Alternative Energy News

Miasole Raising $200M, $1.2B Valuation?: VentureWire reports that the thin film solar company is looking to raise between $200 and $220 million, at a valuation of $1.2 billion. That's a little more than half of what Nanosolar was reported to be valued at . — VentureWire via VentureBeat . Hawaii Says New Homes Must Have Solar Water Heaters: A bill mandating solar water heaters for new homes starting in 2010 was signed into law by Republican Governor Linda Lingle this week — EcoGeek . Solar Rebates For All!: Like the rebate program that San Francisco just enacted, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill that would offer rebates for half of the cost of solar installation. — TreeHugger . Massachusetts Hearts Cleantech: Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill into law which calls for millions of investment in cleantech and more cleanpower from utilities — Greentech Media . Texas Governor's Ethanol Waiver Request, Follows Handout From Poultry Biz: From the Houston Chronicle, “Gov. Rick Perry's request for a waiver of federal corn-based ethanol production mandates was prompted by a March meeting he had with East Texas poultry producer Lonnie R..

I recently noted that Hawaii has enacted a law that requires all new homes to install solar water heaters. Eventually, Hawaii may have as many water heaters as Israel, where 90% of homes have solar water heaters installed. When viewed from above, the Jerusalem often glitters with the shine of the thousands of solar heaters that adorn rooftops. These heaters were first installed when the country experienced a fuel supply crisis in the early 1950s. The government responded by severely restricting the times when water could be heated. Israelis in turn responded by purchasing huge quantities of solar water heaters. By 1983, 60% of the population heated their water with the sun. A law was eventually passed requiring the installation of solar water heaters. In 2005, Spain became the second country (after Israel) to require solar water heaters. It also became the first country to require the installation of solar cells for electricity generation in new buildings. In many climates, a solar heating system can provide a very high percentage (50% to 75%) of domestic hot water energy. In many northern European countries, solar power is used not only to heat water, but also to provide 15 to 25..

While the opposition to building new coal plants continues to grow, perhaps we should also add a lesser-known villain to the climate change culprit list: flat-screen TVs. Research is being conducted by Professor Michael Prather on a greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride that's used to make flat-screen televisions, The Guardian notes this week. And the gas could have a worse effect on global warming than some of the world's largest coal plants. Prather and his colleague write in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, that the gas has: “…a potential greenhouse impact larger than that of the industrialised nations' emissions of PFCs or SF6, or even that of the world's largest coal-fired power plants” via The Guardian. Damn, I knew I had a good excuse for watching movies on my laptop. Prather estimates that production of the gas has grown to 4,000 tons per year and is expected to double by next year. While not much research has been done on nitrogen trifluoride, Prather says the problem with the gas is that it is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide. That's not the only thing wrong with some flat-screen TVs. The New York Times called the plasma TV the..

From an article by Steve Kokette, signit2@hotmail.com , creator of the “Buy Products From Renewable Energy” bumper sticker and author of Money Saving Conservation Products and Projects for the Homeowner. Recently Governor Doyle suggested Wisconsin could become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy. Doing so would be extremely beneficial for the state in many ways, even if you're not a believer in global warming. Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is consumer driven, and if consumers started consciously spending their money on the thousands of products made with renewable energy, it could help clean the air, and the water. It feels strange living in an era when life often seems to be regressing in the very places it started. When I was young, the DNR did not recommend limiting your intake of Wisconsin caught fish. Then in the late 60s, a short stretch of the Fox River polluted by paper mills was so polluted the DNR recommended people eat a limited number of fish from these waters. Since the late 60s the number of Wisconsin waters with DNR fish consumption limitations slowly grew over the years, until a few years ago the DNR recommended fish consumption limitations for f..

The American Southwest has some of the best solar resources on the globe. Nevada, with abundant land and sunshine is becoming a hot bed for the solar industry. The result is green jobs and billions of investment dollars. Solar Panel Manufacturing The opening of Ausra’s solar thermal power factory earlier this week in Las Vegas is a prime example. As the largest plant of its kind in the world, it employs 50 factory workers. At full capacity, the plant can generate 700 MW of solar panels, which could produce enough power for 500,000 homes. This quantity of panels would create an estimated 1,400 solar plant construction jobs. The factory will produce giant mirrors and absorber tubes that are used for solar power plants. This technology uses the sun to generate heat and spin turbines, thus creating electricity. The giant mirrors follow the sun and reflect it onto fixed absorber tubes that are mounted above. “Nevada is poised to be a leader in the clean energy revolution,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). “This facility will help position our state as the premiere place to invest in these new technologies. As the factory expands operations and..

The rising cost of powering a data center — not “saving the environment” — has been behind a good deal of the greening of information technology . A report out today from ABI Research says cell phone carriers are facing a similar cost problem and are trying to do something about it. ABI Research VP Stuart Carlaw said in a release touting the report: “Although reducing power consumption provides good ecological credentials for carriers and vendors alike, the real driver for improving power consumption is financial.” The report suggests carriers should work on reducing power consumption by the base stations inside each cell tower that transmit and receive wireless signals from mobile phones. Such efforts could save carriers a sizable 43 percent on power costs from 2007 to 2013 and will start to make a dent in spiraling operations costs by 2012. Other greener options include using alternative energy, such as solar or wind, to power cell tower sites rather than conventional electricity or diesel generators.

There is some excitement in the nuclear focused blog world about “The World’s First Commercial High Temperature Nuclear Reactor” based partly on a recent article in Power Engineering by Jana Miller titled “Powering Up A Growing Nation” . This project in Shandong Province will be a unique plant whose reactor heat source is two containers full of spherical fuel elements, each one of which is about the size of a billiard ball. I am a bit reluctant to call this plant a “first”, but I can get just as excited about the third, 10th or 100th plant in a progressive series of improved plants that should number 1000 reactors or more. The plant, designated as HTR-PM, will be a 200 MWe pebble bed reactor heated steam plant with two reactors, each with a single steam generator (boiler) feeding a single turbine. The plant will be built in Rongchen City on a site large enough to host series of perhaps 10-12 similar plants. In that area of China, there are hundreds of older coal fired power plants generating 50-300 MWe each. The HTR-PM is a carefully watched project that uses technology old enough to be new again. The concept was introduced in the late 194..

by Cristina Foung My favorite green product of the week: the EarthLED EvoLux S LED light bulb What is it? A while back, I wrote about the EarthLED CL-3 , but that was before I knew about the EvoLux S. Let me tell you…this is quite a bulb. Here are the basics: it’s a 13-watt LED light bulb that puts out 900 lumens. It uses an advanced CREE 13 watt light engine and has a standard base, so it can fit pretty much anywhere a standard incandescent (or CFL) can. Why is it better? Well, for the amount of light it puts out, it uses far less electricity than incandescent or CFL bulbs use (EarthLED says that the EvoLux S is comparable to a 100-watt incandescent). So clearly in terms of energy efficiency, it wins hands down. Based on a formula to calculate the lifetime cost of a light bulb , a 100-watt incandescent light bulb which puts out 950 lumens and runs for 1,500 hours will cost you about $11.04 per megalumen-hour. Although the upfront cost of LED light bulbs is much higher, turns out for the EarthLED EvoLux S, you’ll spend only $3.22 per megalumen-hour (assuming $0.10/kWh). EarthLED reports that it only costs $5.70 to run an EvoLux S for a year. And finally, it’s just a good l..

The U.S. isn't taking aggressive enough action — or much action at all — on climate change, according to a report released today by the World Wildlife Fund and German insurer Allianz. In fact the “ G8 Climate Scorecards ” place the U.S. at the bottom of the Group of Eight on climate action. Sadly, the U.S. isn't alone with its poor performance. Even the leaders — Britain, France and Germany — were called out for their slow progress on emissions reductions, despite Kyoto commitments. Regine Guenther, director of the WWF Climate Change Program in Germany, told reporters that the three nations are making about half the cuts to carbon emissions needed to stop global warming. The rankings, compiled by Dutch consultant Ecofys, are largely unchanged from those released in 2005 . Looking more closely, however, the report suggests that the U.S. is poised to move up the list, thanks to state-led initiatives and the upcoming presidential election. “The next administration will likely show much stronger leadership on climate change,” the report authors note optimistically. (Follow our Green Campaign Watch coverage to see if the candidates are up to the challeng..

While solar projects are getting slated for the deserts of California and Arizona, New Mexico's four largest utilities have done a public shout out to bring in a very large solar project to their state. El Paso Electric, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Xcel Energy and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association have issued a request for proposal for a solar power project that could deliver up to 375,000 megawatt-hours annually and power up to 52,000 homes. (hat tip UPI , GreenBiz ). The request asks solar developers to submit proposals for a project that would use solar parabolic trough technology, would be built in New Mexico and use thermal storage. If the utility group likes any of the submissions it will try to negotiate a contract by the end of 2008 and potentially turn on the clean power for New Mexico customers by the end of 2011. Interested solar companies read more here . The New Mexico utilities' announcement comes in the same week that the Bureau of Land Management did an about face and decided to continue to accept solar project applications on public land. Previously the Bureau had called for a freeze on all new solar projects on public lands until an envi..

Well, guess we know where some of that big wave in cleantech “growth stage” capital is going… VentureWire is reporting today that Miasole is “wrapping up” a new $200-220mm round of financing, at a pre-money valuation of about $1.2B. VWire reports that the company was looking initially at a $150mm round, but investor [...]

There is a great article today in Time. It covers a lot of 'hot button' issues with me, such as suburban sprawl, shorter work weeks, and conservation: 10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas Gas prices are near $4 per gal., as no one needs to tell you, and they are likely to stay that way. Most of us still don't have the alternatives we need to adapt with grace, which means that many will adapt just by suffering. We will run out of gas on I-80, ease our minivans over to the shoulder and tell the kids everything is O.K. We'll fall behind on Visa bills to pay for gas so we can buy food made ever more expensive by energy costs. But it's also true that Americans are finding options where there seemed to be none. They're ready to change — and waiting for their infrastructure to catch up. They are driving to commuter-rail lines only to find there are no parking spots left. They are running fewer errands and dumping their SUVs. Public-transit use is at a 50-year high. Gas purchases are down 2% to 3%. And all those changes bring secondary, hard-earned benefits. "You suddenly are reminded how the economy works," says Eric Roston, author of a new book about energy, The Carbon Age. "Nobody want..

I have grappled over the past year with the question of just how much speculation is playing a factor in runaway oil prices. I think it is primarily a supply/demand issue, but I also feel that such a large flow of money into commodities is also driving the surge. Not so, says a new article in Fortune: Hunting for oil villains NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Atlanta hedge fund manager Michael Masters has been a star witness in two recent Congressional hearings on how speculators are supposedly driving up oil prices. Masters and I don't see eye-to-eye on this issue, so I was surprised to get a call from him after my " Don't Blame The Oil Speculators " column went up on Fortune.com last week. Masters contends that without speculators, the price of oil would be $65 or $70 a barrel. He points out that the amount invested in commodities index products has risen from $13 billion to $260 billion in five years, a fact he thinks is key to understanding oil prices. It certainly makes sense to me that large flows of money into a sector should impact the price. But the author argues that unless the speculators are taking physical delivery and taking product off of the market, then they won't impact the p..

The Office for Territorial Management (BLM) from U.S. has changed yesterday the plan to halt more solar energy projects in six states from the western federation. At the end of May, BLM has imposed a moratorium to start studying the impact of projects. They had to take place over a period of 22 months and to analyse the impact of environmental, economic and social systems solar it would have had on public territories of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Before the moratorium to enter into force at the end of May, the government has received about 130 proposals for development projects of 4,000 square kilometers of land, according to BLM coordinator for impact studies, Linda Resseguie. These projects have the potential to generate about 70 billion watts of electricity, enough to feed 20 million U.S. homes. “We've got know the concerns expressed regarding with our decision to postpone the new solar energy projects, we thought better and decided to act in the sense of acceptance of these development projects,” said BLM director, James Caswell. BLM governmental agency controls about 13% of the area of the United States.

Volkswagen has introduced a hybrid prototype of Golf model, following a government programme of Germany , called “Fleet Test: electric drive vehicles,” announces Worldcarfans.com. The car engine was called “TwinDrive.” The project is designed to encourage the development of electric cars that use renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or hydro. The car TwinDrive system is exactly the opposite one against usual hybrid engine, diesel engine (or gas) serving as “second” to the electric one . This German initiative has gathered in one place eight giants of industry from the country, which have collaborated to design 20 cars that use engine “Twin Drive.” Volkswagen has assumed responsibility to lead this project. “We will invest several tens of millions in the development of this technology,” said Prof. Dr. Winterkorn, VW director. Meanwhile, the german Ministry of Environment will contribute, too, with a few millions to the study which will be go until 2012. Volkswagen hopes that in 2010 will present the first fully electric car, Gulf TwinDrive being considered the first step in this regard.

Energy Recovery's water-related IPO fares well in turbulent times, and we spot nine other deals over the past week. read more

An electronic billboard on the basis of wind and solar energy will be installed in Manhattan, in the famous market Times Square in December this year. This “green” billboard is the first of its kind in Times Square and in the eastern United States, the second in the U.S. and the third in the world, said representative Ricoh Corp. Americas., Russell Marchetta. Panel designed by Ricoh Americas will have a height of 14 meters and a length of 38 metres. The energy required to the projectors will be generated by 45 solar panels and 4 wind turbines. Thus, energy consumption will be much smaller, and carbon dioxide emissions will be 18 tonnes less each year, said Marchetta. The first billboard on the basis of solar energy in the U.S. was introduced last year. The new panel will be placed between Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street.

The city of Houston has signed a contract to get a quarter of its municipal government power needs from wind farms. This is significant not only because Houston is the oil and gas capital of the country, but because it needs a lot of power. It's the fourth-largest city in the nation, and it's built on a swamp near the tropics. Those government air conditioning needs are not small. Houston officials have contracted with Goldman Sachs and Reliant Energy to provide 40 MW of power at 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour for the next five years. The city uses an average of 160 MW to power its municipal buildings (this doesn't include residential or business users in the city). The cost is less than the current 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour that natural gas providers are offering. But here's where it gets really interesting. The Wall Street Journal, in reporting on this deal, said: The power that the city buys won't necessarily come directly from wind turbines. Because wind power is intermittent — it is produced only when the wind blows hard enough — the city's contract calls for back-up power to come from conventional sources. But the energy companies will certify that an equal and of..

They plan to test Fluor's Econamine carbon capture technology on a coal-fired power plant in Germany. read more

In the context in which pollution and the cost of oil becomes problems ever more pressing for humanity, the “green” drafts come to be increasingly attractive and their chances of achieving increases, especially where the economic crisis proves to have positive consequences. An example would be Arab countries. Thus, somewhere in the middle of the desert which surrounding the Abu Dhabi, is raising a “green city”, that worth 22 billion dollars. Arabs plan construction of a placing which promises to bring new solutions for the global environmental problems. In 2006, the project called Masdar, will cover an area of 6 km2, with a population of approximately 50000 inhabitants. The construction is designed to last eight years, and the first part will be given in service in 2009. The projection is based on solar or geothermal energy, carbon emissions or pollution from other zero sources, these are the basic rules of lifting Masdar. Instead of cars, which are prohibited from the start in the city, will organize a massive electric system of common transport. Streets will be invade of giant screens to lower the temperature, and eliminate the need of air conditioning. A..

The Virginia company moves forward with phase II on a wind farm in Hebei, and takes a stake in a second wind project. read more

The investments in renewable energy sources reached, last year at 148 billion dollars, funding supported by the United Nations Programme for Environment (UNEP). Compared with the previous year, the data confirms an increase of 60 percent in this sector. The report of a UNEP study shows that this growth is the direct consequence of forecasts of climate change as well as a increase the price of oil, which generated a real “global race after the green energy”. Funding sources of wind energy has attracted in 2007, the most funds, standing at 50.2 billion dollars. In solar energy was invested 28.6 billion dollars, and in biofuels 2.1 billion dollars, with less than a third in 2006. Most funds have been used in Europe and USA In China, India and Brazil investment in green energy sources have reached 26 billion U.S. dollars, from 1.8 billion dollars in 2004. Achim Stelner, Executive Director of UNEP, said that the fundamental transformation of global energy infrastructure will continue without any doubt.

07/03/2008 - In advance of next week's G8 summit in Japan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released a new report examining the progress of each of the G8 countries toward addressing climate change, a main focus of this year's meeting...

07/03/2008 - In response to public interest in solar energy development, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it plans to continue accepting applications for future potential solar development on the public lands...

07/03/2008 - A schism has erupted inside Spain's main solar industry group over a rumoured government proposal to slash the feed-in tariff by as much as 35%, a former board member of the industry group said...

With end of cheap oil, renewables and energy efficiency attracts fast-growing interest;New investment surpasses $148 billion in 2007, a 60% rise from 2006, Growth continues in 2008, UNEP study says

Eco-Fireworks for the Fourth: Fireworks can get a lot less toxic for the earth, but don't expect that to be a good selling point for fireworks fans — ScienceDaily . ETN for Carbon Emissions: Barclay launched the “first exchange traded note that tracks the global carbon emission market.” — Investors Business Daily . 14 Cities Call for X-Prize: 14 cities want to so stage races for the Auto X-Prize . . . Come on San Francisco! — Autoblog Green . Branson and Charles Green Heros?: The International Herald Tribune blog asks “Are Prince Charles and Richard Branson really setting good examples? Sure, why not, they haven't done anything too outrageous yet. — IHT . Garbage to Power: PlascoEnergy is using electric-plasma torches to gasify municipal waste and produce electricity — MIT Tech Review .

In a move to delay and stall the proliferation of solar energy, the Federal government including the Bush administration and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have decided to stop the moratorium madness. Last month, the BLM (or BM as some have called it) decided to put a freeze on solar applications for building photovoltaic resources on federal land. The 22-month freeze was supposedly put in order to “study the environmental impacts” of solar panels in federal areas such as the vast uninhabited areas of Nevada, New Mexico and Utah which are prime for producing this alternative energy resource and cutting down on the amount of foreign fossil fuels this country uses. California, Arizona and Colorado were also on the list of affected states. The environmental impact of delaying and denying the quick adoption of solar energy, however, was not part of this study. The BLM currently has 125 to 130 applications for producing solar energy on public land and will now continue to process those applications. The counterproductive move by the BLM would not have affected residential solar panels or the adoption of photovoltaic systems on private land, but nonetheless large-scale solar fa..

Looks like the Bureau of Land Management didn't like all the public outcry over their moratorium on new solar projects built on public land. (A prominent New York Times article can have that effect). The Bureau said today that it has reversed that previous decision, and it actually will now continue to accept new applications for solar projects. The Bureau is still calling for that environmental impact report, but will continue to process and review new applications, in addition to the 125 solar applications that it has already received. The Bureau's Director James Caswell said in the release: “We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications, and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental protections.” Maybe the Bureau is getting a boost to its billion dollar annual budget for some more application-processing hands. Solar heavyweights that expressed frustration over the freeze, like Ausra and Solel, will be pleased with the reversal. Update: Kevin Swartz, Preside..

An electric fan is a highly efficient cooling device . Fans use far less power than air conditioners (see our recently review of the most efficient portable fan ). But in hot and humid weather, air conditioning is a great relief. Cooling an entire house uses a lot of energy — it's much more efficient to only cool the areas where you are sleeping or working, by using a portable air conditioner. The 7000 BTU Haier HPE07XC6 is one of the least expensive portable air conditioners available. Reviewers say it does a fine job in very small rooms of about 150-square-feet or less. Since most of the condensed water removed from the air is expelled through the main exhaust hose, you don't have to empty the water-collection cup too often. The only complaint about this AC unit is that it's a bit loud, one buyer on Amazon says: This air conditioner is excellent for the heat of living in the valley near Los Angeles. But it gets really loud, especially when changing over from cool to fan mode ( when it reaches the desired temperature). However, it is not much louder than the multiple fans I had to use before, so I would rate this as excellent. This air conditioner measures just 21 x 17 inch..

Cross-posted from the Breakthrough Blog ... Well ask and you shall receive I guess... On monday, my colleague and I called on the federal Bureau of Land Management to stop being an Energy Delayer and lift a moratorium that locked up the vast reserves of solar energy located on federal lands. Today, the BLM announced that they would lift the planned twenty-two month moratorium on land it stewards in six southwest states rich in solar energy. The BLM had claimed that an extensive environmental impact review was necessary before solar development on federal lands could move forward and called for the moratorium on May 29th. Today's refreshingly smart move from the federal government clears the way for over 130 solar energy development projects already submitted to the BLM to move forward and opens up the possibility of further development of this untapped and vast American energy resource. "We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications," BLM Director James Caswell said in a statement, "and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing i..

From an article by Willi Hempel in the quarterly newsletter of RENEW Wisconsin : Several decades ago, before modern small-scale wind turbines hit the market, one of the most sought-after wind generators was the pre-REA direct-drive machine made by Jacobs Wind Electric. It’s rugged, powerful, and reliable when maintained well. When I was growing up, my father and I flew five different homebuilt wind turbines, and I had always dreamed of someday flying a “Jake.” In September 2003, I spotted an old Jake sitting idly on a tower only a few miles from my family’s home in Merton, Wisconsin . . . Unfortunately, my proposed tower location didn’t meet property-line setback requirements, so I had to request a variance through the Merton Zoning Board. In September 2005, I had to attend a public hearing before the Merton Zoning Board of Adjustment (BOA). After I described the project and answered questions from the board members, the meeting was opened to the public. The concerns were declining property values, audible noise, and visual impact to the neighborhood. Our suburban neighborhood homes are about 30 years old and sit on 1- to 3-acre partially wooded lots. The BOA denied my r..

Well ask and you shall receive I guess... On monday, my colleague and I called on the federal Bureau of Land Management to stop being an Energy Delayer and lift a moratorium that locked up the vast reserves of solar energy located on federal lands. Today, the BLM announced that they would lift the planned twenty-two month moratorium on land it stewards in six southwest states rich in solar energy. The BLM had claimed that an extensive environmental impact review was necessary before solar development on federal lands could move forward and called for the moratorium on May 29th. Today's refreshingly smart move from the federal government clears the way for over 130 solar energy development projects already submitted to the BLM to move forward and opens up the possibility of further development of this untapped and vast American energy resource. "We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications," BLM Director James Caswell said in a statement, "and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while e..

Precision Wind, LLC of Las Cruces, New Mexico unveiled its Wind Resource Management Suite™ at the WINDPOWER 2008 Conference and Exhibition, North America’s largest wind energy event organized by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). (more…)

Another hydrogen-based fuel cell company has brought in cash, and unlike the physics-defying BlackLight , this one's tech is already getting tested in some big deals. Intelligent Energy said this morning that it has raised $13.6 million to help it get its hydrogen fuel cells closer to commercialization. The UK-based company has a lot of projects in the works, even if it's not delivering scaled-up sales yet. Intelligent says it's working on a motorcycle with Suzuki; a delivery vehicle (called the H2Origin) with PSA Peugeot Citroën; an airplane with Boeing Research & Technology Europe; home power systems with energy company Scottish & Southern Energy, and taxis with the UK’s Technology Strategy Board. Like most hydrogen fuel cells, Intelligent Energy's technology uses hydrogen and air to produce power. Fuel cells can be more efficient and less toxic compared to traditional combustion engines and batteries. And they also don't have to be plugged into the power grid, so they are more mobile and in some cases, cheaper. Intelligent Energy says its technology is different than competitors in that it has more power density, and is able to fully function at very low temperatures (good f..

Who needs physics when there's money to be made? The race to discover clean energy breakthroughs is seeing its fair share of cold fusion style ideas — oh-so-much promise, but a looming gap between enthusiasm and scientific reality. In the case of BlackLight Power , a 19-year old company working on what could be a disruptive fuel cell technology, it sounds like an extremely passionate scientist came down with tunnel vision. Or something much worse. CNN Money profiles the 25-person company based in Cranbury, N.J., which says it has a working prototype that creates a chemical reaction to alter hydrogen atoms, turning water into super cheap clean power. The company's founder, scientist Randell Mills, says the fuel cells can provide electricity that is ridiculously cheap — less than 2 cents per kilowatt-hour — and provide 50 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power 6 or 7 houses. Such a grand technology has allowed BlackLight to raise $60 million in funding from individual investors — the company's Board includes Michael Jordan, former CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Westinghouse, and Neil Moskowitz, CFO of Credit Suisse First Boston. The investor list also ..

Rubber recycler Magnum D'Or Resources gets nice stock bounce on $131M in contracts. Now it needs to start producing. read more

Billings, MT plays host to three petroleum refineries, which fuel the local economy. I was fortunate to receive an invitation from the American Petroleum Institute to come out as their guest and tour the ConocoPhillips refinery and meet a few of the local citizens to hear their thoughts on big oil. Out of the three refineries located in Billings, one has a very unique story and position in the world of refining. The ConocoPhillips refinery is the first Energy Star certified refinery in the world (two years in a row). Not bad for an industry that is not highly regarded in public opinion given the current prices we are paying at the pump, but sustainability and environmental factors actually rank very high on the list of priorities for this tightly run operation. Not only is ConocoPhillips the most energy efficient and least polluting out of the three, it was also the first to form a Citizen’s Advisory Council comprised of community members unafraid to speak up about their concerns with having a refinery located in town - the most prevalent, of course, being air quality control. Stepping off of the plane (from LA granted), the air in Montana is crisp and clear, which is amazin..

Is McCain the John Kerry of energy? News reports this week are essentially calling him a flip-flopper when it comes to his energy record and policy. The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg say the presidential candidate has had varying stances on offshore oil drilling, clean energy tax incentives, nuclear power and playing favorites with specific clean power technologies. “The Arizona senator has swerved from one position to another over the years, taking often contradictory stances on the federal government's role in energy policy.” - Los Angeles Times. The LA Times article picks through the presidential candidate's record and points out that McCain has called for both reducing and expanding offshore oil drilling, and has declared there should be no tax breaks for clean energy but backs billions of subsidies for the nuclear biz. McCain has called for 100 new nuclear power plants , 45 of which he wants built by 2030, but the LA Times says McCain voted 5 times in the 90's against taxpayer aid for research on nuclear reactors, and in 2003 opposed federal loan guarantees for nuclear power. Bloomberg points out that McCain doesn't want to play favorites when it comes to which ..

Renewable Energy World reports that Ecovation will create energy from distillery waste at the Maker’s Mark distillery in Kentucky. Ecovation, acquired by Ecolab in February, specializes in generating green energy from organic wastes created by distilleries and wineries, and other businesses using organic inputs, from paper mills to cheesemakers. Their website is full of cheese-related puns, as in The Whey to Renewable Energy.” To quote from the Renewable Energy World article: “Maker’s Mark’s new facility will anaerobically treat the liquid portion of the whole stillage and process waters produced during bourbon-making, generating methane-rich biogas, a renewable energy source, that will offset 165 MMBtu, or 15 - 30%, of the facility’s natural gas consumption.” Ecovation is also working with Simi Winery in Sonoma County, to help lighten the burden on publicly-owned treatment facilities by using an ecologically sound method of pre-treating wastewater. The company won a 2007 Environmental Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for its dairy waste stream management solution for Breyers Yogurt Co. Image Cr..

Brazilian company Dedini, the main producer of equipment for biofuels, has launched a new technology that allows ethanol factories from sugar beet, to produce water. The factories of Sao Paulo, the largest and most efficient state from Brazil, ethanol producer, consuming in present about 1,800 litres of water from rivers and lakes to process one ton of ethanol. The new technology allows plants not only to not use the extra water, but also to sell the secondary product for domestic and industrial consumption. “Water quality that result is better than that of water from rivers. It could be used in irrigation of crops sugar beet, for a better productivity,” said Jose Luiz Oliverio, vice-president Dedini. The costs of factory building with the new technology are 10-20% higher than those for construction of a conventional factory. Brazil is the world largest ethanol exporter.

By John Addison (7/2/08). Obama and McCain have both stated that climate change requires decisive action. Both support cap-and-trade, putting a limit (cap) on greenhouse gases and enabling the market to work by allowing the trading of permits. How would this work in the United States? We will all learn from California’s progress with its enacted law – AB32 Climate Solutions Act. The implementation is detailed in the 93-page Climate Change Draft Scoping Plan . By requiring in law a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, California has set the stage for its transition to a clean energy future. Since the law was enacted in 2006, the lead implementing agency, the California Air Resources Board (ARB), has been getting an earful from everyone from concerned citizens to industry lobbyists. It moves forward publishing data from the California Climate Action Registry, facilitating 12 major action teams, conducting public workgroups, and drafting plans which get more feedback in public meetings. The ARB Board will next meet to review the proposed Scoping Plan on Novembers 20 and 21. Climate change is already impacting everything in California from draughts that ca..

While last quarter, not a single venture-backed company hit the public markets , today's IPO of energy-efficient water desalination company Energy Recovery could be a sign of better things to come. (Alarm Clock sure thinks so; it's like Christmas morning over there .) This morning, 14 million shares of Energy Recovery priced at $8.50 each, raising $119 million . The pricing came in at the high end of the $7-to-$9 price range, so the company's IPO could kick off the quarter on a positive note. The company's shares are due to start trading on the Nasdaq today under the ticker ERII. Update: ERII started trading. The gear made by the 16-year-old San Leandro, Calif.-based company makes the desalination of sea water more energy efficient. Desalination has long been a very expensive and energy-intensive way to get drinking and usable water — previously confined to oil-rich nations, where energy is cheap and water is scare, explains the Economist . But with global warming and drought concerns growing, desalination is becoming a more popular way to find usable and drinkable water. Energy Recovery's technology needs just 3.7kWh to produce a cubic meter of drinking water. For the year ..

The retail giant plans to buy more local fruits and vegetables in the U.S., cutting down on cross-country freight. read more

There were small, rural towns across America before the automobile and cheap oil came onto the scene. But some that struggled to maintain their populations in an era of cheap energy may be destined to become ghost towns due to rising oil prices. I pondered this during my recent drive across arid areas of Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Towns need food, water, and jobs - to name a few necessities - in order to survive. Water often comes to small rural towns in the West by drawing down fossil aquifers. Food comes via the same route, or is shipped in via ever more expensive long-haul trucking. Jobs are often many miles away, and the commute is becoming much more painful at today's gas prices: High Gas Prices Threaten to Drain Small Towns' Populations Don Campbell's daily commute to Kansas City - about 100 miles each way - costs him roughly $866 a month at $3.90 per gallon. But he's a union iron worker and says he can make the math work. Most of his neighbors can't. For them and thousands of other small-town residents across the country who drive long distances to jobs that pay little more than minimum wage, the high cost of gas is making that daily commute cost-prohibitive. So much so..

Chinese company initiates second phase of 500 MW expansion project. read more

The state's four major utilities aim to have electricity running by 2012. read more

Solar panels are a collection of solar or photovoltaic cells. These photovoltaic cells harvest sunlight and convert the solar energy into electrical energy. Solar cells are positioned into grid-like pattern on the face of solar panel. Photovoltaic cells collect sunlight during day and this light energy can be stored and used as electrical energy. Photovoltaics are made up of semiconductors which have the property to transform sunlight into electricity. Many materials have semiconductor property but the most widely used material is silicon. Though silicon in itself resists electric current but this property can be altered by combining small amounts of other materials that make it receptive to positive or negative electrical charge. (more…)

The company, which makes energy recovery devices for the water desalination industry, started trading on the Nasdaq. read more

Tesla has announced that will prepare a new hybrid model in a new factory from California , but has not specified which will be fixed this new location, informs Motor Authority. So, Tesla will produce a hybrid sedan that will be called Model S. Although the manufacturer has not officially confirmed, the most rumours announces the approach of new Model S at the beginning of 2010. The new Tesla model will cost 60,000 dollars, will have an autonomy of 360 km and will boast of propulsion system consists from an engine with intern combustion and an electric propellant, powered by lithium-ion batteries. This new model is expected to be extremely conformable with the concept of Fisker Karma, between the two companies there is a divergence on this theme. U.S. producer has delivered the coup with Tesla Roadster, electric sports car which have a great vogue in the United States, which were recorded 1,000 orders for this car.

DOE is offering $10 billion in loan guarantees for projects that involve energy efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced transmission and distribution. The guarantees are only available for projects using new, non-commercial technologies.

DOE and the Freedom Prize Foundation announced that more than $4 million will be awarded to efforts that reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, while enhancing the nation's security, economic prosperity, and health.

The tenth anniversary running of the Petit Le Mans race in Georgia will include the first ever "Green Challenge," a race-within-a-race that will score each car based on its total energy use, greenhouse gases emitted, and petroleum fuels displaced.

Florida has passed a comprehensive energy bill that establishes a renewable energy portfolio, a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, a 10% ethanol requirement, net metering and interconnection for customer-located energy systems, aggressive building energy codes, and more.

A new draft plan from the California Air Resources Board points the way towards cutting the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. The plan includes the expanded use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, plus a variety of other measures.

The latest projections from DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) don't account for the recent surge in oil prices, so they show world energy use up 50% and petroleum use up 26% by 2030. A high price case that may be more relevant shows a 2% decline in world petroleum use by 2030.

The Spanish renewable energy company offers €175 million for the remaining shares of the Greek wind developer. read more

Prince Charles, recorded an increase of 6% of revenues in financial year 2007 / 2008 and has managed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18%, according to the annual report published by the royal accountant, informs AFP. Prince Charles has adopted a very friendly attitude towards the environment, given that his car, Aston Martin, runs on basic white wine instead of petrol, report newspaper The Sun. ” The car goes on the road-based on bioethanol extract from thin wine remainder of the local vineyards, as a result of production.

07/02/2008 - Ormat Technologies, Inc. recently announced that two of its subsidiaries entered into a supply contract and a construction contract with Contact Energy LTD of New Zealand for Centennial Binary Plant, a new geothermal power plant that is to be constructed in the Tauhara Geothermal Field in New Zealand...