GAINESVILLE, Florida, December 15, 2008 (ENS) – The gas price roller coaster and climate change concerns are making plug-in hybrid-electric cars look increasingly attractive to many people. Now, a new University of Florida partnership is testing to determine if they are in fact a cleaner, cheaper and more reliable choice than other cars.

Pierce Jones, a researcher with the university’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is working with North Carolina companies Progress Energy, Advanced Energy and Duke Energy to test a Toyota Prius modified to use electricity delivered through a regular household electrical outlet.

“This isn’t a new idea, but it is one that now has to be closely examined because it’s likely to be a reality in just a few years,” said Jones, who is participating in the research as part of UF’s Program for Resource Efficient Communities.

“There are a lot of questions to be asked and a lot of details that have to be ironed out beforehand,” he said.

The UF car is one of 12 plug-in hybrids that will be deployed throughout Florida and North Carolina. The researchers will chart basic use patterns, such as how much gasoline and electricity are consumed per mile traveled. Jones says similar vehicles can travel more than 100 miles on a gallon of gas.

Researcher Pierce Jones demonstrates how to charge
the experimental plug-in hybrid electric car at
the University of Florida, Gainesville. (Photo
by Thomas Wright courtesy University of Florida)

Jones is helping to test the vehicle’s efficiency, which may someday keep widespread use of electric cars from overburdening local electrical grids. For years, one concern about electric cars is that too many of them plugged in at the same time could cause power failures.

“Developing the necessary infrastructure to enable widespread use of electric vehicles is part of our balanced strategy to address the challenge of global climate change, while meeting growing energy needs,” said Bill Johnson, CEO of Progress Energy. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Progress is a Fortune 250 energy company serving 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida.

The test hybrid car is equipped with new smart-charging hardware that moderates the time and pacing of the charging.

Additionally, Jones’ test car will be using a technology dubbed Vehicle-to-Grid, or V2G, functionality.

V2G allows the car’s charging system to synch with the local electrical grid. Not only does this stop the car from drawing on an overtaxed grid, it could contribute small amounts of electricity back in, helping the entire electrical grid become more reliable and earning a few dollars for the car’s owner.

The plug-in hybrid test project also will document drivers’ patterns, to help determine how charging stations and billing should be implemented.

“It used to be that electric vehicles were rare, but I think they’re going to be here before we know it,” Jones said. “That means that we’ve got to figure out the tricky details of how they’re really going to work so we can make the best use of this new technology.”

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TALLAHASSEE, Florida, October 1, 2008 (ENS) – After some serious number-crunching, the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council has determined that Florida’s coastal economy contributed over $562 billion in revenue to the state and Florida’s ocean economy contributed $25 billion in just one year – 2006.

Florida’s coastal counties contribute about 79 percent of the state’s economic productivity, the council states in its latest report, released today. Of Florida’s 20 major population centers, 15 are located in coastal counties around a bay, estuary or at the mouth of a river that flows into the ocean.

All these figures and many more are contained in “Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies Report, Phase II,” released Wednesday which details information about the many ocean activities that affect Florida’s economy, such as real estate values and marine research and education.

In fact, in 2007, marine research and education, which was measured for the first time, had annual budget of $272.5 million and produced $154 million in annual wages.

“Anything affecting coastal tourism, recreation and marine transportation has a huge impact on Florida’s ocean economy,” said economist and member of the council, Dr. James Cato.

“These sectors of economic activity represent 88 percent of Florida’s ocean economy, making them very important,” said Dr. Cato, who serves as senior associate dean and director of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Florida.

South Beach Miami, Florida (Photo
by Bobby K.)

Prepared by the National Oceans Economic Program for the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council, the report was funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

A team led by principal investigator Judith Kildow of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute prepared the report. The team included researchers from the University of Maine, Florida Atlantic University, and University of Florida-Gainesville.

“Florida’s economy has been strongly tied to the oceans through tourism and recreation for decades,” the report states. “Yet, there are many facets of its economy that are also dependent on its long and lovely coastline, but don’t get reported in any single document or coherent report. That is the purpose of this effort.”

The details are revealing. For instance, the Florida commercial fishing industry has declined since 1990, while the recreational fishery has grown.

Commercial saltwater landings generated $143 million in inflation-adjusted dockside sales in 2007, compared to $247.5 million in 1990.

Annual commercial saltwater landings declined 66 percent by weight and 56 percent in constant value between 1990 and 2007.

Commercial vessel registrations declined 13.3 percent from 1990 to 2007, while pleasure craft registrations increased by 11 percent.

In 2006, over two million saltwater anglers contributed $3 billion in retail sales with over 180 million fish landed, making Florida the number one recreational fishing state in the United States.

Florida’s 14 deepwater seaports managed 121 million tons of cargo, generating an overall economic contribution of $73 billion.

Coastal state parks are also lucrative. In Fiscal Year 2007, the Florida system of state parks provided a direct economic impact of over $936 million to local economies.

For every 1,000 people visiting a state park, the total direct economic impact exceeded $43,200.

“Florida’s ocean economy ranks second in the nation after California, further highlighting the need to protect our ocean and coastal resources,” said Bob Ballard, the deputy secretary for land and recreation with the Department of Environmental Protection, who serves as an ex-officio member of the council.

“Protecting our sensitive coastal areas is not an easy undertaking,” Ballard said, “but capturing this important information helps government officials and Florida researchers prioritize the best ways to succeed.”

To read the report, “Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies Report, Phase II,” click here [www.floridaoceanscouncil.org].

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This April, Laurie David and Sheryl Crow finished a two-week tour of college campuses to talk about Global Warming. These two ladies are witty and dedicated to their purpose. The events featured a music performance with Sheryl Crow and various guest artists, the hope being that a concert would attract people through entertainment value. There was also a lecture component (certainly seems reasonable on college campuses) as well, and Laurie David led this portion of the evening. Laurie was joined by guest speakers like Robert F. Kennedy Junior. There was also a question and answer period to encourage participation.

Cheryl and Laurie from Tour Interview

We thought we should give you a little clip from an interview featuring Laurie David and Sheryl Crow in which the pair discusses how global warming is not just a fad, rather it is something we all need to remember for a long time.

Check out more info in the “Stop Global Warming Website” [www.stopglobalwarming.org].

Here were all of the tour dates in case you want to look into these events further:

Monday 4/9: Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas, Texas, McFarlin Auditorium, 8pm

Tuesday 4/10: Texas A&M, College Station, Texas, Rudder Arena, 7:30pm

Wednesday 4/11: Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, LSU Union Theater, 7:30pm

Thursday 4/12: Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, Republic New Orleans, 8pm

Friday 4/13: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, Bartow Arena, 7:30pm

Monday 4/16: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Stephen O’Connell Center, 7:30pm

Tuesday 4/17: Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, Murphy Center, 7:30pm

Wednesday 4/18: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, Life Center Ballroom, 7:30pm

Thursday 4/19: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Charlottesville Pavilion, 7:30pm (with special performance by Robert Randolph & the Family Band)

Saturday 4/21: University of Maryland, College Park, MD, Cole Field House, 1pm

Sunday 4/22: George Washington University, Washington, DC, The Smith Center, 4pm

We thought you would enjoy a recap piece about the Laurie David and Sheryl Crow performance tour. This video will give you a good dose of the fun everyone had, and hopefully it will get you to attend the next event like this.

For more information regarding the organization that sponsored this concert and lecture events, check out the Stop Global Warming Website [www.stopglobalwarming.org].