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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/