Editor’s Note: This EnergyTechStocks.com Special Report highlights 12 companies that few investors have heard about – yet – which in the opinion of EnergyTechStocks.com have a technology, product or process that could change how the world produces and/or consumes energy. In keeping with EnergyTechStocks.com’s mission to be solely a news source, this Special Report is presented for information purposes only.

Posted: October 29, 2007

By now you probably have heard about plug-in hybrid vehicles, cars and trucks expected to be capable of running 40 miles up to maybe several hundred miles on a single “fill up” of electricity from an ordinary electrical outlet. Under development by General Motors, Toyota and other carmakers, plug-in vehicles could set off a transportation revolution starting in 2009 or 2010, a new era where vehicles run cleaner and cost less to fill up (electricity being less expensive than gasoline on a miles-per-gallon basis), and where energy security is greatly enhanced as nations’ need for imported oil declines.

As if that’s not enough, plug-in vehicles also hold the promise of meeting the world’s pressing need for more electricity. It is estimated that the world will need twice the amount of electricity it consumes today by 2030. With the right technology, it should be possible to take the electricity stored in a plug-in battery and send it back to the grid on command. This vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology would give electric utilities an additional source of power, enabling them to meet peak demand needs without having to fire up extra pollution-causing generating facilities.

Millions of plug-in vehicles could effectively store and recycle electricity, enhancing the efficiency of power production while reducing the risk of blackouts. In addition – and this is important – experts say V2G technology could expand the use of renewable energy sources such as the sun and the wind by providing a way to store that intermittent energy close to where it’s produced and have it available as needed. Further, by helping electric utilities run more efficiently, V2G presumably would also make utility companies more profitable.

A small company based in Seattle, WA, V2Green Inc., is leading the way in developing technology that would enable this two-way flow of power through electrical lines. Denver-based utility giant Xcel Energy Inc. plans what reportedly will be the first real-world test of vehicle-to-grid technology, studying V2Green’s software as part of a broader test to see how well plug-ins perform. “With every U.S. home connected to the electricity grid, vehicle-to-grid technology could be key to meeting our growing energy needs,” an Xcel executive recently said.

On its web site, V2Green says it “establishes two-way communication between plug-in vehicles and the grid, and provides the means to intelligently manage electric power resources, helping to reduce petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions.”

World-Changers Part 2 will run tomorrow, October 30, 2007