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WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
18th, 2005
Streetlight Intelligence Inc. (TSX VENTURE:SLQ) ("STI") has announced
the closing of a private placement that has brought in gross proceeds of $750,000.00. The company offers a technology that
reduces the cost of street lighting. According to Don Cleland, CEO of Streetlight, street lights account for between 22 percent
and 30 percent of the average electric bill for municipals. He also noted that the cost of street light maintenance is even
higher.
Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD Ovonics) (NASDAQ:ENER) reported
that is solar subsidiary, United Solar Ovonic LLC, had record sales of about $18 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2005.
The revenues represent a solar cell capacity of 5.6 megawatts according to the company. Monthly production results were also
given as 2.0 megawatts per month for May and June. Backlog was reported to be in the order of $45 million or the equivalent
of 13.7 megawatts of solar cells.
The company has started work on a second manufacturing facility
that is expected to double the company’s thin-film triple junction solar module capacity by September 2006.
ThermoEnergy Corporation (OTCBB: TMEN), a company that has developed
a technology and won contracts to convert the ammonia found in rivers to usable fertilizer, has completed a private placement
valued at $7,000,000. The company issued 5,590,337 units at a price of $1.20 per unit.
Dennis C. Cossey, CEO of ThermoEnergy Corporation indicated that
the funds would be used to expand its staff, "We will be adding several new engineers to our soon-to-be-opened New York City
office as well as expanding our Little Rock, Arkansas-based management team."
In regards to a New York contract ThermoEnergy also reported that
it has signed its first commercial contract. That contract is for a 500,000 gallon-per-day Ammonia Recovery Process (ARP)
facility for New York City. The process will be used at Long Island Sound to limit the amount of nitrogen expelled into the
Upper East River. The company also has reported that it has given a quote for a wastewater system in Orange County, California.
ThermoEnergy has three processes related to wastewater and energy.
These include the ThermoFuel Process, the Ammonia Recovery Process (ARP) and the TIPS (ThermoEnergy Integrated Power System)
process. The ThermoFuel Process is used to convert wastewaters into biofuel. The Ammonia Recovery Process (ARP) technology
converts ammonia nitrogen into grade fertilizer. And the TIPS process is used to convert traditional fossil fuels and biomass
into energy with zero air emissions. The TIPS process, in development, captures carbon dioxide and converts it to liquid form,
allowing it to be used in commercial applications. One application the company points to is low-cost water desalination. Other
includes oil recovery and methane production.
The company also notes that part of its long term plans is to market
emission credits and the associated byproducts of its processes.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
15th, 2005
An automobile’s weight is one of the critical factors in fuel
consumption. With new nanomaterials on the horizon, hopes are that super light weight materials with super strength and low
cost of manufacturing will enable cars with far less weight and dramatically reduced gas mileage ratings far beyond what we
see today – from 15 percent to 70 percent less with similar fuel economy improvements.
In an apparent effort to achieve that goal as well as improve battery
technology, a $195 million funding cooperative agreement has been announced. Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation
and DaimlerChrysler Corporation all signed a cooperative R&D agreement with the United States Department of Energy (DOE)
to further the development of lightweight materials as well as to advance battery technology. The three auto companies signed
the agreement as part of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR).
The majority of the funding from the DOE is expected to be distributed
through the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and the U.S. Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP). Suppliers and
research institutes are expected to be the primary beneficiaries.
The $125 million USABC agreement is planned for three years with
extension options. The USAMP agreement is a $70 million agreement that was originally announced in May.
As the growing problem of farm waste mounts, the question of what
to do with it continues to be an issue. One solution provided by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is to turn chicken litter
into energy. Under a project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, GTI has shown that chicken liter can be
used to produce hydrogen for the generation of electricity with a solid oxide fuel cell.
Francis Lau, Director of Corporate Development at GTI discussed
the benefits of the technology for the environment and as an on-farm energy resource, "Commercialization and implementation
of such a modular technology has the potential to generate on-site power and heat from a renewable source of energy economically
while addressing environmental problems caused by traditional disposal practices. Also, chicken litter can replace fossil
fuels currently used to provide heat in poultry farms, thus avoiding net generation of CO2. GTI is pursuing the development
and commercialization of this technology."
Besides GTI, others working on the project to convert chicken litter
to energy and fertilizer are Earth Resources, Inc. and the University of Georgia. GTI’s experience in the energy and
environmental markets dates back over sixty years.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
14th, 2005
PowerTech Arranges Financing for Automated Excavation Technology
Power Tech Corporation Inc. (TSX-V: PWB), through its CEO, Mr. Carol
Murray, has reported that it has entered into an agreement related to private financing of $1.5 million. The financing, which
is subject to the approval of regulators, is for the issuance of convertible debentures.
PowerTech has developed high technology construction equipment that
is reported to lower the cost of excavation.
VRB Power Systems Inc. (TSX-V: VRB) the producer of the Vanadium
Redox Battery Energy Storage System announced that it has completed the sale of 14,167,000 special warrants. Gross proceeds
were estimated at $10,200,240 (Canadian).
VRB’s energy storage systems, built with non-toxic materials,
are targeted towards the utility substation, cellular radio, commercial building and renewable resources market, which includes
wind farms and remote area power supply applications. The company reports that its products are designed to offer improved
power grid stability.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
13th, 2005
Zipcar plans to expand its west coast operations with a recent financing
round valued at $10 million. The company, which strategically manages the physical location of by-the-hour car rentals around
cities to meet the demands of on-the-fly customers, received funding from a West Coast venture capital company, Benchmark
Capital. The company plans to expand its operations from the current 7 states and 21 cities to include the major northern
west coast cities of Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.
Zipcar with the funding announcement reported that it has seen a
100 percent increase in the number of its members, now at 40,000 and increasing at a rate of 2,000 a month, and has attained
profitability.
The company teams with local governments that want to offer alternative
transportation options to its citizens. The two often work together to devices transportation strategies, determine car stop
locations (often at or around major public transportation hubs and universities) and promotional campaigns.
The relatively new service Zipcar offers, founded in 1999, may have
much more to offer the world of transportation as new technology emerges that further streamlines the individual transportation
needs of tens of thousands sharing just several hundred strategically placed cars. Zipcar now shares 700 vehicles with the
transportation needs of 40,000 members or a vehicle to member ratio of about 57 cars per member.
Car sharing rates were given as $8.50 an hour and does include gas,
insurance and parking. The company did not indicate if the rates applied to just drive time. However, the company
does state on its web site that the car must be returned to the same reserved parking spot.
Zipcar has a wide variety of cars to choose from – from sporty
BMWs for dot comers on the move or pick-up trucks for those needing to move. The company also offers its service to businesses
at special rates – offering a way for the company to team together to lower travel costs and use those car pool lanes.
DayStar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:DSTI), a company that produces
silicon-free solar cells, has signed a purchase agreement for its TerraFoil-SP solar cells with Micro Energy Group, Inc.,
a producer of photovoltaic (PV) modules and specialty solar energy products. As part of the purchase agreement, up to 500
kilowatts of TerraFoil-SP cells are scheduled for to be delivered initially in 2005 with increased shipments throughout 2006.
Michael Choi, Micro Energy CEO, indicated that TerraFoil would be
instrumental to opening the door to new markets and lower PV costs, "We are very excited to incorporate TerraFoil-SP solar
cells into our rapidly expanding line of products. Its unique flexibility and high performance opens the doors to a wide range
of emerging state-of-the-art consumer applications. DayStar's plan for a large-scale manufacturing process promises to drive
down the costs of solar cells for a number of our present and planned products. We think this will change the future of how
small scale PV power is used and will give MEG a competitive cost advantage over other companies in our growing markets."
Terry Schuyler, DayStar's Director of Sales and Product Management,
noted the importance of the transaction to the company’s business plan, "This agreement marks an important first sale
for our new TerraFoil-SP product and expands the use of our PV Foil products in multiple markets. DayStar's manufacturing
approach enables a greater percentage of useable solar cells from each manufacturing batch which can result in significantly
greater production yield. TerraFoil-SP demonstrates another DayStar product that can facilitate near term revenues while we
continue our incremental build-out to higher volume GEN-III production lines."
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July 12th, 2005
Digital Gas, Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets:DIGG) has reported that it will
partner with ICCU, based in the Netherlands, to manufacture and market its Digital Ultracap device, an energy storage device
that can be used by utilities, as well as distributed renewable energy centers and in the home. The company indicates that
the device, since it can store energy at a price of approximately $400 per kWh (kilowatt-hour), with power electronics, will
enable power plants to down size their electrical generation capacity and operate at maximum power efficiency ratios.
This is all possible because large amounts of energy can be stored
for use during non-peak hours and then delivered at peak hours, lowering the need for utilities to run at peak energy generation
capacities, which are less than optimum in terms of power generation efficiency. The company also suggests that the device
will be a big plus for home owners with in-house renewable energy systems. One of the reasons is that the home owners would
not have to resell electricity back to grid, but instead could store it and reuse it themselves when the sun isn’t shining
or the wind isn’t blowing. One more important point to note is that a great deal of power is lost, upwards of 50 percent,
when electricity is transferred over power cables for a long distance. All of this would seem to suggest that it may become
more feasible to establish local power networks that transfer power within a neighborhood.
Digital Gas is planning volume production of the environmentally
friendly ultracap in late 2005 or early 2006. The company estimates that sales should reach $1.7 billion a year by 2010. The
factory that Digital Gas has planned is also expected to produce solid oxide fuel cell systems to go along with the ultracapacitor.
In terms of overall power savings to America, Digital Gas reports
that it has been estimated that $15 Billion a year would be cut from America's $200 billion annual electric bill.
Powersmiths International Corp. has introduced its "Green Start
Initiative" program. That program offers customer an economical way to see first hand the benefits of the company’s
harmonic transformers. These transformers, according to the company, offer a higher level of energy efficiency, and hence
cost savings, than traditional transformers found in many industrial and office settings.
According to Philip Ling, Vice President of Technology at Powersmiths,
"The Powersmiths Green Start Initiative allows you to undertake a pilot project to assess the energy, environmental and power
quality benefits associated with using Powersmiths transformers. The program allows us to demonstrate to you our products
capabilities. Not only will it help you to measure, analyze and report on its performance, but it allows you to see first
hand the benefits of using our energy efficient transformer, with a small investment."
Through Powersmiths’ energy audit program, called The ESP
Calculator, a company can determine the exact amount of energy savings they will see with a harmonic transformer. Although,
the company did not give a universal savings figure, the savings could be substantial, especially if the power line that serves
the customer is noisy or if the transformer is ready for retirement.
Powersmiths also reports that energy entrepreneurs can also benefit
from its programs. The company says that energy entrepreneurs that work with the company can share in the energy savings as
a result of a customer’s purchase. Energy entrepreneurs that install a transformer at a customer site are eligible.
GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, a company which provides emissions-to-biofuels
conversion services for large scale power producers, has secured $2.38 million in bridge financing. The company
plans to use the funds for further product development as it prepares for its Series B financing.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
11th, 2005
ENDESA (NYSE:ELE) has divulged capital expenditure plans as part
of its Strategic Plan for the period 2005 to 2009. Overall the plan calls for capital expenditure budget of 14.6 billion over
the five year period. Of that amount, the company reports that 71 percent would be spent for the Spanish and Portuguese markets
alone. For the short term, in 2005, capital expenditures are expected to be 3.43 billion Euros, of which 73 percent is to
be allocated to Spain and Portugal, 15.5 percent for Latin America and 11.5 percent for the rest of Europe.
The capital expenditures will form the backbone of ENDESA overall
goal to bring its net installed capacity of renewable energies and cogeneration up to 4,423 megawatts by 2009, representing
an estimated 14 percent of its total output. The company broke down the new capacity to be added. In includes 2,230 megawatts
of wind energy capacity, 103 megawatts of solid waste and biomass capacity, 78 megawatts of mini-hydro capacity, and 39 megawatts
of co-generation capacity. Total investment in renewables is expected to be in the order of 1.63 billion Euros.
The IFC, the International Finance Corporation, affiliated with
the World Bank Group, has entered into an agreement with Consorcio Energetico Punta Cana-Macao S.A. (CEPM) to provide $10
million to the utility for the construction of an 8.25 megawatt wind power facility in the country’s tourist section.
Tourism is a considered one of the main economic drivers in the Dominican Republic. A reliable power source is considered
central to maintaining and expanding the tourist business base, which according to the IFC provides 554,000 jobs. The new
wind power facility, the first for the small country, will displace part of a diesel generation system at the utility.
The government of Portugal, as part of a plan to spend 25 billion
Euros from 2005 to 2009 has allocated 2.5 billion Euros for the development of renewable energy. The majority of the renewable
energy is expected to be for wind energy; however, tidal energy could play a bigger role as the first wave farm off the coast
of Portugal comes on-line. Portugal also has reportedly turned down a plan proposed by private investors to build a nuclear
plant in the country. Safety concerns and political issues were considered factors.
Informa Economics and IBC Energy have announced that the Renewable
Fuels Summit will be held in Detroit Michigan. Called the North American Ethanol Industry a Crossroads is scheduled for September
14 to 15. Among those to discuss the important issues of the day will be the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Dorr.
He will discuss the role of information availability and information technology on the industries development. Executives
from a number of companies will all give important talks. Companies on the roster include Natural Resources Canada, Commercial
Alcohols, United Bio Energy, Zeus Development Corporation, Transportation Fuels Consulting, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition,
American Commercial Barge Line, and Informa Economics
Intrepid Technology and Resources, Inc. (ITR) (OTC BB: IESV) has
apparently been kept busy with a number of renewable energy projects. The company reports that the Idaho National Lab and
commercial concerns have continued to express interest in custom engineering work. The company, with 116,000 dollars in new
engineering and contracts for June, reports that it will have free resources as a result of the completion of the construction
of its first biogas plant and the design of the second plant completed.
ITR's President, Dr. Dennis Keiser noted that while the freeing
of resources will help generate immediate revenue, the real increases in revenues are expected to come from the biogas division,
"While our biogas division, which designs, builds and operates these plants, will continue to generate the largest portion
of ITR's revenues, the reallocation of personnel gives us an immediate revenue stream. Overall, Intrepid will turn cash flow
positive in 2006 and will be profitable for that calendar year. Once these biogas plants commence operation, the revenue stream
is constant and substantial. It would not be out of the question to generate close to 5 million in revenue in 2006 and anticipate
it to double in 2007."
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
8th, 2005
Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell
announced the companies that will receive the $46 million in Round 2 funding. The largest portion of the funding is
to go to Commercial Alcohols Inc., which is to receive $15 million for a new plant in Windsor, Ontario. Second on the list
was Husky Oil Marketing Company, to receive $10.4 million to build a plant in Minnedosa, Manitoba. The last $10
million plus funding went to Integrated Grain Processors Co-Operative Inc. Integrated Grain, a farmer and business cooperative
with over 500 members, will receive $11.9 million for a new plant in Brantford, Ontario.
Below the $10 million mark was Permolex Ltd, which will receive
$1.1 million to expand its existing facility in Red Deer, Alberta; and Power Stream Energy Services Inc., which is to receive
$7.3 million to convert a closed starch plant in Collingwood, Ontario.
Minister Mitchell on the announcement pointed out the benefits for
Canadian farmers, "This is good news for the agricultural community, as it creates a new market for Canadian farmers."
Minister Mitchell also indicated that the two rounds of funding so far are expected to increase Canadian ethanol
production by 1.2 billion litres to 1.4 billion litres per year – seven times greater than before the program started.
As part of the program to fund six ethanol plants in Canada, the Government of Canada has also emphasized that
it plans to work with industry to make use of agricultural residues, such as straw and corn stalks, as well as forestry byproducts
to improve the environmental aspects of the technology.
Lumileds Lighting reports that it White LEDs have overcome the major
hurdle to industry acceptance for general lighting applications. That barrier, a wide variation in color, has according to
the company been overcome with a proprietary conformal phosphor die coating process - a varying phosphor thickness is what
causes very visible color inconsistency, according to the company. Such color inconsistency, which can be measured at different
viewing angles, can result in the white LEDs actually appearing yellow on the edges and blue in the center.
Noting how color variation is viewed by the consumer and how color
variation compounds into more problems, was Jason Posselt, Lumileds Director of Product Marketing, "Colour variation in white
LEDs has been a barrier to the broad adoption of solid-state lighting in luminaires and other general lighting products because
consumers accustomed to conventional illumination are not comfortable with the colour shifts in the light beam of conventional
LEDs. This non-uniformity becomes further pronounced with the addition of secondary optics such as reflectors or collimating
lenses which are often used in our customers' designs. Our conformal coating technology makes white Luxeon LEDs the first
and only semiconductor-based light sources with the colour consistency required to compete with the incandescent bulb."
Robert Galli, CEO of Emissive Energy, voiced his sentiments, "We
wanted to use high-power LEDs in some of our flashlight products to give our customers the maximum light output along with
the ruggedness and longevity of solid state lighting, but we rejected most white LEDs because of their poor colour quality.
Only Luxeon, with its conformal coating process, came up to our standards. Without it, we would not have been able to bring
some of our highest-performing products to market."
FemOne, Inc. (OTC:FEMO) (BULLETIN BOARD: FEMO) closed financing
of $1.5 million through the issue of 8% Callable Secured Convertible Notes. Ray W. Grimm, Jr., the CEO of FemOne, Inc., a
company that produces cell phone radiation protection chips and offers a clip-on chip to improve automotive fuel economy,
indicated that the funds will be used for the expansion of the BIOPRO Technology division, the division responsible for those
products. "The raising of equity financing gives us additional capital to focus on the continued growth of our business and
the global expansion of our BIOPRO Technology Division. There is a strong global interest in our products and we are dedicated
to taking advantage of these international opportunities in a focused and efficient manner. This is a very exciting time for
our company,"
The BioPro Technology division offers BIOPRO Econo Fuel Chips
and the BIOPRO Cell Chip. The Econo Fuel Chips have been shown to offer a 15 percent savings in automobile fuel consumption
and decrease the overall pollution of automobiles. The BIOPRO Cell Chip has been shown to eliminate potential health hazards
of cell phones. The company illustrates via a CAT scan that the use of regular cell phones result in a rise of temperature
of the human brain. The company's BIOPRO Cell Chip helps eliminate that problem for cell phone users.
Potentia Semiconductor, a provider of configurable ASSP power management
controller chips, has received $8 million in a funding round that included investments from VenGrowth Private Equity Partners
of Toronto, Kodiak Venture Partners and Teachers' Private Capital, which is affiliated with the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan
Board.
Potentia Semiconductor's President and CEO, Danny Osadca indicated
that the company’s product meets the new demand for designers to produce power systems with reduced design cycle times,
"Power system designers are challenged to deliver more advanced system level power management functionality under ever-increasing
board size constraints. Designers face these challenges in a world of shortened design times and lean design teams and that's
why Potentia is offering a new and more effective way of designing and implementing power management solutions."
Three more companies have agreed to join Power.org, an organization
dedicated to the electronic systems power reduction. These companies are involved in the semiconductor market and include
Denali Software, Inc., an Intellectual Property (IP) core and EDA company, HCL Technologies, also offering semiconductor IP
cores as well as general engineering services, and Xilinx, Inc., considered the market leader in the FPGA chip market. On
announcement of the agreement,
Mark Aaldering, Vice President of the IP and Embedded Processing
Divisions, Xilinx noted that the focal point of the organization centered around the PowerPC, a microprocessor architecture,
"The momentum and promotional benefits of the Power.org collaboration are important factors in advancing the adoption of PowerPCtechnology
as a standard in the industry. We see our participation as a means to continue expanding our PowerPC embedded solution.”
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
7th, 2005
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd. announced a $1.6 million investment
with Enwave Energy Corporation to install Deep Lake Water Cooling Technology. That air conditioner technology uses the chill
of the water from deep below Lake Ontario to reduce the energy needed for air conditioning in the order of 90 percent. The
system circulates water through pipes to 83 meters below the surface through the ice cold water. This in turn chills the water,
which in turn dramatically lowers the cost of air conditioning.
As part of the Toronto Hydro’s plan to reduce energy consumption
in Toronto by 250 megawatts, the Deep Lake Water Cooling is planned to replace existing air conditioning systems in a number
of different centers and buildings in the Toronto area. The sites scheduled for retrofitting in September 2005 include the
Richmond Adelaide Centre, Adelaide Place, Queen's Park and three other buildings. With this agreement and an alliance with
The Home Depot, Toronto Hydro indicates that it 20 percent closer to the 250 megawatt goal. Toronto Hydro has planned to spend
$39.8 million for conservation and demand management to meet the 250 megawatt savings goal by 2007.
Overall, the Toronto building project alone is estimated to save
10 megawatts of peak demand electricity – or, according to Toronto Hydro enough energy to power over 1,000 homes or
six million square feet of office space. The company estimated that Toronto requires all together about 5000 megawatts of
electrical energy.
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited is one of the primary providers
of electricity in the province of Ontario. It has 668,673 customers and a peak demand rating of 5000 megawatts. Enwave is
a provider of clean energy solutions.
Noting that fuel cells have a theoretical efficiency over ten times
as Lithium Ion batteries, Fujitsu and NTT DoCoMo have announced plans to showcase their new methanol micro fuel cell and charger
prototype at Wireless Japan, scheduled from July 13 to 15 2005 in Tokyo. The new technology is said to triple the charging
capacity for cell phones. Central to the development is that the prototype fuel cell has a methanol fuel concentration level
of over 99 percent compared to previous versions that had concentration levels of only 30 percent. The micro fuel cell, running
on 99 percent concentration levels, has an average power output of 1 Watt.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
6th, 2005
The Gleneagles G8 Summit, held this week between July 6 and July
8 is one place to learn more about marine or tidal energy. Scotland is known for its marine energy potential and its tidal
energy companies. Companies involved in marine energy are located in Solway Firth, located in Southwest Scotland, where a
tidal range of 5.5 meters is noted, and Pentland Firth.
Marine energy organizations in Scotland include Ocean Power
Delivery Limited, which offers a hinged-joint small wave energy flotilla device, Robert Gordon University and the European
Marine Energy Centre (EMEC). The Ocean Power wave energy float is called the Pelamis P-750, and is currently being deployed
off the coast of Portugal in one of the first commercial wave energy generation projects.
Scotland is said to have a 59.1 Gigawatts of renewable resources,
making it a potential energy exporter if it can successfully tame the wild waves. Scotland presently consumes about 10.5 Gigawatts.
Africa is expected to be a topic of this year's summit – one reason is that it could possible use Scotland’s
renewable energy resources and technology.
According to Lorna Jack, Director of the Americas at Scottish Development
International, Scotland will derive a significant amount of its energy from renewable resources in just 5 years,
"Thanks to our marine energy industry, we are on target of having 18 percent of Scottish electricity coming from renewable
sources by 2010. Initiatives such as the EMEC, the world's first marine test center and Robert Gordon University's development
of the Snail, a prototype turbine platform used for generating marine energy, have permitted Scotland to excel in renewables
and to be a model for industrialized nations across the globe."
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) has approved the
investment of $43.4 million in 15 new clean technology projects. The projects are focused in five major areas: power generation,
energy utilization, transportation, waste management and forestry and agriculture.
Specific projects noted for SDTC’s sixth funding round were
a low-cost solid-state lighting project to be led by Group IV Semiconductor, Inc., based in Ottawa. For small scale generation
of electricity from tidal power, Clean Current Power Systems, based in Vancouver, will lead a project to develop. For greenhouse
and transparent structure energy efficiency Sunarc of Canada Inc., based in Montreal, will lead a project for the development
of on-demand insulation.
Describing the requirements to receive funding was SDTC Chairman
James M. Stanford. " Each of the projects is subjected to an exhaustive review process and must be represented by a consortium
of organizations rather than a single company. These requirements improve the opportunities for successful technology demonstration
and strengthen their market readiness."
The SDTC also reported that “other private and public sector
consortia partners are investing an additional $116 million in the 15 projects.”
Power generation and energy utilization projects received the most
attention in the funding round. Organizations and companies to receive power generation funding include Angstrom Power
Incorporated, Clean Current Power Systems Inc., and GE Canada. Organization and companies to receive energy utilization funding
included University of British Columbia, Sunarc of Canada Inc., Encelium Technologies Inc., EnerWorks Inc., Group IV Semiconductor
Inc., SAIC Canada and NORAM Engineering and Constructors Ltd.
Transportation funding has been approved for Electrovaya Corp. and
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. Agriculture and Forestry projects approved included projects for Parkland BioFibre Ltd. and
Prairie Pulp and Paper Inc.. For Waste Management funding, Terra Gaia Inc. was selected.
ENMAX Corporation announced plans to build a $140 million, 80 megawatt
wind power generation facility in Alberta, Canada. The facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2006, with construction
starting in the fourth quarter of 2005. The City of Calgary is to be the only customer for the utility and has agreed to purchase
all of the electricity generated from the facility for the next twenty years. "With these commitments, we will be the only
city in Canada to draw three-quarters of its electricity from green power," said the mayor of the City of Calgary, Dave Bronconnier.
The 37 turbines for the facility, called the Taber Wind Power generation
facility, are an advanced design to be supplied by ENERCON. In noting the difference in power output, ENMAX said the 37 turbines
will provide 80 megawatts, In comparison, the 114 turbines at the McBrider Lake Wind Farm have 114 turbines and produce only
75 megawatts.
The company noted that regulatory approval was needed before the
project commenced.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
5, 2005
BASF Opens 240 Million Cogeneration Plant to Power Operations
In an apparent effort to lower its energy costs and reduce its reliance
on outside electric generation sources, BASF Aktiengesellschaft has completed a new combined heat and power (CHP) plant at
its Ludwigshafen site. The new facility will supply the site the site with 440 megawatts of electricity and 650 metric tons
of steam per hour. The company said that the site now generates 65 percent of its electricity at its own plants at the Ludwigshafen
site compared to 15 percent previously. As well, the company indicated that the gas and steam turbines provide 3.5 times more
electricity per metric ton steam than conventional CHP plants without steam turbines. The new facility will also permit a
reduction of CO2 emissions in the order of 500,000 metric tons per year.
The Power Generation division of Siemens
AG built the plant for BASF. Siemens reported sales of 7.5 billion in its 2004 year. BASF, which is one of the world’s
largest chemical companies, reported sales of 37 billion in 2005.
Simeken, Inc., which bills itself as an environmental energy
company, reported that it’s Pyrolysis Recovery Oven (PRO), used to convert wood waste and tires to energy in an oxygen
free environment, had exceeded expectations. The demonstration unit was reported to be process up to 75 tons per day of tires
and wood waste at air emissions levels well below environmental standards. According to David Weddle, Vice President of Operations
for Simeken, Inc., "These last six months have provided positive results beyond our expectations. Our ability to provide clean
heat for energy as well as the quality of our recycled by-products has shown that our technology can be both environmental
and economic."
The company said that one Simeken’s system can be used to
process up to 300 tons per day. The demonstration unit in Mexico has the capability to generate over 5 megawatts of electricity
and 30 tons of carbon per day, which can be processed and recycled.
The company indicates that over 275 million tires are replaced each
year and weigh about 5.5 billion pounds. Systems in the past have not been successful in the conversion of these tires to
energy.
The Semeken’s process uses "high heat" convection technology,
which produces as by products energy and carbon.
United Kingdom Contributes £10 million to Linked Building
Heating Networks
Elliot Morley, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, announced
that another £10 million would be contributed to community energy projects that link heating units together for more energy
efficient homes, schools, hospitals, recreational centers and other public buildings in the United Kingdom.
The 17 projects scheduled are expected to reduce carbon emissions
by over 5,000 tons a year. The grants encompassed a wide variety of different technologies. One project is to install a heating
network connecting a children’s hospital and university together. A number of the projects are to link several hundred
homes together in a heating network as well as large scale building complexes. Other technologies mentioned in the projects
included woodchip fueled, absorption chilling, low temperature hot water network for low grade heat utilization.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
July
1st, 2005
Crystal Flash Energy of Grand Rapids, one of the major fuel producers
in Michigan, reports that it has already sold over 2 million gallons of its SoyDiesel XC product. The additive, which has
only been available at its own gas pump at its headquarters in Michigan, offers one more way to save on gasoline costs. According
to the company, SoyUltra works in all gasoline engines and improves fuel economy by up to five percent. According to Tom Fehsenfeld,
President of Crystal Flash Energy SoyUltra also helps to reduce maintenance problems, "In extensive product testing, we found
that the fuel helps increase engine performance and reduce maintenance problems."
SoyUltra is a friction modifier, which coats the combustion chamber
walls and valves, which results in 40 percent more lubricity than what ordinary gasoline has to offer.
Six long-term renewable energy contracts with Southern California
Edison and several wind, biomass and geothermal energy companies were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC). The contracts in total add up to an initial 141 megawatts with a potential to reach 427 megawatts between 2006 and
2009.
The companies that won wind energy contracts were Coran Energy Group,
SeaWest Wind Power, and Western Wind. The largest initial wind contract went to Western Wind, which is for an initial contract
to supply 40 megawatts with a potential for 120 megawatts. Biomass contracts were approved for McCarthy Farms Biofuels and
Silvan BioMass. Silvan’s was the larger of the contracts, initially let for 7 megawatts with a potential for 22 megawatts.
The geothermal contract was to Vulcan Power Company. That contract was initial for 30 megawatts with a potential for 120 megawatts.
The contract duration’s ranged from 5 years to 50 years. Western Wind, which had the largest contract in terms of megawatts,
also had the longest length, at 50 years.
Southern California Edison, with the announcement, reported that its renewable energy portfolio is the largest in
the United States, with a total capacity of 2,588 megawatts. This includes 1,021 megawatts from wind energy, 892 megawatts
from geothermal, 354 megawatts from solar, 226 megawatts from biomass and 95 megawatts from small hydro. As a point of reference
Southern California Edison reports that 1 megawatt is enough electricity to power 750 average homes during the summer months.
Clean Power Income Fund (CLE.UN:TSX) has completed a $186 million
financing round for the Erie Shores Wind Farm on the north shore of Lake Erie. The wind energy facility, projected to produce
99 megawatts when on line in April of 2006 is to be the largest to date in Southern Ontario. Funding for the facility is to
come in three parts. Financiers include Sun Life Financial, Scotia Capital and National Bank Financial.
According to Stephen Probyn, CEO at Clean Power, the facility will
be one of Canada’s largest, "Acquiring and building what will be one of Canada's largest wind power facilities marks
a substantial expansion of our investments in windpower and in Canada."
GE Energy will supply the turbines for the facility, which include
66 GE 1.5 SEL turbines. GE will also operate and maintain the facility.
Diversa Corporation (NASDAQ: DVSA) and Valley Research, Inc. officially
launched the “Ultra-Thin” enzyme. The enzyme, considered the holy grail of ethanol production enzymes, is officially
termed a pH 4.5 alpha amylase enzyme, is said to allow the efficient conversion of starches found in corn into sugars, which
are than processed into ethanol. The key to the high efficiency is the pH. A pH of 4.5 is said to lower the operating costs
of ethanol producers significantly. According to Art Sears,
President of Valley Research, the company that will market the product, "The starch processing industry has been asking for
a pH 4.5 alpha amylase enzyme for almost 30 years, and Diversa has successfully developed the first product to satisfy this
unmet need. We look forward to demonstrating the value of Ultra-Thin enzyme to ethanol producers and launching additional
enzyme products with Diversa.” The enzyme has also been approved to be used in the production of sweetener.
With the announcement, Diversa sited United States ethanol production
statistics from the Renewable Fuels Association. In 2004, over 3.41 billion gallons of ethanol were produced, a 21 percent
increase from 2003 levels, and a 100 percent increase from 2000 levels. The company also said that there are 81 ethanol plants
in 20 states, with an additional 16 plants and 2 major expansions underway. The new plants and expansions are expected to
add 750 million gallons to the annual production rate.
World Energy Technology Trends
June
30th, 2005
Gas powered boats have long been the scourge of lakes and oceans,
polluting both the air and sometimes pristine water with toxic emissions and unhealthy oil. However, electric motor technology
is set to change that and perhaps much more. The technology suggests that fleets of docked boats could be turned into sources
of tidal current based electricity and super high speed electric boats could be designed to quickly traverse large bodies
of water.
Solomon Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:SOLM), which has a line of electric
motors for boats and ships of any size, has announced that the Alligator, a 26 passenger launch, has been retrofitted with
a Solomon propulsion system by Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems.
At the heart of Solomon’s electric motor is the Electric Wheel,
which was originally used in NASA’s Sojourner Mars rover. The Electric Wheel’s dual motor offers sailors an extra
margin of safety. If one motor fails, the other motor can be used to safely bring the vessel into dock. The electric motor
technology is also considered scalable. According to Solomon’s web site, the NASA Working Group concluded the Electric
Wheel design in a scaled scenario could provide up to 5,000 horsepower - enough to replace the heavy duty motors of tug boats.
Inside the Electric Wheel motor is a programmable pulse width modulation
controller that is used to adjust gear and torque for different loads through rotor speed and position feedback from Hall-effect
sensors. This gives the electric motor the capability to adjust itself to heavy loads, that require low speed and large torque
or light loads, which lend themselves to high acceleration rates.
As an added pulse, the electric motor is designed to charge the external battery bank, when
forces such as tidal current turn the motor in the opposite direction.
ENDESA (NYSE:ELE) has announced that it plans to install an additional
capacity of 21.5 megawatts at its Valpardo Wind Farm in Avila, with an investment of 20 million Euros. The new wind generation
capacity will bring the capacity in the Castilla y Leon region up to 267 megawatts. The new installation is to be equipped
with 25 Gamesa G-58 and G-52 wind turbines. Each of the turbines, which are 55 meters in height, will have a capacity of 850
kilo volts. With the capacity, the wind farm there, which is scheduled to start up by the end of this year, will be able to
power 14,250 homes or a yearly power output of 57 gigawatt hours. The company points out that the system to be installed there
has been designed to safeguard the interests of the unusual bird population that makes their habitat in the region.
Creststreet announced that it has set the maximum size for its limited
partnership units of Creststreet Kettles Hill Windpower LP at $40 million. The minimum size is $35 million. Creststreet indicates
that tax deductions based on the minimum and maximum size are 63 percent and 72 percent. Kettles Hill Wind Energy Inc. plans
to construct and operate wind energy facilities and sell the energy back to the Alberta power market. The offering is expected
to close on or before July 13, 2005.
World Energy Technology Trends
June
29th, 2005
LEONHARD KURZ GmbH & CO.KG, a company with considerable experience
in the printing and the polymer electronic technology market, has entered into a multi-year, multi-phase, non-exclusive
agreement to develop Konarak’s organic photovoltaic technology. As part of the agreement, KURZ has committed capital
and equipment for the project.
Howard Berke, CEO at Konarka Technologies Inc., emphasized
that KURZ’s experience in the printed materials market would further the advance of its technology into
the production stage, "KURZ is a world leader in innovative printed materials, and this relationship enhances
Konarka's ability to take its organic photovoltaic program beyond the laboratory and into development for manufacturing and
production scale-up. With this partnership, we are continuing to execute on our strategy to partner with leading global companies
who can print power plastic at very high volumes."
The agreement is expected to help Konarka gain access to one of
the world’s primary solar markets, Germany. According to Walter Kurz, President at KURZ, "As one of the world's largest
markets, energy presents many interesting opportunities for us.. Combining Konarka's technology with our manufacturing expertise
will help us take advantage of the growing demand for renewable energy solutions worldwide and particularly here in Germany,
the largest domestic solar energy market in the world."
Werner Reinhart, Vice President, at KURZ noted the benefits
of the integration of Konarka’s products into its product line will have for its customers, "Integrating Konarka's
power plastic into our products will enable us to extend and enhance their functionality. Our customers will gain value, such
as increased levels of convenience and freedom of use, without affecting the products' overall weight or size. In the longer
term, the possibility of printing large format solar modules is intriguing in that it could potentially alter the current
economics by driving costs down. We may even be able to increase the benefits of power plastic by leveraging the optical
competence we gained with our OVD Kinegram AG acquisition."
Randolph Chan, Executive Vice president, Joint Program Development,
at Konarka, pointed towards the potential value of a joint venture between KURZ and Siemens, "KURZ has decades of experience
with roll-to-roll printing and recently has made successful inroads into printing polymer electronics with the PolyIC venture
with Siemens. The merger of our organic photovoltaic program and KURZ's complementary manufacturing know-how will result in
exciting new ways to transform energy consuming applications into power generators. Working with KURZ further validates of
the value of our technology and our leadership position in this emerging field."
KURZ, with 2,600 employees and nine production facilities worldwide,
produces foil-based optical technology and magnetic foils used for security and packaging applications.
The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), considered
the third largest United States public pension fund, and VantagePoint Venture Partners have invested $30 million into New
Energy Capital Corp., a clean energy company.
Former United States Assistant Secretary of Energy, and now New
Energy Capital President and Dan Reicher, had this to say about the investment, "the support we are receiving from VantagePoint
and CalSTRS helps us put clean technology to work around the nation and in doing so demonstrate that the right company investing
in the right projects can do well - and do good. "
New Energy Capital with the funding announcement summarized some
of its recent projects. These included the financing of three cogeneration facilities at dairy food processing operations
in California and Massachusetts, and an investment in a biodiesal production facility in Delaware.
CalSTRS’s pension fund has a current market value of $125
billion and has over 750,000 members, representing teachers throughout all of California.
Plasma Environmental (TSX VENTURE:PE)and Kinectrics have completed
a pilot Plasma Assisted Gasifier (PAG) system. The new system is based on plasma arc technology and is used to convert selected
waste, that is high energy content waste, to fuel gases for use in distributed energy projects. On announcement of completion
of the project, Plasma President John Wright indicated that the company was ready to verify the commercial viability of the
system, "All of our work to date has shown the value of a system that can cleanly and efficiently turn waste to energy. With
the four tonne pilot system in place and functional we will be able to work with our partners to process their specific waste
and further verify PAG's commercial viability."
The PAG converts waste with high BTU (British Thermal Units) to
fuel gas with a high hydrogen content. Among some of the high-energy waste used by the system include sorted municipal solid
waste, de-watered sludges and chipped tires.
Plasma technology is a non-incineration process.
World Energy Technology Trends
June
28th, 2005
Dyesol Limited has made plans for an $3.5 million Initial Public Offer on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company,
addressing what it sees as a $5 billion dollar market, suggests that the dye in Dyesol’s solar cells mimics the photosynthesis
process found in plants. The company says that its cells can be used on the walls or roofs of buildings and can provide power
even on cloudy days.
Dyesol Chairman, Mr. Richard Caldwell, indicates that the technology is a major advance over silicon solar cells,
“Dyesol is a world leader in dye solar cell (DSC) technology. Dye solar cells are a quantum leap in technology from
the earlier silicon-based photovoltaic cells because they can operate in low light conditions, and will make a major contribution
to the future supply of renewable energy. Our assessment is that there is no other company in the world that is as advanced
as Dyesol and we are now at a point where our technology and its related production processes and applications can be commercialised
on a global scale.”
The announcement follows on the heels of an announcement by Dyesol that it had entered into its first commercial
agreement. That agreement is with Helios Inc., based in Canada, to determine the feasibility of a manufacturing plant in Canada.
Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd. (TSX-V: HGS) has completed $2.6 million
(Canadian) in financing as a result of the sale of about 4.0 million Units at 64 cents a unit. Hy-Drive plans to use the funding
to help accelerate the introduction of its G2 Hy-Drive System, which are currently being assembled according to Tom Brown,
President of Hy-Drive. "We are currently assembling the first 100 of our latest generation, commercial-ready units and with
the proceeds of this financing, will be investing in inventory as well as the tooling and equipment required to increase production
levels to meet expected future sales."
The Hy-Drive system is used to generate and inject hydrogen gas
into a standard combustion engine. The reported benefits of the technology include reduced emissions, increased horsepower,
fuel savings and extended engine life.
Revolt Technology AS, based in Trondheim Norway, has secured n7
million in venture capital in its first round of financing. The investors in the company’s rechargeable Zinc-air battery
technology included Northzone Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, Techno Venture Management (TVM), and Viking Ventures.
Revolt indicates that Zinc-air batteries, which have been on the
market for over 20 years, have a higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries. Because the company has devised a
method to produce Zinc-air batteries that are rechargeable, the battery is a prime candidate for the replacement of lithium
batteries, used in everything from mobile phones to laptop computers. According to Rodermann, Partner at Sofinnova Partners,
"Many companies have tried and failed to come up with a technology to replace Li-on. By succeeding in making Zinc-air batteries
rechargeable, the founders are positioning ReVolt to become a major player in the worldwide market for rechargeable batteries
for use in mobile consumer electronics. We believe ReVolt's breakthrough technology will be particularly useful in mobile
telephones, which have become more and more energy consumptive."
Revolt also suggests that Zinc-air batteries cost less to make than
their lithium-ion counterparts. Revolt estimates that the market for consumer-based rechargeable batteries, where
it plans to focus, will reach 1.6 billion units in 2008. In the mobile phone market, where Revolt has focused its design efforts,
is estimated to reach $3 billion in 2008.
ReVolt plans to concentrate on the market for consumer electronics,
where the number of units sold in 2008 is projected to reach 1.6 billion. ReVolt batteries will be particularly adapted to
use in mobile telephones, sales of which are expected to reach $3 billion by
2008.
ReVolt, founded in 2004, is a spin-off of Sintef, considered one
of the largest contract research centers in Europe.
WORLD ENERGY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
June 27th, 2005
Airtricity has reported plans to invest about $270 million initially
in the development of windmill parks in the states of Texas, New York as well as in the Pacific Northwest. Overall, by the
year 2010, the company plans a capital investment of over $1.5 billion in North America.
Part of the initial investment will be used to install turbines
with Renewable Generation Holdings Inc. (RGI) on a wind farm in the Abilene area. That facility is expected when complete
to have a capacity of 125 megawatts, enough to power over 75,000 homes. Turbines for the Abilene project will be supplied
from Siemens Wind Power company. In 2006, Gamesa is expected to supply wind turbines for Airtricity other wind farm projects.
Greenlight Energy has been given the green light for the development
of a 200 to 300 megawatt windmill project in rural Washington County. Construction of the facility, which may be on line as
early as 2006, is expected to cost in the order of $250 to $300 million. The energy plant to be constructed on 15,000 acres
is considered one of the largest wind farms that have been built so far and certainly the largest in Colorado, a state ranked
11th in wind energy potential, according to Greenlight.
Outlining the sought after features of the windmill site was Matt
Hantzmon, Managing Director of Greenlight Energy. "The Akron project offers many attractive features for development. The
community has been very receptive, the location is ideally situated near transmission lines and the state's renewable portfolio
standards provide strong incentives for wind energy development."
A round of funding valued at $24.5 million from the Government of
Canada and several other industry organizations is to be used for innovative automotive research projects. The funding,
to come through AUTO21, a network of research centers in Canada, is for 41 automobile research projects. The projects involve
almost every technology discipline from semiconductors, through fuel technology to nanotechnology and biomaterials. Older
drivers are also a focus of the projects. As the populations of the West ages, drivers to stay safely on the road could possibly
require everything from early w
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