800,000 Jobs by 2012

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)

Hydrogen storage start-up gets 14 ME funding, McPHY

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.

Beacon Power Awarded $2 Million to Support Deployment of Flywheel Plant in New York

Beacon Power Corporation (Nasdaq: BCON), a company that designs and develops advanced products and services to support more stable, reliable and efficient electricity grid operation, announced that it has been selected by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for a project award valued at $2 million, subject to negotiations for the project contract. The award would provide partial funding for 1 megawatt (MW) of flywheel energy storage in Stephentown, New York – the first of 20 MW that Beacon expects to build and operate on the site.

Under the anticipated contract, the NYSERDA funding will partially pay for the design, site preparation, flywheel production, installation, system commissioning, data monitoring and analysis of a 1 MW Smart Energy Matrix that would provide frequency regulation services. As part of the same award, NYSERDA is also providing partial funding for certain interconnection components of the 20 MW frequency regulation plant that Beacon plans to construct on the Stephentown site.

The 1 MW Smart Energy Matrix will be initially connected to a power line owned by NYSEG, a major state utility. A system impact study for the 1 MW project has been successfully completed, and Beacon has entered into an interconnection agreement with NYSEG. When the balance of the 20 MW plant is constructed, the 1 MW system will be switched over and the entire facility will connect to a transmission line owned by National Grid.

Beacon will receive the funding from NYSERDA in stages that will be tied to construction milestones and system performance parameters. Once built and connected, the 1 MW system will be capable of receiving a commercial regulation control signal from New York ISO (NYISO), and earning revenue by bidding into the NYISO regulation market. NYISO received approval last month from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for what is considered to be the most favorable tariff for grid-scale energy storage among any of the open-market grid regions. In addition, NYISO has already completed the related technical implementation of software and control systems.

PowerGenix Closes $30M Round Fueled by Clean Transportation, Energy Storage Demands

Powerful, Nontoxic Nickel-Zinc Batteries Eye Huge Market Opportunity
PowerGenix, manufacturer of nontoxic, high performance rechargeable Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries, today announced the close of its $30 million Series D financing round. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and included existing investors: Advent International, Angeleno Group, Braemar Energy Ventures, Granite Ventures, OnPoint Technologies and Technology Partners.
Amid a global restructuring of energy storage markets, propelled by increased concern over battery safety and toxicity and revived interest in automotive technologies, PowerGenix has seen huge demand for its nontoxic rechargeable NiZn batteries. The company has signed $75 million in customer supply agreements since beginning high-volume manufacturing in March of this year and is supplying NiZn cells into multiple markets including power tool, lawn and garden, consumer AA, military and light electric vehicles (LEV).
Targeting the global clean transportation and energy storage markets with a nontoxic, non-combustible and recyclable battery solution, PowerGenix's NiZn cells pack one-third more power and energy than existing rechargeable alkaline cells. The company's cells have also received compliance, under third-party testing, with the European Union's Reduction of Hazardous Materials (RoHS) and Battery Directive requirements, widely recognized as the world standard for banning toxic material in new electronic devices. In the United States, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), which represents 90 percent of the global battery industry, recently expanded its recycling program for the first time in seven years to include PowerGenix's NiZn -- the most recyclable rechargeable chemistry on the market.

Smarter Energy Storage For Solar And Wind Power

Development of the first hybrid battery suitable for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is now a step closer.

CSIRO and Cleantech Ventures have invested in technology start-up Smart Storage Pty Ltd to develop and commercialise battery-based storage solutions.
Director of the CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship Dr John Wright said the Smart Storage battery technology aims to deliver a low cost, high performance, high power stationary energy storage solution suitable for grid-connected and remote applications.
“Cost effective, high performance energy storage has been the missing link for renewable energy,” he said.
Current battery storage solutions undergo frequent deep discharging and are unable to meet high power demands. They are also considered expensive due to high initial cost and short battery life.
“The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO’s ‘Ultrabattery’ which has been successfully trialled in hybrid vehicles,” Dr Wright said.
Extensive technology development is now underway to produce a low cost and easily manufactured deep-cycle stationary battery that meets demanding variable operating conditions.
“The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO’s ‘Ultrabattery’ which has been successfully trialled in hybrid vehicles,”
Dr Wright said.
The Smart Storage technology is a hybrid battery which combines an asymmetric ‘supercapacitor’ electrode and a lead-acid battery in a single unit cell. Advanced materials used for the electrodes and current management absorb and release charge rapidly and at efficiencies well above conventional battery types.
It is expected that the discharge and charge power of the Smart Storage battery will be 50 per cent higher and its cycle-life at least three times longer than that of the conventional lead-acid counterpart.
“Most importantly, our technology development path is directed towards manufacturing in existing lead-acid battery plants,” said Andrew Pickering, a Principal at Cleantech Ventures.
“Too often new technologies simply aren’t affordable and that significantly retards market uptake.
“Investments in energy storage technologies have excellent potential for strong returns given the growing market demand and the lack of viable solutions. We now have investments in two energy storage technology companies, V-Fuel which targets grid-scale renewable energy storage applications and now Smart Storage for smaller renewable energy systems.”

New Clean Energy Storage Nanotechnology

Nanoexa Delivers Disruptive Battery Technology to Korean Manufacturer Strong Partnership Enables Rapid Commercialization of Advanced Batteries

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., April 19, 2007 ­ Nanoexa, a nanotechnology-based clean energy company, today announced that the company has delivered new technology to Decktron, Nanoexa¹s publicly traded subsidiary in Korea, as a result of a Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) agreement. Decktron, an advanced technology manufacturing company, will apply the nanotechnology to the development of a new generation of lithium ion batteries.

³This new nanotechnology will enable Decktron to create the best batteries on the market,² said S. S. Kim, Chief Strategy Officer of Decktron. ³Since we partnered with Nanoexa last fall, we have been confident in the company¹s continued ability to provide Decktron with the kind of technology that will secure our position as the battery industry leader.²

To be used in combination with existing intellectual property from Argonne National Laboratory, the technology is based on a positive electrode material that is comprised of a unique nano-crystalline layered-layered composite structure. This cathode technology will give Decktron¹s batteries the ability to deliver more than 3000 W/kg, making Decktron¹s lithium batteries among the best-performing on the market today. In addition to the technology, the intellectual property transfer includes a description of low-cost, scaleable methods to manufacture positive electrode material in high volume.

³This rapid IP output and subsequent technology transfer affirms Nanoexa¹s commitment to commercializing the next wave of battery advancements,² said Michael Pak, CEO of Nanoexa. ³The layered-layered design of the battery will ensure its stability and safety. We are confident that this agreement with Decktron will result in a safe energy storage solution perfect for the power tool and HEV markets.²

About Nanoexa
Nanoexa is an international clean energy company focused on bringing innovative clean energy storage products to market. With a rapid systems-level approach to commercialization, Nanoexa is has assembled an extensive IP portfolio, initially focused on lithium ion batteries. Through its novel materials and computational modeling platform, it improves material performance while dramatically reducing time to commercialization.
In 2006, Nanoexa acquired a controlling interest in Decktron, a South Korea-based company offering highly efficient, environmentally sustainable battery technologies. Nanoexa is based in South San Francisco, California.
For further information, visit www.nanoexa.com .

About Decktron
Decktron is an advanced technology and manufacturing company focused on delivering next generation lithium batteries that deliver exceptional performance and safety levels. In addition to lithium batteries, Decktron is a leading supplier of flat panel displays, including LCD and PDP, generating revenues of $100 million in 2005. Decktron will continue to grow its flat panel display business while becoming a global supplier of advanced lithium batteries for high end professional and consumer applications. Decktron is publicly traded on the Korean Stock Exchange (KOSDAQ:053070) and is headquartered in Seoul, Korea. For further information, visit www.decktron.com .

Utility studies energy storage in car batteries

PG&E is considering a plan that would let fleets of electric vehicles use their excess power to recharge the grid during periods of peak demand.

SAN FRANCISCO — California's biggest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., is considering a plan to charge fleets of battery-powered cars overnight with wind energy and let consumers sell back some of the stored electricity during the day.

In addition to reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from standard cars, the plan could help stoke production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and give power managers more energy capacity on the grid for hot summer afternoons, speakers said at a "clean technology" investment conference in San Francisco this week.

The utility, a subsidiary of PG&E Corp., "could recharge car batteries through electric outlets during the off-peak overnight hours and recharge the grid from the batteries during critical peak demand periods," said Hal LaFlash, its director of energy policy and planning.

More than 20 states have adopted measures that order electric utilities to add more renewable, cleaner energies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass to their energy supplies.

In California, wind power is the biggest renewable energy source, providing more than 2,500 megawatts of electricity. About 4,600 megawatts of wind-generated electricity are projected to be added to meet the state's goal for renewable supplies, LaFlash said.

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy also is studying so-called smart-grid technologies and the idea of recharging hybrid electric vehicles and feeding excess power back to the grid.

A six-month study in Colorado found that electric cars may reduce the overall cost of owning a car and with new grid technology may cut harmful vehicle emissions by as much as 50%.

More studies will include plug-in electric vehicle field tests and will examine management of battery charging along with the availability of renewable energy, Xcel said.

However, the technology to allow car batteries to feed electricity back to the power grid is probably at least five to six years away, Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, said at the conference.

CalCars is a nonprofit group that has built about 20 plug-in vehicles since 2004 by outfitting the Toyota Prius hybrid with new lithium-ion batteries.

Improving battery technologies to boost energy density at lower weight and cost is a hurdle, but progress on lithium-ion battery packs could help develop a bigger market for plug-in cars, Kramer said.

Drivers also may have to downsize their vehicle choices. Some electric cars are likely to be small and aimed at urban dwellers who do most of their motoring in or near cities.

Jan-Olaf Willums, chairman of Norway's TH!NK Electric Car Co., is betting that he will find a market in Europe and the United States for his two-seater city car. The company previously had ties to Ford Motor Co.

The Norwegian company raised $25 million in February and aims to double the funding amount by May, Willums said. It expects to begin production in Norway in September, with marketing focused first in Europe and then the U.S.

PG&E's LaFlash said smart-grid technologies such as high-tech meters that measure electricity use via remote control and give customers timing and pricing options could help drivers charge their car batteries at home and also get a credit on their bills for putting excess electricity back on the grid.

Utilities and grid managers would limit the amount of energy uploaded from car batteries, LaFlash said. Metering and billing systems would be equipped to match a car to an account.