smart phones, wireless speakers and Bluetooth devices perform.  It must have something to do with those hairy particles...

 

By Victor Cardona

Industry Spotlight: Cleantech: But Mom, I Didn't Hear the Bus . . . Was it Really There?

"But Mom, I didn't hear the bus....that's why  I missed it." 

Schoolkids everywhere will have another excuse for missing the bus as electric buses hit the road . . . very quietly.   There are nearly half a million school buses in the US but despite the advent of the Chevy Volt and Telsa Model S, each morning children continue to hear that diesel engine coming up the street.  Until now that is, in San Joaquin Valley, Calif, where the local school district began using buses powered by an electric powertrain from Motiv Power Systems which also powers other heavy duty trucks.  There are benefits to Electric buses other than the obvious lack of emissions while running from stop to stop.  Like other large vehicles, they are often idling, especially to power heat and air conditioning while waiting for occupants to enter or exit.  Also, buses spend a lot of time in the middle of the school day sitting around waiting for lessons to be over.  During this time (which is often a high electrical demand part of the day) electric buses could be used to help balance the electrical grid by discharging part of the energy stored in their batteries to balance load or for frequency response.  

As for Motiv, this could be the start of something big for them and it looks as if they have at least started dong some research to support this possibility as at least one patent has been granted to this company covering a system to help balance a charge within a battery pack, the kind of thing that could help a school bus run a little bit better . . .

By Victor Cardona