Cleantech Update

SOLAR Size of industry:Worldwide: $29.6 billion U.S.: $3 billion, accounting for 0.4% of the nation's electricity Major players: First Solar, SunPower, China Sunergy (China), Suntech Power (China) Potential: Could provide 10% of the nation's electricity by 2025. Worldwide sales could grow to $81 billion by 2018. Problems: Solar energy wonÕt be cost-competitive with other forms of energy until 2015Ñtoday it relies heavily on subsidies. Also, growth depends heavily on the development of nationwide power grids. WIND Size of industry:Worldwide: $51 billion- U.S.: $17 billion, accounting for 1.3% of the nation's electricity Major players: General Electric, Vestas (Denmark), Gamesa (Spain), Siemens (Germany), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan) Potential: The industry seeks to produce 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030. Sales could hit $35 billion a year in a few years. Worldwide: $139 billion by 2018. Problems: Getting the electricity to major cities from remote wind farms will re...

From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, June 2009 Business isn't so sunny these days for SolarCity, the country's largest installer of residential solar-power systems. But Lyndon Rive, chief executive of the Foster City, Cal., firm, says it's an absence of financing, rather than a lack of demand, that has caused the slowdown. "Once you address that bottleneck," he says, "solar power will boom." So, too, will the entire spectrum of renewable-energy stocks, which lately have generated as much sizzle as a solar panel in an eclipse. A year ago, alternative energy shone brightly. Then came the financial crisis, which starved the industry of its lifeblood: capital. Lack of it caused demand to tumble and inventories to grow. Says Gregory Wetstone, of the American Wind Energy Association : "Our astronomical growth came to a screeching halt in late 2008." As a result, alternative-energy stocks crumbled. The WilderHill Clean Energy Index, which ...

Until the big chill, the solar energy was red-hot, tearing along with a decade-long growth rate that averaged 50 percent a year. Then the global recession hit – and the fizzling of subsidies in Spain and a credit crunch – which squeezed financing for many solar projects. Production slowed at plants making panels that turned sun into electricity. Prices fell sharply. So now, despite climate-change legislation in the United States and a push for cleaner energy worldwide, a global industry shakeout looms, many analysts predict. And not a small shudder. They anticipate an earthquake of consolidation likely to leave only strong competitors standing. Currently, some 250 companies around the world make solar photovoltaic modules. “In five years, there probably can be only a couple of dozen of them,” says Travis Bradford, president of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development in Chicago. “At most.” Which companies will be the winners? The ones with deep pockets, cutting-edge technol...

Summer 09 The State of Renewable Energy Finanace Video from the European Venture Capital Forum specficially focused on CleanTech

New report suggests the United States could save $1.2 trillion by investing $50 billion a year through 2020. Management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. released a report today suggesting the U.S. could reduce its non-transportation related energy consumption by as much as 23 percent by 2020 if it invests enough political and financial capital. The report indicates that reducing energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020 could eliminate more than $1.2 trillion in waste (at a rate of $130 billion annually), which would dramatically exceed the $520 billion investment required, i.e. $50 billion each a year over the next decade, plus program costs that would be required to put such energy efficiencies in place. “If we do nothing we will waste $1.2 trillion of energy,” said Ken Ostrowski, a senior partner from McKinsey’s Atlanta office, in a briefing at the U.S. National Press Club in Washington, D.C. But the report’s authors caution that these energy savings can only be realized if the Uni...

The US wind energy industry installed 1,210MW of new power generating capacity in the second quarter of this year, bringing the total added this year to just over 4,000MW, an increase from the 2,900MW added in the first six months of 2008, the American Wind Energy Association said in its second quarter market report. While the number of completed wind farm installations was solid, AWEA said it is seeing a reduced number of orders and lower level of activity in manufacturing of wind turbines and their components, a development it termed troubling in view of the fact that the US industry was previously on track for much larger growth and the global wind power industry is continuing to expand. ‘The numbers are in, and while they show the industry has been swimming upstream, adding some 4,000MW over the past six months, the fact is that we could be delivering so much more,’ said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. ‘Our challenge now is to seize the historic opportunity before us to unleash this entrepr...

Here is a video of their process in Action from their website Originoil is only obne of several companies researching algea as biofuel.

After a two-quarter period of falling venture capital investments in the cleantech space, the industry is finally picking back up again. But the prospects for early-stage companies and entrepreneurs looking for funding is mixed. "It's a challenge for the venture community to have the conviction to truly invest in the kind of venture-backed profile deals that we need and not invest in another 'me-too' deal that is defining today."-- Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners Despite the recent declines in investment, the macro-trends for cleantech venture capital are very positive — funds are getting bigger, the market for clean energy has grown to a respectable size and long-term signals from government are coming together. “This is a renaissance time for the cleantech sector,” said Ira Ehrenpreis, a general partner with the firm Technology Partners , at a recent panel discussion in New York City. “This is not an obscure area of investment anymore.” Last...

Michael Yannell's ComEd bill is almost surely less than yours. Yannell, 44, lives in a new Chicago home that is designed to be net zero energy , which means it will produce as much energy as it consumes -- or more. The $1.6 million, 2,675-square-foot house is the first of its kind in Chicago, which already has achieved green sheen with its energy-saving public buildings and scores of planted roofs. Yet the Yannell House, which has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and three occupants (the owner and his two cats), is more than a mere technical feat. Clean-lined outside and light-filled within, it issues an elegant rebuttal to the supersize, decoration-slathered McMansions that exemplify the pre-crash age of excess. "I wanted to make a big, splashy statement to the city that that was the wrong direction," said Yannell, standing next to a kitchen countertop partly made of recycled newspapers. He's lived in the house since April. A pharmacist at Rush University Medical Center,...

OGE ( An Oklahoma Power Utility) has a very useful Energy use calculator for commercial buildings . A clean tech Engineer I know uses it for a very quick load demand estimation at the begining of an energy audit. -Editor.

The number of smart electricity meters with two-way communications is poised to mushroom in the next two years, according to a study. Research company Park Associates this week released figures for smart-meter installations in the U.S., saying that there are 8 million units installed, or about 6 percent of all meters. (Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET) As utilities upgrade equipment as part of smart-grid trials, the number of smart meters is forecast to grow to 13.6 million installed next year and to over 33 million in 2011. Having a method to broker regular communications between a utility and a customer will set the foundation for a widening array of home-energy management tools, said Bill Ablondi , Park Associates' director of home systems. Home energy management systems can be relatively simple displays or Web-based programs that show how much electricity a home is using. More high-end systems can be built around home-area networks where consumers can program smart appliances and...

Ill Wind Blows Over Storage Market When it comes to discussing the "need" for storage to supplement intermittent wind energy, industry professionals are of two very different minds. The majority of wind energy development companies we've spoken with say there's no need for storage; any limitations in the ability to distribute wind power are due to a lack of transmission infrastructure. By contrast, many energy insiders say storage could make the business case for wind even stronger. Objective analysis indicates that while need may be too strong of a word, in many cases storage would greatly benefit wind. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), has taken a firm position against storage, especially onsite at wind generation facilities . According to the recent Pike Research report by David Link entitled Energy Storage Technology Markets, "...The association’s official position is that storage systems are not required to integrate wind energy into electric powe...

Algae Power Bridport, Vermont - July 13, 2009 The cows at the Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport make more than milk. Their manure also produces power through the digester at the south side of the barns. But for the last nine months some of that liquid manure has also been sent over to a mini greenhouse where it's being investigated as another source of alternative energy. "Algae's been around from day one of the world," said Gail Busch of Algepower. That's right-- they're growing algae from manure. Busch is the inventor of Algeponics, a patented photobioreactor-- what she calls a vertical stream. She says it's the only indoor, controlled system in the world. Here's how it works: Once the liquid manure gets pumped over and diluted with water it runs from top to bottom, the manure serving as the host. "Half of the volume of that tray runs into the tray below and all the way through. Also, if you look at the system you can see that the bottom trays are mu...

Energy Star Could Get Tougher Source: BUILDER OnlinePublication date: July 9, 2009 By Teresa Burney Qualifying for the Energy Star label on homes is likely to become much more difficult in 2011. The Department of Energy is seeking comments now on proposed significant increases in Energy Star specifications. "They are much stricter, intentionally," said Sam Rashkin, national director of Energy Star for homes, of the new specs. "It should be a bit of a stretch for builders." While adding between $2,000 and $4,000 to a home's cost, roughly $10 to $20 a month more in mortgage costs, the changes should save homeowners between $30 and $50 a month on their utility bills, said Rashkin. In the long run, the change in specs will be good for builders of new homes because it "substantially increases the differential between the new product and their competition, a used home." That angle has not escaped the notice of builders who have been signing up for the progra...

Source: BIG BUILDER NewsPublication date: July 15, 2009 A university study of Centex Corp.'s (NYSE:CTX) Energy Advantage homes released Wednesday determined that radiant barrier insulation installed on roof systems reduces heat build up and signficantly improves the efficiency of HVAC systems. The study, performed last summer by the Energy Center of Appalachian State University, compared a pair of adjacent four-bedroom Centex model homes in Charlotte using a total of 61 senors installed in and outside of the houses. It found: * A 23-degree drop in the peak attic temperature in the home outfitted with radiant heat barrier versus the similar home without the barrier; * A 20% reduction in the run-time of the air conditioning unit during the seven hours of peak attic temperatures; * A 57% improvement in the efficiency of cooled air delivered through the air ducts during the same period. "This particular study showed the installation of a radiant barrier in an attic can make it eas...

Negawatt power is the idea of creating incentives to reduce demand for electricity to ease the load at peak times or alleviate the need to build more generation plants. In theory, these negawatts can be aggregated and an arbitrage market could be created to trade these. The term was coined by Amory Lovins , who saw a typo — "negawatt" instead of "megawatt" — in a Colorado Public Utilities Commission report. He adopted the term to describe electricity that wasn't created due to energy efficiency. [1] An electricity supplier that needs more electricity can invite suppliers to bid to supply it and invite customers to bid to reduce demand. The electricity supplier can then compare these quotations to establish the most economic alternative. This comparison can refer to peak load management - how much per additional kW to get the power company through the peak load due to air conditioning on an unusually hot day - or may refer to longer-term investments - comparing...

By Sybille de La Hamaide PARIS (Reuters) - Production of biodiesel in the European Union rose by more than 35 percent in 2008 and capacity will grow again this year although half the plants are idle due to poor demand, the EU producers group said on Wednesday. The Brussels-based European Biodiesel Board (EBB) said the European production of biodiesel, by far the main biofuel made in the bloc, had reached 7.76 million tonnes last year putting the EU's global market share close to 65 percent. However, the EBB qualified the 2008 rise as "moderate" compared to the jump of 65 percent in 2005 and 54 percent in 2006 but the rise was only at 17 percent in 2007. "In line with the trend initiated in 2007, the year 2008 saw a relatively small increase in EU biodiesel production, and even a reduction in two major producing Member States, Germany and Austria," the EBB said in a statement. For detailed statistics of biodiesel output per country and estimates for the 2009 cap...

This is a Capstone Press Release but the application is is interesting: using coal seam gas to run a microturbine that powers reverse osmosis water purification to clean industrial water in Australia. -Editor CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.microturbine.com) (NASDAQ:CPST), the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, today announced that it received a follow on order for three C1000 systems from Aquatec-Maxcon Pty Ltd, its distributor for the Australian market. The order is for Capstone C1000 MicroTurbine(R) systems to be installed by a coal seem gas producer in a reverse osmosis water system application in Australia. "Australia is proving to be a strong market for both green building and oil & gas applications. This project is to power a reverse osmosis plant that cleans contaminated water that is a byproduct of coal seem gas extraction. The clean water is made available to local towns as potable...

In the late 1970s, John Gofman, co-inventor of plutonium, had second thoughts about his work with nuclear power over the years. He authored a book entitled Irrevy, in which he argued that the use of nuclear power for electrical production amounted to a bad tradeoff of inefficient and expensive power generation for an insoluble toxic waste problem and generations upon generations of unknown cancers and genetic defects. While the portion of domestic electricity currently produced by nuclear energy is marginal, at that time there were quite a few more nuclear power plants and nuclear energy production. A perfect storm of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl together with movies such as The China Syndrome gave impetus to an anti-nuclear movement, of which, Gofman was a pre-eminent spokesman, which changed all of that. Now, as the nation faces an energy crisis, not just of gas lines, but of all energy production, the idea of re-introducing nuclear energy with a vengeance has emerged. During the ...

Governor Bobby Jindal recently announced that he signed Louisiana House Bill 110, legislation that increases personal and corporate income tax credits for use of alternative fuel for motor vehicles, including the use of compressed natural gas (CNG.) The legislation, authored by Louisiana State Representative Jane Smith (R-Bossier City) and led by Louisiana Senator Nick Gautreaux (D-Abbeville) in the Senate, will increase economic development and investment in Louisiana by encouraging companies to use a fuel source that is clean, abundant, affordable and American. "Now with proper incentives in place, Louisiana retailers can offer CNG as an alternative fuel to consumers who take advantage of the ability to convert their car or truck or purchase a new vehicle," said Smith. The new legislation includes provisions to: Increase the existing personal or corporate income tax credit from 20% to 50% for purchase of qualified clean burning motor vehicle fuel property, including equipme...

March 9, 2009 Bio-mass : will that be filtering, pyrolysis or gasification ? “Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Zero Emission Energy Plants, Inc. Sign Gasification Licensing Agreement”, “Vegawatt plugs in grease-fired restaurant generator” , and “Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and AERI Collaborate to Develop Gasification Technology” ; are but three headlines that have appeared over the last several months regarding systems and/ or methods for processing a carbon-containing feedstock into some type of fuel. There are a myriad of techniques for the above processing, each having a different set of pressure, atmosphere and reaction conditions. The particular combination of reaction conditions being dictated by at least the nature of the feedstock and the desired end product. With consideration to the second headline, the Vegawatt system is designed to use waste vegetable oil to generate on-site electricity. It is indicated on the Vegawatt website that a four-stage cleaning process is ...

FYK is a Norwegian sports car designed to run on a blend of hydrogen and natural gas. It was developed by a Norwegian company named Aetek and received backing from Statoil, the largest petroleum company in the Nordic countries and Norway's largest company in all categories. FYK was launched in 2006 as a technology demonstrator and there are currently no plans on putting it into series production. FYK was launched in august 2006, at the same time as Statoil opened up the first filling station in Norway for hydrogen, Natural Hy and natural gas. This filling station can be found in Forus, Stavanger. F YK is powered on NaturalHy (HCNG), a blend consisting of 8-20% hydrogen and 92-80% compressed natural gas. The car is built almost entirely in aluminium in order to reduce weight and the car is fitted with cutting edge wireless communications solutions from Norway. Not only body and chassis, but suspension, motor, wheels and the entire has been made from recyclable aluminium and exterio...

The Loopwing Wind Turbine This loopy looking item is a striking wind turbine design with some interesting features. A Japanese company is offering this small-scale wind turbine that touts an amazingly low 1.6m/sec (3.5 mph) minimum generation speed (compared with 8-11 mph for many turbines.) The company claims a number of benefits for the Loopwing turbine attributed to the unusual configuration of the blades. Because there are no blade tips, the Loopwing doesn't have tip vortex effects, and is therefore much quieter. This also reduces vibration, which helps with both noise and extending the life of the turbine and generator. The blade configuration is also responsible for its low start speed. Check out this awesome broken-english press material: People witnessing a test model in operation gave high evaluation saying that there is no noise at all. The unique-shaped blade has self-stalling capability and it can avoid over-speeding. Loopwing’s rotation has globular trajectory and...