Thursday, 26 October, 2000, 16:25 GMT 17:25 UK

Mexico set to have eco-taxis

Mexico City could see taxis like this one on its streets
Mexico City, one of the most polluted cities in the world, could see air-powered taxis on its streets by
2002.

Factories producing a car billed as non-polluting are due to open in Mexico next June, and the first
taxis are expected to roll off the production line eight months later.

The vehicle, which is said to run on compressed air, is currently being produced
in France, where the first factories have already been installed.

The car's creator, French engineer Guy Negre, says it is the first viable
alternative to vehicles that run on conventional fuel.

But some people argue that new car will not reduce pollution because electricity
is needed to compress the air.

Click here to see how the car is powered

They say that the extra electricity is likely to come from fossil fuels, creating an
added source of pollution.

Cheap fuel

The compressed air on which the car runs is stored in tanks, similar to scuba-diving tanks, attached to
the underside of the car.

The release of air acts as fuel and activates the piston engine.

Mr Negre says a tank-full of air - on which a car can travel up to 200km (120
miles) at a speed of about 90km/h - is equivalent to two litres of petrol.

If fleet owners install their own air stations, filling a car with 300 litres of
compressed air could take three minutes.

Alternatively, the designers say the car could be plugged into any electrical
power source to fill it up. That could take up to four hours.

Local production

The first models of air-powered vehicles - taxis, small pick-ups and delivery
Mexicans are said to be
vans - are expected to be on the market later this year. interested in the car as a way
of reducing pollution
Motor Development International, the company which owns the patent, says
that rather than mass-produce the car itself, franchises will be sold to local manufacturers.

Each factory will have the capacity to produce around 2,000 vehicles a year.
There are already plans for five production units in Mexico, as well as others in South Africa, Australia,
the United States, Spain and Switzerland.

The Mexican taxis have been especially designed for the capital city.

Some hope that the new air-powered cars will eventually replace the city's petrol and diesel taxis,
nearly 90,000 in total.

Motor Development International says that the Mexican authorities have shown interest in their cars as
a way of fighting the city's pollution.
Wednesday, 25 September, 2002, 14:43 GMT 15:43 UK

France to unveil air-powered car

The new car has a range of about 200 kilometres

By Jon Sopel
BBC Europe correspondent

Engineers in France believe they have come up with the answer that environmentalists and economists
have spent years searching for: a commercially viable, non-polluting car, which costs next to nothing
to run.

The latest prototype will be unveiled on Thursday at the Paris motor show.

Like everything else about this vehicle, it all sounds impossible.

When we went to the company's factory-cum-design shop just outside Nice in the South of France a
black blanket was put between us and it.

But we were told it has a steering wheel in the middle, with passenger seats either side, a boot the size
of the biggest estate, but in overall size terms is no bigger than a Smart car.

The air is compressed at pressure about 150 times the rate you would put into
car tyres or your bicycle.

An earlier version of the car that we drove was noisy and slow, and a tiny bit
cumbersome.

But then this vehicle will not be competing with a Ferrari or Rolls Royce. And the A full tank of air will cost
manufacturers are not seeking to develop a Formula One version of the vehicle. about 1.50 euro

What the company is aiming at is the urban motorist: delivery vehicles, taxi drivers, and people who
just use their car to nip out to the shops.

The latest vehicle is said to have come on leaps and bounds from the early model we drove.

It is said to be much quieter, a top speed of 110 km/h (65 mph), and a range of around 200 km before
you need to fill the tanks up with air.

Filling up

The car comes fitted with its own compressor so you can fill up at home. But that would take four
hours.

The company has developed the technology to refill the vehicle in three minutes, although there are no
service station forecourts with the compressed air machines to do that yet.

And the cost? Cyril Negre, the head of Research and Development at MDI cars, reckons a full tank of
air would be about 1.50 euros.

But the difference between success and failure in the motor industry is investment and faith. On paper
the car works; around the industrial estate that we took the early prototype, it works.

Now the question is: how to make the leap from concept to the market? Will the dream become
something more than so much compressed air?
Sunday, April 24, 2016
‘Argentina’s future lies in renewable energy’
Renewable energy expert Angelina Galiteva was in Buenos Aires invited by the US Embassy in Argentina and gave a series of lectures at the
ITBA University. By Fermín Koop Herald Staff
Renewables 100 Policy Institute founder Angelina Galiteva highlights country’s potential
When talking about renewable energy, Angelina Galiteva is one of the key persons to go to. Founder of the US non-profit
organization Renewables 100 Policy Institute, Galiteva also serves as a Chairperson of the World Council for Renewable Energy
(WCRE) and has been one of the main drivers behind California’s increasing use of renewable energy.
Invited by the US Embassy in Argentina, Galiteva was in Buenos Aires and told the Herald Argentina could become a leading
country in renewable energy soon. She highlighted the national government’s plan to boost renewables and said investors would
soon arrive to carry out new projects in the sector.
Does Argentina have the potential to be a leading country in renewable energy?
Yes, it does. You have the size and the resources, which you can manage in order to bring the energy to where it’s needed. You
also have the good ingredients of the law that guarantee success — transparency, consistency and longevity. The government can
guarantee a return to the investors in a reasonable period of time. It has a good and realistic plan.
When could we see a significant percentage of renewables in the country?
The government has set up a good plan to achieve 20 percent of renewable energy as soon as possible. If you combine that with
the existing hydroelectric dams, Argentina could have 60 percent of its energy matrix based in renewables by 2020. You have all
the elements to success and it can be very quickly.
Based on the Renewable Energy Law, Argentina should have eight percent of its matrix based in renewable energy by
next year, much higher than the current less than one percent. Is that a realistic goal?
With a few large scales projects, you can reach that goal. But it will be a slow start and a fast escalation towards the end. I wouldn’t
be surprised if Argentina exceeds its goals. We were supposed to have 33 percent of renewables in California by 2020 but we have
already exceeded that. More than 8,000 solar roof tops are being installed every month.
In which type of renewable energy does Argentina have the largest potential?
In California we realized that it has to be a mix of all of them. It can’t be a single resource. You have solar in the North, wind in the
South and the transmission lines to bring that energy to the rest of the country. And you can balance them with hydro, as wind and
solar are intermittent. You have huge biomass potential too.
Argentina always had the resources, why did it take so long to exploit them?
Public policies are always the main driver to exploit these resources. Now renewables have taken off in the world as prices have
gone down, they are even cheaper than fossil fuels. The whole world is investing more in renewables than hydrocarbon resources.
They are succeeding all around the world.
Could we expect high investment in renewables from local and foreign companies?
I hope so. There’s a demand for additional power in Argentina and if there’s confidence in the market, the investors will be here.
Argentina should become one of the largest countries for developing renewables very quickly. You have to take advantage that
others, such as California and Germany, spent the money to bring the cost down. You can do it faster and better than us.
How do you move from a matrix that depends so much on fossils fuels like Argentina’s to one with a high percentage of
renewables?
With technology and expertise. We are moving into a system in which customers are able to sell power into the grid. It’s a paradigm
shift. People can participate in the energy market as well as other companies such as cable companies and internet firms.
Technological solutions which are optimizing the operation and allowing the distribution to happen are key to have a robust system
based on variable resources.
Can renewables live alongside fossil fuels?
Of course they can. We see renewables living with gas and oil across the world. We are also seeing in terms of efficiency and price
that renewables is killing its competition. We can leave fossil fuels in the ground not only because its something we have to do for
the climate but also because it would lead to a clear energy system that would allow us to preserve our water resources. The future
is going to be renewables.
Can we think of countries like Argentina reaching 100 percent renewables in the near future?
Absolutely. There are already some that have achieved much higher percentages than 50.
Argentina has massive shale gas and oil resources, with many ongoing projects to exploit them. Can they continue
despite a goal set on renewables?
What is becoming a clear with the renewable future is that it has to be a long term planning. We used to plan every five years but
we can’t do that any more. You have to plan 50 years ahead. Countries have to implement an across the board plan to understand
if they should bet on shale gas or not, so they aren’t left with stranded assets in the short term.
Keeping fossil fuels in the ground and not investing in projects like Vaca Muerta puts many oil sector jobs at risk. Can
they be replaced for others in the renewable energy industry?
Workers will be much more happy working on the renewable energy industry than in fossil fuels. It’s a huge job creator of quality
jobs. Countries like Germany are employing more people in renewables than in fossil fuels and mining.
Renewables have been frequently tagged as an expensive energy source. Has technology helped to bring down that
theory?
It’s the most predictable energy source, it has no fuel costs and a very low operational cost. It’s the most secure investment anyone
can make. I’m still flabbergasted from hearing people claiming it’s the most expensive energy source.
@ferminkoop
Sunday, March 13, 2016
‘Argentina has the world’s best wind resources’

Global Wind Energy Council Steve Sawyer talks to the Herald at his hotel in Buenos Aires City.
By Fermín Koop
Herald Staff
Global Wind Energy Council head Steve Sawyer anticipates investments in renewables
The fact that Argentina has one of the best resources for renewable energy in the world isn’t something new for
investors, who have kept an eye on the country for a long time to carry out solar and wind projects. Nevertheless,
investments have been long delayed and the sector’s potential remains to be exploited, with less than one percent of
the country’s energy matrix now based on renewables
But the situation seems to be changing now. Representatives from the world’s leading companies in renewables spent
last week in Buenos Aires meeting with government officials and considering potential investments. Argentina has
agreed to have eight percent of its matrix based on renewables by 2017, according to the recently passed Renewable
Energy Law.
In an interview with the Herald, Steve Sawyer, head of the Global Wind Energy Council — which groups together the
main wind energy companies — said he expected major investments in the country but conditioned them to the
government improving the economy. At the same time, Sawyer said Vaca Muerta’s shale resources should be left in
the ground.
Why did you decide to come to Argentina, after long years without any investment in renewable energy?
We and everyone else in the wind industry have always known that Argentina has the best wind resources in the
world. But the business climate here has been rather difficult. There have been a few false starts. We are always
looking for new markets but Argentina didn’t appear on the radar because investors have been burned here so many
times. But after the elections we agreed we should give it a shot. It’s the best opportunity we ever had in Argentina
How’s the business delegation formed?
The full list includes 24 representatives from a dozen companies such as Acciona, DNV, Envision, Gamesa, Iberdrola,
K2, MAKE, Mainstream and Siemens. Most of the firms are already investing in Brazil and Chile. We want to meet as
many people as we can in a short period. After that, we will put together a plan.
Could we expect any investment announcements after the trip?
All the companies are interested in carrying out investments in renewables in Argentina. But whether they make
investments or not will depend on the macroeconomic fix, which is in the works. If that doesn’t happen, all bets are off.
The government will launch an auction in two or three months and I’m confident the companies will take part in it.
Based on your conversations with business leaders, are they confident over the changes in the country?
Everybody has wanted to invest here for a long time. But the conditions haven’t been the best ones for a variety of
reasons. That’s now changing but we’ll have to see how deep the changes go and how fast they happen. The
government will try to do anything possible to make it an investable country again.
Will it be expensive to develop wind projects in Argentina?
The first project won’t be cheap but after you build the market, costs will drop. Wind is the cheapest way to add new
generation capacity in many parts of the world and with Argentina’s wind resources it should be here as well. It will
take time to get there. Some wind farms have already been built here and there are a lot of projects in the pipeline
waiting for investors.
Does the holdouts legal battle have to be solved for investments to come?
It has to be fixed. Nothing can happen until that’s fixed.
How would you describe Argentina’s potential in renewables?
The whole Southern Cone is filled with renewable resources, whether it’s wind, solar or hydro. There’s no reason why
anything south of the Amazon shouldn’t be powered with a combination of the three and quickly. Brazil has done great
in the wind sector and Chile is developing it as well. Brazil’s crisis could be positive for Argentina as the investors
could come here instead where the wind is better
Is Patagonia the main area with potential in Argentina for wind energy?
It could be but as the technology has developed more, the resources in Buenos Aires, Río Negro and Neuquén
province are also important. You wouldn’t need to start in Patagonia. Reaching eight percent of the matrix with
renewables will be a challenge for Argentina. It can be done but the important thing is to build a long-term and
sustainable industry.
Could Argentina reach 100 percent renewables at some point?
Sure, it could. It has the resources. The government should start shutting down coal plants and replacing them with
wind, solar and hydro. There are plenty of untapped hydro resources in Argentina.
That would also mean not exploiting Vaca Muerta?
Renewables and shale can live at the same time but only up to a certain point. You can’t do both in the long term.
Two-thirds of the fossil fuel reserves have to stay in the ground according to the Paris deal. Argentina signed it and
has committed publicly to that.
@ferminkoop