News Release

'Electrons Don't Come From Heaven,' Speaker will Say at Carbon Management Technology Conference in Orlando

WASHINGTON (25 January 2012) — Heated discussions are underway concerning the impact of advanced electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and current hybrid EVs on energy efficiency and the environment. A panel of experts will examine these issues during the Carbon Management Technology Conference, 7-9 February 2012 in Orlando, Fla.

"My key point is to remind everyone that electrons don't come from heaven," said Dale Simbeck, vice president, technology of SFA Pacific. "I see that way too often in promoting electric vehicles."

Simbeck will be joined by Drs. Veronika Rabl and Saifur Rahman in discussing "Issues in Assessing Electric and Hybrid Transportation," on Wednesday 8 February from 1:30-3 p.m.

Simbeck was a lead author of the 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report, "Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage: A Summary for Policymakers." His presentation will include a look at the source energy needed to generate the electricity to power EVs and PHEVs.

Rabl is IEEE's lead technical member of the Engineering Founder Societies Technology for Carbon Management Grand Challenge Initiative. Vice chair of the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee, she will talk about reasons for electrifying the transportation system, including decarbonization, oil displacement, increased energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

Rahman, an IEEE Fellow, is the Joseph Loring Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. He plans to discuss the impact and challenges of large-scale EV penetration at the transmission and distribution level.

"If you were to add a million EVs today spread around the United States, no one would notice it at the transmission level," Rahman said. "But if you put two EVs on a street on the same transformer, you've got a problem unless we can manage other loads -- such as the electric water heater, clothes dryer, air conditioner and electric oven."

The CMTC technical program will feature more than 200 presentations on key topics such as business risks of carbon counting, climate change effects on engineering design environments and integrating carbon management technologies into the power grid. See http://www.carbonmgmt.org/pages/schedule/tech%20program/index.php.

To register, go to http://www.carbonmgmt.org/.

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