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SolarCity in largest residential solar project in US history - $ 1 Bn, 371 MW

2011-09-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

SolarCity took a major step today in an initiative that could double the number of residential solar photovoltaic installations in the United States. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the offer of a conditional commitment for a partial guarantee of a $344 million loan to help secure financing for SolarCity’s “SolarStrong™” project. As part of the project, SolarCity plans to partner with the country’s leading military housing-privatization developers to install, own and operate up to 160,000 rooftop solar installations on as many as 124 military housing developments across 33 U.S. states. The project is expected to create more than $1 billion in solar projects and 371 megawatts of new solar generation capacity. USRG Renewable Finance, a subsidiary of U.S. Renewables Group, will serve as the lead lender for the project in partnership with BofA Merrill Lynch.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, in addition to our partners, U.S. Renewables Group and BofA Merrill Lynch. Without this group, we would not have been able to make the economics of this project work,” said Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s CEO. “Now the solar industry has a debt model that can make distributed generation affordable on a massive scale.”

SolarCity, which currently employs more than 1,200 people in 11 states, will create new jobs and help jumpstart the renewable energy industry in up to 22 additional states, some of which have very little solar generation capacity today. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratories’ (NREL) Jobs and Economic Development Impact model, the SolarStrong installations would be expected to create nearly 6,000 direct job-years related to the installation and ongoing maintenance of the systems. SolarCity hopes to fill as many of the jobs as possible with U.S. veterans and military family members.

The SolarStrong projects will likely include installing solar on other privatized buildings on military bases, such as community centers, administrative offices, maintenance buildings and storage warehouses. The first SolarStrong-eligible project—a coordinated effort between real estate developer Lend Lease and SolarCity—is already underway at Hickam Communities at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. When completed, that project alone will provide renewable power to more than 2,000 military family homes.

“Thanks to the Energy Department’s leadership and resolve, we can now bring an unprecedented opportunity to privatized military housing across the U.S.,” said Aaron Gillmore, SolarCity’s vice president of solar development. “We believe the SolarStrong model will deliver the most affordable solar option available to military housing, and provide a template for financing large-scale residential solar projects well into the future.”

The SolarStrong project will help the Department of Defense (DOD), the single-largest energy consumer in the U.S., secure its energy needs from renewable sources operated in parallel with the utility grid. DOD has a stated goal to migrate to greater than 25 percent renewable energy generation by the year 2025.
www.solarcity.com

Yingli Green Energy, ECN and Amtech Join Efforts to Develop N-type MWT High Efficiency PV Cell and Module

2011-09-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") manufacturers, which markets its products under the brand "Yingli Solar", the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ("ECN"), a leading solar research center in Europe, and Amtech Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS) ("Amtech"), a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the manufacture of solar cells through its solar division Tempress Systems B.V., today announced the achievements of a three-party research collaboration on the N-type Metal Wrap Through ("N-MWT") PV cell and module technology. This joint project was an extension of Project PANDA, which was kicked off in 2009. As of the date of this press release, a cell efficiency of 19.7% and a module efficiency of 17.6% have been achieved in the laboratory, respectively.

The N-MWT PV cell technology is expected to reduce up to 40% of the metal coverage comparing to standard crystalline cells, which leads to approximately 1.5% relative cell efficiency gain. ECN has also shown that the PV modules based on N-MWT technology can be made with thin cells at high yield, which demonstrates the potential to reduce the wafer thickness and silicon consumption, leading to a large cost reduction potential.

Mr. Jingfeng Xiong, Vice President of Technology of Yingli Green Energy, commented, "We are pleased to announce the new milestones of Project PANDA, which demonstrates our solid cooperation with leading technology institutes in solar industry. Together this joint project, we target to reach towards 20% cell efficiency and module efficiencies of 18% and more. The launch of N-MWT PV cell and module illustrates our mission to be a cost leader and provide the best product to customers at the same time."

"Thanks to our continuous investment in cutting edge technologies, we can further enhance our leading position in terms of high efficiency products," Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy, commented. "High efficiency module is becoming much more attractive for project investors as the roof-top system segment has been enjoying a fast development speed. We are glad that we have the capability to meet customers' demand."

Mr. Robert Kleiburg, Technology Director of ECN, commented, "We are very pleased to combine our MWT technology with Yingli's years of experience to commercialize cutting edge technologies. This cooperation is in line with our long-term mission: transfer high-level knowledge and technology to the market."
www.yinglisolar.com

Renewable Energy India 2011: 10 reasons to attend

2011-08-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

1 - South Asia’s largest B-2-B expo on renewable energy spanning 2, 20,000 square feet

2 - 660 exhibitors from 32 countries showcasing their latest products and services at the exhibition

3 - Cutting edge technologies on display from industry leaders in the fields of Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Wind, Bio and Energy Efficiency

4 - Opportunity for one-to-one business meetings forging collaborations, sourcing, technology transfers, JVs and investments

5 - Concurrent conference sessions with over 200 high profile global speakers from the industry and national & international governments

6 - Concurrent workshops by Cleantech Finland, Polish Chamber of Commerce, Canadian High Commission and Astonfield Renewables

7 - Panel discussion on “Indian Clean Energy Sector: A $20bn Opportunity”, moderated by Bloomberg New Energy Finance

8 - CTO / CEO conclaves to deliberate on the emerging opportunities in the Indian renewable energy sector

9 - Country Pavilions from Belgium, British Columbia, Canada High Commission, Korea and Poland, etc.

10 - 5 of the top 10 global solar PV companies will be present
http://www.renewableenergyindiaexpo.com

Nordex 37 MW Order in Spain - Sant Antoni - Eolia Renovables

2011-08-02T04:25:00.000-07:00

Nordex has obtained an order from Eolia Renovables to supply 15 N100/2500 wind turbines. Eolia is one of the leading independent European generators of power from renewable sources. The company is calling in the turbines from a master agreement signed with Nordex in 2007. In addition to delivery of the machines, the order also includes turnkey installation of the wind farm. Furthermore, Eolia Renovables is taking advantage of the Nordex Premium Service.

The 37.5 megawatt wind farm “Sant Antoni” is being built in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Nordex plans to complete the infrastructure work and foundation construction by autumn so that the turbines can be set up in the course of this year. The annual energy yield is expected to be around 93,000 megawatt hours.

“Sant Antoni” is the first N100/2500 project in Spain and one of the largest Nordex wind farms there. “Caramonte”, with 22 N90/2500 machines, also ranks among the largest Nordex projects in Spain and belongs to Eolia as well.
www.nordex-online.com

Top 100 Green Companies - GoingGreen Competition Kick Off

2011-08-02T03:42:00.000-07:00

AlwaysOn has officially kicked off its fifth annual GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 200 Private Companies competition. The winners of this competition will be officially announced in mid September and honored at GoingGreen Silicon Valley 2011, September 27th - 28th, 2011, at San Francisco City Hall.
Nominate your favorite greentech companies and check out the list of companies that have already been nominated. This includes private companies that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technology in the following sectors:
- Biotech, Biofuel, and Agriculture
- Clean Energy (not solar or biofuel)
- Data Center Efficiency
- Energy Management, Smart Grid, and Energy Efficiency
- Energy Storage Systems
- Green Automobiles and Transportation
- Green Materials and Green Building
- Resource Recovery and Waste Management
- Solar Energy
- Water Technology and Treatment

Nominate a company !
The companies that have been nominated to the 2011 AlwaysOn GoingGreen Silicon Valley 200 so far are listed below by category.

Biotech, Biofuel, and Agriculture

Amyris
Emeryville, CA
http://www.amyrisbiotech.com/

Chemrec
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.chemrec.se/

Cobalt Technologies
Mountain View, CA
http://www.cobalttech.com/

CoolPlanetBioFuels
Camarillo, CA
http://www.coolplanetbiofuels.com/

Coskata
Warrenville, IL
http://www.coskata.com/

EdeniQ
Visalia, CA
http://www.edeniq.com/

Gevo
Pasadena, CA
http://www.gevo.com/

KmX
Oakville, Ont., Cananda
http://www.kmxcorp.com/

LS9
South San Francisco, CA
http://www.ls9.com/

Mendel Biotechnologies
Hayward, CA
http://www.mendelbio.com/

OPX Biotechnologies
Boulder, CO
http://www.opxbiotechnologies.com/

Sapphire Energy
San Diego, CA
http://www.sapphireenergy.com/

Solazyme
South San Francisco, CA
http://www.solazyme.com/

Synthetic Genomics
La Jolla, CA
http://www.syntheticgenomics.com/

ZeaChem
Lakewood, CO
http://www.zeachem.com/

Clean Energy (not solar or biofuel)

Accelergy
Palo Alto, CA
http://www.accelergy.com/

AltaRock Energy
Sausalito, CA
http://www.altarockenergy.com/

Bloom Energy
Sunnyvale, CA
http://www.bloomenergy.com/

CoaLogix
Charlotte, NC
http://www.coalogix.com/

FloDesign
Wilbraham, MA
http://www.flodesign.org/

GreatPoint Energy
Cambridge, MA
http://www.greatpointenergy.com/

Innwind
Stavanger, Norway
http://www.innowind.no/

Luca Technologies
Golden, CO
http://www.lucatechnologies.com/

Potter Drilling
Redwood City, CA
http://www.potterdrilling.com/

Sierra Energy
Davis, CA
http://www.sierraenergy.net/

Ze-gen
Boston, MA
http://www.ze-gen.com/

Data Center Efficiency

Green Platform
Mountain View, CA
http://www.greenplatformcorp.com/

MokaFive
Redwood City, CA
http://www.mokafive.com/

nlyte
Menlo Park, CA
http://www.nlyte.com/

Power Assure
Santa Clara, CA
http://www.powerassure.com/

Vantage Data Centers
Santa Clara, CA
http://www.vantagedatacenters.com/

Viridity Energy
Conshohocken, PA
viridityenergy.com

Energy Management, Smart Grid, and Energy Efficiency

Adura Technologies
San Francisco, CA
http://www.aduratech.com/

AlertMe
Cambridge, U.K,
http://www.alertme.com/

Array Converter
Cupertino, CA
http://www.arrayconverter.com/

BPL Global
Cranberry Township, PA
http://www.bplglobal.net/

Bridgelux
Sunnyvale, CA
http://www.bridgelux.com/

EcoFactor
Redwood City, CA
http://www.ecofactor.com/

eMeter
San Mateo, CA
http://www.emeter.com/

Enmetric Systems
Belmont, CA
http://www.emetric.com/

ENXSuite
San Bruno, CA
http://www.enxsuite.com/

Federspiel Controls
El Cerrito, CA
http://www.federspielcontrols.com/

Grid Net
San Francisco, CA
http://www.grid-net.com/

GridPlex Networks
Upper Darby, PA
http://www.gridplexnetworks.com/

Hara Software
Redwood City, CA
http://www.hara.com/

Illumitex
Austin, TX
http://www.illumitex.com/

Landis+Gyr
Zug, Switzerland
http://www.landisgyr.com/

On-Ramp Wireless
San Diego, CA
http://www.onrampwireless.com/

Recurve
San Francisco, CA
http://www.recurve.com/

Scientific Conservation
Berkeley, CA
http://www.scientificconservation.com/

Silver Spring Network
Redwood City, CA
http://www.silverspringnetworks.com/

SmartSynch
Jackson, MS
http://www.smartsynch.com/

SynapSense
Folsom, CA
http://www.synapsense.com/

Tendril Networks
Boulder, CO
http://www.tendrilinc.com/

Trilliant
Redwood City, CA
http://www.trilliantinc.com/

Verdiem
Seattle, WA
http://www.verdiem.com/

WiTricity
Watertown, MA
http://www.witricity.com/

Energy Storage Systems

Amprius
Menlo Park, CA
http://www.amprius.com/

Contour Energy Systems
Azusa, CA
http://www.countourenergy.com/

Deeya Energy
Fremont, CA
http://www.deeyaenergy.com/

EnerVault
Sunnyvale, CA
http://www.enervault.com/

EnStorage
Zichron Yaakov, Israel
http://www.enstorageinc.com/

Enxwuite
San Bruno, CA
http://www.enxsuite.com/

Glacier Bay
Union City, CA
http://www.glacierbaytechnology.com/

Ice Energy
Winsor, CO
http://www.ice-energy.com/

Leyden Energy
Fremont, CA
http://www.leydenenergy.com/

Porous Power Technologies
Lafayette, CO
http://www.porouspower.com/

Premium Power
North Reading, MA
http://www.premiumpower.com/

Sakti3
Ann Arbor, MI
http://www.sakti3.com/

Seeo
Los Altos, CA
http://www.seeo.com/

Simbol Mining
Houston, TX
http://www.simbolmining.com/

Green Automobiles and Transportation

Achates Power
San Diego, CA
http://www.achatespower.com/

Better Place
Palo Alto, CA
http://www.betterplace.com/

CODA Automotive
Santa Monica, CA
http://www.codaautomotive.com/

Coulomb Technologies
Campbell, CA
http://www.coulombtech.com/

Fisker Automotive
Irvine, CA
http://www.fiskerautomotive.com/

Getaround
San Francisco, CA
http://www.getaround.com/

Green Materials and Green Building

Calera
Los Gatos, CA
http://www.calera.biz/

CalStar Products
Newark, CA
http://www.calstarproducts.com/

Lunera
Redwood City, CA
http://www.lunera.com/

Serious Materials
Sunnyvale, CA
http://www.seriousmaterials.com/

Soladigm
Santa Rosa, CA
http://www.soladigm.com/

Resource Recovery and Waste Management

Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies
Vancouver, BC, Canada
http://www.ostara.com/

ReCommunity
Charlotte, NC
http://www.recommunity.com/

RecycleBank
New York, NY
http://www.recyclebank.com/

Solary Energy

Abound Solar
Fort Collins, CO
http://www.abound.com/

Agile Energy
San Bruno, CA
http://www.agileenergy.com/

Bloo Solar
Sacramento, CA
http://www.bloosolar.com/

BrightSource Energy
Oakland, CA
http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/

eIQ Energy
San Jose, CA
http://www.eiqenergy.com/

Enphase Energy
Petaluma, CA
http://www.enphaseenergy.com/

eSolar
Pasadena, CA
http://www.esolar.com/

Flexcell International
Hillsborough, NC
http://www.flexcellint.com/

Green Light Solar Industries
Lake Havasu City, AZ
http://www.greenlightsolarindustries.com/

HelioPower
Murietta, CA
http://www.heliopower.com/

Miasolé
Santa Clara, CA
http://www.miasole.com/

Nanosolar
San Jose, CA
http://www.nanosolar.com/

Pythagoras Solar
San Mateo, CA
http://www.pythagoras.com/

SolarCity
Foster City, CA
http://www.solarcity.com/

Solaria
Fremont, CA
http://www.solaria.com/

Solexant
San Jose, CA
http://www.solexant.com/

Sopogy
Honolulu, HI
http://www.sopogy.com/

Stion
San Jose, CA
http://www.stion.com/

Suniva
Norcross, GA
http://www.suniva.com/

SunRun
San Francisco, CA
http://www.sunrunhome.com/

Tioga Energy
Los Gatos, CA
http://www.tiogaenergy.com/

Wilson TurboPower
Woburn, MA
http://www.wilsonturbopower.com/

Water Technology and Treatment

AquaCritox
Cork, Eire
www.scfi.eu/aquacritox.html

BioPetroClean
Tel Aviv, Israel
http://www.biopetroclean.com/

Epuramat
Redwood City, CA
http://www.epuramat.com/

NanoH20
El Segundo, CA
http://www.nanoh2o.com/

Oasys Water
Cambridge, MA
http://www.oasyswater.com/

PMC BioTec
Exton, PA
http://www.pmcbiotec.com/

Nominate a company !
http://www.aonetwork.com/

SolarCity Provides Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

2011-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Homeowners and businesses can install electric vehicle charging for as little as $1,500 with solar; Now more Americans than ever will be able to “drive on sunshine”, by charging their electric cars with solar power, and save up to 77 percent on fuel costs. SolarCity has partnered with industry pioneer ClipperCreek to provide electric vehicle (EV) chargers compatible with all new EVs. SolarCity will initially install ClipperCreek EV chargers through its 24 operations centers nationwide, making it the largest single provider of EV, solar and energy efficiency services in the U.S.

“SolarCity’s mission has always been to help homeowners and businesses adopt clean power while saving on energy costs,” said Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity. “Electric cars are already among the cleanest-running vehicles on the road—charging them on solar makes them that much better. Tens of thousands of electric cars will be delivered over the next year alone, with hundreds of thousands expected over the next five years. We’re making it easier to power them with carbon-free electricity for zero emissions, and to dramatically reduce the cost of driving.”

Pricing for home or business installation of a ClipperCreek 240-volt Level II EV charger, including the charger, starts at $1,500. Charging at Level II is roughly five times faster than using a 120-volt wall outlet. For its solar and energy-efficiency customers, as well as those who wish to install EV chargers only, SolarCity can prepare a home or business to be EV ready even before delivery of an electric car.

Powering an EV with electricity generated from a home solar system can be 77 percent less expensive than powering a car with gas. An average San Francisco Bay Area resident paying the national average of $3.65 per gallon gas spends about $230 per month to fuel her gas-powered car. She’d pay $107 to power an equivalent-size EV with grid electricity, and, by leasing a solar system from SolarCity, only $54 to power the car with solar electricity for the same miles driven.

ClipperCreek pioneered EV charger safety features in the mid-1990s that have become the industry standard. Its UL-listed chargers are designed for use with the Chevy Volt, Ford Transit Connect, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Roadster and all SAE-compatible plug-In vehicles that are soon to be released from major and most new car companies.

“We are pleased to partner with SolarCity to help increase the number of homes and businesses that can run electric cars on renewable energy,” said Dave Packard, President of ClipperCreek, Inc. “Roughly 40 percent of residential EV owners have solar and we expect these environmental and economic benefits to expand with the coming proliferation of electric cars and increasing use of solar power.”

SolarCity installed the world’s first solar-powered enhanced electric car charging corridor, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, in 2009. The EV chargers, located at Rabobank branches along highway 101, support the new industry-standard J1772 protocol common to newer EVs.

SolarCity is also the North American distributor of EV chargers for Toyota Tsusho, which represents a public EV infrastructure of thousands of chargers.
http://www.solarcity.com/
http://www.clippercreek.com/

Cool Energy Receives Funding for Combined Heat and Power, joins Idealab Incubator

2011-07-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Cool Energy, Inc., a developer of clean energy power generation systems, today announced that it has joined the Idealab network of operating companies and received significant funding from Idealab.

Founded by Bill Gross in 1996, Idealab creates and operates pioneering technology companies. Based in Pasadena, CA, Idealab has created companies with breakthrough technologies in industries such as robotics, renewable energy, automotive design, search and Internet media and services, among others.

“Cool Energy’s technology is in a sweet spot for clean energy, enabling low-temperature waste heat recovery, and novel solar and biomass systems for distributed power generation,” said Bill Gross, Chairman and CEO of Idealab. “We are thrilled to be involved with a company that has the potential to make a real difference in the world.”

At the core of Cool Energy’s solutions is the SolarHeart Engine®, a low-temperature Stirling engine that creates electrical power from low-temperature heat sources. The main applications today are waste heat recovery (conversion of excess heat to electricity) and combined heat and power (CHP) systems for buildings and residences. In ongoing testing at a temperature differential of only 210ºC, the 3rd generation SolarHeart Engine has consistently produced 2000 watts of electric power, and reached a thermal to electrical conversion efficiency of over 16%. The 4th generation units are expected to produce up to 3000 Watts of electricity at temperatures up to 300°C, and larger units are in development

“Bill Gross and Idealab are great to work with,” said Sam Weaver, a founder and current CEO of Cool Energy. “They have years of experience in developing successful technology companies and have a complete understanding of renewable energy markets, and what choices are needed for solid growth and success."
http://www.coolenergyinc.com

* 11 investors have helped fund Cool Energy, according to an SEC filing made on Friday, July 15.

Nordex 52,5 MW Order in UK - Baillie - Statkraft

2011-07-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Nordex UK has obtained an order to supply 21 N90/2500 wind turbines. The customer is a joint venture company, majority owned by Statkraft, Europe´s leader in renewable energy. The 21 turbines are to be installed in the Scottish Baillie Wind Farm during August 2012. Statkraft has also signed a Premium Service Agreement with Nordex for five years.
Baillie Wind Farm is to be built near the north coast of Scotland so enjoys high average wind speeds over 9 m/s, requiring a robust machine certified for high-wind sites in accordance with IEC 1a. After raising the wind class suitability in the whole multi-megawatt product family, Nordex now offers the N90/2500 for these locations. "The N90/2500 is the most cost-efficient machine providing high wind yield at a tough site. In the UK and Ireland there are many invitations to tender for high-wind regions. This is why the IEC 1a certificate for the N90/2500 offers a major opportunity on the market," says Bryan Grinham, Managing Director at Nordex UK.
The Baillie Wind Farm was developed by Steven and Thomas Pottinger who remain partners with Statkraft and are developing further wind turbine sites in the area. To comply with the restrictions of 110 metres tip height, Nordex is setting up the 21 turbines on 65-metre towers. These are able to generate a yield of approximately 180 gigawatt hours a year, sufficient to meet the demand from some 39,000 British households.
"We are very pleased to be working with Statkraft for the first time. During the negotiations we showed once again that we are able to react flexibly to the complex requirements of a major utility. This is a good basis for future projects together," says Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, CSO Sales and Marketing at Nordex SE.
www.nordex-online.com

Opening of first tranche of 46 MW solar farm in Zerbst - Q-Cells and Getec

2011-07-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

GETEC green energy AG, a member of GETEC Group and Q-Cells SE, one of
the leading photovoltaic companies in the world, will jointly realise
a 46 MWp solar plant. GETEC AG is the lessor of the complete land and
GETEC green energy AG is the investor of the first section of the
solar park, namely Zerbst I, amounting to a capacity of around 9 MWp.
This first section will be officially opened in Zerbst town in
Saxony-Anhalt today. Dr. Reiner Haseloff, Premier of Saxony-Anhalt,
symbolically turned on the switch to start the flow of electricity
generated from solar energy.

'The new solar power plant is 'Saxony-Anhalt pure'. It stands for a
climate-friendly energy supply in this State and for strengthening the
domestic solar and environmental sector,' Haseloff said during the
opening ceremony on the site of the former military air base in
Zerbst. More than 200 guests followed the invitation and were welcomed
by Dr. Karl Gerhold, spokesperson of GETEC Group.

The Zerbst solar park encompasses five sub-projects with a total
output of 46 megawatt-peak (MWp), making it one of the largest solar
parks in Germany. The first section, PV Zerbst I, has an output of
approximately 9 MWp. GETEC green energy AG commissioned Q-Cells for
the construction of the solar park.

The photovoltaic park is being constructed on the site of a former
military air base in the city of Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt, with a total
area of 108 hectares. GETEC AG is the lessor of the land. With the
planned capacity of 46 MWp the Zerbst I-V solar park as a whole
corresponds to the annual demand of around 11,500 households (based on
average annual consumption of 4,000 kWh per household). Producing
climate-friendly solar electricity at this location reduces annual CO2
emissions by approximately 25,000 tons. The photovoltaic park is
slated for completion in September 2011.

GETEC green energy AG is a member of GETEC Group, which builds power
plants for the generation of energy from renewable sources. 'With the
solar park in Zerbst, we make a contribution to the transition in
energy supply already today. Not only is generating electricity from
renewable energy sources especially environmentally friendly, the
decentralised power production also makes us more independent of
global energy markets and saves natural resources,' so Chris Döhring,
CEO of GETEC green energy AG.

'We are pleased to realise the Zerbst solar park in cooperation with
GETEC. Not only are we prepared to implement the remaining
sub-projects, we can also provide long-term support for the solar park
as a whole,' said Nedim Cen, CEO of Q-Cells SE. 'The professional
planning, realisation and support of solar parks is amongst our core
competencies. In addition to our know-how, we count on our
high-quality solar modules for such tailor-made solutions.'

Q-Cells employs optimised, standardised system solutions for solar
parks in order to guarantee high electricity yields for the operator,
reduce the construction time and minimise ongoing operating costs. The
Zerbst solar park also follows this design principle. It took less
than two months to construct the first section.

Formerly used by the military, the air base in Zerbst is a good
example for the effective transformation of disused sites with a
sustainable usage concept, illustrating how unused areas are
reintegrated into nature and used for economically beneficial
purposes.

Cisco partners with Schneider Electric for Buildings Energy Efficiency

2011-07-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced at Cisco Live, Cisco's annual IT and communications conference, that it has teamed with Cisco to provide an innovative comprehensive energy management solution that monitors and manages energy consumption across all building domains. With this combined solution, building owners and managers, architects, contractors, and IT managers will now be able to optimize energy efficiencies and business operations to save energy.

Schneider Electric's comprehensive EcoStruxure(TM) active energy management architecture portfolio offers a single point of access that connects five domains of business expertise -- power, data centers, process and machines, building control, and physical security – all within an open and flexible technology framework. The EcoStruxure architecture integrates with Cisco EnergyWise(TM) embedded on the Cisco network infrastructure to provide a holistic building management solution, managing all energy-consuming building assets, such as HVAC, lighting, security and, for the first time, reduce energy waste generated from IT/IP assets, including PCs, phones, Catalyst switches, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) endpoint devices and other IT devices.

With rising energy costs in buildings accounting for 42 percent of energy usage worldwide, there is an impetus to find ways of reducing energy consumption with these IP/IT devices within buildings and across the network.

"Looking for innovative ways to increase energy efficiency and enable business performance within buildings is what Schneider Electric does every day with thousands of customers worldwide," said Chris Curtis, president and CEO, Buildings Business, Schneider Electric. "Combining Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure architecture and Cisco EnergyWise provides organizations with the capability to go one step further and manage the energy consumption of IT/IP devices and PCs in the building management system domain for the first time. We are very excited about this opportunity and what our joint innovation will mean for reducing energy consumption in buildings across the globe."

For example, two schools in Europe used the combined solution from Schneider Electric and Cisco in a pilot project and are currently saving approximately 30 percent of their IT energy, resulting in an overall reduction of close to 6 percent of their overall energy spend. Delivering a rapid, measurable return on investment (ROI), the combined solution provides users with the ability to reduce overall IT operating costs by up to 30 percent and overall building costs by close to 9 percent; to meet regulatory and compliance mandates; and to accomplish corporate sustainability goals.
http://www.cisco.com/
http://www.schneider-electric.com/

Q-Cells Confirmed in 60 MW Solar Project in Ontario, Sponsored by Starwood Energy Group

2011-07-15T07:10:00.001-07:00

Q-Cells, one of the world's largest photovoltaic companies, has been
issued a full notice to proceed with construction activities of a 10
Megawatt project as final part of a combined 60 Megawatt project in
Ontario, Canada. Q-Cells will implement this project on a turn-key
basis for Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC, a private investment firm
focused on energy infrastructure projects.

Investor of the project is Starwood SSM3, an affiliate of Starwood
Energy Group Global. The Starwood SSM3 project builds on the success
of Starwood SSM1, a 20MW AC project that came online in October 2010,
and Starwood SSM2, a 30MW AC project expected to be completed during
Q3 2011. The solar plant Starwood SSM3 is scheduled to be operational
by the end of 2011. Q-Cells acts as prime contractor as the company
already did in case of the two preceding projects and on top of that
delivers operations and maintenance services post-completion. The
combined 60 MW AC project, when complete, will be the second largest
in North America and among the largest in the world.

Starwood SSM3, once built, will provide power for up to 4,000 Ontario
homes, generating its power predominantly during the middle of the
day, a time of highest demand on the local power grid. The facility
will also reduce yearly carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to
displacing 1,900 cars and light trucks each driving 12,000 miles per
year or to planting more than eight million trees in Ontario's
forests.

'Our winning partnership with Starwood in Sault Ste. Marie
exemplifies Q-Cells' unique offering in blending its leading and
processes with local partnerships for the utility-scale market,' said
Marc van Gerven, Managing Director of Q-Cells North America. 'We look
forward to rolling out our market strategy and offering for the
commercial and residential markets with the same rate of success.'

'We are grateful to Q-Cells for their continued hard work on these
projects. We look forward to pursuing similar investments in the
Ontario renewable energy sector in the near future and applaud the
strong community and provincial support towards realizing a new green
energy economy in Ontario,' said Himanshu Saxena, Senior Vice
President of Starwood Energy.
www.q-cells.com

Nordex Commissions 150 MW Project in Colorado - Largest Project in Company History

2011-07-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

Delivering on the potential that the American market holds for the
wind industry, Nordex USA, Inc. announced completion of the largest
project ever undertaken by Nordex Group. The 60 N90/2500 wind turbines
at Cedar Creek 2 are commissioned. The logistical challenges of
preparing and delivering a project of this size are significant. If
the blades and towers for the project were placed end-to-end, they
would stretch for 8 miles (13 km).

The wind farm, 20 miles north of New Raymer in Weld County in
northeastern Colorado, is jointly owned by BP Wind Energy and Sempra
Generation. The power produced by this 150 MW project, enough to
supply 45,000 American homes, has been purchased by Public Service
Company of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company, under a 25-year
agreement.

"We are pleased that BP chose Nordex turbines for Cedar Creek 2, one
of the largest projects in Colorado. Our relationship with BP dates
back to 2002 when Nordex first supplied turbines to one of their
refinery sites in the Netherlands," commented Ralf Sigrist, President
and CEO of Nordex USA, Inc. "As a growing global company it is
important for Nordex to build on its connections with existing
customers to continue our expansion in America."

The site's strong wind resource made it a perfect location for Nordex'
high-yielding N90/2500 wind turbine with 80 m tower height. Recognized
for its reliability, the machine is a stalwart in the company's
multi-megawatt Gamma generation – a proven product line with 11 years
of operating history and more than 1,500 turbines on the grid.

Nordex was responsible for the turbine supply and commissioning and
will continue to provide service and maintenance under a 5-year
contract. The mile-high altitude required some special adaptations,
including increasing the turbines' heat exchanging capacity.

Nordex has both completed and current American installations totaling
500 MW in several states, including Minnesota, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, and Idaho.
http://www.nordex-online.com

TXU Energy and SolarCity in $5M Solar Fund for Residential PV

2011-07-15T06:43:00.001-07:00

TXU Energy and SolarCity, a leading solar and energy efficiency
provider, are expanding their partnership by establishing a $5 million
incentive fund to encourage and accelerate solar energy adoption in
Texas. The new solar fund will provide a $1,000 incentive for up to
5,000 new or current TXU Energy residential customers who sign up for
the solar offer.

The companies previously launched the first residential solar lease
offering in Texas in February 2010. The fund announced today is
available immediately in the Dallas, Fort Worth area and makes TXU
Energy's solar solutions even more attractive for interested
consumers.

"Our goal is to deliver innovative solutions that give customers more
choice and flexibility in managing their energy usage" said Jim Burke,
CEO for TXU Energy. "Through our partnership with SolarCity, the
national leader in solar services, we are making renewable energy even
more affordable to our customers"

TXU Energy and SolarCity's expanded partnership also offers a full
service solution that includes system design, financing, equipment,
installation, insurance, monitoring, warranty and a guaranteed amount
of solar power production.

Most customers will realize savings on their total monthly electricity
costs while adopting clean power and reducing their carbon footprint.

"By making solar more affordable, more homeowners are able to go
solar. Our solar offer is the best in the Texas competitive
marketplace, and as a full service solar provider, we provide
homeowners with unmatched service" said Lyndon Rive, CEO of Solar
City.

This is TXU Energy's latest in a string of innovations that help
customers better manage their energy use and control their electricity
expenses.
www.txu.com
www.SolarCity.com

PowerCost Monitor and People Power Help Homeowners Consume Less Energy

2011-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Blue Line Innovations makers of the proven PowerCost Monitor™, today announced a big step forward in choice and consumer engagement with their application partnership with People Power Company. The solution is live today and enables homeowners to see their real time electricity usage anywhere, anytime on iPhone and Android smart phones. People Power1.0 receives live data feeds every 32 seconds from the PowerCost Monitor™ WiFi Gateway, which is broadly available through Lowes, Amazon and other retailers.

Peter Porteous, CEO Blue Line Innovations, comments, “this is a huge step forward for consumers. As we know information is only the first baby step, what the consumer chooses to do with that information or what that data can enable in the home is the key. Early attempts such as the dashboards created by Microsoft Hohm™ or Google PowerMeter™ were terrific first steps but People Power1.0 takes the feature set and the opportunity for full family engagement to a whole new level. We have pioneered in this category since 2004, have over a 150,000 families using the PowerCost Monitor™ today and have terrific customer feedback and input. This partnership and mobile application really hits the mark”.

A full product overview and video can be found on the Blue Line website. People Power1.0 offers out of the gate today the following features with more layers to come;
• Real time energy use monitoring – now and trend charts. Real time rate structures are automatically loaded for the homeowner based on their specific utility or energy reseller.
• Energy Use Benchmarking – compare vs. others
• Set budgets and get recommendations. Track usage and progress against your own budget amounts and get real time alerts vs. end of month surprises
• Compete against friends – energy efficiency quizzes

“We are delighted to be partnered with Blue Line Innovations. We believe simplicity is key to a great customer experience and we love the fact that the PowerCost Monitor™ is proven and is easy to buy at any neighborhood Lowes. It's easy to install by anyone and does not require an electrician or an understanding of the breaker panel”, said Gene Wang, CEO People Power Company. "With People Power 1.0's easy set-up process on any Android or iOS device, customers are going to be excited about our Blue Line People Power solution to start managing their personal energy, anywhere, anytime” Porteous added, “this is another important step in bringing choice to our customer base. Our Blue Line strategy hinges on our unique and patent protected optical sensor. We are in the business of providing universal access to real time electricity data for both utilities and homeowners”.
http://www.bluelineinnovations.com
http://www.peoplepowerco.com

Consolidated Edison and Comverge Provide Energy Efficiency to New York City's Homeless Services

2011-07-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Comverge, Inc. (Nasdaq:COMV), the leading provider of Intelligent Energy Management solutions for Residential and Commercial + Industrial (C+I) customers, today announced it has partnered with Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison) to help New York City's Department of Homeless Services reduce energy cost by approximately $120,000 per year. By leveraging Comverge's intelligent energy management software and services, New York City's Homeless Services will be in a better position to achieve its energy efficiency goals, reduce daily energy costs, and become eligible for financial incentives. The new deal marks more than 7,200 customers that Comverge and Con Edison have partnered with to help reduce their energy consumption.

"Homeless Services is committed to conserving energy and investing in environmental efforts for New York City," said Todd Hamilton, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Facility Maintenance and Development for the Department of Homeless Services. "By partnering with Comverge and Con Edison, we were able to strike a balance of serving our clients while effectively managing energy."

Comverge and Con Edison worked closely together to design a program that helps Homeless Services facilities operate more efficiently; this program calls for facilities to install energy efficient measures to reduce energy use during times of peak demand. By securing rebate incentives and lowering use on unusually hot days, New York City' s Homeless Services is able to reduce daily energy usage and generate capital to offset operational costs without sacrificing the well being of those it provides services for.

"Comverge and Con Edison have a long history of helping the residents and businesses in New York save energy by delivering intelligent energy management products and services," said Chris Camino, executive vice president of sales and CMO, Comverge. "The flexibility of our solution allows us to turn our understanding of complex customer challenges into programs that fit specific needs. Whether it be a need to reduce cost and understand the profile of their energy usage or a desire to serve as an energy steward in the fight against global warming, Comverge and its utility partners deliver savings without sacrificing operations or comfort."

Wind Energy Foundation: Darlene Snow appointed Executive Director

2011-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Darlene Snow has been appointed Executive Director of the Wind Energy Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in 2010 to educate the public about the benefits of wind power.

Bringing to the Foundation over 20 years of experience leading public education campaigns at several of the world's largest communications firms, Snow most recently headed up the Industry Affairs and Energy practices at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, where she created a number of award-winning campaigns as a senior vice president in the firm's Washington office.

Prior to Ogilvy, Snow led the technology practice at Edelman Los Angeles during the dot-com boom, working with a number of leading technology and Internet companies.

The Wind Energy Foundation is focusing in its first year on U.S. education programs, Snow said,. However, its scope is global, and the campaigns will ultimately be geared to reach an international audience. In addition to supporting research projects and wind education programs, the Foundation is a partner in WindMade™, a new labeling program for companies, facilities, and soon, products that source at least 25 percent of their electricity from wind energy.

"I am tremendously excited to take this opportunity to share the compelling story of how wind power is good for America," said Snow. "Having produced 35 percent of our nation's new electricity generating capacity during the last few years, wind energy is now a major player in the energy industry and enjoys tremendous public support, especially in communities powered by wind. What's exciting about the Foundation's education-centered mission is that the facts best tell wind's story. By educating the public on those facts and supporting research that will enable an ever-increasing body of information to come to light, the Wind Energy Foundation will provide an invaluable service—not only to wind energy—but to America and every country seeking to diversify into clean energy."

Virtually each stop along Snow's career has helped to make her an ideal fit for the executive director post. As a private consultant, Snow led several national initiatives for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste. Earlier, she served as a national spokesperson on recycling and resource recovery programs at the National Solid Wastes Management Association. Snow began her career at Gershman, Brickner & Bratton (GBB), an environmental consulting firm specializing in solid waste project development. She has a B.S. degree in Environmental Resource Management from the Pennsylvania State University, where she served as president of the university EcoAction chapter.

"Darlene Snow brings a stellar combination of experience, skills and talents to the Wind Energy Foundation. As Executive Director, she will lead our campaign to educate America about the extraordinary benefits wind energy brings to the American people: homegrown and reliable electricity, jobs and economic development in every corner of the country, and a tremendous hedge against volatile fuel costs," said Don Furman, vice president of external affairs Iberdrola Renewables and chairman of the Foundation's board of directors.
http://windenergyfoundation.org/

Solar Impulse: Live return flight to Switzerland

2011-07-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

All flight parameters live on:
http://www.solarimpulse.com/europeanFlights/google.php?id=23

http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Top 10 Green Giants 2011 - Greentech Media Selection

2011-07-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

Greentech Media published its selection of top green giants for 2011 few months ago already.
The winners are:

1 - France
2 - ABB
3 - Samsung
4 - Waste Management
5 - NRG Energy
6 - DuPont
7 - Netflix
8 - Ford Motor Company
9 - Lockheed Martin
10 -Tata Group

GridPoint Renewable Energy Solution deployed in 15 Facilities in Texas

2011-06-01T02:24:00.000-07:00

GridPoint, Inc., an established leader for smart energy solutions, announces it has been selected to design, engineer and install 15 solar arrays for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The arrays, totaling 436 kW, will be distributed across the state at various TPWD state parks, fish hatcheries and other sites. Installation is scheduled to begin later this month with an estimated completion date of August 2011.

“TPWD is pleased to work with GridPoint as we strive to meet the key objectives for sustainable conservation outlined in the 2010 Land and Water Plan,” states Rich McMonagle, TPWD infrastructure division director. “GridPoint’s solar solution helps us to support conservation actions that mitigate anticipated climate change impacts to plants, fish and wildlife and encourage the development of renewable energy projects which do not adversely affect those communities.”

In 2010, TPWD updated the 2005 Land and Water Resources Conservation Plan with the goal of guiding the agency in conserving the state's natural and historic heritage and in providing public access to the outdoors. Later that year, TPWD was awarded a competitive federal stimulus grant for solar installations as part of the Distributed Renewable Energy Technology Program. TPWD is installing solar photovoltaic (PV) generation systems at its main headquarters in Austin and high-visibility state park, fish hatchery and wildlife management area locations throughout Texas, including:

State Parks: Lake Tawakoni State Park, Ray Roberts Lake State Park, Cooper Lake State Park, Cedar Hill State Park, Lake Arrowhead State Park, San Angelo State Park, Davis Mountain State Park, Choke Canyon State Park, Mustang Island State Park, Government Canyon State Park and McKinney Falls State Park

Fish hatcheries and WMAs: Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Possum Kingdom Fish Hatchery, A.E. Wood Fish Hatchery, and Kerr Wildlife Management Area

“Partnering with TPWD allows GridPoint to assist this visionary public department in its commitment to the environment,” said Jeff Ross, senior vice president of GridPoint. “The installation of solar arrays encourages science-based solutions for natural resource conservation across Texas and is a prime example for parks and wildlife organizations nationally.”

The solar energy systems will also feature an intelligent monitoring solution to record, and in some cases display for visitors, the current and historical energy production. This information allows TPWD to closely monitor system performance through a Web interface.
http://www.gridpoint.com/

Energy Management Software Funded: Hara raises additional 25 M$

2011-05-19T02:17:00.000-07:00

Hara, a leading provider of environmental and energy management software, announced that it has received $25 million in Series C funding, the company’s largest round, bringing total investment to $45 million. Participants include Energy Technology Ventures, a joint venture of GE (NYSE: GE), NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), and ITOCHU Technology Ventures (ITV), as well as existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), JAFCO Ventures and Nth Power and new backers Focus Ventures and Navitas Capital. The funding will allow Hara to accelerate global expansion and product innovation, to meet growing demand from Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies for solutions to help optimize energy and resource use while minimizing environmental impact.

Hara is adding new strategic investors as it advances its growth plans across industries including manufacturing, utilities and oil and gas. These investors include – through Energy Technology Ventures –world-renowned advanced technology, services and finance company GE; ConocoPhillips, the third-largest integrated energy company in the U.S.; NRG Energy, owner and operator of one of the largest power generation portfolios in the nation; and ITV, the venture capital arm of leading Japanese trading group ITOCHU which has also entered into a strategic partnership with Hara to serve clients in Japan. The funding supports Hara’s global focus as an industry leader and is a testament to the adoption, comprehensiveness and scalability of the Hara™ Environmental and Energy Management (Hara EEM) solution.

“We have high hopes for our investment in Hara because of its solid commercial traction, strong management team and proven innovation,” said Ricardo Angel, a GE Energy Financial Services venture capital executive also representing Energy Technology Ventures. “Hara’s energy and environmental management solution presents opportunities for collaboration across GE, NRG Energy and ConocoPhillips.”

Hara, which has secured more than 50 leading industry and government customers and demonstrated rapid innovation, was selected as a winner of the GE Ecomagination Challenge’s “Powering the Grid” program. The Ecomagination Challenge demonstrates GE’s global commitment to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative power-grid technologies through open collaboration, while providing financial support to develop and commercialize innovative technologies. Hara’s centralized management and decision making solution will enable the identification of innovative energy reduction and management technologies and capture related best practices, including those of other GE Ecomagination Challenge winners.

Ray Lane Becomes Chairman of the Board

KPCB managing partner Ray Lane joins Hara’s board of directors as chairman, where he will work closely with the leadership to drive the company’s global expansion. Lane brings more than 20 years of experience guiding the world’s top IT companies. Prior to joining KPCB in 2000, Lane served as president and chief operating officer of Oracle Corporation, where he oversaw multi-billion dollar revenue growth and core business expansion.

“Hara is already the established leader in the energy and resource management space and I have been impressed with the dramatic market momentum it has built over the past couple of years,” said Ray Lane. “Effective energy and environmental management is now a business imperative that requires full accountability from companies and their stakeholders across industries.”

“Hara has thrived by meeting the increasing demands of organizations looking to improve their bottom line by better managing their energy and resource consumption, and we continue to see tremendous growth opportunity in the market,” said Amit Chatterjee, CEO and founder, Hara. “Hara is thrilled to partner with industry and energy leaders who share our vision, and with Ray Lane’s technological, organizational and market insight, we will focus on continuing to aggressively scale our business in the U.S. and beyond.”
http://www.hara.com

Nordex wins 150 MW Blaiken Project in Sweden - Skellefteå Kraft, Fortum

2011-05-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Nordex has won the largest order awarded for an onshore wind project in Sweden to date: as of summer 2012 the turbine manufacturer will be building “Blaiken”, a 150 MW wind farm. The customers are Skellefteå Kraft, a leading energy supplier in Sweden and Fortum, one of the largest power utilities in Europe, based in Finland. Skellefteå Kraft and Fortum have placed a firm order for 60 turbines for “Blaiken” thus accelerating the originally intended call-off schedule of themaster agreement entered into last year. The N100/2500 machines will be fitted with Nordex’ new anti-icing system for rotor blades.

The successful development of the anti-icing system was a key criterion for the order. Nordex designed this system especially for sites where there is a risk of ice forming on the rotor blade. This can result in substantial production losses. An integrated heating system now prevents icing, thereby maximising the yield.

In autumn 2010 Nordex installed the first N100/2500 turbines with anti-icing in “Jokkmokksliden”, the forerunner project to “Blaiken”. The wind turbine manufacturer tested and optimised the system on the basis of three prototypes and one reference machine. “The cost-benefit ratio of anti-icing persuaded us to have all the turbines equipped with this innovative system,” says Risto Andsten,Vice President Renewable Energy, Fortum.

“Our new anti-icing system is the result of collaboration between different functions within our company, and we are pleased to now see the system put into commercial operation on one of thelargest projects in Europe. We are now able to offer an attractive option for all customers planning projects at locations with ice and frost,” says Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, Chief Sales Officer at Nordex SE.
http://www.nordex-online.com/

Energy Efficiency: Orion Awarded in Wisconsin

2011-05-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Orion Energy Systems, Inc. (NYSE Amex: OESX), a leading power technology enterprise, was honored to be recognized by Corporate Report Wisconsin as a 2011 Small Business Success Story. Orion Energy Systems was one of five awardees including Impromed, Centare Group, Precision Drawn Metals and Fontarome Chemical. Altogether, the Awardees were described by Corporate Report Wisconsin as ‘five of the most interesting small businesses in Wisconsin.’

David Folz of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce offered opening remarks and stressed the need for Wisconsin businesses to be innovative and creative like the award winners.

Corporate Report Wisconsin is a publication of Nei-Turner Media. President of Nei-Turner Media, Bill Turner, was on hand to introduce the award winners and stated, “When I saw the news with Obama visiting Orion, I said to our Publisher ‘We’ve got to find out about this company!’”

Kevin Crawford, Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs and Corporate Communications accepted the award on behalf of Orion Energy Systems. “Orion’s success comes from its founder and CEO’s vision and commitment,” remarked Crawford. “Neal Verfuerth is an innovator who knows how to bring product to market. He’s also committed to hiring the best talent possible and ‘bolting’ that talent on to the Orion machine,” Crawford continued. Crawford also praised the company’s philosophy to exceed customer needs quickly and adeptly. “Orion’s innovative solutions can help a company substantially cut its lighting costs. With lighting being typically 35 percent or more of a company’s total energy spend, reducing these costs impacts the bottom line in a big way,” stated Crawford. “Orion has achieved ‘grid parity’ for its 266,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility. There is no reason that the last power plant built in the United States shouldn’t be the last power plant built in the United States,” Crawford concluded.

Orion Energy Systems has accumulated numerous awards to date including the Platts Global Energy Award, Alliance to Save Energy Super Nova Award, Plant Engineering Product of the Year Award, and Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award among others.

Corporate Report Wisconsin teamed up with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Business and DiRenzo & Bomier, LLC as sponsoring judges of the competition.

Orion Energy Systems, Inc. (NYSE Amex: OESX) is a leading power technology enterprise that designs, manufactures and deploys energy management systems – consisting primarily of high-performance, energy-efficient lighting platforms, intelligent wireless control systems and direct renewable solar technology for commercial and industrial customers – without compromising their quantity and quality of light. http://www.oesx.com

Vestas wins 102 MW Tehachapi Project from Brookfield and Coram

2011-05-10T00:33:00.000-07:00

Vestas has received a 102 MW order for 34 V90-3.0 MW turbines for a wind-energy project in Tehachapi, California, USA, owned by Brookfield Renewable Power (“Brookfield”) and Coram California Development Management, LLC (“CCDM”).

The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a two-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2011 and commissioning is expected in late 2011.

“We look forward to working with Brookfield and Coram to bring cost-effective, predictable and clean wind energy to California,” said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. “The V90-3.0 MW is designed to operate in areas of medium-to-high winds, so it is the ideal turbine for this site.”

This project will provide direct and indirect economic benefits to Kern County with long-term jobs and property-tax revenues generated from the turbines.

“This high-quality wind-power project complements our strategy of expanding our renewable power presence in California,” said Kim Osmars, COO of Brookfield Renewable Power’s U.S. Operations. “This order represents an important project milestone, and completion of the facility is expected to bring Brookfield’s North American wind portfolio to more than 600 megawatts of installed capacity by the end of 2011.”

Brookfield recently began construction of the Granite Reliable Wind Project in New Hampshire, which is using 33 V90-3.0 MW turbines from Vestas.

Once this California project is finished, Vestas will have 1,255 MW of its industry-leading wind turbines throughout the state.

“Coram has been working on this development for several years and is proud to be working with Brookfield and Vestas to finally bring it to market,” said Brian O’Sullivan, President of CCDM. “We look forward to doing future projects with both Brookfield and Vestas.”
www.vestas.com

Solar Funding: Wells Fargo to invest $ 120 M in SunEdison Photovoltaic PPAs

2011-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and SunEdison LLC, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), announced an agreement by which Wells Fargo subsidiaries will invest up to $120 million to fund U.S. solar photovoltaic distributed generation power projects developed by SunEdison over the next year. The program builds on a SunEdison solar investment fund established in 2007 in which Wells Fargo invested more than $200 million in approximately 150 solar projects developed by SunEdison in eight states.

"Wells Fargo is excited to continue our relationship with SunEdison and expand our commitment to grow the U.S. solar market," said Barry Neal, head of Wells Fargo'sEnvironmental Finance Group. "The solar projects developed by SunEdison will help businesses and public entities better control their electricity costs, while expanding the use of renewable energy throughout the U.S."

Financing provided by Wells Fargo will enable SunEdison to cost-effectively provide a clean and reliable source of electricity to its customers, including corporations and municipalities. Under the power purchase agreement (PPA) model, SunEdison builds, manages, and operates the solar systems while its customers buy the energy produced at prices at or below retail rates. This allows customers to avoid upfront costs typically associated with solar projects.

"SunEdison makes investing in solar a smart choice," said Chris Bailey, SunEdison vice president of Project Finance, North America. “SunEdison has the experience and know-how that project investors and customers trust. SunEdison looks forward to growing its relationship with Wells Fargo as we continue to make solar a reality for our customers across the nation."

SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider, has deployed over 400 solar projects totaling over 160MW in North America, and has developed over 100MW outside of North America.

Wells Fargo has provided more than $2 billion in tax equity financing for renewable energy projects since 2006, including funding for 30 wind projects, over 200 commercial-scale solar projects and one utility-scale solar thermal project.
www.sunedison.com

Energy Efficiency Education at Nichols School with QA Graphics' Dashboard

2011-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Nichols School Promotes Sustainable Education with QA Graphics’ Dashboard
Nichols School in Buffalo, NY, uses QA Graphics’ Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard to show real-time energy usage for the campus to educate the students about the school’s sustainable initiatives and efficient resource use.

QA Graphics®, provider of the award-winning Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard®, has created an educational display for Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, to help inform students about the campus’ sustainable initiatives and efficient resource use.

Nichols School, a coed college preparatory independent school serving students in grades 5-12, was named the winner of QA Graphics’ 2010 “Showcase Your School’s Green Efforts” contest. QA Graphics had called on schools nationwide to share why their school is sustainable, and worked with the national U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to reach out to state USGBC chapters for contest support and judging. Then, the public cast their vote to decide which school should be awarded with QA Graphics’ Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard, an interactive display the school can use to educate about sustainability and the environment.

“Nichols School was chosen for their dedication to environmental responsibility, education, and sustainability and we’re pleased to have named them as the winner of an Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard,” said Dan McCarty, president of QA Graphics. “It can enhance their green curriculum program, providing students, faculty, as well as parents with a creative approach to environmental education.”

The school has a comprehensive approach to promote campus sustainability, known as the Big Green Initiative, which is organized by a group of administrators, staff, faculty and students. “Our Big Green Initiative for environmental consciousness illustrates our commitment to sustainability and our dedication to helping our students become stewards of the environment,” said Rick Bryan, head of school at Nichols. “It is not enough to celebrate environmental awareness one day a year or only on paper. Nichols School is part of a movement to live green on a day-to-day basis, and we work diligently to weave this into daily life and curriculum at Nichols.”

The Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard serves as another means to encourage this environmental awareness. Displayed on a touchscreen in the Class of 1963 Center for Mathematics and Science building, it illustrates the campus’ efficient resource use and sustainable initiatives. Students can walk up to the display and see how much energy each of the six buildings on campus is using. A leaderboard also shows how each of the building’s resource use compares to one another. The Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard is also available online for parents and the community to access. It can be viewed at: http://eeed.nicholsschool.org/eeed/.

Students can interact with the display to learn how different sustainable features help the campus conserve resources, like the building management system, high-efficiency boilers, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy efficient windows and lighting fixtures. They can learn about the school’s recycling and composting programs and see interactive demonstrations to understand how the campus’ daylighting, HVAC system and green roof help conserve resources. Students can also test their “green” knowledge with a quiz.

“Our Green Key Curriculum allows students to gain environmental consciousness and responsibility by incorporating what they’ve learned into their everyday lives,” said Joshua Ring, a science teacher at Nichols. “Environmental awareness is not enough; we want students to actually change their behaviors so that their interactions are future-looking and responsible.”

Faculty at Nichols is excited to have authentic data to use in the classrooms because of the relevancy it offers students. On Earth Day, Josh Ring and members of a school club, Students for Environmental Awareness and Action, used real-time electricity data provided by the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard to form a contest called “Power Down Competition”. For half the school day, they reviewed energy usage among the six different buildings on campus as students competed to lower their electrical usage. The students calculated the percentage drop from a base value for each of the buildings and students in the building with the highest percentage drop were awarded prizes.

“The dashboard will allow also students to actively learn math by compiling building data,” said MaryAnne Hejna, math department chair at Nichols. “Students will study how electric needs vary on a day-to-day basis as well as on a seasonal cycle. The dashboard will collect this tangible data and infuse live math into daily classes for students to manipulate and learn from.”

For example, when working on a data set in an AP Statistics class, students can now use real numbers that pertain to their everyday lives at school. They can explore why certain buildings use more resources and speculate reasons for peak times and days for usage. They can explore why buildings with science and technology classes use more energy, and consider the distribution of different heating and cooling systems throughout the buildings on campus.

QA Graphics’ solution is used by schools, universities, restaurants, commercial businesses, government organizations and others to provide sustainable education. It has been named a 2010 top green building product by Environmental Design + Construction and Sustainable Facility magazines’ annual Readers Choice Awards as well as a 2010 top 10 green building product by Sustainable Industries magazine. It can contribute towards satisfying the USGBC’s Innovation in Design Green Education credit and a variety of points under The Green Building Initiative’s™ Green Globes®. To learn more about the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard, visit http://www.qagraphics.com/eeed

Enecsys Solar Microinverters get $41 M to deploy

2011-05-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

* Climate Change Capital Private Equity leads the funding round and joins existing investors Wellington Partners, NES Partners and Good Energies for the largest private equity raise by any European cleantech company, so far, in 2011 *

Enecsys Limited, the leader in reliable, long-life solar micro inverter systems for residential and commercial applications, has secured a further £25 million ($41 million) in equity financing to invest in its growth plan.

Enecsys was founded in 2003 and its patented technology was originally developed at Cambridge University in the UK. Solar inverters convert the DC power produced by solar photovoltaic (PV) modules into AC power for supply to the electricity grid. Enecsys micro inverters are installed on the rail behind solar modules, either one inverter per solar module or one for every two modules. The Enecsys micro inverter represents a breakthrough in inverter design for residential and commercial solar PV installations as its technology has, for the first time, eliminated components that limit inverter life. Additionally the Enecsys micro inverter enables solar PV systems to harvest between 5% and 20% more energy; it makes planning and installation of PV systems easier and safer due to the elimination of high voltage DC wiring, and it enhances system optimization by monitoring the performance of each solar module. Enecsys has recently launched its products in Europe and North America and the latest financing has been arranged to facilitate substantial expected growth.

Climate Change Capital Private Equity led this Series B equity financing with an investment of £11 million ($18 million). The balance, £14 million ($23 million), was secured from the existing Enecsys investors, Wellington Partners, NES Partners (formerly known as Bankinvest New Energy Solutions) and Good Energies, who together previously invested £8.5 million ($14.3 million) in Enecsys in a Series A financing in 2009. The latest financing round represents the largest private equity raise in the European cleantech sector so far this year.

Mossadiq Umedaly, Enecsys’ Executive Chairman, said: “We chose Climate Change Capital Private Equity, one of the largest and most experienced investors in clean power, because of their excellent fit with us and they have decided to invest in Enecsys after a thorough investigation of our business strategy, technology and product road map, management team and future prospects. We welcome Climate Change Capital Private Equity to our strong investor team and board. We also appreciate the confidence shown by our existing investors who have again participated in such a significant way in this financing round.”

Simon Drury, a Partner at Climate Change Capital Private Equity, who will join the board of Enecsys commented: “The ability for Enecsys to provide high performance, cost effective micro inverters with the reliability and life expectancy to match that of solar modules fundamentally changes the economic model of solar PV and will play an important role in growing the market for this clean power source. We are delighted to have the opportunity to participate in the company’s success.”

Bart Markus of Wellington Partners, an existing Enecsys investor, added: “We are pleased with the progress that Enecsys has made since our initial investment in 2009, and the opportunity the market currently presents to Enecsys is huge; as of today Enecsys has the only certified micro inverter solution in production in the European market, which represents 75% of the world’s residential solar market – this round of funding will allow us to accelerate the execution of this opportunity.”

Henrik Raunkjaer, Enecsys’ CEO commented: “The resources from this financing will be used to execute our growth strategy by accelerating our product development and cost reduction plan and expanding our global presence in sales, marketing, customer service and manufacturing to serve every major market.”
http://www.enecsys.com/

Offshore Wind delivers Green Growth in UK

2011-03-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Growth of up to 10% per year with up to 230,000 jobs in 2050 New economic analysis released today by the Carbon Trust reveals that the global offshore wind sector is set to grow by up to 10 per cent per year and the Carbon Trust expects the UK to capture around a 10% share of the global offshore wind market, which is estimated to be worth up to £170bn/year1 by 2050. The new analysis also concludes the sector could be employing up to 230,000 people in the UK by 2050. The research examined the potential of offshore wind to drive green growth in the UK, based on global deployment levels of up to 1150GW by 2050. It looked in detail at jobs and revenues by industry sector, including turbines, foundations, collection & transmission, installation and the operation and maintenance of offshore windfarms. It found that offshore wind could represent a gross contribution to UK GDP generated by business of up to £10bn2 a year, or £100bn cumulatively between 2010 and 2050. By 2050, the greatest contribution for the UK will be created by the operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms, followed by turbine manufacture and installation. The new data also concludes that offshore wind could create up to 230,000 jobs in the UK by 2050. Exports from the UK offers significant growth potential, generating up to 80 per cent of total jobs out to 2050. Benj Sykes, director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust, commented: “This analysis confirms that offshore wind is a strategically important economic asset for the UK that can deliver long term growth and energy security. The economic prize for the UK economy is vast and we have to grab it now. We are in an excellent position to be a global market leader. If we seize this green growth opportunity, the UK will benefit from hundreds of thousands of new jobs, a booming new export market and billions of pounds of business benefits.” The table below outlines the potential gross contribution to UK GDP generated by the offshore wind sector, based on a scenario of 1150GW deployed globally by 2050 broken-down into each of the five major component areas. This is based on assumptions about the feasibility of exporting from the UK to different geographies and about how much supply chain capability develops in the UK. http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/

The future of green jobs in the U.S. and China - Berkeley-Stanford

2011-03-31T02:17:00.000-07:00

Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech Conference: Sputnik 2.0? The Pursuit of Green Jobs in China and the U.S. Conference

Keynote Speaker: U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu

Save the Date: Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, 2011

Click Here for an Earlybird Discount

Friday, April 8, 2011: 4:30pm-7:30pm Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech Launchpad Business Plan ShowcaseWhite Plaza, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA Visit the Showcase Expo and vote for the winner of the Launchpad Cleantech Business Plan Competition: $10,000 in cash and prizes at stake (Enter Your Team! Submissions close March 15)http://www.cleantechlaunchpad.com/

Saturday, April 9, 2011: 10am-8pm The 7th Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech ConferencePG&E Auditorium, San Francisco, CA President Obama says the U.S. is at a Sputnik moment. BSCC7 brings together industry, academia, and policy to examine how China and the U.S. will create green jobs. cleantech.berkeley.edu or cleantech.stanford.edu

Q-Cells: World efficiency record for mass produced CIGS modules

2011-03-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Q-Cells SE, one of the world’s leading photovoltaics companies, achieved a world efficiency record for mass-produced CIGS thin-film solar modules manufactured via monolithic integration. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) has confirmed an efficiency of 14.7 per cent (aperture area) for a Q-Cells Q.SMART UF solar module manufactured by Q-Cells’ 100 per cent subsidiary Solibro GmbH.

The record efficiency, measured in February 2011 by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany confirmed a power output of 100.3 Watt peak (Wp) under standard test conditions. The Q-Cells Q.SMART UF solar module, with an area of 0,75 m², reaches a total area efficiency of 13.4 per cent. Moreover, with an aperture area of 0,684 m², the module's aperture area efficiency is 14.7 per cent. Q-Cells CIGS thin film technology now holds the world record for monolithically integrated photovoltaic modules based on the record efficiency table compiled by Progress in Photovoltaics*.

“In June 2010, Q-Cells achieved the previous efficiency world record of 13 per cent with the same type of CIGS solar module out of series production”, noted Gerhard Rauter, COO of Q-Cells. “With this new record – 13.4 per cent – Q-Cells proves one more time its technological leadership in the photovoltaic sector.” Q-Cells’ CIGS thin film modules are currently taking part in a number of reference installations and are exhibiting stable and outstanding energy yields (KWh/KWp). Even after one year of operation Q.SMART systems in different European regions of irradiation show improved performances. The Q.SMART UF achieved currently among the top performers in a benchmark at the test field of “Desert Knowledge Australia Solar centre”, a peak performance under extreme climate conditions. So far the Q.SMART UF is the highest-performing solar module in this international comparison. www.dkasolarcentre.com.au.
The Q.SMART UF is the unframed CIGS solar module from Q-Cells. It stands out for its performance and high quality. Due to its homogenous black surface it is a perfect fit on visual aesthetics and building integrated installations and suitable for private and small to medium-sized commercial and industrial rooftop and in-roof installations. The unframed modules stand out for their efficient self-cleaning, making them perfect for flat roofs and façade solutions.

Produced in the German city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Q.SMART UF exemplifies "Made in Germany" quality. The solar modules are designed for good response to temperature and low light, ensuring high energy yields. This is supported by the positive sorting +5/-0 watts, allowing deviations only to higher than expected levels. Advantageous cell geometry makes the modules especially efficient in the event of partial shading or a less-than-optimal positioning of the roof. The module features durable glass encapsulation with a proven edge seal for long-term stability, ensuring protection and resistance to environmental influences. Q-Cells currently offer two CIGS thin film formats: Q.SMART (framed), Q.SMART UF (unframed) and Q.SMART UF L (unframed large). The latter format is 25% wider than the former two so as to reduce the associated BOS costs on large rooftop and free-field installations.
http://www.q-cells.com

Greening America's Classrooms: ChaCha & DoSomething.org

2011-03-30T04:26:00.000-07:00

Companies Engage Young Environmentalists Through Cross-Platform Campaign

ChaCha, the popular real-time answer service that millions of young people turn to for fun-size answers to any question, has teamed up with DoSomething.org to reach teens for its nationwide Green Your School Challenge. One of the largest organizations in the United States that works to drive youths toward volunteerism, DoSomething.org's mission for Green Your School is to encourage students to help the environment first-hand by launching green projects at school.

With over 2 million teens turning to it for answers every day, ChaCha reaches a large, highly-engaged audience of young people, who interact with the company on a wide variety of subjects. This past week, DoSomething.org began to leverage ChaCha's unique mobile and online platforms to inform and inspire teens to get active and involved in the program. The collaboration includes the addition of DoSomething.org's content to ChaCha's rapidly growing questions-and-answers database and to its mobile and online advertising. ChaCha's mobile video service is core to the program, allowing users to watch a short video clip about the program on their mobile phones and respond with interest by joining DoSomething.org's mobile opt-in list.

"ChaCha is the 'smart friend' teens turn to every day for answers to questions that are most important to them," said Scott Jones, ChaCha's CEO. "Based on the inquiries we receive from young people, it is clear that this group is keenly aware of the environmental challenges that face our planet and we are honored to be a part of this program that encourages today's youths to take action, starting in their schools."

Additionally, ChaCha is able to target users based on specific question categories and keywords. This precise targeting capability is being used to provide DoSomething.org's message to users who are most likely to be interested in the program. Questions asked around Green Living, Science and Technology, and other educational topics were included. ChaCha users ask over 105 million questions per year related to these topics. Here are some sample questions:

Do you know if Anthony Kiedis does a lot of charity work?
How can students help Japan after the earthquake and tsunami?
What is a good community service project our student council can help with?
Which high school is the most environmentally friendly?
How can I help the deforestation problem?

For more information, a DoSomething.org partner page can be found at this link:
http://www.chacha.com/topic/dosomething.org

Top US Utility Investors in Demand Side Management - ZPryme

2011-03-28T08:24:00.001-07:00

With Smart Grids in the foreseeable future, Demand-Side Management
(DSM) is on the cusp of a revolution that will forever alter the way
that homes and businesses use electricity. To add to the positive DSM
buzz, budgets to facilitate Smart Grid planning and implementation are
on the rise, according to a recent March survey by Microsoft. In the
survey, 73 percent of utility professionals and executives surveyed
said budgets for these efforts are on the rise. Governments and
utilities have long sought to improve DSM through conservation and
load management programs. To gain insight into this transformation,
Zpryme examined the level of investment by utilities in DSM over the
past 5 years while acknowledging their sales (MWh) and revenue.

The top ten are:

Pacific Gas & Electric
Southern California Edison
Florida Power & Light
San Diego Gas & Electric
New York Power Authority
Public Service Electric & Gas
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Massachusetts Electric
PacifiCorp
Progress Energy Florida

Full report: http://zpryme.com/

Offshore Wind China 2001: June 15-17

2011-03-28T08:04:00.001-07:00

OFFSHORE WIND CHINA 2011 is to be unveiled June 15-17, 2011 with a
brand new level at Shanghai New International Expo Center. The
offshore wind industry leaders from home and aboard will take an
active part in proving the unique charm of China as the country with
the most potential for offshore wind power development in the world.

OFFSHORE WIND CHINA 2011 is jointly organized by the Chinese Renewable
Energy Industries Association, Chinese Renewable Energy Industries
Committee and Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. After the
successful experiences of the previous three sessions in 2007, 2009
and 2010, the organizers will join hands again to present a more
superior event. Moving to Shanghai New International Expo Center, the
exhibition will cover an area of above 20,000 sq.m, which triples the
last session. The conference is to be held in the newly built Pudong
Shangri-La Kerry Hotel with an anticipation of 800 persons to attend,
25% more than last session. The recruitment of OFFSHORE WIND CHINA
2011 is currently undergoing and it has received an active
participation from the industry.

In last June, OFFSHORE WIND CHINA 2010, the No.1 offshore wind event
in Asia, reached a big success in Shanghai. The national and
provincial development reform commissions' officials led by Mr. Wang
Jun, Director General of the National Energy Administration New Energy
& Renewable Energy Department, addressed the event. Sinovel and
Vestas, leading the global offshore wind power enterprises, gathered
together. China's Giant Five farm developers all participated.
National pavilions from offshore wind developed countries like
Denmark, UK and Norway came all the way to design the blueprint for
the world's offshore wind development. The last event gathered
insiders and specialists from 25 countries and regions with an
overseas percentage of 30%. 98 speakers delivered speeches in 14
sessions, attracting 639 conference delegates, and over 130 domestic
and foreign media made a full coverage of the brilliant event.
www.offshorewindchina.com

Electric Car Racing at Penn

2011-02-28T11:40:00.001-08:00

A group of about 40 graduate and undergraduate students from the
School of Arts and Sciences, Penn Engineering and Wharton, is
preparing to show the world what they have been working on for the
last five years: an all-electric race car.

The carbon-fiber-clad Renegade is a product of Penn Electric Racing, a
student-run, interdisciplinary club of engineers and designers who aim
to push the envelope of what electric vehicles can do.

"We want to help the general public, and the University community,
understand EV (electric vehicle) technology, and the benefits both
environmentally and economically of driving EVs," says team captain
and Penn Engineering student William Price.

Watch video: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/spotlights/penn-electric-racing-revs-its-engines

Top Ten Cleantech Trends in 2011 - GBI Research

2011-02-17T07:04:00.001-08:00

GBI Research's report, "Top Ten Clean Technology Trends in 2011"
provides key information and detailed insight into the clean
technology industry trends. It contains a detailed analysis on the
major trends in various domains of the clean technology sector. The
report analyses the impact of government regulations in the water and
wastewater management industry, e-waste management industry, biofuel
market, and renewable energy sector. The report also provides
information on the emergence of green buildings to counter the threat
of climate change and resource scarcity and the emergence of carbon
trading and the smart grid market.

GBI Research identifies the top 10 trends to affect the petrochemical
industry in 2011 to be:

- Strict Implementation of E-waste Management Laws in Europe is
driving the E-waste Recovery Market in Europe
- Technological Innovations in Wind Turbine Design and Government
Incentives are triggering the Investments in the Wind Power Market
- Global Renewable Energy Share in World Marketed Energy Mix is set to
increase in 2011
- Increasing Water Shortage and Stringent Wastewater Discharge
Regulations is Expected to Drive the Desalination and Wastewater
Management Market in 2011
- Strategy of Incentivizing Green Initiatives and Enforcing a Minimum
Level of Standards Bodes Well for the Development of Green Buildings
- Government Intervention has Helped in Widespread Development
Application Of Biofuel
- Global Carbon Trading Market to Reach $180 Billion Mark by 2011
- Asia-Pacific is expected to Move up in the Global Smart Grid Market in 2011
- Rising Climate Change Concern is Shifting Attention Towards
Adaptation of Hybrid Vehicles
- Lithium-ion Battery Share is Poised to increase at the expense of
Ni-MH Battery share in the HEV Battery Market in 2011
http://www.gbiresearch.com

Direct Grid Microinverters in Volume Production

2011-02-17T03:05:00.001-08:00

After a rigorous and demanding beta and pilot production period,
Direct Grid is now shipping its DGM-460 micro inverter in volume for
lead customers in North America.

Direct Grid's ambitious production ramp is launched through its
contract manufacturing partner, SRI. Formerly a division of Siemens,
SRI is a well established, highly experienced power electronics
contract manufacturer, carrying all the quality certifications and
advanced production capability Direct Grid requires to fulfill their
aggressive volume ramp plan. State of the art, automated production
lines have been dedicated to Direct Grid micro-inverter production in
order to meet capacity of 30,000 units per month. In addition to
European manufacture in SRI's Durach, Germany location, SRI is
commissioning an additional line in Direct Grid's corporate
headquarters in Edgewood New York. This added capacity will enable the
company to fulfill demand throughout 2011.

With the design goal of creating a new paradigm for micro-inverters
accessing the high power segments, Direct Grid has developed the
industry leading DGM-460, a 500watt class micro-inverter utilizing the
high reliability and high efficiency Closed Loop MOSFET Planar
technology developed and patent pending by the company. While
competitive micro-inverters can address modules up to the 200-210watt
regime, the DGM-460 can handle a "duo" configuration, with one
micro-inverter for every two modules, up to 500W.

Per Direct Grid President Frank Cooper, "North America is the hotbed
for micro inverters and Direct Grid is poised to capitalize on this
market segment. With a consistent trend being exhibited towards higher
power modules, Direct Grid is at the forefront with a first-in-class
utility grade micro-inverter that has the architecture flexibility to
accommodate them. The DGM-460 is a testament of our dedication to
manufacture a revolutionary, game-changing, high quality
micro-inverter which will be able to create a "c-change" in both the
module power adaptability, as well as the economic disruption
affording our customers unprecedented economic, logistical, and
reliability advantages."

AOL Kids Cartoon: Gisele Protects the Earth from harm

2011-02-17T03:00:00.001-08:00

Surf's up in the latest episode of "Gisele and the Green Team!" In
"The Case of the Storm Drain Sludge," Nick Slick has been dumping
barrels of oil sludge into the city's sewer system, and with heavy
rains on the horizon, oil is sure to wash into the ocean and pollute
the beach and sea life.

Click on the link below to find out if Gisele, Sophie, Keisha, Woo Li
and Alex can foil Slick's oil dumping operation in time to save the
ocean.

http://www.giseleandthegreenteam.com/#/mission-room/19839541/

Featuring an animated Gisele Bündchen, "Gisele & The Green Team" was
created by A2 Entertainment to empower young girls to believe in
themselves while learning about protecting and preserving the
environment. Kids can also visit GiseleandtheGreenTeam.com to play
games, learn about ways they can go green and get inner and outer
beauty tips from Gisele herself.

Top 30 Cleantech Small Caps - Ubika Research

2011-02-16T11:38:00.001-08:00

Ubika Research is pleased to release the weekly performance report
(week ending Feb 11th 2011) for The Ubika Cleantech 30, an exclusive
index of high potential small cap cleantech stocks. To view all of the
companies in The Ubika Cleantech 30 Index, their relative performance
vis-à-vis The Cleantech Index (AMEX: CTIUS) & S&P TSX Cleantech Index,
read the weekly performance report, and follow breaking news about the
Index constituents please visit:
http://www.smallcappower.com/ubika-cleantech-30.aspx

Until now, smallcap investors interested in the Cleantech sector have
found it challenging to find good information sources to identify high
quality prospects. The Ubika Cleantech 30 Index is the first and only
freely available index that exclusively covers small cap cleantech
companies in North America.

Micro Inverter: Siemens Partners with Enphase Energy

2011-02-16T11:32:00.001-08:00

Siemens Industry, Inc. and Enphase Energy Inc. announced a supply and
distribution agreement for the sale of Enphase's next generation of
solar microinverter technology through the Siemens nationwide network
of electrical equipment distributors. According to the agreement,
Enphase will provide Siemens with solar microinverters and Enlighten,
a web-based monitoring service to create reliable, turnkey solar
photovoltaic (PV) energy solutions.

"We believe that the combination of Enphase Energy's Microinverter
System, integrated with our electrical distribution and safety
products will set the stage for Siemens to become the premier provider
of solar photovoltaic power solutions for businesses, homeowners and
builders," said Barry Contrael, director, Siemens Low Voltage Business
Unit. "Predicated on Enphase Energy's market-leading solution and
proven reliability, the agreement enables us to expand into new
markets and provide businesses and homeowners safe, affordable access
to solar power."

The Enphase Microinverter System provides a modular, scalable platform
to connect roof-mounted solar PV modules with a typical building's
alternating current (AC) load center or panel board. Enphase
microinverters offer a simple and compelling solution to complex
system implementation problems and safety issues associated with the
direct current (DC) output of today's solar PV modules. Electrical
contractors will now have expanded access to the technologies and
tools they need to deliver these systems to their commercial and
residential customers.

"The combined capabilities of Enphase and Siemens will provide
electrical contractors a unique "all-AC" solar solution ideally
aligned with their current skill set and the needs of home and
business owners," said Paul Nahi, CEO of Enphase Energy. "This
agreement is a testament to our breakthrough technology and the rigor
of Enphase's products, design techniques, testing and manufacturing
processes. With over 500,000 microinverters deployed, this agreement
further establishes Enphase as the proven, bankable leader in advanced
microinverter systems technology."

By providing innovative per-module microinverter technology that
dramatically simplifies system design and installation time, Enphase
removes the technical barriers that have traditionally limited the
growth of solar PV in commercial and residential applications. This
combined with Siemens' proven power distribution and circuit
protection technologies will ensure the growing demand for renewable
energy is met with a solar system that remains safe, cost-effective
and reliable throughout its lifetime.
www.enphaseenergy.com
www.usa.siemens.com/Industry

Moser Baer Starts Manufacturing of Solar Components in India, Noida Plant

2011-02-16T08:07:00.001-08:00

In its bid to create a robust solar PV eco-system in India, Moser Baer
India Limited (MBIL), a cutting edge tech-manufacturer, present in the
entire PV value chain (cell / module manufacturing to commissioning of
solar farms / applications), has commenced production of junction
boxes, a critical component in solar PV installations, at its facility
in Greater Noida. This has been made possible by utilizing MBIL's
existing assets and core competencies along with the new know-how of
Yukita Electric Wire Co. The capacity of this state-of-the art
facility is 2.5 million premium quality junction boxes which has been
achieved at a low incremental capex cost. These junction boxes would
cater to the requirements of both domestic and global solar PV market
through Yukita's global marketing and sales network.
http://www.moserbaer.com

Q-Cells Modules Perform in the Desert

2011-02-16T07:15:00.001-08:00

Q-Cells SE, one of the leading providers of PV solutions worldwide,
has once again proven the performance of its solar modules. On the
test field in Alice Springs, run by the renowned Australian 'Desert
Knowledge Australia Solar Centre" (DKASC) the Q-Cells solar module
Q.SMART (CIGS thin-film technology) and a prototype of the Q-Cells
solar modules Q.PRO and Q.BASE (polysilicon technology) achieved peak
performances under extreme climate conditions.

During the period from August 2010 to January 2011, the power output
of the Q.SMART (CIGS thin film technology) solar module was measured
at a test field in Alice Springs, along with several similarly sized
thin-film systems. With an average energy yield of 5.8 kilowatt-hours
per installed kilowatt-peak per day (KWh/KWp/day), the module emerged
as one of the leading performers from the mentioned test period.The
average output of systems from leading international manufacturers
with a similar system configuration ranged between 5.1 and 5.3
KWh/KWp/day. 'We are pleased that our Q.SMART modules further on
belong to the most high-performance solar modules in an international
comparison", says Lars Stolt, Chief Technology Officer at Solibro, a
subsidiary of Q-Cells SE for the CIGS technology.

In a test of crystalline solar modules, a prototype of the
multi-crystalline Q-Cells solar modules Q.PRO and Q.BASE also
performed extremely well. During the period from March 2010 to January
2011, the QC-05 prototype module achieved an average energy yield of
5.3 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt-peak per day. In the
specified test period, the average output of systems with a similar
system configuration ranged from 4.6 to 5.1 KWh/KWp/day. On the basis
of the QC-05 module, Q-Cells will launch a new generation of Q.PRO and
Q.BASE modules with a higher performance in all key markets of Q-Cells
SE in 2011.

With the convincing test results, Q-Cells is once again setting the
benchmark with respect to technological leadership. 'We are pleased
that the high level of quality at Q-Cells is also reflected in
independent tests,' says Peter Wawer, Senior Vice President Technology
at Q-Cells. 'The test results show that our products hold a
technologically leading position. We assume that the Q-Cells solar
modules will also achieve positive test results in the long term.'

From a strategic point of view, these excellent test results also
prove that Q-Cells is focusing on the right technologies. In addition
to the silicon-based modules, the CIGS thin-film technology plays an
important role. With its cost-effective production and high levels of
efficiency, the CIGS process is very convincing. The modules are
characterised by excellent performance under various geographic
conditions and, thanks to their appealing aesthetics, are ideally
suited for architecturally demanding applications. As early as in June
2010, Q-Cells had produced its first Q.SMART module (CIGS thin-film
technology), which achieved a world-record-breaking efficiency factor
of 13%.

The multi-crystalline Q-Cells solar modules are assembled from
Q-Cells' own high-performance cells. As key components of solar
modules Q-Cells cells exhibit high and stable yield characteristics,
which are ensured by strict quality control. The high performance of
Q-Cells modules and their market-conform classification into various
product categories allow them for broad application, ranging from
solar parks to large roof-top systems to small systems for private
use.

DKASC is an independent test centre for solar energy systems financed
by the Australian government. Due to the dry desert climate, the test
conditions in the test centre located in Central Australia are among
the most demanding worldwide. On the test field in Alice Springs test,
the performances of more than a dozen leading European, Asian and
American manufacturers are tested under identical conditions. Q-Cells
is the only German company represented with its modules in the
Australian desert. DKASC puts the data for public access at the
following website: www.dkasolarcentre.com.au

Desert Knowledge Australia, the Australian Government, the Northern
Territory Government and the project managers, CAT Projects do not
endorse, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or
connected to, the outcomes and conclusions associated with the use of
data from the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre.

10 Electric Cars that Were Actually Produced

2011-02-16T02:13:00.001-08:00

You have heard about all the alternative power methods for vehicles,
but a lot of the electric cars discussed are never really produced at
all. Many times the cost of production is too high or they just don't
get the attention they need to make it on the market. No matter what
the reason, these vehicles are sometimes never seen at all past the
prototype that usually shows as unsuccessful as people aren't looking
for just fuel efficiency but many other features that are sometimes
not found with these great vehicles. In some cases however, there
proved to be a reason to produce the vehicles and present to the
commercial market for sale, with some surprising vehicles that
actually made it such as these 10 electric cars that were actually
produced.

1. Nissan Leaf. The first of this electric car were turned over
12/11/2010 to customers on the commercial market after a long awaited
arrival. The Nissan Leaf offers a higher mph and a much more efficient
operation with no gas required to operate.

2. 1902 Wood's Electric Phaeton. Believe it or not, there were
electric cars in the early 1900s as they became a vast concept picked
up by frontrunners in the industry. The 1902 Wood's Electric Phaeton
was the first of the electric vehicles actually produced, which was
really no more than a carriage without the horses and with an electric
powered battery offering an 18 mile range, 14mph, and a cost of
$2,000.

3. Battronic Electric Truck. This was another early edition that was
actually released in 1964 and offered a 2500 pound payload, up to
25mph, and a 62 mile range, for an optimal use of an efficient vehicle
that was at the prime of electric vehicle production.

4. Sebring Vanguard CitiCar. The CitiCar was produced as the logical
option for driving the city roads without burning the gas and emitting
the toxins and pollution that was noticed greatly by society. There
were 2,000 produced during its run with an offering of up to 44mph
with a normal cruise at 38mph, and a 50-60 mile range.

5. Elcar. This was another city vehicle that was actually produced and
released on the commercial market. Created by the Elcar Corporation,
the vehicle cost between $4,000 and $4,500, offered up to 45mph and a
range of 60 miles.

6. US Electricar S-10 Electric Pickup. With a 7 hour charge, this
pickup is fully charged, able to offer speeds much higher than
previous models and a range of 60 miles, with some lasting much longer
with a single charge. The vehicle was actually produced, but had lower
performance than efficiency.

7. Geo Metro. This was a four passenger sedan with an alternating
current motor with lead-acid batteries that increased the efficiency
and drive, as well as life of the electric vehicle. The Metro was able
to accomplish a 50 mile range with a single charge lasting about 8
hours.

8. Ford Ecostar Utility Van. This was a utility van that was produced
with 100 made, but it was deemed an R&D vehicle that wasn't offered
commercially. The van, however, included an alternating current motor
with a sodium sulfur battery that would get up to 70mph and had a
range of over 80 miles, typically up to 100, for a very functional,
high performance vehicle.

9. Electric Ford Ranger. This was a 700 pound payload vehicle that was
just recently in production and produced 75mph with a range of 70
miles. Unlike other electric vehicles, the Ford Ranger model could go
from 0-50 in 12 seconds, making it one of the more successful and
desired electric cars that were actually produced.

10. GM EV1. This is a two passenger sports car that has a liquid
cooled alternating current motor that can reach up to 80 mph. The
vehicle can go from 0 to 50 in 7 seconds, for an optimal performance
from the vehicle not found in many other electric cars produced.

While you may think that electric cars are new, you are quite wrong,
as there were early models as the concept was very hot during the
early 1900s. Once gasoline and the desire for efficiency was less than
before, the demand for these vehicles and production went to a very
low number, increasing again during the 60's and continuing through
the years to production even today with great models now being
released. Although the perfect electric vehicle isn't set to be
created until at least 2020, these are great reasons to pass the gas
station by and keep on trucking.
Source (with car pictures!):
http://www.myispfinder.com/blog/2010/10-electric-cars-that-were-actually-produced/

Spirit of Innovation Awards: Promote Cleantech Innovations

2011-02-16T02:06:00.001-08:00

Through the Spirit of Innovation Awards
(http://www.conradawards.org/), high school students with a passion
for science and bettering the world have a chance to patent their
inventions, be interviewed in Popular Science Magazine or BBC World
News, or even attend the Annual White House Science Fair and be
recognized by President Obama.

The Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Awards (SoIA) is an
international, multi-disciplinary program that combines the
Foundation's commitment to five core principles: innovation,
education, entrepreneurship, project-based learning, and community
engagement to advance achievement in science, technology, education
and math in U.S. schools.

SoIA presents student participants with a very broad challenge: create
an innovative product that can be used to address a real-world problem
with a real-world solution that can ultimately be viable in the
commercial marketplace. Students are given a blank slate within
several major categories, including clean energy, aerospace
exploration, clean water, agro science, and cyber security. They're
also required to conduct research to determine their creation's
potential market impact, and develop a full business plan while
working with mentors including world-class scientists, engineers,
academics, and business leaders.

Through entering the Wild Card Summit Invitation sweepstakes, everyone
can have a chance to attend the Innovation Summit at NASA from April
28 - May 1, 2011 in San Francisco, where they can make their
innovative dream a reality.
The opportunity closes on February 28, 2011.
http://www.conradawards.org

45 MW Order for Nordex - Idaho project / CG Power Solutions

2011-02-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

Nordex USA, Inc. continues its run of good news into 2011 by announcing a new order from CG Power Solutions USA, Inc. (formerly MSE Power Systems), the US subsidiary of Crompton Greaves Ltd., which is a global leader in power transmission and distribution headquartered in India.

The 45 MW project in Power County – Nordex’ first project in Idaho – will use 18 of Nordex’ N100 2.5 MW turbines, and the contract includes delivery, installation, commissioning and testing of the turbines along with a maintenance and service agreement. This is CG’s first project as a developer and investor into a wind project in the United States, extending its activities beyond its widely recognized role as a substation, transmission engineering and EPC contractor. CG has completed grid interconnection for nearly 25% of all wind power installed in the USA.

“We are especially pleased that CG Power selected our turbines for this wind project,” said Ralf Sigrist, President & CEO of Nordex USA. “They bring their unique expertise and reputation as one of the top companies worldwide in transmission infrastructure to this project. We also look forward to possible future collaboration for mutual benefit and for the benefit of our customers and operators.”

This is the third order Nordex has received since the dedication of its new nacelle production plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas at the end of October. The fact that the turbines will be supplied from this facility is a key attraction for CG Power Solutions, which is committed to maximizing domestic content. Mark Scher, President of CG Power Solutions USA Inc, commented, “We have been very impressed by the Nordex manufacturing facilities and their commitment to quality at every step. We are eager to get started utilizing this utility scale turbine, which offers a unique fit for this Idaho project.”

The Power County project is construction-ready, and delivery of turbines will begin in mid-May with construction scheduled to be completed by September 2011. The site is in southeast Idaho, approximately 10 miles south of American Falls and approximately 20 miles southwest of Pocatello.

The Solar Future: India

2010-11-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

In 2010 India launched the National Solar Mission, which aims to install 20,000 MW of solar installations by 2022. This ambitious goal opens a whole spectrum of new solar PV business opportunities. India is a fast growing country and economy, with permanent electricity shortages. New power plants have to be built in order to sustain further rapid growth. The country has a very high amount of sunshine and its land and labor are relatively cheap. All of this makes India one of the most logic places on earth for large scale solar PV application.

The Solar Future: India conference will feature many expert speakers from the industry itself, the financial institutions, the industry associations and the government. The combination of their knowledge and the audience's expertise and participation will provide a platform where all of these questions will be answered. Learn how to get started tomorrow: building your own manufacturing plant, your business or project.
http://www.thesolarfuture.in/

$ 15 M for projects that reduce urban greenhouse gases: Toronto Atmospheric Fund

2010-11-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

The ClimateSpark.ca Challenge launched today is offering a $10,000 cash prize and a pool of approximately $15 million in financing for business projects that reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions. The web 2.0 “crowdsourcing” and “ideation” platform allows an online community of investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, policy makers, environmental leaders and business buffs to rate and comment on business proposals and select the winners. Businesses from across Canada have until December 20th to submit their ideas.

“ClimateSpark is tapping business ingenuity and competitiveness to spark some creative climate change solutions that can also help companies turn a profit,” says Julia Langer, executive director of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, which is behind the challenge. “If you believe that a thousand minds are better than one, ClimateSpark offers the opportunity to put an idea in front of a diverse community that will work with businesses to refine and develop -- and then judge -- their ideas.”

This opportunity to stimulate “green” entrepreneurship has attracted high-profile sponsors, including TD Bank, Toronto Live Green, Aird & Berlis LLP and Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Business. Firms with approximately $15 million to invest in this space, including Investeco and Best Funds, are also sponsoring the challenge. The winner and the eight runners-up will have the opportunity to pitch these savvy investors on their ideas.

Web challenges are being widely deployed in the United States and elsewhere to generate new ideas and products and are ideally suited to complex problems like climate change. The ClimateSpark web platform allows participants to earn “reputation” points based on their engagement in the challenge, which they can then use to support one of the business concepts and win prizes. “This is not a popularity contest,” explains Langer, “it is a sophisticated system for separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to identifying solutions with real promise, both in terms of emission reductions and profitability.”

The first round of the contest runs from Nov. 4th to Dec. 20, 2010. Nine finalists will be selected to go into the second round, which runs from Jan. 3- Jan 31, 2011. The winner will be announced at the ClimateSpark Summit in Toronto on Feb. 2, 2011.

The Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF), an arm’s length agency of the City of Toronto,, has been sparking and incubating innovative urban solutions to climate change for close to 20 years. TAF investments in initiatives such as deep lake water cooling, LED traffic signals, auto sharing, energy efficient condominiums, renewable power, and solar heating have helped Toronto save millions of dollars through improved energy efficiency and increased energy security.

REC announce competitive cost position

2010-11-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

After a successful construction and ramp-up phase, the production at REC's EUR 1,3 billion green field, integrated wafer, cell and module production facility in Singapore will approach nameplate capacity towards year end.

REC is uniquely positioned in the solar industry with full integration of the entire PV value chain from polysilicon to modules. As previously communicated, REC has demonstrated its proprietary, low cost, fluidized bed reactor technology (FBR) in the US. With the new, integrated wafer, cell and module production facility in Singapore, REC is set to achieve a cost competitive position through the entire value chain from polysilicon to modules.

By the fourth quarter 2011, REC is targeting a full cost position of 97 Eurocents/Watt based on the cost of manufacturing of FBR in the US and wafers, cells and modules in Singapore. This cost target includes cost of sales and general administration, corporate overhead, research and development as well as depreciation. Excluding depreciation the cash cost target is an industry leading 74 Eurocents/Watt. Furthermore REC plans to further leverage investments in infrastructure at the Singapore site to increase module production to 800 MW by 2012, exceeding the nameplate capacity by approximately 35 percent.

"I am impressed by the performance demonstrated by the Singapore organization during construction and ramp-up of the new facility. This achievement gives me confidence in the organization's ability to continue to improve and further strengthen REC's competitive position" says CEO Mr. Ole Enger.

Biofuels for Military Jets: Cobalt Technology joint development with US Navy

2010-11-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Research Underway to Convert Biobutanol into Full Performance Jet Fuel

Today, Cobalt Technologies, the leader in commercializing biobutanol as a renewable chemical and fuel, announced the signature of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Navy to develop technology for the conversion of biobutanol into full performance jet and diesel fuels.

Under the CRADA, n-biobutanol produced by Cobalt will be converted to bio-jet and biodiesel fuels using technology developed at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) in China Lake, CA. The result will be a complete substitute for military and civilian jet fuel, meeting all applicable specifications. In addition, Cobalt will have an option to obtain an exclusive license to commercialize process improvements, made under the CRADA, for the production of all military and civilian transportation fuels.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the U.S. Navy to develop a renewable option for jet fuels,” said Rick Wilson, CEO of Cobalt Technologies. “It’s exciting to be part of this research, which will help relieve our reliance on foreign oil through the use of renewable fuels developed here in the United States. With our front end for producing renewable n-butanol and the NAWCWD’s technology for converting n-butanol into jet fuel, we can offer a complete process that directly addresses the military’s green fuels mandate.”

”It is a privilege for NAWCWD chemists to work in partnership with Cobalt Technologies on this exciting technological venture,” said Dr. Michael D. Seltzer, head of NAWCWD’s Technology Transfer Program. “Anytime we can support the fleet and at the same time transfer important technology to the private sector, it is a win-win situation. As NAWCWD continues its leadership role within DoD in the research and development of alternative fuels, opportunities such as this are greatly valued.”

The U.S. Navy has set a high priority on the development of cost-effective and sustainable domestic sources of fuels and has several initiatives in place to increase its use of biofuels, while decreasing its carbon-footprint and dependence on foreign petroleum. By collaborating with the Navy scientists who have expertise in converting biobutanol to bio-jet and biodiesel fuels, Cobalt Technologies is well positioned to demonstrate and implement a large-scale process for generating sustainable and renewable fuel for both military and commercial use.

http://www.cobalttech.com/

Ontario & Asia push green energy partnerships

2010-11-03T08:17:00.001-07:00

Ontario Technology Corridor at Eco Expo Asia to advance cooperation on environmental protection technologies and energy efficiency opportunities

Ontario-based Plasco Energy Group and Clearford Industries Inc. already engaged in significant Chinese partnerships on solid waste conversion, wastewater collection and treatment

Hong Kong – ECO EXPO ASIA 2010 – Nov. 3, 2010 – Executives from the Ontario Technology Corridor are attending Eco Expo Asia 2010 in Hong Kong this week to introduce environmental technology companies that can help solve growth-oriented issues in the world’s largest cities. The Canadian province also offers North America’s most advanced green energy policies, targeted incentives and a generous feed-in tariff program to expanding Asian companies.

Ontario is home to 110 head offices of clean technology companies that are predominantly engaged in the development and marketing and/or use of their own proprietary technology to deliver products or services that reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts. Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) projects that by 2015, these Ontario clean technology companies will generate revenues in excess of $1 billion. In addition there are over 2,800 environmental industry companies in Ontario, generating approximately $7 billion in revenue and employing 65,000 people.

Two of those companies, Ottawa-based Plasco Energy Group and Clearford Industries Inc., are already active in China. In June of this year, China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP) and Plasco Energy Group announced an agreement to establish a Joint Venture corporation, CECEP-Plasco China Corp. Plasco will provide its world leading energy-from-waste Plasco Conversion System technology to be delivered in China through this Joint Venture. And in July, Clearford announced its first contract in China to design its patented SBS™ system for development of wastewater collection and treatment in the Hubei Province. Furthermore, Clearford has also attracted private equity investment from the number one boutique investment bank in China as ranked by ChinaVenture.

“For the Asian solar industry, Ontario’s most compelling attraction is the Ontario Power Authority’s feed-in tariff, or FIT Program, modeled after successful programs in Germany and France. It features North America’s first comprehensive, guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production, offering stable prices under long-term contracts for solar photovoltaic, on-shore and off-shore wind, biomass, biogas, landfill gas, and waterpower energy,” said Michael Darch, Executive Director, Global Investment of OCRI, Ottawa’s leading economic development organization and an Ontario Technology Corridor partner.

A total of 694 feed-in tariff contracts in Ontario have already created 20,000 direct and indirect green energy jobs and attracted about $9 billion in private sector investment from around the world. “We are actively welcoming Asian companies to participate in our province’s green energy partnerships,” says Darch. “There is fertile ground for significant cooperation.”

Ontario is currently a North American leader in the adoption of green energy policies with its passing of the Green Energy Act in May 2009. Other targeted programs available to the alternative energy and clean technology sector include: Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund, Ontario Innovation Demonstration Fund, Ontario Power Authority Technology Development Fund, SD Tech Fund, and SDTC’s NextGen Biofuels Fund.

US Solar Boom Requires $ 100 Bn Investment

2010-10-27T02:30:00.001-07:00

Rapidly declining equipment costs combined with stronger government
support have set the stage for explosive growth in the US solar market
over the next decade, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the
world's leading provider of research and analysis into clean energy
and the carbon markets.

Solar-powered generating capacity – using photovoltaic and solar
thermal electricity technologies – could reach 4.3% of the nation's
power capacity by 2020, depending on the industry's ability to attract
an estimated $100bn of investment.

The US today has just 1.4 gigawatts of installed solar power capacity,
ranking it fifth globally. But that could rise to 44 gigawatts by
2020, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. In a new report,
forecast capacity from large-scale solar thermal projects is projected
to rise from 0.4 gigawatts currently to 14 gigawatts by 2020. For
photovoltaics, the group anticipates a 34% annual growth rate to 30
gigawatts by 2020.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance research shows that the cost of a typical
photovoltaic module has dropped by more than half over the past two
years. However, solar power is still expensive compared to other power
sources. The group's latest analysis places the unsubsidized cost of
best-in-class photovoltaic and solar thermal electricity generation at
just below $200/megawatt-hour -- nearly four times the equivalent cost
for a coal-fired power plant ($56/megawatt-hour) -- and between two
and four times the cost of onshore wind power.

Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance
said: "There is a very positive growth story for solar in the US: a
few more years of support, and then the engine of unsubsidized
competitiveness will take over – and the world will never be the same.
The important thing right now is to ensure policy stability, to give
investors confidence during this critical period. The US solar
industry will require private sector investment of $100bn during the
next decade, and any hint that the government's commitment to clean
energy could waver and investors will run for cover."
Source: http://www.bnef.com

Energy Efficient Datacenter: Terremark honored in Top Green IT List

2010-10-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

Terremark Worldwide, Inc. , a leading global provider of managed IT infrastructure services, today announced IDG's Computerworld, the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide, has selected it as one of the Top Green-IT Organizations for 2010. This honor is part of the IT media outlet's annual Top Green-IT Organizations feature, which was published in the October 25 issue of Computerworld and online at Computerworld.com.

For the third year in a row, Computerworld set out to identify organizations that are implementing smart, efficient strategies to achieve "green IT." Organizations were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire online from May to July. Computerworld then applied a set of criteria, developed with the help of green-IT industry experts, to identify the organizations that are working to reduce energy consumption in IT equipment and are using technology to conserve energy and lower carbon emissions.

"At Terremark, we continue to pursue ways to maximize energy efficiency across our global footprint of data centers so that we are able to limit our environmental impact while also reducing our own operational costs," said Manuel D. Medina, Chairman and CEO of Terremark. "We are very proud to be recognized for the second straight year for our energy-efficiency efforts, which extend from the world-class datacenters we operate to the innovative products and services we provide to our government and enterprise customers."

Terremark utilizes various energy-efficient methods across its global data center footprint to reduce its power consumption, including hot-aisle/cold-aisle air segregation, computational fluid dynamics modeling (CFD) and employing rotary uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS). Along with implementing innovative power conservation strategies in its world-class data centers, Terremark's suite of industry-leading cloud computing offerings and virtualized products provides customers with reliable, enterprise-ready solutions for their IT infrastructure needs while minimizing their environmental impact.

"Many of the organizations recognized in our third annual Top Green-IT issue have already plucked 'low-hanging fruit,' such as reducing travel with teleconferencing or buying Energy Star-rated IT equipment," said Scot Finnie, editor in chief, Computerworld. "These top organizations are truly stretching now, exploring innovative new ways to apply technology to reduce energy consumption. They know that achieving green-IT isn't a one-time effort; they're in it for the long haul." http://www.terremark.com/

Wind Farm Projects in Turkey: Nordex Wins Large Contracts

2010-10-26T03:53:00.000-07:00

Nordex has obtained the order for the turnkey installation of a wind farm in Turkey. Nordex is building the “Akres” project with 18 N90/2500 machines for Karesi Enerji, a subsidiary of the Turkish transformer manufacturer Best. In addition to this, the wind farm operator Dost Enerji has ordered six N90/2500 turbines for the extension of “Yuntdag”.

The “Akres” site is located near the city of Akhisar in the west of Turkey. Thanks to very good wind conditions, the capacity factor stands at around 42 percent. The turbines are able to produce 170 gigawatt hours of clean energy a year and supply some 90,000 Turkish households. The 45 MW wind farm is to be handed over to Karesi Enerji in summer 2011.

“Turnkey projects number among Nordex’s core competences worldwide. Now we can show what our project management is capable of in Turkey, too”, says Ayhan Gök, Nordex CEO in Turkey.

The order for the extension of the “Yuntdag” wind farm underlines Dost Enerji’s confidence in Nordex. “Yuntdag” (17 N90/2500s) had marked the start of Nordex’s entry into the Turkish market in 2007. The six machines to be added to the farm in summer 2011 provide an energy yield of 59 gigawatt hours per annum. http://www.nordex-online.com

Smart Grid: Top Ten Trends

2010-10-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

In the past few years, the electric utility industry has experienced a momentous season. The business of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption has been thrust to the forefront of public discourse – as both a villain and a savior – in the fight against climate change and the struggle for energy independence and security, among other global priorities. The “smart grid,” the integration of new embedded computing and communications technologies into the fabric of the power network, is widely seen as the means to adapting the electrical infrastructure to meet these global needs. A new white paper from Pike Research identifies 10 key trends that are driving the sweeping changes currently underway in technology, business, policy, and even consumer behavior. The paper, which includes 10 predictions about the smart grid market in 2011 and beyond, is available for free download on Pike Research’s website.
“The electrical power grid is in the midst of a dramatic transformation,” says senior analyst Bob Gohn. “As utilities, vendors, and other key stakeholders gain more real-world deployment experience, the reality of the smart grid is coming into focus, too slowly for some, but at a faster pace than typically seen in this industry. Existing players are transforming, new players are entering, and consumers are awakening.”

Gohn adds that the months ahead should witness the maturation of the smart grid as all the trials, mandates, and pilots move toward production deployment. Pike Research has identified dozens of trends that bear watching and scrutiny.

A few of Pike Research’s smart grid industry predictions include the following:
- Security will become the top smart grid concern
- Distribution Automation will rival AMI as the most visible smart grid application
- The “Bakersfield Effect” will continue, but some consumers will actually LIKE the smart grid
- Smart meter and AMI focus will shift toward Europe and China
- The “Year of the HAN” will not arrive… yet
- The Demand Response business transformation will accelerate
- The ARRA smart grid “stimulus” will finally have a positive impact
- The standards “horse” will begin to catch the deployment “cart”
- Data management will be the next bottleneck to smart grid benefits
- Existing data and telecom vendors will get serious about the smart grid

Pike Research’s paper, “Smart Grid: Ten Trends to Watch in 2011 and Beyond”, offers timely perspective and insight on the key factors that are likely to determine the success or failure of various smart grid initiatives. Conclusions and predictions in this paper are drawn from a broad array of Pike Research reports, with market forecasts included for key market sectors. A full copy of the white paper is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Ranking: the world's most environmentally friendly companies

2010-10-22T08:29:00.001-07:00

NEWSWEEK just published its exclusive ranking of the world's most environmentally friendly companies. Click below for full rankings (Global Top 100, US Top 500).

Top Green Power Suppliers in the US

2010-10-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Energy last night recognized six leading organizations for their leadership in advancing green power production and distribution during the 10th annual Green Power Leadership Awards in Portland, Ore. Across the nation, responsible companies and consumers voluntarily purchase renewable energy through local suppliers to help reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources and expand an industry that is creating thousands of new jobs each year. DOE encourages the growth of these programs nationwide by selecting exemplary programs to receive Green Power Leadership Awards. This year's winners include 3Degrees, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, SolarCity and SunRun – recognized by DOE as the Non-Utility Green Power Suppliers of the Year – and La Plata Electric Association and Portland General Electric – recognized as the Utility Green Power Programs of the Year.
Green Power programs are designed to provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase clean energy options from environmentally preferred sources. Winning organizations are evaluated on criteria such as: resources and technologies used, total annual renewable energy sales, number of customers served, market impact, amount of green power supplied, and overall value provided to customer participants. Through the combination of utility green pricing and competitive markets, green power is available in almost every state.

According to the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
- About 860 utilities offer green power programs in the U.S.
- Annual sales from utility green power programs have more than doubled since 2005
- Annual green power market sales increased by 17 percent in 2009, with a compound annual growth rate of 37 percent since 2005
- Nearly 1.4 million customers purchased green power in 2009 through a green power program, competitive marketer program or a renewable energy certificates marketer.

The Utility Green Power Programs of the Year recognizes utilities that are leaders in developing and implementing voluntary green power programs to serve their customers. This category is open to all utilities (municipal, rural electric cooperative, or investor-owned utility) offering voluntary renewable energy programs to their customers.

The Non-Utility Green Power Suppliers of the Year recognizes leading non-utility providers (e.g., marketer or other entity) that supply renewable energy to residential or nonresidential consumers who make voluntary purchases of renewable energy.

Green Power Network Leaders
3Degrees (San Francisco, CA) – This company has partnered with more than 900 organizations to reduce climate change and accelerate a low-carbon, renewable energy economy through Green-e® Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates and Verified Emission Reduction projects worldwide. 3Degrees also partners with utilities to offer residential and business customers a voluntary green power option, which 5.1 million have chosen. Its green power programs achieve an average participation rate of 6 percent, nearly three times the national average.

Bonneville Environmental Foundation (Portland, OR) – This foundation is a non-profit supplier of green power that re-invests the profits from their green power products in renewable energy development. Since 2000, the foundation and its partners have supported more than 3 million MWh of renewable energy generation nationwide. In 2009, the foundation installed 55 solar projects at U.S. schools and community buildings, and worked with Portland Public Schools to create the first "Net Zero Classroom" design integrated with solar photovoltaic systems.

SolarCity (Foster City, CA) – This is one of the nation's largest solar and energy efficiency service providers that has completed more than 9,000 projects since 2006. SolarCity is the nation's only company to offer solar design, financing, installation and monitoring to businesses and homeowners from a single source. The company's innovations include the solar lease, the community purchase program, the combination of solar power and electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the integration of solar power and energy efficiency audits and retrofits.

SunRun (San Francisco, CA) - Developed more than 5,000 home solar installations in five states that can produce more than 25 megawatts of electricity annually from residential solar photovoltaic systems and is growing 500 percent annually. SunRun partners with 20 leading local solar installers, which employ more than 2,500 local, green-collar workers.

Portland General Electric (Portland, OR) - An investor-owned utility serving more than 817,000 customers and 52 Oregon cities. In 2009, more than 10 percent of the utility's customers voluntarily signed up to participate in the Renewable Power Program, which saw sales of 740 million kilowatt-hours last year. Because of the excellent customer participation rate, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ranked the program No. 1 for the number of renewable power customers in its annual survey. Portland General Electric received Green Power Leadership Awards in 2006 and 2008.

La Plata Electric Association (Durango, CO) – This rural electric cooperative, which serves more than 30,000 member-owners in rural communities of Southwest Colorado, purchases Green-e Certified or equivalent renewable energy and its attributes from wind-generating facilities across the western United States through its power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission. Since LaPlata's members are voluntarily purchasing 25,500 of the 100-kWh blocks of green power available — more than 25 percent of the renewable energy sold by Tri-State — it is now the leader in green power sales among all of Tri-State's 44 cooperatives.

For more information on the Green Power Leadership Awards and the award recipients, visit The Green Power Network website at: http://greenpower.energy.gov/awards/awards10.html

Smart Grid: Tendril Acquisition & Fundraising

2010-10-21T03:35:00.001-07:00

Tendril announced today that it has purchased Massachusetts-based
GroundedPower and secured an additional $23 million in investment. The
strategic acquisition and additional investment will accelerate the
development and roll-out of Tendril's comprehensive end-to-end energy
management and consumer engagement solution for energy providers.

GroundedPower is the creator of the Interactive Customer Engagement
System (iCES) for consumer-driven energy management and efficiency.
After researching the leading companies in the marketplace that
develop consumer engagement software for the Smart Grid, Tendril
acquired GroundedPower because of the company's behavioral-based
approach and validated results, according to Tendril CEO Adrian Tuck.

"Our customers demand real, proven solutions for engaging consumers
and enabling sustainable results for their Energy Efficiency programs.
We researched the marketplace and selected GroundedPower because of
their third-party validated, proven methodology for achieving
world-class, behavioral-driven Energy Efficiency," Tuck said.

"As a result of this strategic acquisition, we can offer utilities an
even more robust energy management solution, adding behavioral-based
Energy Efficiency applications and services into Tendril's proven,
scalable, open platform."

Founded in 2008, GroundedPower delivers an interactive customer
engagement system for real-time consumer driven energy management and
efficiency for both utilities and consumers. GroundedPower's iCES
combines real-time energy monitoring with an integrated suite of
consumer engagement and behavior change tools that brings the user
into an intuitive and interactive world of Energy Efficiency.

"GroundedPower brings proven and industry-leading methods of creating
persistent behavioral Energy Efficiency together with an exceptional
user-centered design team. It is this combination of behavioral
science applied to Energy Efficiency and a demonstrated passion for
user-design excellence that makes GroundedPower a valuable addition to
the Tendril platform and team," said Greg Kats of Good Energies, a
Tendril investor.

The purchase agreement includes GroundedPower's iCES system as well as
a developed sales pipeline to the public power market, specifically
municipal and co-operative utilities. The majority of GroundedPower's
employees will be retained by Tendril, including GroundedPower
co-founder Paul Cole, who will assume the title of vice president of
consumer products at Tendril. Financial details of the acquisition
were not made public.

Tendril also announced today that it has closed $23 million in
additional investment. The financing round includes new equity capital
from TIAA-CREF as well as existing investors. The additional funding
will be used to complete the GroundedPower acquisition and further
accelerate the development of Energy Efficiency and consumer
engagement tools within the Tendril platform.

"Over the last twelve months Tendril has proven its ability to close
significant business with major energy providers across the United
States, establishing itself as a market leader," said Stephan
Dolezalek, head of the CleanTech Practice at VantagePoint Venture
Partners.

"Tendril has delivered unprecedented insight and control of energy
management to energy users and providers, and has helped develop
standards and protocols upon which the industry will grow. We believe
Tendril has all the elements necessary to continue as an industry
leader over the long-term."

Empire State Building Saves Energy and Money

2010-10-18T05:56:00.001-07:00

The Empire State Building is getting an energy efficiency makeover.
Standing as a model for architecture of its time, the legendary
skyscraper is now becoming a model of energy efficiency for other
large and pre-WWII buildings. There's even an exhibit to showcase the
changes in the building and encourage consumers to make energy
efficiency changes of their own.

The multi-million dollar retrofit, which began in April 2009 and will
end in 2013, consists of eight key renovations. The project is
expected to reduce the building's total energy use by 38 percent,
compared with typical commercial retrofits that save only 10 to 20
percent. Although retrofitting this 2.5 million square-foot giant will
cost more than $13 million, building owners expect payback within five
years after the renovations are complete.

The Empire State's 8 Key Renovations:
http://ase.org/efficiencynews/empire-state-building-american-icon-saves-energy-money

Sentilla integrates Energy Manager with SAP for Energy Efficient Data Center

2010-10-15T01:27:00.001-07:00

Sentilla Corporation, leading provider of energy management solutions
for data centers, today released a new version of Sentilla Energy
Manager™, which now provides open interfaces to integrate with the
SAP® Carbon Impact solution and SAP BusinessObjects™ Explorer
software. The integration provides comprehensive visibility into
energy performance and forecasting, capacity planning, service
optimization and carbon reduction for the data center. Sentilla Energy
Manager monitors and manages energy consumption in the data center,
then populates SAP BusinessObjects Explorer with energy usage
information, enabling decision makers to quickly address critical
areas within the data center that have the highest return on energy
optimization strategies.

Thin-Film PV Substrate and Encapsulation Market to reach $1.3 billion by 2015 - Nanomarket Report

2010-10-14T01:59:00.001-07:00

Glen Allen, Virginia: A new report from industry analyst firm
NanoMarkets says that, while glass will continue to dominate substrate
and encapsulation materials used for thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV),
new materials including metal foils, plastics, ceramics and composites
will grow rapidly in importance. The main driver for using these new
materials will be the need to support flexible PV in order to reduce
PV panel costs using R2R processes and the rise of "intrinsically
flexible products; notably those used for building-integrated PV
(BIPV)."

In total, the TFPV substrate/encapsulation market is expected to reach
$1.3 billion by 2015, going on to reach $1.8 billion by 2017. And
while some of the most advanced encapsulation systems have proved
difficult to develop and come with a high cost, NanoMarkets has
identified several areas where these systems are beginning to make
economic sense, most notably in the CIGS sector.
www.nanomarkets.net

Major Wind Energy Transmission Project Financed by Good Energies, Google and Marubeni Corp

2010-10-13T15:13:00.001-07:00

Will Enable Offshore Wind Energy Growth in Mid-Atlantic Region,
Spur Jobs and Economic Growth

Capturing the enormous potential of offshore wind energy along the
Mid-Atlantic coast took a significant step forward today with the
announcement of the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone
transmission project led by well-established independent transmission
company Trans-Elect and sponsored by Good Energies, Google (NASDAQ:
GOOG) and Marubeni Corporation (TYO: 8002).

Designed to accelerate offshore wind development, the AWC project will
help the industry create thousands of jobs, improve consumer access to
clean energy sources, and increase the reliability of the Mid-Atlantic
region's existing power grid.

"This new American super grid off the Mid-Atlantic coast will unlock
an important untapped resource, creating the foundation for a new
industry and jobs for thousands of American workers," said Bob
Mitchell, CEO of Trans-Elect.

The Mid-Atlantic region offers more than 60,000 MW of offshore wind
potential in the relatively shallow waters of the outer continental
shelf. These shallow waters, which extend miles out to sea, allow for
the development of large, distant wind farms, mitigating visibility
issues and allowing for greater energy capture from stronger winds.
With few other renewable energy options ideally suited for the
Atlantic coast, this transmission project will help states meet their
renewable energy goals and standards by enabling the local offshore
wind industry to deploy thousands of megawatts of clean,
cost-effective energy.

Without a transmission backbone, offshore wind developers would be
forced to bring energy to land via radial lines that can make
balancing the region's existing grid more difficult. In addition, a
single offshore backbone with a limited number of landfall points will
minimize the environmental impacts of building multiple individual
radial lines to shore. The AWC project not only reduces the need to
build many lower-capacity transmission lines, but relieves grid
congestion in one of two National Interest Electric Transmission
Corridors which were deemed to have significant transmission network
congestion and need speedy creation of transmission capacity.

When complete, the AWC backbone will be able to connect 6,000 MW of
offshore wind, enough power to serve approximately 1.9 million
households. The system is also scalable and can be expanded to
accommodate additional offshore wind energy as the industry further
develops. The use of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology
allows for easier integration and control of multiple wind farms while
avoiding the electrical losses associated with more typical High
Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) lines. With this strong backbone in
place, larger and more energy efficient wind farms can connect to
offshore power hubs further out to sea. These power hubs will in turn
be connected via sub-sea cables to the strongest, highest capacity
parts of the land-based transmission system.

In addition to enabling the production of thousands of megawatts of
clean power, the AWC backbone will help spur the creation of local
jobs. Development of wind energy off the Atlantic coast could create
between 133,000 and 212,000 U.S. jobs according to Oceana, an
ocean-conservation group. The U.S. Department of Energy also estimates
that more than 43,000 permanent operations and maintenance jobs would
be created if 54,000 MW of offshore wind turbines were installed by
2030. For comparison, the offshore wind industry in Europe is expected
to create 215,000 new jobs by 2030.

The Obama Administration, as well as Governors, Members of Congress
and key state legislators from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and
Virginia, have expressed strong support for offshore wind development.

"The AWC backbone will both relieve transmission congestion in one of
the nation's most restricted power markets as well as enable the
development of a huge offshore wind capacity that can bring stability
and security to the Eastern Power Grid," said John Breckenridge,
Managing Director at Good Energies. "With this line in place, offshore
projects can be constructed at lower cost, with less impact on the
environment and with the ability to deliver power wherever it is
needed along the Mid-Atlantic coast."

"We're excited about the potential of this project to help the
Mid-Atlantic states meet their renewable energy goals by providing a
platform that can rapidly accelerate the deployment of clean offshore
wind at lower total cost," said Rick Needham, Director of Green
Business Operations at Google. "Transmission is one of the key
constraints to the wider adoption of clean energy, so this project was
a natural fit with our corporate goal of investing in attractive
renewable energy projects that can have dramatic impact."

"The U.S. will require large investments in its electric transmission
grid to meet its renewable and energy independence goals," said
Richard Straebel, Executive Vice President of Marubeni Power
International. "Over the past few years this sector has been an
increasingly important part of Marubeni's U.S. power market activities
and we are very excited about our role in this strategic and
transformational project."

AWC's filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission later this
year will outline details of the project including how it benefits
consumers and businesses by improving power flows across the region.
The project will continue collaborating with developers and officials
to map the optimal path for the line. To begin construction, AWC will
need approval from federal, state, regional and local regulators as
well as from PJM, the region's grid operator.

Saint-Gobain sets up solar JV with Hyundai in Korea

2010-10-12T03:11:00.001-07:00

After launching the construction of a second Avancis plant in Germany (last June), Saint-Gobain has announced, in association with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.(HHI), the building of a third high-efficiency PV panels facility in Korea. This partnership between the two groups will take the form of a 50-50 joint-venture, called Hyundai Avancis. The first manufacturing facility for the joint-venture will be designed identically to the second Avancis plant currently under construction in Germany, both in manufacturing capacity and technology terms. In this way, it will produce an annual volume of 850,000 modules based on CIGS (Copper – Indium – Gallium – Selenide) thin-film technology, designed for roofs and solar fields.
In other words, an annual power output of 100 MW, or the equivalent yearly energy requirements of a town with 15,000 inhabitants. The site should be operational from the 2nd quarter of 2012 and will supply the global market. Its modules will be marketed independently by Avancis and HHI.

Based on depositing coatings of CIGS on a glass substrate, the technology developed by Avancis avoids using traditional crystalline silicon. This technology makes it possible to imagine production costs as low as other thin-film based techniques, while its electrical efficiency (above 12% industrially and up to 20% in the laboratory) is close to the higher yields achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. As well as being suitable for solar fields, CIGS thin-film based modules are especially recommended for roof installations, due to their simplicity of assembly, their attractive appearance and their reliability.

"With this investment, Saint-Gobain significantly accelerates its growth on the solar market, by banking on a competitive and innovative technology. This latest illustration of the Group's commitment to renewable energies testifies to the growth potential of Avancis, the reference player on the high-efficiency thin-film PV modules market" states Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain. "Already well located in Korea (particularly in Flat Glass where it has 4 float lines and several processing units for the automotive and building sectors), Saint-Gobain strengthens its position in this country in association with HHI, whose industrial and technological know-how is recognized worldwide" declares Jean-Pierre Floris, Senior Vice-President of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and President of the Innovative Materials Sector.

"By expanding into the high-efficiency CIGS PV market, under a joint-venture with Saint-Gobain, HHI is on track with its plan to become a global supplier in the renewable energy sector via innovation and diversification. Above all, HHI will be one step closer to achieving the global commitment of pursuing an era of clean energy. We believe that we will soon fulfill these commitments that will provide a strong foundation for our future generations," says Keh-Sik Min, Chairman of Hyundai Heavy Industries.

In 2010, the PV solar power market has grown tremendously and installed power worldwide is currently estimated at 30 GW, i.e. enough energy to meet the requirements of 5 million Western Europeans. This rise should continue at a steady pace over the years to come, enabling
the sector to grow by relying less on public subsidies.

Prenova - One of the Fastest Growing Companies in America

2010-10-08T01:16:00.000-07:00

Company Ranks as a Leading Energy Management Services Provider

Prenova, Inc., a privately held energy services provider managing over $2 billion in energy spend for dozens of national brands, today announced it has been recognized by Inc. magazine for the second straight year as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. In 2010, Prenova climbed almost 1,500 spots in the Inc. 5000,
an exclusive ranking of the nation's most successful private companies. With revenue increasing 140 percent over the last three years, Prenova was also listed as one of the 50 fastest growing
companies in the energy industry.

"Prenova's growth over the last three years is a clear indication of the value we're delivering for our clients," said Michael J. Nark, Prenova's President and Chief Executive Officer. "More and more organizations are realizing that energy is a critical resource that requires a more strategic management approach. Companies not only want to insulate themselves from dramatic price fluctuations, but are also under intense pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. Prenova helps
customers accomplish both. We're pleased that Inc. magazine has recognized our success."

Prenova's strategic approach to energy management saves customers tens of millions of dollars every year. Typical results include:
· 10-20% reduction in energy consumption
· 5-10% reduction in energy costs
· 40% reduction in unplanned service calls
· 25% increase in energy efficiency

The 2010 Inc. 5000 serves as a unique illustration of the profound changes taking place in the U.S. economy. Despite the fact that most of this year's measuring period of 2006-2009 took place during the latest recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list
actually increased to $321.6 billion, up more than 50 percent from last year. And while the median three-year growth rate dropped to 96 percent from last year's 126 percent, members of this year's Inc. 5000 now employ a record 1.4 million people, up from one million on last
year's list.

"The leaders of the companies on this year's Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression," said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. "The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs."

Constellation Energy acquires leading Demand Response provider CPower

2010-09-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire CPower, a leading energy management and demand response provider managing approximately 850 megawatts of demand response capacity that can be dispatched in energy markets throughout North America. The transaction would expand Constellation Energy's total demand response capacity to 1,500 megawatts, and both strengthen and complement the company's position as a leader in competitive electricity and natural gas supply. Terms were not disclosed.

Privately held CPower (www.cpowered.com), headquartered in New York, N.Y., designs and manages programs that allow its commercial, utility and public sector customers to reduce electricity demand during peak demand periods. The company is authorized to manage and aggregate demand response capacity programs in New York, New England, the Mid-Atlantic states (PJM), California, Texas and Ontario, Canada.

"We believe customer demand and technological innovation will drive strong growth in the demand response market in the years ahead," said Kathleen Hyle, senior vice president, Constellation Energy, and chief operating officer of the company's commercial division. "The acquisition of CPower, one of the largest, most innovative and most respected players in the demand-management field today, will greatly expand our customer base, sales presence and business partner community in key markets such as Texas, New England and the PJM Interconnection regional transmission organization, where Constellation Energy is an energy supply leader.

"The addition of CPower to our team will strengthen cross-selling opportunities and operational capabilities, and will enhance demand-management product development," Hyle said. "The expanded sales and marketing presence and diverse demand response expertise will accelerate deployment and commercialization of our recently introduced online energy management product, VirtuWatt, which is redefining the way power-intensive businesses reduce demand and lower energy bills."

"As electricity load management and demand response become ubiquitous offerings, users of energy are seeking a business partner that can provide the maximum value - for management of both the purchasing and the use of electricity," said Gary Fromer, chief executive officer, CPower. "As a critical, integrated component of Constellation Energy, we will be able to provide unparalleled value to our customers and business partners immediately, and will be in a spectacular position to innovate, with new VirtuWatt-based value offerings that have been unavailable in the demand response markets heretofore."

The agreement is subject to customary closing terms and conditions. Closing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2010.
http://www.cpowered.com

800,000 Jobs by 2012

2010-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today, President Barack Obama visited ZBB Energy Corporation in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and declared that our commitment to clean energy is expected to lead to more than 800,000 jobs by 2012.

ZBB Energy Corporation is a clean energy manufacturing company specializing in the production of advanced zinc bromide flow batteries and intelligent power control platforms for renewable energy storage. They are a prime example of how the Recovery Act is helping new clean energy industries bolster the manufacturing economies of mid-western states and lead us toward a brighter, greener economic future. Using funds from two of the Department of Energy’s Recovery Act projects, $1.3 million from the State Energy Program and a 48C Manufacturing Tax Credit worth $14.6 million, ZBB Energy has already been able to retain nearly a dozen workers, and over time, they expect to hire about 80 more.

To learn more about DOE Recovery Act investments in Wisconsin and/or your state visit energy.gov/recovery/states
Published on DOE Blog (http://blog.energy.gov)

2010 Top Ten Green Giants - Greentech Media Selection

2010-07-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

What are the most important companies in greentech? Hint: many are over 100 years old.

Greentech Media published the list of top ten Green Giants: the companies most likely to produce, develop and promote the ideas and products that will have the widest ranging effects.

The 2010 Top Ten Green Giants are:

Plant for Organic Solar Cells developed by Heliatek and FHR

2010-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Heliatek GmbH, Dresden, the global leader in the development of organic solar cells, will be building its first production site in Dresden. Construction will be carried out in co-operation with FHR Anlagenbau GmbH, Ottendorf-Okrilla, - an internationally experienced manufacturer of innovative vacuum process technology.

Heliatek is pursuing the goal of becoming the world’s first manufacturer of organic, oligomer-based solar cells and the supplier of the most efficient, stable and productive organic solar cells.

“We have found a professional partner in FHR,” explains CEO Dr. Andreas Rückemann, “who has the capability to support us in our strategic long-term capacity expansion plan and with whom we are able to ensure the implementation of the organic based PV-module production.”

The foil coating system which has been developed by FHR is a highly integrated production line for organic solar cells with a very small footprint. For the engineers and the technologies of FHR Anlagenbau GmbH, combining the complex vacuum process technology used for depositioning organic molecules, the structuring of the molecule layers and the lamination of the plastic foil was a real challenge. Managing Director Dr. Reinhard Fendler: “We are very proud of the integrative work we have done here and are very happy to have found Heliatek, an ideal partner situated close by, which already has a top position within the OPV industry. Organic photovoltaic is a new business area for FHR and our roll-to-roll systems. Strategically it is very interesting and has a very promising future.”

Heliatek and FHR plan to have the new manufacturing facility set up by mid 2011. The first products to be produced by the new foil coating system are expected to be available at the start of 2012.

The manufacturing facility will be built at the Heliatek location in Dresden, close to the A4 highway and only 15 minutes from the airport. Heliatek moved into its ‘new home’ there in May of this year, giving it the space to carry out everything ‘from lab to fab’. The modern hall offers ideal conditions. With a floor space of about 1,700 m², it provides enough room not only for production but also for the laboratories and research units to grow throughout the coming years.

Dresden has both an excellent infrastructure as well as highly qualified, experienced and motivated employees. These are the best possible prerequisites for Heliatek to produce and sell the high-quality, light, flexible and optionally even semi-transparent photovoltaic modules of the newest generation at highly competitive prices.

The construction of the first production site is being supported financially by the European Union.

http://www.heliatek.com/

http://www.fhr.de/

Solar financing and installation leader raises funds: SolarCity

2010-07-15T09:12:00.001-07:00

SolarCity®, a national leader in solar power financing, design, installation, monitoring and related services, today announced a new, $21.5 million round of private financing. The round was led by Mayfield Fund and supported by additional investments from existing SolarCity investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DBL Investors and Generation Capital. The new funding will accelerate SolarCity’s growth and expansion to new markets.

“Mayfield has an excellent track record and we’re excited to add them as an investor,” said Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s CEO. “We remain focused on our ultimate goal of providing clean power to millions of homes and businesses at a lower cost than polluting power sources. The new financing will accelerate our geographic expansion and give us the option to consider additional acquisitions.”

SolarCity is the first full-service solar provider in the U.S. for homeowners, businesses and non-profit organizations. The company pioneered the zero-money-down solar lease (SolarLease®), which allows customers to begin saving money from day one by adopting solar power, but also gives customers the option to purchase their systems upfront. SolarCity differs from its competitors in that it combines its financing options with custom design, installation, proactive monitoring, insurance and repairs, providing customers a single source to work with for the entire life of their solar project. The company has more than 13 installation centers, 700 employees and 8,000 customers spread across Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Texas.

“SolarCity’s world-class team and proven momentum in the design, delivery and financing of solar power systems make it an ideal addition to our Energytech portfolio,” said Navin Chaddha, Mayfield Managing Director. Mr. Chaddha, ranked 11th in Forbes’ most recent “Midas List” of top global dealmakers, will join SolarCity’s board of directors as an observer.

Mayfield Fund is a forty year old venture capital firm with over $2.8 billion under management. Since its inception Mayfield has raised 13 U.S. funds, one India fund, and assisted its partner GSR Ventures in raising three China funds. Mayfield has invested in more than 500 companies and taken more than 100 companies public.

Alternative Energy for Dummies

2010-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Get the truth about alternative energy and make it part of your life

Want to utilize cleaner, greener types of energy? This plain-English guide clearly explains the popular forms of alternative energy that you can use in your home, your car, and more. Separating myth from fact, this resource explores the current fossil fuel conundrum, the benefits of alternatives, and the energy of the future, such as hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

For Dummies Store: http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Alternative-Energy-For-Dummies.productCd-0470430621,navId-322488.html

REC Solar and Tigo Energy Reach Development Agreement, to use Micro Inverter Architecture

2010-07-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Tigo Maximizer Boosts Output of Solar Arrays by As Much As 20 Percent, Available Throughout the United States under REC Solar Agreement

REC Solar, Inc. and Tigo Energy® jointly announced today that the two companies have reached a development agreement to offer the Tigo Energy Maximizer SolutionTM as part of REC Solar’s commercial and residential installations throughout the United States.

REC Solar is one of the leading solar electric providers in the United States, and Tigo Energy has developed a technology that increases power output efficiency, management and control in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations.

The Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution creates smart modules that provide as much as 20 percent more energy production, active management capabilities and enhanced safety for utility, commercial and residential solar arrays.

“Tigo’s Maximizer Solution enables PV systems to output more electricity and achieve an industry-leading level of efficiency,” said Tigo Energy CEO Sam Arditi. “This means REC Solar system owners can harvest the maximum energy and financial return from their solar investment.”

REC Solar began offering Tigo’s Maximizer with its San Francisco Bay Area installations in February and has since extended this availability to its Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado operations. REC Solar will further expand Maximizer availability this summer to all its territories in the United States.

“REC Solar has installed more solar systems than any system integrator in the nation,” said REC Solar CEO Angiolo Laviziano. “We’re constantly evaluating new technologies that will benefit our customers, and we are excited to offer the Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution as a transformative approach to module level control.”

Micro Inverter: Direct Grid Technologies new DGM Series

2010-07-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Direct Grid Technologies, LLC, manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) micro‐inverters and related monitoring systems, announced a new series of OEM grid‐tie microinverters that mate to a variety of monocrystalline and polycrystalline type modules. The DGMS250 offers a power output of 250 watts, and the DGM‐S460 offers an unprecedented 460 watts. Similar to its predecessor, the DGA Series, the DGM Series units use Direct Grid’s unique closed loop MOSFET planar architecture which offers high power and excellent thermal management, resulting in unparalleled efficiency and reliability.

The DGM‐S250 is designed to mate with a single 60 cell 210‐240 watt module, while the DGM‐S460 is suited to mate with a two 60 cell 210‐240 watt modules. For original equipment manufacturers, power tracking voltage inputs can be modified to suit custom maximum power point ranges.

“All of our micro‐inverters are inherently designed with flexibility in mind. While the DGM Series includes the DGM‐S250 and S460, many varieties of micro‐inverters actually exist in‐between. We now have a continuum of products for any wattage between 250 and 460 watts for our OEM customers,” said Frank Cooper, Direct Grid president. “Additionally, unlike some other micro inverters on the market, the system auto‐tunes to any single phase grid it is connected to, so we can handle grid frequencies of 50 or 60 hertz right out of the box,” continued Cooper.

The SMART DGM Series also includes Echelon communication that permits each micro‐inverter in the network to communicate with a remote access node. Power data, temperature, diagnostics and unique identification code are routinely collected from each micro‐inverter. This network communication also enables the benefit of theft deterrence by monitoring the unique identification of each micro‐inverter. The resulting data can be graphically presented to end users for easy system monitoring.
http://www.directgrid.com/

The company announced last week it had secured USD 4,7 M in private equity financing.

Canal Power Project in Montana: Spotlight on Turnbull Hydro

2010-07-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

The Turnbull Hydroelectric Project would consist of two separate generating facilities located on canal drops within the Bureau of Reclamation’s Sun River Project. The Sun River Project is a federal irrigation project constructed west of Great Falls, MT in the 1930s. The two generating facilities are Upper Turnbull and Lower Turnbull. These projects would utilize water released for irrigation from Pishkun Reservoir. Released water flows exclusively within manmade canals, which incorporate concrete drop structures designed to control water flow across steep topographic gradients. The Turnbull hydroelectric project proposes to bypass two of these drop structures by directing canal flow into penstocks, through generating facilities, and then returning water to the canal system at the bases of the drop structures.
The project would not alter the amount or timing of irrigation water stored or released from any reservoir and would not change any point of irrigation use, but would merely utilize existing flows to generate power. The Greenfields Irrigation District would continue to control Pishkun Reservoir irrigation releases and water use.

The project would interconnect with the Northwest Energy electrical grid just north of Fairfield, MT. The total amount of new transmission line required to interconnect would be about six miles.

Hydroelectric Project Operations
All proposed projects will operate in a run-of-river mode, i.e. power generation will automatically adjust to the amount of water being delivered in the canal system. The project use of water is entirely non-consumptive. The lower canal flow will equal the flow in the upper canal. When a power plant is offline, all water will spill over into the existing drop structure, thus bypassing the project entirely.

Environmental Considerations
All project facilities are located within or immediately adjacent to existing right-of-way used for access and maintenance of Greenfields Irrigation District canals. The project will not affect storage, release or timing of irrigation flows in any part of the canal system, but will merely utilize existing flows to generate power. The projects utilize canal flow and are not located near nor will they affect any natural waterways. For these reasons, and since all areas proposed for new construction have been previously disturbed and are used regularly for routine maintenance of the canal system, the environmental impact associated with the hydroelectric development will be minimal. Furthermore the proposed project structures will be small and low profile and will have virtually no visual impact.

Beneficial Water Use
The proposed hydroelectric projects are designed to produce 25,300 MW-HRS of energy annually. This amount of energy is equivalent to approximately 50,000 barrels of oil.

Because it is based on irrigation delivery, power generation from the proposed projects will help meet peak summer demands for power. The hydroelectric projects constitute an additional beneficial use of water but will not affect existing beneficial water uses.

Project Status
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued licenses for development of both generating facilities. The project developers have executed a power purchase agreement with NorthWestern Energy and have received a financing commitment based on a USDA rural development program loan guarantee.

Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2010 and will be kicked off with a ground breaking event in mid July.

http://www.commerce.mt.gov/energy

Home Energy Management solution by GE: Nucleus

2010-07-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

GE’s new Nucleus serves as home energy command center; innovative technology puts energy choices in hands of consumers

GE (NYSE: GE) today unveiled Nucleus™, an affordable, innovative communication and data storage device that provides consumers with secure information about their household electricity use and costs so they can make more informed choices about how and when to use power.

GE's Nucleus brings the promise of the smart grid into consumers’ homes. As utilities deploy smart meters, the Nucleus will collect and store a consumer’s household electricity use and cost data for up to three years, and present it to consumers in real-time using simple, intuitive PC and smart phone applications, helping consumers monitor and control their energy use.

Nucleus is the first product in GE’s Brillion™ suite of smart home energy management solutions that will help consumers control their energy use and costs. In addition to Nucleus, GE’s Brillion suite will include a programmable thermostat, in-home display, a smart phone application, and smart appliances for the entire home.

“Currently consumers have little more than a monthly utility bill to determine what they’re using and spending,” said Dave McCalpin, GM, Home Energy Management. “GE’s Nucleus with Brillion technologywas developed to provide real-time information for more control over household energy costs and consumption. It serves as the command center for energy and cost conscious homeowners to make smarter, more informed decisions.”

By 2012, US utilities are expected to install more than 40 million smart meters.1 These digital meters enable utilities to charge “time-of-use” rates for electricity throughout the day. When demand is low, electricity will cost less, and when demand is at its “peak,” utilities will charge more to encourage off-peak consumption.

With these new pricing plans, however, comes the need for innovative technologies to help consumers manage their usage. Along with monitoring their whole-home energy consumption, consumers will have the option to automatically adjust thermostats or alter the consumption of GE Profile™ appliances with Brillion Technology in response to utility price signals.

Future Brillion options will also include alerts to assist consumers with daily tasks, such as when to change the refrigerator’s water filter or when the dryer cycle ends. Software upgrades will further enable Nucleus to monitor water, natural gas, and renewable energy sources, as well as plug-in electric vehicle charging.

www.GEBrillion.com

Top Green Companies 2010 in UK

2010-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Now in its third year, The Sunday Times Green List 2010 recognises the companies making a real difference in their environmental performance. Top ten this year are:

1 UKOS - Office supplies

2 Skanska UK - Construction

3 Infinis - Power generation

4 The Co-operative - Retailing and financial services

5 API Laminates - Manufacturing

6 Willmott Dixon Group - Construction

7 Marriott Hotels International - Hotels and catering

8 Carillion - Construction

9 H+H UK - Building materials

10 Canon (UK) - Electronic and electrical

http://bestgreencompanies.thesundaytimes.co.uk/

China keeps promise to curb carbon emission

2010-07-12T07:51:00.001-07:00

Although it is not an easy task, China strives to put into practice the promise made last November before the Copenhagen Conference -- to cut its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared with the level from 2005.

"The old path of economic growth based on environmental pollution implemented in developed countries over the past 300 years is not feasible in China, and China can not afford the losses brought by this development mode," said China's Minister of Environmental Protection, Zhou Shengxian, at an ongoing theme forum of the Shanghai World Expo in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The two-day forum ended Sunday.

China should base its development on its own situation and explore a new development path that is more efficient and sustainable, costs less, and results in less carbon emissions, Zhou said.

After the outbreak of the international financial crisis in September 2008, the world economy suffered the greatest challenge since the Great Depression as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) advocated the development of a "green economy" worldwide.

In China's 4-trillion-yuan (about US$588.24 billion) economic stimulus plan, funds for energy savings, carbon reductions and ecological construction reached 210 billion yuan. Plus the 370 billion yuan in funds used for innovation, restructuring and coping with climate change, "green investment" accounted for 14.5 percent of the stimulus plan. It indicates the government is shifting its values from traditional "profit maximization" to "welfare maximization."

Zhang Guobao, director of the National Energy Administration, said "the government puts great stock in seeking harmonious development between cities and the environment, and is readjusting the energy structure by giving priority to the development of clean and low-carbon energies, including hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power."

Authorities have closed small, coal-fired plants totaling 60.06 million kilowatts in capacity between 2006 to 2009. This year's target of closing 10 million kilowatts of capacity should be achieved by August, he said.

"We have promised to the international community that 15 percent of our power will be generated from non-fossil sources by 2020," Zhang said. At present, non-fossil energy accounted for around 7.8 percent.

The country's operating hydropower capacity in 2009 reached 197 million kilowatts, the highest in the world. Further, the installed capacity of wind power has been doubling every year for the past four years to more than 22 million kilowatts, the third highest in the world, and the figure is expected to exceed 30 million kilowatts in 2010.

Zhang proposed increasing the proportion of clean energy in the total national energy consumption. Statistics show that China invested US$34.6 billion in clean energy in 2009, exceeding the United States which invested US$18.6 billion, to become the highest in the world. However, China's investment in clean energy was only US$ 2.5 billion five years ago.

China has reduced the traditional high-energy consumption industries while increasing its investment in clean energy. From 2006 to 2009, China shut down 6.06 million kilowatts of small coal fired power units, a figure equivalent to the fully installed capacity of Britain, therefore saving 64 million tonnes of coal and preventing 160 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being introduced into the air every year.

"China took only 30 years to have the environmental problems that had gradually emerged in developed countries over 200 to 300 years. As a big developing country with a population of 1.3 billion people, China is under unprecedented pressure for both economic development and environmental protection," said Minister Zhou Shengxian.

The Shanghai World Expo well illustrates China's effort to save energy and curb carbon dioxide emission. More than 80 percent of the pavilions adopted environmental friendly designs in buildings, while more than half of the pavilions use clean and renewable energy.

However, China's carbon emission reduction target cannot be achieved easily. Wang Ke, a team member of the energy and ecological economy project under the People's University in Beijing, said the shift to a low-carbon economy will only be met at a huge cost to society.

For instance, more than 400,000 people were laid off as a result of the shutdown of small coal-fired power plants from 2006 to 2009. Many studies indicate that curbing greenhouse gas emissions may delay China's development, affect people's income, lead to unemployment and further increase the burden on vulnerable groups in the short term.

Hu Angang, director of the Center for China Studies, a top think tank for policy-making under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University, said China's promise of curbing carbon emissions and saving energy is not only a response to international pressure, but to meet the internal demands of the transformation of the economic development mode.
http://cdm.ccchina.gov.cn/

Gridscale Energy Storage Project by Beacon Power - 20 MW Flywheel Plant in Stephentown

2010-07-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

Beacon Power Corporation (Nasdaq:BCON), a leading provider of advanced
energy storage products and services to support a more stable,
reliable and efficient electricity grid, has delivered and put in
place the initial flywheel power electronics and associated support
equipment as part of the construction of the world's first grid-scale
flywheel energy storage plant in Stephentown, New York.

The systems, consisting of power electronics, cooling and other
support equipment housed in specially equipped containers, were
lowered onto permanent foundations. After the containerized systems
are wired in place, they will be interconnected with Beacon flywheels.
Support equipment for a total of 4 MW of energy storage capacity was
delivered to the site over several days last week.

Eighty flywheel foundations have already been installed at the site,
and the Company expects to deliver and begin installing 40 flywheels
(4 MW) during the third quarter of this year. The 4 MW are planned to
be connected and earning revenue from frequency regulation services by
the end of the fourth quarter. The balance of the 20 MW plant is
expected to be completed and operational by the end of the first
quarter of 2011.

"This is a milestone -- not just for Beacon Power and our investors,
but for everyone who has supported the development and
commercialization of smart grid technology," said Bill Capp, president
and CEO of Beacon Power. "While the scale of this project is
impressive, we've been pleased that construction has remained on
schedule and on budget. As expected, the experience we've gained from
installing and operating three megawatts of flywheel energy storage in
Massachusetts has translated well into this full-scale 20 MW project."
http://www.beaconpower.com

Canada: funding for clean transportation projects

2010-07-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Calgary, Alberta – Eighteen clean technology projects will receive $40 million in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), including hybrid technologies for transportation. The funding is intended to help move innovative technology solutions to market.

"SDTC and the Government of Canada are providing industry the tools they need to become more productive, competitive and efficient," said Juergen Puetter, chairman of SDTC. "When these companies bring their technologies to businesses and consumers, they create jobs, provide Canada a technological edge and contribute to improving the quality of Canada's air, water and soil."

The new investments bring SDTC's total portfolio value to over $1.6 billion. The SDTC is an arm's-length foundation created by the government of Canada, and includes the $550 million SD Tech Fund for projects that address climate change, air quality, clean water and clean soil, and the $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund, which supports the establishment of first-of-kind large demonstration-scale facilities for the production of next-generation renewable fuels.

The projects include an advanced battery system for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) by Electrovaya Corporation of Mississauga, Ontario, which will be tested in a fleet of Ram 1500 PHEV trucks; a hybrid auxiliary power unit for tractor-trailers by EnerMotion Inc. of Caledon, Ontario; and a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries by Phostech Lithium Inc. of Candiac, Quebec.

Http://www.sdtc.ca

Ascent Solar Receives R&D 100 Award for Flexible CIGS on Plastic Substrate

2010-07-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI) announced today that it has been honored with the prestigious R&D 100 Award, presented annually by R&D Magazine to recognize the 100 most technologically significant new products and processes of the year, as judged by a panel of experts. The company's winning entry is its unique commercially manufactured monolithically integrated CIGS light weight and flexible thin-film modules using a plastic substrate for applications ranging from automotive, portable power and roof tops.

Farhad Moghadam, President and CEO of Ascent Solar stated, "Ascent Solar is the only module manufacturer to receive the accolade this year. The award is shared with ITN Energy Systems, the former parent company of Ascent Solar, and the originator of this technology. With our partners, we continue to develop innovative ways to use photovoltaics on a daily basis. Our modules enable the personal portability of solar power, applications for electrification of transportation and aesthetically pleasing integration of PV into building materials. Having our product selected as one of the top 100 innovations of the year by R&D Magazine's panel of experts is both an honor and a confirmation of our ability to develop the next generation of solar products."

For 48 years, R&D 100 awards have been given by R&D Magazine to the top 100 technological achievements of the year. Previous award recipients have included anti-lock brakes, the fax machine, halogen lamps and liquid crystal displays.

"The R&D 100 Awards have always represented some of the most innovative concepts to reach the marketplace in the past year. 2010 is no exception, and we had a particularly strong field of entries for the judges to evaluate," said Rita Peters, editorial director of R&D Magazine. www.ascentsolar.com

Vestas Technology R&D Opens New Engineering Site in Louisville, Colorado

2010-07-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Vestas, the world's leader in producing high-tech wind power systems, announced today that it will open an Engineering Site in Louisville, Colo., to support Vestas Global and enhance Vestas' wind power production capabilities throughout North America. Vestas will move 46 employees into 47,675 square feet of space on Centennial Parkway, Louisville starting today, and will expand this team to include up to 125 highly skilled engineers within a year's time.

The Vestas Engineering Site will enhance Vestas' ability to integrate product development by placing it close to the company's three factories – a blades' factory in Windsor, a nacelles-assembly factory in Brighton and towers' factory Pueblo, thereby better servicing and meeting the needs of Vestas' North American customers.

"Vestas has made a deep commitment to Colorado, which is evidenced in our factories and the establishment of the Engineering Site. We are extremely committed to Colorado, and we look forward to a long, successful relationship here," said Finn Madsen, President Vestas
Technology R&D. "By co-locating engineering and design competencies with the production cluster in Colorado, the proximity of Technology R&D to manufacturing creates significant efficiencies that can be passed along as a direct benefit to our customers."

Vestas decided to build its North American production facilities in Colorado because of the state's central location, extensive transportation infrastructure and rail system, existing manufacturing base and skilled workforce.

The Vestas' Engineering Site will focus specifically on increasing wind turbine efficiency and lowering energy costs to ensure that wind is cost effective for our customers. The Site will work to improve technology for existing turbines and develop the wind power systems of
the future. http://www.vestas.com

The shocking statistics behind world CO2 emissions

2010-07-09T10:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.fly.co.uk/co2-emissions.html

ADB Calls for Asia and Pacific to Make Transition to Solar Power

2010-07-08T04:46:00.001-07:00

Many countries in Asia and the Pacific are well-suited to solar power
initiatives, and incentives and low-cost financing mechanisms should
be made available to help the region make the transition possible,
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda said yesterday.

"The Asia and Pacific region has the right combination of elements –
demand for energy, access to sunlight and arid land, technological
maturity, and a sound investment climate," Mr. Kuroda said at the
First Asia Solar Energy Forum in Manila.

However, Mr. Kuroda said that obstacles such as high up-front capital
costs of investing in solar energy and a high-risk perception had to
date been keeping many solar energy investors on the sidelines.

"As a result, there is a risk of 'Solar Divide' where developing
countries cannot receive the benefit of environmental technology
despite its large potential," Mr. Kuroda said. "The role of
multilateral development institutions, such as ADB and its partners,
should be to play a catalytic role to overcome these institutional
capacity, policy, technology, and financing barriers."

The two-day forum, a part of the Asian Solar Energy Initiative (ASEI)
announced by ADB earlier this year, brought together some 200 policy
makers and solar energy-related professionals from 34 ADB member
countries.

The event was hosted by ADB in partnership with the International
Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Partnership (REEEP).

Under ASEI, ADB targets to catalyze projects for about 3,000 megawatts
in solar power by 2013. The ASEI also includes the establishment of a
knowledge platform named the Asia Solar Energy Forum, support for
project preparation, and direct financing of solar energy projects.

It will also help raise concessional funds from donor countries to
partly mitigate risks of the high up-front capital costs of investing
in solar energy, and design other innovative ways to attract
private-sector investment.

In her closing remarks at the Manila event on Tuesday, Vice-President
for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Ursula
Schaefer-Preuss said the forum represented a step towards a solar
energy revolution in the Asia and Pacific region.

"Solar power has the potential to promote low-carbon growth, ensure
energy security, increase access to energy for all and achieve ADB's
overall objective of poverty reduction," she said. Ms. Schaefer-Preuss
also announced that the second meeting of the forum will take place in
Tokyo in December.
http://www.adb.org

Duke Energy Offers Energy-Saving Tips to Stay Cool and Save Money This Summer

2010-07-08T04:43:00.001-07:00

With temperatures soaring well into the 90s this summer, Duke Energy
encourages customers to take some simple steps to stay cool and save
money.

"When temperatures are consistently high like they've been the past
few weeks, we know customers will use more energy as their air
conditioners operate longer and more frequently to keep their homes
cool," said Gianna Manes, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief
customer officer. "Across our five-state service area, we're seeing
residential customer bill increases anywhere from 12 to 19 percent
compared to this time last year, so it's important that customers
understand how making a few simple changes can make a difference in
their monthly energy costs," Manes said.

Energy-Saving Information

* Adjusting your thermostat up a few degrees can reduce your cooling
costs by as much as 5 percent. Start by setting your thermostat on the
highest comfortable setting and then adjust it up when you leave home.
* If you have a ceiling-mounted fan, you can raise your thermostat by
as much as four degrees when you are home without noticing a
difference in temperature. A ceiling fan will create wind, it will not
cool a room, so be sure to turn if off when you're not home.
* Place heat-producing appliances such as lamps and televisions away
from the air conditioning thermostat to prevent inaccurate temperature
readings.
* For homes without air conditioning systems, use fans to draw cooler
air inside during the night and to circulate air throughout your home
during the day. Fan blades should rotate counter-clockwise in the
summer months.
* Save jobs that produce moisture -- like mopping, dishwashing and
washing clothes -- for early morning or night-time hours. The humidity
from these activities can make homes uncomfortable. On hot days, cook
outdoors, use a microwave oven or prepare cold meals to avoid excess
heat in the home.

For more energy-saving tips and information -- including a thermostat
calculator that demonstrates possible savings – visit
www.duke-energy.com. Click the "residential" tab and select your
state. Tips and tools are available in the "Save Energy & Money"
section.

Solarbuzz Raises Global Photovoltaic 2010 Market Forecast to 15.2 GW

2010-07-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

Global photovoltaic demand continues to soar in 2010 and is currently projected to double over the rate of installations last year.

In the latest edition of the Solarbuzz® QUARTERLY Report, Solarbuzz has raised its 2010 market size to 15.2 GW which compares with a revised 7.5 GW in 2009. Specifically, the last three quarters of 2010 are projected to generate 12.7 GW of demand, driven by strong growth across Europe, but also in United States, Japan, China and a range of smaller start-up markets.

German market demand incorporates substantial volatility in quarter-on-quarter performance during 2010. This takes account of the uncertainty of policy adjustments in Germany that are planned for July 1 and also January 2011.

A 2010 market size of 8 GW in Germany is now in prospect, even taking account of a drop off in demand in Q3'10.

"Despite much uncertainty over policy outcomes a challenging economic environment and inverter supply, the PV industry is once again demonstrating consumers respond to supportive government policies," said Craig Stevens, President of Solarbuzz. "The growth in demand is a response to major cuts in price levels afforded by lower manufacturing costs. As a result, module and inverter supply is just barely keeping up with demand."

Preliminary data on global industry revenues shows a drop of 40% to just over $12 billion in first quarter 2010, which was nearly four times the level one year earlier.

Selected price rises late in Q2'10 have been seen from some Chinese manufacturers supplying to Europe. These moves helped to partially offset the decline in the Euro over second quarter 2010. Within the PV chain, wafer prices have tightened in both euro and dollar terms, while cell prices have tightened in euro terms only over the past 6 months.

Additional highlights from Solarbuzz QUARTERLY include:

* Estimated upstream inventory days remain flat from end Q1 to end Q2 2010, whereas downstream days fall to one third of their end Q1 level.

* In Q1 2010, there was a sharp rise in cell capacity utilization, with many of the market leaders in practice working at full capacity during second quarter.

* Among the leading cell manufacturers, Sharp took a clear number 1 global position in first quarter 2010, measured on total revenues. In a close number 2 and 3 position were Suntech Power and First Solar. First Solar retained first place in MW production terms.

* Asian manufacturers exhibit steady quarter on quarter gross margin improvements, testimony to their success at bringing down unit costs.

Solarbuzz reports: http://www.solarbuzz.com/ - admin@solarbuzz.com

Renewable sources accounted for 2/3 of new electricity generation capacity in Europe in 2009

2010-07-07T03:59:00.000-07:00

A total of 27.5 GW of new power capacity was constructed in the EU in 2009. Out of this, 10.2 GW (38%) was wind power; 6.6 GW (24%) gas fired power stations; 5.8 GW (21%) PV; 2.4 GW (8.7%) coal fired power stations; 580 MW (2.1%) biomass, 570 MW (2.1%) oil; 440 MW (1.6%) waste, 440 MW (1.6%) nuclear, 390 MW (1.4%) hydro and 120 MW (0.4%) CSP.

For the second year in a row, wind energy is the leading electricity generation technology in Europe and the renewable share of new power installations was 62% in 2009.

Renewable Energies are a very dynamic field with high growth rates and therefore it is of great importance to base decisions on the latest information available as otherwise important development trends might be missed. For certain renewable energy technologies the development of effective policy measures is not yet possible due to the lack of robust, consistent and up to date data.

These Renewable Energy Snapshots are based on various data providers including grey data sources and tries to give an overview about the latest developments and trends in the different technologies.

The Renewable Energy Snapshots monitor the development of renewable electricity generation, and whether the 2020 targets can be reached.

For electricity generation from Hydro Power (2009: 351 TWh), no major increase is expected as most large hydro resources are already in use today. In addition, it is not clear if the same resources will still be available on a continuous base in the future if extreme weather conditions become more frequent and additional water resource needs might arise. Small Hydro is an option, but was not investigated in this report. However, pumped Hydro will play an increasingly important role as storage capacity for the other Renewable Energy Resources.

Additional renewable electricity generation technologies include geothermal, tidal and wave power. These technologies are in a research and development phase and no major market penetration is happening yet. Therefore, they are not yet included in this Snapshots, but it is expected that their market introduction will take place within the next decade.

It is expected that if the current growth of electricity generation from biomass continues, bioelectricity generation could be around 200 TWh in 2020 up from 108 TWh in 2008. An uncertainty in this estimation is clearly the competitive use of biomass for other energy uses like heat and transport fuels. To what effect this will change the development of bioelectricity is not yet clear. Bioelectricity generation, especially via biogas or CHP has the big advantage that biomass is storable and the
electricity can be generated on demand. This variable dispatchability is extremely important for a renewable energy supply and increases the value significantly.
In Europe, installed capacity from Concentrated Solar Power is still small today (430 MW in May 2010), but is steadily accelerating. According to the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA) 30 GW of CSP capacity could be installed in Europe generating around 100 TWh of electricity in 2020.

In Europe Solar Photovoltaic Electricity Generation has again increased its cumulative installed capacity by more than 50% to 16 GW in 2009 and for 2010 installations of up to 10 GW are expected. This would result in a capacity almost 9 times as high as was foreseen in the White Paper as the Target for 2010. The European Photovoltaic Industry Association published their ambitious vision plan for
2020 last year. The new target calls for up to 12% of the European electricity generated with solar photovoltaic electricity generation, or 380 to 420 TWh. The necessary growth rate would be 36% annually, which is much lower than what the industry has seen in the last 8 years. From an industry point of view the target is ambitious, but achievable, however it will need accompanying measures to ensure that the electricity grid will be able to absorb and distribute the generated solar electricity. This is especially important, because 12% of total electricity from solar photovoltaics translates to a cumulative installed PV capacity of 350 GW or close to 60% of the current total European thermal electricity generation capacity (590 GW in 2008) or more than 40% of the current total European electricity generation capacity (800 GW in 2008). Therefore, efficient transmission and storage
systems, as well as modern supply and demand management, have to be available to fulfil this vision.

Wind energy is already the number one in newly installed capacities in Europe. With more than 74 GW of cumulative installed capacity in 2009, it exceeded the White Paper target of 40 GW by more than 80%. The new target of the European Wind Association is aiming at 230 GW installed capacity (40 GW offshore) in 2020 capable of providing about 20% of European electricity demand.

It can be concluded that if the current growth rates of the above-mentioned Renewable Electricity Generation Sources can be maintained, up to 1,600 TWh (45 – 50%) of renewable electricity could be generated in 2020. With this contribution the renewable electricity industry would significantly contribute to the fulfilment of the 2020 targets.

Last but not least it has to be pointed out that this significant contribution of the
renewable electricity sector will not come by itself. Without increased political support, especially in the field of fair grid access and regulatory measures to ensure that the current electricity system is transformed to be capable to absorb these amounts of Renewable Electricity, these predictions will not come about. In addition, the different renewable energy sources will need for the next decade substantial public R&D support as well as accompanying measures to enlarge the respective markets, as cost reduction and accelerated implementation will depend on the production volume and not on time!

Download "Renewable Energy Snapshots 2010" report: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys/pdf/Snapshots_EUR_2010i.pdf

Hydrogen storage start-up gets 14 ME funding, McPHY

2010-07-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Sofinnova Partners, acting as a leading investor, Gimv and Amundi Private Equity Funds announced today their investment in McPhy Energy, together with the historic investors in a second round of funding worth €13.7m. The funds will be used towards the global expansion of McPhy Energy and the further industrialisation and commercialisation of its products.

McPhy Energy is an innovative French company founded in January 2008 with the mission to industrialise and commercialise a new technology for the solid storage of hydrogen in the form of magnesium hydride. The company has developed an alternative solution for the on-site production of hydrogen for the industry sector and for the renewable energy sector a concrete solution to solve the issue of energy storage.

Following a €1.6m first round of financing in January 2009 from Emertec and Areva, the firm established its production line and created a reservoir of magnesium hydride that was delivered to CEA-Liten in March 2010 for testing on an industrial scale. The company is now developing a second large-capacity reservoir that will become operational during the second half of 2010.

The second round of funds will allow the start-up to scale quickly, from both an industrial and commercial development point of view, by reinforcing its commercial and technical team and investing in additional production equipment. Already present in Spain and in Italy, the company also plans to open offices in Germany, Northern Europe, the Middle East and Japan.

“Through our innovative and very promising technology, McPhy Energy offers a new perspective on technical, ecological and economical solutions in the areas of industrial hydrogen distribution and energy storage,” explains Pascal Mauberger, CEO of McPhy Energy. “We are proud that such experienced investors share our enthusiasm for McPhy Energy’s advanced technology and will accompany us in further developing critical alternatives in these two fields,” he added.

“Following past investments in DNP Green, Revolt Technology and Neosens, this latest investment in McPhy Energy is proof of Sofinnova Partners’ continued interest in the Cleantech sector,” says Alessio Beverina, Principal at Sofinnova Partners. “McPhy Energy exemplifies what we actively seek in a start-up: an innovative technology that solves an unanswered issue in a growing international market and, above all, a high-quality managerial team which has already successfully proven itself and demonstrated its entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Over the past two years, McPhy Energy has finalised its unique hydrogen storage technology. It is now ready to enter several promising market segments. We are convinced that solid state hydrogen storage will be one of the winning solutions to address the growing need for green and large-scale energy storage,” says Bart Diels, Partner at Gimv. “McPhy Energy signifies our first Cleantech deal in France, where Gimv already concluded two other venture capital transactions in the past twelve months.“

"McPhy Energy represents a great opportunity to continue the development of our activity and expertise in the Cleantech sector," explains Florent Thomann, Investment Manager at Amundi PEF. "The powerful, breakthrough technology, an advanced industrial product on the brink of market launch, combined with an experienced and complementary management team and a huge market potential convinced us to accompany McPhy. Its unique product offering will enable McPhy not only to make industrial hydrogen use easy, but to solve one of today’s major problems : the storage of energy," he added.

Clipperton Finance acted as Sole Manager of the transaction. “We are very proud to have been able to advise the company and its management through this critical phase of McPhy’s development, and very confident that the company’s syndicate of experienced investors will be instrumental for its success,” commented Nicolas von Bülow and Thomas Neveux, the Partners at Clipperton Finance in charge of the operation.

Faronics Power Save reduces California School District Energy Bill $350,000 Per Year

2010-06-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Faronics, global leader in computer power management and cost reducing IT solutions, announced today that Chaffey Joint Union High School District (CJUHSD) is now saving $350,000 a year by shutting down their inactive PCs with Faronics Power Save. The California based school district joined more than 150 educational institutions in the state when it deployed Power Save’s award winning computer energy management technology on over 4800 workstations. Faronics Power Save provides organizations with centralized computer energy management, allowing organizations to continuously maximize their savings by powering IT down when inactive.

With over 2,000 employees and 25,000 students, CJUHSD is one of the largest school districts in the state of California. With no previous PC power management strategy in place, the district’s computers were often left powered on overnight, wasting a colossal amount of energy and money. For schools facing shrinking budgets, a dedicated PC power management solution is one of the most immediate and cost effective ways to reduce computer energy consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions.

Like many organizations interested in using a PC power management solution, CJUHSD was concerned with power management actions taking place at inopportune times, such as when students are working on their assignments and projects. Power Save’s intelligence and ability to detect critical applications and exempt them from Power Management policies made sure no undesired actions ever occurred.

“I am extremely impressed by the evolution of Power Save. The latest version(s) include even more savings reports and features that offered further configuration flexibility from when we first installed it,” said CJUHSD Network Specialist David Patzold.

Power Save works by analyzing CPU, application activity, disk, keyboard, network, and mouse status before taking power management actions, and delivers enterprise-wide desktop computer energy management. Power Save is non-disruptive, integrates seamlessly with existing IT maintenance routines, and provides organizations with centralized, granular and cross platform PC power management, savings reports, and a rapid proven ROI.

Fifteen utility companies in California currently offer rebates up to 100% of the purchase and deployment costs of Faronics’ PC power management solution. The fast implementation and quick ROI payback enable companies to leverage Power Save to immediately deliver true business value. Visit http://www.faronics.com/ rebate for the entire list of qualifying rebates.

Enecsys launches solar PV micro-inverter

2010-06-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Patented technology improves energy harvest by up to 20% and achieves high-reliability and product life expectancy of at least 25 years

Enecsys Limited announces the launch of the first solar PV grid-connected micro-inverter for both the European and North American markets. A solar PV system based on Enecsys micro-inverters will have improved energy harvest and therefore cut the cost of harvested power by up to 20% over the lifetime of the installation compared with a conventional system using string inverters. The Enecsys solar micro-inverter is also designed for high reliability operation and to have a life expectancy of at least 25 years, thereby matching the life of solar modules to which they are directly connected. In addition, PV systems using Enecsys micro-inverters are simpler to plan, easier to install and intrinsically safer as power conversion from DC to AC is performed at each solar module, eliminating the need for high voltage DC wiring and specialized practices or equipment.

Three product versions are available, one for 200W maximum inverter input power, one for 240W and one for 280W.

The Enecsys micro-inverters operate with both European (220-240Vac, 50Hz) and North American (110-120Vac, 60Hz) electricity grids. Products are presently CE certified and country specific requirements, including VDE V 0126-1: 2006 compliance, are achieved through the use of specific Enecsys installation products. The North American market certification, UL1741, is expected in July this year.
http://enecsys.com

Kleiner Perkins bets on Solar Micro Inverters, invests in Enphase Energy

2010-06-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Enphase Energy Inc., the leader in solar microinverter systems, today announced the second close and completion of its latest financing round totaling $63 million. Investors in the round’s second close include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and other strategic partners. The funds will enable Enphase to accelerate product development, launch global expansion plans and strengthen its balance sheet. The first close of the financing round included existing investors Third Point Ventures, RockPort Capital Partners, Madrone Capital Partners, PCG Asset Management and Applied Ventures LLC, as well as new investor Bay Partners.

“Our success in commercializing the world’s first microinverter system has placed us in a unique position to accelerate the global shift toward clean energy,” said Paul Nahi, chief executive officer, Enphase Energy. “Kleiner Perkins has shaped multiple industries by helping to build some of the most successful high-tech companies in the world, and we are proud to partner with them to bring clean energy into the mainstream.”

http://www.enphaseenergy.com/

IEA: Solar to account for 25% of World Electricity by 2050

2010-05-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

Solar electricity could represent up to 20% to 25% of global electricity production by 2050. This important finding emerges from two new analyses by the International Energy Agency (IEA): the solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) roadmaps, launched today in Valencia/Spain, during the Mediterranean Solar Plan Conference hosted by the Spanish presidency of the EU. "It is particularly appropriate to present the two solar roadmaps in Valencia today, given that Spain has taken a leading role globally in promoting solar power and other forms of renewable energy," said Mr. Tanaka. "The combination of solar photovoltaics and concentrating solar power offers considerable prospects for enhancing energy security while reducing energy-related CO2 emissions by almost six billion tonnes per year by 2050." The roadmaps detail the technology milestones that would make this possible, highlighting that the two technologies will deploy in different yet complementary ways: PV mostly for on-grid distributed generation in many regions and CSP largely providing dispatchable electricity at utility scale from regions with brightest sun and clearest skies. PV also helps provide energy access off grid in rural areas. Together, PV and CSP could generate 9 000 Terawatt hours of power in 2050.

"This decade is crucial for effective policies to enable the development of solar electricity," Mr. Tanaka said. "Long-term oriented, predictable solar-specific incentives are needed to sustain early deployment and bring both technologies to competitiveness in the most suitable locations and times." These incentives will need to evolve over time to foster innovation and technology improvements. To support cost reductions and longer-term breakthroughs, governments also need to ensure long-term funding for additional research, development and demonstration efforts.

With effective policies in place, PV on residential and commercial buildings will achieve grid parity – i.e. with electricity grid retail prices – by 2020 in many regions. PV will become competitive at utility-scale in the sunniest regions by 2030 and provide 5% of global electricity. As PV matures into a mainstream technology, grid integration and management and energy storage become key issues. The PV industry, grid operators and utilities will need to develop new technologies and strategies to integrate large amounts of PV into flexible, efficient and smart grids. By 2050, PV could provide more than 11% of global electricity.

The IEA expects CSP to become competitive for peak and mid-peak loads by 2020 in the sunniest places if appropriate policies are adopted. Its further expansion will depend on the development of dedicated transport lines that will bring CSP electricity to a greater number of large consumption centres. Some of them will have to be developed within large countries such as China, India and the USA. Others will cross border, and many will be needed to link the southern and northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to thermal storage, CSP can produce electricity around the clock and will become competitive with base load power by 2025 to 2030. North America will be the largest producer of CSP electricity, followed by North Africa and India. North Africa would most likely export about half its production to Europe, the second largest consumer. The overall contribution of CSP could – like that of PV - represent 11% or more of the global electricity demand by 2050.

Mr. Tanaka concluded in noting that "solar PV and CSP appear to be complementary more than competing. The firm capacity and flexibility of CSP plants will help grid operators integrate larger amounts of variable renewable electricity such as solar PV and wind power. PV will expand under a broader range of climate conditions and bring clean renewable electricity directly to end-users."

http://www.iea.org/papers/2010/pv_roadmap.pdf
http://www.iea.org/papers/2010/csp_roadmap.pdf

Schneider Electric and Solairedirect on joint solar project in Morocco

2010-05-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Casablanca (Morocco), Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, and Solairedirect, energy expert and leader in solar photovoltaic power in France, will travel to Morocco on an important visit from May 12th through 14th 2010 to present their joint project in solar energy.

During this major visit, they will meet with local authorities to gather information about the Kingdom’s energy strategy and will present their energy development projects for Morocco to key decision makers. This visit represents a unique opportunity for a potential partnership with several Moroccan institutions for the Moroccan Solar Plan, especially concerning the project of a 2 GW generation capacity using solar solutions by 2020.

Schneider Electric and Solairedirect are recognised as leaders in the solar and photovoltaic energy sector and have demonstrated their industrial and innovative expertise through major projects using the most advanced products and solutions:
- Schneider Electric’s portfolio provides end–to–end renewable energy solutions from generation to distribution.
- Solairedirect manufactures quality photovoltaic infrastructures that adhere to the highest performance and security standards

Schneider Electric, which has been operating in Morocco for 60 years, and Solairedirect, are committed to collaborating with local industrial resources and to providing Morocco with their wide range of expertise, from energy generation to distribution.

Representatives for Schneider Electric, Karim Belcadi, President for Schneider Electric (Morocco), and Jean-Claude Estival, Energy Business Manager, and for Solairedirect, Thierry Lepercq, CEO, and Younes Slaoui, President Advisor will form the delegation.
http://www.solairedirect.com
http://www.schneider-electric.com

Wind Power Outlook 2010 - by AWEA

2010-04-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wind energy is ready today–ready to support hundreds of thousands of jobs, avoid carbon emissions on a large scale, and strengthen America’s energy security. A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) study has found that, for an investment costing the
average American household less than a can of soda a month, wind power could generate 20% of the nation’s electricity by 2030–as much as nuclear power today.

Download AWEA Wind Power Outlook 2010:
http://awea.org/pubs/documents/Outlook_2010.pdf

Aster Capital, formally Schneider Electric Ventures, holds closing of new venture capital fund

2010-02-01T02:12:00.000-08:00

Aster Capital, formally Schneider Electric Ventures, is pleased to announce the first closing of its second venture capital fund with a commitment of EUR 70 million (US$ 100 million) from two industrial sponsors, Alstom and Schneider Electric.

The mission of Aster Capital is to take minority interests in innovative start-ups based in Europe, North America and Asia, developing new technologies that could lead to major breakthroughs in the fields of energy and the environment.

The two founding sponsors Alstom and Schneider Electric, which are world leaders in their respective businesses, share the aim to support the development of innovative young companies and to nurture cooperation and partnerships for their respective markets.

"This is the first time worldwide that two major industrial groups are associated in a joint initiative of this nature" said Jean-Marc Bally, founder of Schneider Electric Ventures and General Partner of Aster Capital. "This initiative remains open to other industrial and financial partners with a target to raise a total of EUR 120 million to EUR 150 million in the coming months".

"The commitment of two major players such as Alstom and Schneider Electric is a testament to the competence acquired by the Schneider Electric Ventures team since 2000 through the management of its first fund" commented Ignace de Prest, Energy & Cleantech Managing Partner of the fund since 2005. "The team will also benefit strongly from the arrival of two highly-recognised sector experts from Alstom".

"We are extremely happy to join this seasoned team and contribute to the success of Aster Capital" said Alexander Schlaepfer, previously VP Corporate Venturing at Alstom and Philippe Hervy, an expert coming from Alstom Transport.

"With an enhanced team, nearly US$ 200 million in total under management, and the business opportunities to be created with its sponsors, Aster Capital will be able to provide an unfair competitive advantage to its investments" added Benoit Toulouse, Senior Investment
Partner of the fund since 2005.

Allianz and Nordex cooperate to develop Wind Power in France

2009-11-25T05:51:00.000-08:00

Allianz has acquired two more wind farms from Nordex France

Nordex AG is further improving its position as one of the leading project developers on the French market: Allianz Specialised Investments, part of the alternative asset investment activities of the Allianz Group, has purchased the wind farms “Barbes d´Or” (12.5 MW) and “Joyeuses” (10 MW), planned and erected by Nordex. The total projects are equipped with Nordex N90/2500 turbines with 100 metre hub heights and are located in central France near to Issoudun.

In April this year Allianz already acquired the 12.5 MW “Les Cent Jalois” wind farm (12.5 MW) in the region of Aisne in northern France. This marked the start of the collaboration between Allianz and Nordex France. “We are pleased about this partnership. Allianz has now decided three times in favour of our N90/2500 technology, which has proved such an all-round success”, said Carsten Pedersen, COO Sales and marketing at Nordex.

With 334 MW on grid, Nordex is one of the three largest project developers in France. Overall, today Nordex France has a portfolio of 1,000 MW in different stages of development.

David Jones, CEO of Allianz Specialised Investments, said: "We are pleased to have acquired these two wind farms from Nordex and thereby increase our activities in France. We now have four operational wind farms in this key wind energy market. These latest investments also take our operational asset base in Europe to over 300 MW.”
http://www.nordex-online.com/

Indian Renewable IPP Greenko gets 46 M$ funding from GEF

2009-11-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

Private equity firm Global Environment Fund (GEF) announces the completion of an investment of $46.3 million in Greenko PLC, which is based in Hyderabad, India. Greenko is one of India’s largest independent power producers focused exclusively on renewable energy generation through the development, acquisition, construction, and operation of run-of-river hydro and biomass-fired plants. GEF is the only non-public investor and holds two seats on the Board of Directors of the company’s Mauritian subsidiary.

Since its formation in 2006, Greenko has sought to be a premier clean energy player in India, with a diverse portfolio of scaled renewable energy assets. GEF’s investment will accelerate the company’s growth objectives as it addresses the massive shortfalls in power supply needs in India in the coming years.

Anil Chalamalasetty, Chief Executive of Greenko, said, “We are delighted to receive funding from Global Environment Fund which shows confidence in Greenko’s business model and its long-term ambition to be a leading clean energy player in the fast growing Indian economy and energy markets. We believe GEF’s experience in investing in clean energy projects in other emerging economies will be a good value addition to the platform.”

H. Jeffrey Leonard, President, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of GEF, commented, “GEF is pleased to enter into a long-term partnership with Greenko, a leading and scaled renewable energy platform in India with a robust pipeline of expansion opportunities. Consistent with GEF’s investment strategy, Greenko represents a proven management team that should help meet India’s need for sustainable sources of power in the future.”

Smart Grid: Honeywell awarded grant to implement transition to reliable energy grid

2009-11-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

Honeywell Will Also Help Other Grant Recipients Implement Programs as the Country Transitions to a More Efficient, Reliable Energy Grid

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it has been awarded an $11.4-million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history. The grant, one of several awarded from a smart grid funding package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), solidifies Honeywell's position as a key player in helping the U.S. transition to a more efficient, reliable and secure electric system.

"Honeywell has long been supportive of investing in our country's energy independence and these grants are essential to that end," said Roger Fradin, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions. "However, the hard part comes next -- rebuilding the energy infrastructure. Honeywell has the project management experience to help utilities successfully deploy their programs and forge a tighter link with customers. And we have the technology to help homeowners and businesses take control of their energy use and maximize the benefits of a smart grid."

One of only four non-utility companies to receive funding, Honeywell will use the grant to support a critical peak pricing response program that will help commercial and industrial facilities in the Southern California Edison (SCE) service territory automatically implement energy management strategies to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The program will support nearly 700 customers as SCE and other California utilities move to critical peak pricing -- a program that offers rate discounts during the summer months to customers who can reduce or shift power during periods of peak electrical consumption.

The new rate structure will see prices spike during periods of peak demand, approximately 10 to 15 days per year. SCE will send a notice prior to any increase and Honeywell will install technology that allows customers to automate load-shedding strategies that reduce energy use during these periods. Based on open automated demand response (OpenADR) standards and powered by Tridium's Niagara(AX) Framework® and JACE® controller, the system will receive the utility's signal, communicate with the facility's building automation system and make changes based on parameters the customer sets. This could include turning off banks of lights, cycling equipment on and off, or temporarily increasing temperature set points in the facility.

In addition to installing the technology, Honeywell will provide customer outreach, education and engineering services, as well as ongoing support.

"Honeywell's program integrates business customers with a smarter grid," said Larry Oliva, director, Tariff Programs and Services, Southern California Edison. "Our customers will have the ability to decide how they want to respond to pricing changes, and the subsequent reduction in energy use will help us provide affordable, clean power over the long term."

Honeywell is also helping other organizations implement projects tied to the smart grid investment grants, including an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program for the city of Quincy, Fla. Honeywell will manage the installation of smart meters throughout the city and provide technology to automate commercial load-shedding strategies, similar to the SCE program.

Honeywell also won ARRA grants for the research and development of technology that ties into the smart grid. For example, the company is testing solutions that will significantly reduce down time and failures for the growing fleet of wind turbines in the United States. Researchers are also developing a controls infrastructure for optimizing renewable energy micro-grids.

The DOE funding, as well as Honeywell's involvement in other grants, reflects the company's expertise in smart grid services and technologies. Honeywell Utility Solutions, part of the Building Solutions business, has delivered demand response programs for almost 20 utilities in the United States and Canada. It specializes in all aspects of demand response from program design and load-control technology to customer recruitment and support.
www.honeywell.com/utility

Online Climate Event - WWF and The Economist

2009-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Thriving in The Clean Economy

WED NOV 18, 2009 1:30 pm EST | 10:30 am PST | 6:30 pm GMT

Free Webcast features Coca-Cola, IBM, Nokia, and other Climate Savers partners sharing carbon-cutting innovations just weeks before Copenhagen

Discover how companies are finding innovative solutions to combat climate change and secure our energy future while increasing their bottom lines. WWF Climate Savers companies are leading by example, showing that economic growth, curbing carbon, and increasing shareholder value and can go hand in hand.

Learn what they’re doing – and how they’re doing it – as well as their policy positions just weeks before governments gather in Copenhagen to discuss a new global climate framework.

Industrial Energy Efficiency Projects Get Financing

2009-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is awarding more than $155 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 41 industrial energy efficiency projects across the country. These awards include funding for industrial combined heat and power systems, district energy systems for industrial facilities, and grants to support technical and financial assistance to local industry. The industrial sector uses more than 30 percent of U.S. energy and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of U.S. carbon emissions.

“To remain globally competitive, American industry needs to be energy efficient. The funding for industrial energy efficiency technologies announced today will support a robust American industrial sector and help to usher in a clean energy economy,” said Secretary Chu. “Many companies already realize that improving efficiency saves money while helping the environment. These projects will make energy efficiency technologies more widely available, cutting energy use and reducing carbon pollution across the country.”

Nine projects announced today will promote the use of combined heat and power, district energy systems, waste energy recovery systems, and energy efficiency initiatives in hospitals, utilities, and industrial sites. Combined Heat and Power and District Energy Systems generate both the heat and power needed for industrial processes on-site, instead of using electricity from the grid, and can be nearly twice as efficient as conventional heat and power production. These 9 awards – totaling approximately $150 million – will be leveraged with $634 million in private industry cost share for a total project value of up to $785 million. These industrial efficiency projects will result in almost 14 trillion Btu in estimated energy savings, which is equivalent to over 112 million gallons of gasoline per year.

The remaining 32 awards will provide local technical support for the industrial sector through university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, state agencies, regional partnerships, and a national technical assistance provider. This funding will enable DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program to provide technical and financial support for local businesses and manufacturing facilities to save energy and reduce their energy costs, obtain financing to realize significant gains in efficiency and productivity, and save and create manufacturing and industrial sector jobs across the country.

These 32 projects are an extension of DOE’s successful Save Energy Now initiative, which provides plant energy assessments and technical assistance to energy intensive industrial facilities. Since the program’s inception in 2006, more than 2,300 assessments have been completed. Over 1,500 industrial facilities implemented the identified energy measures, which have saved $218 million, 35 trillion Btu and 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

The projects announced today are selections for financial award. The final details for each project award are subject to final contract negotiations between DOE and the grantee.

Today’s awards include:

Industrial Technologies ($149.3 million total)
* Texas Medical Center Central Heating and Cooling Services Company
* Seattle Steam Company
* Rhode Island LFG Genco, LLC
* Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
* Ridgewood Renewable Power, LLC
* ArcelorMittal USA
* Verso Paper Corporation
* The Dow Chemical Company
* Clean Tech Partners

Industrial Assessment Centers ($1.87 million total)
* Bradley University
* Georgia Institute of Technology
* Lehigh University
* Mississippi State University
* North Carolina State University
* Oklahoma State University
* San Diego State
* Tennessee Technological University
* Texas A&M University
* University of Alabama
* University of Dayton
* University of Delaware
* University of Louisiana at Lafayette
* University of Michigan
* West Virginia University

State Agencies ($3.84 million total, approximately $350,000 awarded to each state)
* Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
* Idaho Office of Energy Resources
* Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence
* Louisiana State Energy
* Maryland Energy Administration
* Minnesota Department of Commerce
* Mississippi Development Authority-Energy Division
* New Jersey Industrial Energy Program
* Ohio Energy Office, Ohio Department of Development
* Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
* Wisconsin’s Office of Energy Independence

Regional Partnerships ($2.5 million total, $500,000 awarded per region)
* Energy Resources Division of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority along with Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina
* Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the University of Massachusetts (CEERE)
* Illinois State Energy Office
* Washington Department of Community Trade and Economic Development
* West Virginia Department of Energy

National Technical Assistance Provider ($1.4 million)
* Oak Ridge Partnership for Industrial Energy Efficiency

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/index.html

Smart Grid Software for Solar Projects by Gridpoint

2009-11-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart grid software, announced that it will provide storage management, renewable integration, and home energy management solutions for Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) smart grid solar project, the recipient of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. GridPoint worked with the utility to draft the proposal, which is part of $117.6 million allocated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in support of high penetration solar deployment projects.

SMUD’s project will evaluate how the integration of energy storage could enhance the value of distributed photovoltaic (PV) resources for the community, the utility and the grid by reducing peak loads, firming capacity and maximizing overall system efficiency. It will help build a strategy that can be replicated throughout SMUD’s service territory. The project will integrate energy storage into an existing PV environment, a residential solar community in Rancho Cordova, California, and test new consumer control concepts and PV inverter control within an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system.

“Energy storage is considered the holy grail because it is the key to bringing significant quantities of renewable energy onto the grid. When it can be easily controlled by both a utility and consumers, it offers a compelling solution for optimizing the grid,” said Peter L. Corsell, CEO, GridPoint. “We are pleased to be partnering with SMUD on this deployment, which will likely provide significant lessons for the industry as a whole.”

GridPoint’s software will monitor and control solar production and storage assets in real time, allowing SMUD to determine how to make them a predictable and more valuable energy resource. GridPoint’s software will be used to dispatch stored energy from advanced batteries to reduce peak demand, power or back up homes’ critical loads, charge the batteries, or export solar into SMUD’s distribution system.

The integration of GridPoint’s software with SMUD’s AMI system will facilitate household load control via GridPoint’s home energy management portal, a critical element of the project. The portal will allow consumers to view household energy usage, PV production and output, and energy storage capacity, and also receive and respond to real-time pricing signals from SMUD to curtail usage during periods of peak demand.

GridPoint’s capabilities will also enable the utility to evaluate whether capacity firming and advanced pricing signals influence consumer behavior. And it will allow SMUD to observe consumer preferences and interaction with the technology in order to provide innovative services and increase the effectiveness of energy conservation programs.

“We expect that both SMUD and our customers will benefit from GridPoint’s capabilities, which include providing flexibility to home owners in managing their energy use and balancing the load curve to improve overall reliability and efficiency,” said Jim Shetler, SMUD Assistant General Manager, Energy Supply.

GridPoint’s software aggregates and manages an intelligent network of distributed energy resources that controls load, stores energy and produces power. Utilities efficiently balance supply and demand, improve grid reliability and empower consumers with user-friendly software to manage energy consumption. With GridPoint’s interoperable enterprise-class server technology, utilities rapidly integrate and manage emerging technologies, resulting in a practical path to developing a clean, efficient 21st century grid.

GridPoint is working with utilities nationwide including Austin Energy, Duke Energy and Xcel Energy. The company was recently named to the Global Cleantech 100 and in 2008 was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.
http://www.gridpoint.com

Hydropower Funding, Potential for 60.000 MW by 2025

2009-11-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

The following is statement from National Hydropower Association Executive Director Linda Church Ciocci regarding the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) announcement today that seven hydropower projects will receive $30.6 million in Recovery Act funding to spur clean-energy investment and job growth.

"NHA applauds Secretary Steven Chu and Under Secretary Kristina Johnson on the commitment DOE is demonstrating to affordable, renewable energy and family-supporting job creation with today’s hydropower project funding announcement. Through public-private investments, DOE is helping to foster opportunities to develop the more than 60,000 megawatts of clean, domestic generating capacity and 700,000 jobs experts believe the U.S. hydropower industry can create by 2025.

"All of the hydropower projects Under Secretary Johnson announced for funding today during her appearance at NHA member Voith Hydro's manufacturing plant in York, Pennsylvania, involve enhancing existing facilities to make them more productive, while improving their environmental footprints. In a report NHA released last month, we identified opportunities to create nearly 9,000 megawatts of new capacity through similar upgrades by 2025.

“We also welcomed Under Secretary Johnson’s comments about DOE’s commitment to doubling hydropower resources, through efforts like this. NHA believes that initiatives like this will propel our industry toward President Obama's goal of building a clean-energy economy that includes hydropower.

"Just as our predecessors helped lift the country out of the Great Depression by creating jobs and building hydroelectric facilities to power new commerce, today's hydropower industry will serve our 21st-century demands for affordable, clean energy, strong environmental performance, and economic benefits from job creation and investment.

"NHA is pleased to congratulate both DOE and the seven hydropower projects for their commitment to this effort. As an industry, we stand ready to support this and other initiatives that will serve Americans now and for generations to come.”
http://www.hydro.org

Smart Grid: $3.4bn Investment Grants Awarded

2009-10-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition to Smart Energy Grid

Applicants say investments will create tens of thousands of jobs, save energy and empower consumers to cut their electric bills

Speaking at Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, President Barack Obama today announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nation’s transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system. The end result will promote energy-saving choices for consumers, increase efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

The $3.4 billion in grant awards are part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and will be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion. Applicants state that the projects will create tens of thousands of jobs, and consumers in 49 states will benefit from these investments in a stronger, more reliable grid. Full listings of the grant awards by category and state are available HERE and HERE. A map of the awards is available HERE.

An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the implementation of smart grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. That would mean a savings of $20.4 billion for businesses and consumers around the country, and $1.6 billion for Florida alone -- or $56 in utility savings for every man, woman and child in Florida.

One-hundred private companies, utilities, manufacturers, cities and other partners received the Smart Grid Investment Grant awards today, including FPL, which will use its $200 million in funding to install over 2.5 million smart meters and other technologies that will cut energy costs for its customers. In the coming days, Cabinet Members and Administration officials will fan out to awardee sites across the country to discuss how this investment will create jobs, improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical grid, and help bring clean energy sources from high-production states to those with less renewable generating capacity. The awards announced today represent the largest group of Recovery Act awards ever made in a single day and the largest batch of Recovery Act clean energy grant awards to-date.

http://www.energy.gov/

Go solar with "Solar Power your Home for Dummies"

2009-10-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Want to take advantage of solar power in your home? Whether you're looking to save on your energy costs by adding a few solar components or you want to build a solar-powered house from the ground up, "Solar Power For Dummies" takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to put it to work for you

This friendly, hands-on guide is packed with tips for making your home more energy-efficient though solar power--and helping the planet at the same time. You'll see how to survey your home to determine your current household energy efficiency and use, and evaluate where solar power would best benefit you. You'll also calculate what the return on your investment will be before you make any decisions. Once you've decided on a project, you'll see whether it's best to hire a contractor or do it yourself. We leave no stone unturned--you'll also discover how to: Choose and install your best solar system Handle small to large solar projects Heat and cool your house with solar energy Install exterior solar lighting Handle swimming pool, water heater, or ventilation solar projects Create greenhouses or solar rooms Build, buy, or sell a solar home Finance your solar investments Take advantage of tax rebates and incentives associated with solar power Avoid the worst solar mistakes

Featuring ten of the easiest and cheapest do-it-yourself solar projects, "Solar Power For Dummies" is the fun and easy way to meet your energy needs with this clean power source.
http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780470175699

Nordex delivering a further 36 multi-MW turbines to Turkey

2009-10-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

Bilgin Enerji financing third N90/2500 wind farm as planned

Nordex’s Turkish business is con-tinuing to gain momentum: After the award of a contract for 115 MW last summer, finance has now also been obtained for the next project. Accordingly, Nordex will be supplying the power station operator Bilgin Enerji with 36 N90/2500 turbines for the “Soma” project as of January. With a total volume of 90 MW, Bilgin will be calling this package down under the 210 MW master contract signed in spring 2008 in line with plans. The Turkish company has additionally also booked a premium service package.

Nordex will be assembling the “Soma” wind farm in the province of Manisa in western Turkey. The 36 turbines will be distributed over a large mountainous terrain. With a combined notional annual yield of over 300 gigawatt/hours they will be able to supply more than 150,000 Turkish households with electricity, simultaneously saving emissions of around 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

“Soma” is the third firm contract received from Bilgin. At the begin-ning of September, the “Mazi III” wind farm (22.5 MW) went on line and Nordex is already commencing the delivery of 36 turbines for “Bergama” (90 MW), the first project under the master contract. “Bergama” and “Soma” figure amongst the two largest wind power projects in Turkey to date. “Today, with the signature of the firm contract for the `Soma´ wind farm with Nordex, we have strength-ened our leading position as an investor in the Turkish renewable energy sector”, says Tolga Bilgin, Vice President of Bilgin Energy.

With contracts for a total of 300 MW, Nordex is one of the leading wind power companies in Turkey. “We have our fingers directly on the pulse of the market via our branch in Istanbul, which we estab-lished in April. This is proving to be a strategic advantage for us as Turkey has plans to extend its wind power capacity substantially. With new licenses about to be awarded, we are already in talks with potential customers,” says Carsten Pedersen, COO Sales and Marketing at Nordex.
http://www.nordex-online.com