Pennsylvania Invests $18 Million to Support Alternative Energy Projects; Help Businesses, Schools Conserve Energy, Cut Costs
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvania is expanding its commitment to advancing clean, solar energy with the investment of $18 million in 37 projects in 16 counties, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke said today.

“These new projects are creating jobs while helping to make the development and deployment of solar technology more affordable,” Burke said after the projects were approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority on July 7. “Ultimately, this means substantial energy savings for families, businesses, schools and municipalities that use clean, renewable technologies.” 

The 37 projects, approved through the state’s solar energy program, are in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties. They are expected to leverage nearly $88 million in private investments.

The solar projects will have an installed capacity of more than 24 megawatts and will generate at least 26,600 megawatt hours of electricity annually, or enough to power approximately 2,700 Pennsylvania homes. In addition to generating 26,600 solar renewable energy credits a year, the systems will annually save $5.2 million during each of the next 20 years.

Burke said one of the projects, Frazer/Exton Development LP, will receive a $2.7 million solar energy program grant for the purchase and installation of a solar photovoltaic system next to Makamie at Whiteland, a planned senior housing community to be developed in East Whiteland Township. The 1,800-kilowatt, ground-mounted system will generate 2.3 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, which could save the facility $286,000 in annual energy costs. The $8.6 million project will leverage an additional $5.8 million in private investment.   

The Commonwealth Financing Authority administers Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus programs, including portions of the $650 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund that Governor Rendell signed into law in 2008.

For more information on state alternative energy investment programs available through the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit www.newpa.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

Visit the original post at: Solar Power News

Air Products to Build 1.5MW Solar Farm at Its US Headquarters
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Air Products (NYSE:  APD) will build a 12-acre solar farm at its corporate headquarters in Allentown, Pa., capable of generating 1.5 MW of electricity. The 1.5MW is enough to serve the energy needs of nearly half of Air Products’ administration buildings. The project is expected to begin construction this fall and be onstream in the spring of 2011.

“For years, customers around the world have sought out Air Products’ gases and materials to help improve environmental performance, and now we are excited to have this renewable energy opportunity right in our own backyard,” said John McGlade, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Air Products. “Our employees are looking forward to putting our SunSource™ Solutions for photovoltaics to work thereby reducing our carbon footprint and generating sustainable, clean energy to power a portion of our campus.”

Air Products has been supplying critical gases and materials to photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers who make solar panels for many years as part of its leadership in the electronics industry and, more recently, has been focusing on reducing PV manufacturing costs with its broad SunSource Solutions offerings.

The solar farm is made possible through investment by Air Products and a $1 million grant from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of its 2008 Alternative Energy Funding Bill. Funding is administered by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Financing Authority.

By utilizing the 1.5MW of renewable power, Air Products reduces its dependence on purchased electricity thereby lowering its carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint by more than 1,000 tons per year.

For more information on the project, please visit www.airproducts.com/solarfarm.

Visit the original post at: Solar Power News

Hydrail in Turkey and Spain Explained

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Stan Thompson, Chairman of the Hydrogen Economy Advancement Team (HEAT), who just got back from Istanbul, Turkey where the 6^th Annual Hydrail Conference had occurred on this past July 1 & 2.

As I’ve talked about many times before Hydrail means hydrogen trains (hydrogen rail or hydrail) and is picking up steam as one of the first transportation early adopters of H2 technology.

Mr. Thompson told me the Turkish people are very enthusiastic about the potential for hydrail in their country to help cut down on emission and provide a powerful alternative to traditional trains.

According to Mr. Thompson, “Per Herbert Wankura (one of this year’s hydrail speakers whose company, NTDA Energîa, sponsored the 2008 Hydrail Conference in Valencia, Spain), Türkiye stands an excellent chance of leading the world into the hydrail age through its manufacturing and economic might. Türkiye has the second fastest?growing economy among the G-20 nations (trailing only China) and the country has important US ties in locomotive manufacturing.”

One disappointment of the conference however is that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was in Istanbul, Turkey, talking high speed rail with Turkish National Railways at the same time as the Hydrail conference, but a meeting was not in the making.

Mr. Thompson is hopeful in regard to getting the Federal government to take notice, however. Mr. Thompson states, “Getting hydrail on President Obama’s radar screen has long been a top priority for hydrail proponents. With the Gulf of Mexico blow-out so prominent in the news, a chance to help wean railroads off of oil would be timely.”

In separate European news, a couple of weeks back I came across a news bulletin out of Spain, and Mr. Thompson was able to verify its authenticity. The gist of the article is that a hydrogen fuel cell tram is to be trialed later this year between the cities of Ribadesella and Llovio.

The tram will use a fuel cell developed by Cidaut and four traction motors for propulsion. So, word of hydrail is spreading across Europe, Japan (and other Asian countries) and the U. S. It’s only a matter of time until diesel is a thing of the past and hydrogen goes mainstream across the railways of the world.

Visit the original post at: Fuel Cell News

Hydrogen distribution not an option in biomass gasification, researcher says
When using fuel cells to generate electricity from biomass, the best approach is to do so centrally, in combination with a gas turbine. The production and subsequent distribution of hydrogen is an inefficient process.

Visit the original post at: Fuel Cell News

Hydrogen distribution not an option in biomass gasification, researcher says
When using fuel cells to generate electricity from biomass, the best approach is to do so centrally, in combination with a gas turbine. The production and subsequent distribution of hydrogen is an inefficient process.

Visit the original post at: Fuel Cell News

Hydrogen distribution not an option in biomass gasification, researcher says
When using fuel cells to generate electricity from biomass, the best approach is to do so centrally, in combination with a gas turbine. The production and subsequent distribution of hydrogen is an inefficient process.

Visit the original post at: Fuel Cell News

Asia Weekly: China cleantech funds in vogue again
Four Asian cleantech companies announce VC or PE funding this week whilst two Chinese cleantech funds raise capital. The Chinese government also emphasizes its commitment to pioneer smart grid tech.

Visit the original post at: Energy News

Asia Weekly: China cleantech funds in vogue again
Four Asian cleantech companies announce VC or PE funding this week whilst two Chinese cleantech funds raise capital. The Chinese government also emphasizes its commitment to pioneer smart grid tech.

Visit the original post at: Energy News

FloDrive Turbine – 1kW Hydroelectric Generator to Power Homes in Developing Countries
Students at Cambridge University have recently created a portable hydroelectric generator that is able to supply up to 1 kW of electricity when installed in free-flowing rivers. Called the “FloDrive Turbine”, this generator could be used to power homes in developing countries, being very easy to install and needing no special equipment or infrastructure.

Visit the original post at: Energy News

Europe Weekly: Novacem cements relationship with Lafarge
Carbon negative cement company Novacem issues an innovative bond to accelerate its commercialisation, while there are nine other VC or PE deals.

Visit the original post at: Energy News

Wind stakeholders cite uniformity as key to more projects

From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:

Collectively drawing upon the individual roadblocks that developers experienced in permitting wind energy projects in Wisconsin, a group of renewable energy stakeholders urged the Public Service Commission to adopt standards that can’t be undermined by additional restrictions imposed by local governments.

The comments, submitted on behalf of 38 signatories, addressed the draft siting rule published by the Commission in mid-May. The draft rule proposed standards applicable to all wind energy systems — large and small — erected in Wisconsin. In the next phase of this proceeding, the Commission will review the public comments before issuing a final rule in August.

The rule will specify, among other things, setback distances from neighbors, sound limits, shadow flicker durations, procedures for decommissioning inoperable turbines, and mitigating electronic signal interference.

Noting that local governments would have discretionary authority going beyond the legislation’s intentions, renewable energy supporters recommended specific changes to give developers a greater sense of certainty in the permitting process.

“We are willing to work collaboratively and cooperatively with political subdivisions to establish mutually agreeable provisions beyond the requirements of the rules,” the stakeholders said in their joint comments. “However, we cannot develop wind projects in Wisconsin if current uncertainty regarding political subdivision requirements continues.”

Visit the original post at: Energy News

VC fund fundraising remains depressed

Just a really quick follow-up on my last post regarding cleantech venture investments… Entrepreneurs need to realize that this is unlikely to change very soon. Why? Because VCs themselves are still finding it hard to raise new funds.

Dow Jones put out their tally of VC fundraising in 1H10 today, and the headline was “US Venture Fund-Raising Up 13%”. I’ve seen people talking about how that’s great news. Not really. Simply look at the very first data slide in their presentation and you’ll see what I mean. The totals are up compared to 1H09 because 1H09 was awful. The dollar amounts remain way down from previous years, however.

I said a while back that my guess was 2010 cleantech venture firm fundraising was going to end up being somewhere in between the 50% decline of 2009 and the “normal” level of previous years. I may have been over-optimistic.

So entrepreneurs, just remember: If the VCs don’t have dry powder, they can’t spend it. Be conservative, hoard cash, stay lean.

Visit the original post at: Energy News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Visit the original post at: Energy News

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

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

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

Energy-Saving Information

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

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

Visit the original post at: Energy News