Cleantech Update

"Algae Will Be Local": OriginOil CEO to Speak at Algae World Summit in San Diego - Riggs Eckelberry will speak on decentralization of energy production through algae - Los Angeles, CA March 9, 2010 – OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, has announced that the company’s president and CEO, Riggs Eckelberry, will join a distinguished panel of speakers to kick off the Algae World Summit in San Diego, California, on May 18, 2010. In keeping with the industry’s push to achieve commercial scale, this year’s Summit will focus on the critical phase “From Lab to Scale Up” and will push for collaboration between the many players in algae at all levels. In the discussion, Eckelberry will build on his theme “Algae Will Be Local”. His argument is that industrialized algae requires industrial quantities of CO2. Because CO2 is too expensive to transport...

TXU and Solar City's press release mark an exciting change for Texas. TXU residential users can now lease solar (photo Voltaic or PV) pannels for home reneweable energy generation. TXU's website is either not up yet or inundated at the moment,but here is the press release.... -Editor Affordable Solar Power Arrives in Texas TXU Energy Partners with SolarCity to Introduce North Texas' Most Affordable Solar Power Option DALLAS, Feb 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For less than the monthly cost of most cell phone plans, many North Texans can now use renewable solar energy to help power their homes. TXU Energy's new solar program, in cooperation with SolarCity, a national leader in solar financing, design, installation, monitoring and related services, will provide North Texas homeowners with solar power systems that can allow them to save money on energy costs from day one. The program will include a solar lease option that includes installation, monitoring, repair...

Texas Renewable Energy Portolfio  is a Texas law that requires that Power generators produce increasing amouts of renewable energy. In effect, electricity providers (competitive retailers, municipal electric utilities, and electric cooperatives) must collectively generate 2,000 megawatts (MW) of additional renewable energy by 2009. The 2005 Texas Legislature increased the state's total renewable-energy mandate to 5,880 MW by 2015 and a target of 10,000 MW in 2025. Each provider is required to obtain new renewable energy capacity based on the their market share of energy sales times the renewable capacity goal. For example, a competitive retailer with 10 percent of the Texas retail electricity sales in 2009 would be required to obtain 200 megawatts of renewable energy capacity. Texas is the nation's leader in wind energy thanks to our long-term commitment to bolstering renewable energy sources and diversifying the state's energy portfolio. Rick Perry, Texas Governor A Re...

Light-emitting wallpaper may begin to replace light bulbs from 2012, according to a government body that supports low-carbon technology. A chemical coating on the walls will illuminate all parts of the room with an even glow, which mimics sunlight and avoids the shadows and glare of conventional bulbs. Although an electrical current will be used to stimulate the chemicals to produce light, the voltage will be very low and the walls will be safe to touch. Dimmer switches will control brightness, as with traditional lighting. The Carbon Trust has awarded a £454,000 grant to Lomox , a Welsh company that is developing the organic light-emitting diode technology. The trust said it would be two and a half times more efficient than energysaving bulbs and could make a big contribution to meeting Britain’s target of cutting carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020. Indoor lighting accounts for a sixth of total electricity use. Related Links Britain’s green rich list Are energy efficien...

CHP Industry and Interested Stakeholders: At the upcoming Clean Energy Roadmap Workshop, the GC RAC seeks input from the CHP, waste heat recovery, and district energy industries and key stakeholders regarding market development strategies and RAC service offerings in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. A vital part of the workshop preparation is a survey of the CHP industry and interested stakeholders. Your input is needed now to help develop a successful workshop. Whether or not you plan to attend, please TAKE THE CH P SURVEY NOW Please forward the survey link to anyone you know that might have an interest in taking part. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=P59WnTuFDAM1jHWu3JZn1A_3d_3d If you are interested in attending the Workshop, come prepared to roll up your sleeves and share your ideas to help grow the CHP market in the Gulf Coast region. This event will be a major opportunity for interested stakeholders to provide strategic input to the GC RAC regarding its education and...

Can an open source data management system do for the smart grid what Google’s open mobile operating system Android is doing for cell phones — spawn innovation and low cost development? Execs at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power provider in the U.S., seem to think so. TVA analyst Josh Patterson says Google’s Android is a good analogy for openPDC, an open source version of a platform that aggregates and processes data about the health of the power grid , and which TVA has helped create. Like Android has done for the mobile industry, openPDC will enable utilities and the power industry to develop their own versions of data management services with more flexibility and at a lower cost than proprietary systems, Patterson points out. The comparison might be a tad abstract, but I think it holds water. OpenPDC could be as key to the deployment of the smart grid as Android has been for the recent sea-change in the mobile industry (see GigaOM Pro’s report o...