Renewable Energy, Electric Drive Transportation & Smart Grids: The Path to Clean, Efficient and Sustainable Energy Use

Paul Wuebben
South Coast Air Quality Management District

Monday, January 11, 2010 at 1:00PM
54-134 Engineering IV Building
Refreshments Served

Abstract: The accelerating trends of petroleum resource depletion and global climate change congruent with serious air pollution concerns has forged a powerful collision of serious challenges. Central to this convergence is the current dependency of our transportation sector on petroleum based fuels. In response to these challenges, significant policy and technology evolution is taking place centered in California on the part of regulatory agencies, major auto and engine companies, and energy companies such as refiners and electric utilities.

A key cornerstone in addressing these intersecting problems is the substitution of zero emission electric drive technology in place of gasoline and diesel use. In order to achieve a sustainable and significant deployment of electric technologies, several key barriers need to be overcome, including those related to technology cost, performance, durability, life cycle carbon emission footprint, scalability and "Valley of Death" transition challenges. Battery technology evolution is needed to address simultaneous challenges of high specific energy and power density, low first cost, fast recharge time and high cycle life. The deployment of dispatchable renewable power to replace fossil generation faces similar challenges with respect to cost, scalability, energy storage and transmission right of way access policy. Significant investments in Smart Grid technology are now being planned to maximize the potential for off-peak recharging of plug-in vehicle technology while also achieving unprecedented gains in energy conservation and the use of bi-directional energy storage opportunities (e.g., so-called "Vehicle 2 Grid" technologies).

This presentation will provide an overview of the underlying rational and need for transformational change in transportation energy use, the trends in developing electric drive technology in light duty and heavy duty user segments, opportunities for deployment of Smart Grid technology to maximize the benefits of transport electrification, and the remaining critical challenges which need significant additional creativity. Lastly, some suggestions will be offered for possible collaboration between government and university researchers.

Biography: Paul Wuebben has served as the Clean Fuels Officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Technology Advancement Office since 1993. He is responsible for technology policy development and commercialization activities related to alternative transportation fuels within the TAO's Mobile Source Division. He received his Master of City Planning degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He attended the Harvard School of Public Health as an EPA Fellow, and obtained a B.A. degree Magna Cum Laude, in History/Urban Studies from UCLA. Since 1980 he has held increasingly responsible positions at AQMD as follows:

• Head of Mobile Source Control Planning (1984).
• Manager, Clean Fuels Program within the Technology Advancement Office
• Member, Methanol Task Force (established by CARB, CEC and SCAQMD)
• Chairman, SB 2297 (Rosenthal) Technical Review Committee (established to oversee the use of vehicle registration fees for alternative fuel research, development and demonstration)
• Chairman, California Electric Vehicle Task Force, 1991 (comprised of the ARB, CEC, SCAQMD, SCE, LADWP, SoCal Gas, PG&E to facilitate the development of electric vehicle technology)
• SCAQMD Representative, CA Smog Check Inspection Maintenance Review Committee (1992 – 1996)
• Alternate Representative on the AB 234 (Leonard) Legislative Advisory Board on Air Quality and Fuels (on behalf of the California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown)
• Transportation Energy Advisor to the Chairman, CARB, Dr. Alan Llloyd (on behalf of AQMD)
• Primary author, "AB 2076 Report to the Legislature: Strategies to Reduce Petroleum Dependence"
• Alternative Fuels Advisor to CalEPA Secretary Dr. Alan Lloyd, 2005 - 2006 (on behalf of SCAQMD)
• Member, Western Governors Association Transportation Fuels for the Future Biofuels Task Force
• Member, Refinery Production Advisory Working Group, CARB Phase 3 Gasoline Rulemaking
• Member, AB 769 Legislative Advisory Panel on Diesel Fuel convened by CARB

Mr. Wuebben played a key role in the development of low sulfur (15 ppm) diesel regulations enacted by the AQMD Board in 2000. He has represented the SCAQMD in testimony before the U.S. Congress, the California Legislature, the CPUC, CARB, and CEC. He has served on Refinery Production and Emissions Inventory Working Groups which provided guidance to the ARB on revisions to the Predictive Model governing gasoline formulation requirements adopted by the ARB in June, 2007. He was a regular guest of Richard Saxton for a live viewer call-in segment on KWHY TV Channel 22 from 1993 through 2000.

Video: http://www.eeweb.ee.ucla.edu/videos/EE297_Unspecified_2010-01-11_01-07-AM.htm