Renewable Energy Today articles from April 2006

Renewable Energy Today archives from April 2006

Green Mountain Power Offers New Renewable Energy Option.
April 3, 2006... Colchester, VT-based Green Mountain Power Corporation recently announced that its customers will now be able to purchase all or a portion of their electricity from renewable resources. Under the program, the company pledges to purchase an...

SDG&E Signs Contract to Purchase Geothermal Energy.
April 3, 2006... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) recently announced it has signed a 15-year contract to purchase 20 megawatts (MW) of geothermal energy from Esmeralda Truckhaven Geothermal, LLC. According to SDG&E, the electricity will be generated at a...

Solarbuzz Reports 34-percent Growth in World PV Market.
April 3, 2006... San Francisco, CA-based solar energy consultancy Solarbuzz, LLC recently released its annual photovoltaic (PV) market report, titled "Marketbuzz 2006," which reveals that world PV market installations reached a record high of 1,460 megawatts...

Xcel Issues RFP for 'Non-wind' Renewables for Southwest.
April 4, 2006... Xcel Energy recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for approximately 40,500 megawatt-hours (MWh) of annual renewable energy or renewable energy certificates (RECs) to be generated from renewable technologies other than wind turbines. ...

DynaMotive, Consensus Form Joint Venture in Europe.
April 4, 2006... DynaMotive Energy Systems Corporation, a company focused on the development of energy solutions based on its patented fast pyrolysis system, recently announced it has signed a memorandum for the establishment of a joint venture (JV) in Europe...

IPWG Wins Approval to Build Waste-to-Energy Plants in Mexico.
April 4, 2006... International Power Group, Ltd. (IPWG) recently announced that the government of Ensenada, Mexico has granted the company approval for the construction and operation of two new waste-to-energy plants. According to IPWG, the plants will be...

New European HQ for Renewables Inaugurated in Brussels.
April 4, 2006... The European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) recently announced the inauguration of the Renewable Energy House, a new facility in Brussels, Belgium that will serve as the European headquarters for renewables. According to EREC, all European...

GE Energy Supplies Modules for Korean Solar Project.
April 5, 2006... GE Energy recently announced its selection by AstroKorea to provide the local government of Mara Island, Korea with equipment for a new solar power installation. According to GE Energy, the company supplied 2,010 GEPV-75W solar modules,...

WorldWater & Power to Install Solar Systems at NJ Science Center.
April 5, 2006... WorldWater & Power Corporation recently announced it has won a $1.9-million bid award to design and install two solar electric systems at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. According to WorldWater & Power, the first system, a...

Constellation NewEnergy Wins Green Power Contracts With ORDA.
April 5, 2006... Constellation Energy recently announced that its subsidiary Constellation NewEnergy has signed power supply contracts with the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). Under the agreements, Constellation NewEnergy will...

Western GeoPower Announces Appointment of New Board Director.
April 6, 2006... Vancouver, British Columbia-based renewable energy development company Western GeoPower Corporation recently announced the appointment of A. Murray Sinclair to its board of directors. According to Western GeoPower, Sinclair is managing...

ECD Ovonics Selects Site for Solar Cell Manufacturing Plant.
April 6, 2006... Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD Ovonics) recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary United Solar Ovonic, LLC has selected Greenville, MI as the location of its third Ovonic solar cell manufacturing plant, which is expected to be...

Eight EU Member States Fail to Comply With Renewables Directive.
April 6, 2006... The European Commission (EC) recently announced that eight EU member states have failed to achieve compliance with a community directive that calls for members to implement legislation, administrative provisions and measures -- such as fair...

City of Boston Joins EPA Green Power Partnership.
April 6, 2006... The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that the city of Boston, MA has joined the agency's Green Power Partnership via a commitment to purchase more than eight percent of its electric load, or 17,300 megawatt-hours of...

DynaMotive Announces Entry Into U.S. Market.
April 7, 2006... Vancouver, British Columbia-based DynaMotive Energy Systems Corporation, a company focused on the development of energy solutions based on its patented fast pyrolysis system, recently disclosed plans to commence operations in the U.S.,...

Kiehl's to Offset Electricity Use With REC Purchase.
April 7, 2006... Green Mountain Energy Company recently announced that its eMission Solutions division will supply New York-based skin and hair care company Kiehl's with renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset the electricity usage for 10 of its stores across...

FSEC Approves SunWize Grid-Tie Systems.
April 7, 2006... SunWize Technologies recently announced the approval of its Grid-Tie Systems (GTS) by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). According to SunWize, GTS packages are currently the only complete systems on FSEC's list of approved grid-ties....

Weekly Update.
April 7, 2006... POWER-GEN RENEWABLE ENERGY & FUELS, April 10-12, 2006, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV greenT FORUM: RAISING THE BAR ON VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT MARKETS, May 1-2, 2006, New York, NY 3RD ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL...

Seattle Officials Recommend Biomass Project in New Report.
April 10, 2006... Seattle Steam Company recently announced that Seattle, WA mayor Greg Nickles' Green Ribbon Commission on Climate Protection recommended the company's biomass project in a new report. According to Seattle Steam, the company plans to replace...

CA Groups Voice Support for Proposed Electric Transmission Line.
April 10, 2006... A coalition of more than one dozen California business and labor groups, dubbed Associated Business & Labor for Energy (ABLE), recently announced its unified support for the Sunrise Powerlink, a major electric-transmission line proposed by San...

Southwest Windpower Completes $8-million Equity Financing.
April 10, 2006... Southwest Windpower (SWWP) recently announced the completion of an $8-million, Series-B equity investment led by Boston-based venture capital firm RockPort Capital Partners. According to SWWP, the capital will be used to support the...

Tibet Hydro Plant to Come Online Later This Year.
April 10, 2006... Chinese news agency Xinhua reported late last month that officials in China expect to begin generating electricity at a new 100,000-kilowatt (kW) hydroelectric plant in the country's Tibet Autonomous Region by the end of 2006. According to...

Energy Systems Group Breaks Ground on Methane Recovery Plant.
April 11, 2006... Energy Systems Group (ESG), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vectren Corporation, recently broke ground for a landfill methane recovery plant to be constructed at the Iris Glenn landfill in Johnson City, TN. According to ESG, the facility will...

SunPower Commences Volume Shipping of New Solar Panels.
April 11, 2006... SunPower Corporation recently announced it has commenced volume shipments of its new line of solar panels. According to SunPower, the new line, which includes the SPR-220, SPR-215 and SPR-95 models, offers efficiencies of up to 17.7 percent...

NJBPU, DEP Launch New Clean Power Choice Program.
April 11, 2006... The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) recently joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in announcing the statewide rollout of the Clean Power Choice program, a voluntary initiative that allows customers to...

CSG Appoints New Renewable Energy Market Division Analyst.
April 12, 2006... The Conservation Services Group (CSG) recently announced the appointment of Nubia Perez as a market analyst for its Renewable Energy Market Division. According to CSG, Perez will be responsible for the marketing and sales of retail...

Sterling Planet Appoints GreenShift CEO to Board of Directors.
April 12, 2006... Sterling Planet, Inc., a leading retail green power provider through the sourcing and sale of renewable energy credits (RECs) and a GreenShift portfolio company, recently announced the appointment of GreenShift Corporation chairman and CEO...

GWEC Report Predicts 18-percent Increase in Wind Market.
April 12, 2006... The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) recently released a new report, titled "Global Wind 2005," which forecasts that wind power will increase by an average of 18 percent annually until 2010, by which time global installed wind capacity is...

CA Bioenergy Working Group Releases New Recommendations.
April 13, 2006... The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently announced the Bioenergy Interagency Working Group's release of "Recommendations for a Bioenergy Plan for California," which are designed to help accelerate biomass activity for alternative fuels...

DuPont Launches New Solar Program at Delaware Facilities.
April 13, 2006... DuPont recently announced the launch of a new solar energy program at its Chestnut Run facilities in Wilmington, DE designed to help further the company's research in "next-generation" solar panel technology. According to DuPont, the...

Wells Fargo Invests $5 Million in Renewable Energy Fund.
April 13, 2006... Wells Fargo & Company recently announced its investment of $5 million in the Carlyle/Riverstone Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund I, L.P. According to Wells Fargo, the fund will invest in such renewable energy projects as wind, solar,...

GE Fanuc to Provide Software Solution for Evergreen Solar.
April 14, 2006... GE Fanuc Automation, Inc., a unit of GE Industrial, recently announced that solar power product developer and manufacturer Evergreen Solar has selected the company's Proficy plant applications manufacturing execution system (MES) solution for...

PGE Signs Agreement for Development Rights to OR Wind Farm.
April 14, 2006... Portland General Electric (PGE) recently announced it has signed an agreement with Orion Energy, LLC to acquire the development rights for the 25,000-acre Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in Sherman County, OR. According to PGE, the proposed...

DynaMotive, Rika Sign Agreement to License Pyrolysis Plant.
April 14, 2006... DynaMotive Energy Systems Corporation recently announced it has signed an agreement to license a 200 ton-per-day (tpd) pyrolysis plant to Latvian holding company Rika, Ltd. According to DynaMotive, the plant will be located at a Rika site...

Ormat Nevada Signs Contract to Deliver OEC Power Unit.
April 14, 2006... Ormat Technologies, Inc. recently announced that its Ormat Nevada, Inc. subsidiary has signed an $11.5-million contract to supply a 10-megawatt (MW) Ormat Energy Converter (OEC) power unit for installation at an existing geothermal energy...

Weekly Update.
April 14, 2006... greenT FORUM: RAISING THE BAR ON VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT MARKETS, May 1-2, 2006, New York, NY PATIENT CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE VENTURE FAIR AND CONFERENCE: INNOVATION AT THE NEXUS OF VENTURE CAPITAL, SOCIAL INVESTING AND...

Operations Commence at New Atlantic City Wind Power Project.
April 17, 2006... Community Energy, Inc. (CEI), Babcock & Brown and CH Energy Group, Inc. recently announced they have closed term equity financing and begun commercial operation at the Jersey-Atlantic wind farm in Atlantic City, NJ. According to CEI, the...

GreenFuel Closes $6.8-million Round of Funding With Polaris.
April 17, 2006... GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, a developer of bioreactor systems that convert carbon dioxide (CO2) in smokestack gases into renewable biofuels, recently announced it has closed a $6.8-million Series B-1 Preferred round of funding with...

Franklin Park India to Acquire 50 Percent of IHDC.
April 17, 2006... Guggenheim Partners affiliate Franklin Park Energy, LLC recently announced that Franklin Park India, LLC has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 50 percent of India Hydropower Development Company (IHDC). Franklin Park noted...

Oakville Hydro to Build New Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plant.
April 18, 2006... Oakville Hydro Corporation recently announced plans to build a new facility that will use landfill gas to generate electricity. "When completed before the end of 2007, this facility will generate two megawatts of power, which is enough...

New EU-funded Wind Energy Research Project Gets Under Way.
April 18, 2006... The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) recently announced that more than 100 wind energy specialists gathered in Brussels late last week to kick off a new long-term, EU-funded wind energy research project. According to EWEA, UpWind is...

AES to Invest Nearly $1 Billion in Alternative Energy.
April 19, 2006... Arlington, VA-based AES Corporation recently announced plans to invest approximately $1 billion over the next three years in its alternative energy business and the commercialization of new projects and technologies to reduce or offset...

FirstEnergy Signs PPA for Pennsylvania Wind Project.
April 19, 2006... FirstEnergy Corporation has entered into a 23-year agreement to purchase 80 megawatts (MW) of wind power from the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm currently under development near Altoona, PA. According to FirstEnergy, Phase I of the wind farm...

Chinese Company Begins Development of New Hydro Project.
April 19, 2006... Chinese news agency Xinhua recently reported that the Yellow River Upper Reaches Hydropower Development Company has commenced development of a new 14.5-million yuan (about $1.8-million), 4,200-megawatt hydropower facility on the Yellow River....

New NJ RPS Sets Goal of 20 Percent Renewables by 2020.
April 20, 2006... The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) recently voted to approve new regulations that extend the existing goals of the state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) from 2008 to 2020 and increase the required amount of energy obtained from...

New 99-Megawatt Erie Shores Wind Farm Opens in Ontario.
April 20, 2006... The Clean Power Income Fund recently announced the opening of Ontario's new $186-million Erie Shores wind farm, which will generate 99 megawatts of electricity from 66 wind turbines located along the northern shoreline of Lake Erie. ...

Cleantech to Host Venture Forum X in London, England.
April 20, 2006... Cleantech Venture Network, LLC will host the Cleantech Venture Forum X from June 7 through 9 at the Marriott Hotel-Grovesnor Square in London, England. On the evening of Wednesday, June 7, Cleantech will host a welcoming reception for all...

Konarka Appoints New Chief Technology Officer.
April 21, 2006... Lowell, MA-based polymer photovoltaic product developer Konarka Technologies, Inc. recently announced the appointment of Christoph Brabec as the company's new chief technology officer (CTO). Prior to joining Konarka in September 2004,...

CHEC Acquires Controlling Interest in NY Biomass Plant.
April 21, 2006... CH Energy Group, Inc. recently announced that its non-regulated subsidiary Central Hudson Enterprises Corporation (CHEC) has purchased the majority interest in Lyonsdale Biomass, a 19-megawatt, wood-burning power plant in upstate New York, for...

British Wind Farm Produces More Than 100 MW of Power.
April 21, 2006... Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE) recently announced that its 120-megawatt, 52-turbine Hadyard Hill wind farm has become the first such facility in the U.K. to generate more than 100 MW of electricity. SSE noted that the...

Weekly Update.
April 21, 2006... greenT FORUM: RAISING THE BAR ON VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT MARKETS, May 1-2, 2006, New York, NY PATIENT CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE VENTURE FAIR AND CONFERENCE: INNOVATION AT THE NEXUS OF VENTURE CAPITAL, SOCIAL INVESTING AND...

Yahoo! Joins SVP's Santa Clara Green Power Program.
April 24, 2006... Silicon Valley Power (SVP) recently announced that internet service provider Yahoo! has signed an agreement to purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) through the Santa Clara Green Power program. By joining the program, Yahoo! becomes a member...

NovaGold Announces Offer for British Columbia Wind Project.
April 24, 2006... Vancouver, BC-based precious metals company NovaGold Resources, Inc. recently announced it intends to make an offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Coast Mountain Power Corporation, a renewable energy company with hydroelectric...

FPL Selects Sarasota Park for First Solar Array.
April 24, 2006... Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) recently announced that, through its Sunshine Energy voluntary green power program, the utility has selected a site in Sarasota for its first solar array. The 250-kilowatt solar array, to be located at...

MIT Enterprises Forum Names Clean Energy Competition Finalists.
April 24, 2006... The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge recently announced the 10 finalists for the 2006 Ignite Clean Energy competition, which is designed to "help new business leaders create a compelling story for raising funds from government, angel and...

ND Governor Helps Break Ground at New State Wind Farm.
April 25, 2006... North Dakota governor John Hoeven joined officials from FPL Energy and Minnesota Power last week in breaking ground at the Oliver County Wind Energy Center near Center, ND. The 50.6-megawatt facility will be built, owned and operated by FPL...

GE Invests in Developer of Commercial Wave Power Facility.
April 25, 2006... GE's Technology Lending unit recently announced it is providing capital to Ocean Power Delivery, Ltd. (OPD) to construct a new commercial wave power farm that will generate electricity from offshore ocean waves. According to GE, the...

Suntech Power to Provide Solar System for Beijing Olympics.
April 25, 2006... Suntech Power Holdings Company, Ltd. recently announced it has received an exclusive contract to supply a photovoltaic (PV) energy system for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The 130-kilowatt system will be installed at 12 entrances of the...

Local CT High School Unveils New CCEF-Provided Solar Array.
April 25, 2006... Connecticut Innovations recently announced that the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) and the City of Middletown unveiled late last week a new two-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV)...

Architectural Firm Purchases RECs to Offset Total Power Use.
April 27, 2006... Global architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) recently announced it has purchased more than 4 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits (RECs) from wind farms to offset 100 percent of the electricity used in its...

CCEF Completes Financing for Biomass Plant Pre-development.
April 27, 2006... The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) recently announced it has signed a loan agreement with Plainfield Renewable Energy, LLC for the company's pre-development of a 30-megawatt (MW), wood-fueled, advanced biomass gasification plant. The...

REI Commits to Purchasing 10 Million kWh of Green Power.
April 27, 2006... Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) recently announced plans to purchase 10 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy, supporting 20 percent of the company's national electricity usage. According to REI, the purchase of wind, landfill...

Prime Solar to Establish New German Silicon Wafer Facility.
April 27, 2006... Australian solar power project developer Prime Solar Power Pty, Ltd. recently announced plans to develop a new 425-million-pound (about $758.8-million) silicon wafer manufacturing facility in Thalheim, Germany that will be capable of producing...

EPC Subsidiary Microgy Announces Management Change.
April 27, 2006... Microgy, Inc., a subsidiary of renewable energy production facility developer, owner and operator Environment Power Corporation (EPC), recently announced the departure of its president Randall Hull and the subsequent appointment of Donald...

TXU Wholesale Signs New Wind Power Contract With Airtricity.
April 27, 2006... TXU Wholesale, a subsidiary of TXU Corporation, recently announced it has signed a 15-year contract with Airtricity for the purchase of 125 megawatts (MW) of wind power. TXU Wholesale and its affiliates currently have contracts for 580 MW...

DC Metro Transit Authority Looks to Employ Solar Power.
April 28, 2006... The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) recently announced that its board has approved applying for federal renewable energy bonds that would be used to install a minimum of $15 million worth of solar energy equipment. ...

AES to Purchase 54 MW of Wind Assets in California.
April 28, 2006... The AES Corporation recently announced plans to purchase 54 megawatts (MW) of wind generation assets from Enron Wind Systems in Tehachapi, CA. According to AES, the acquisition includes two wind farm projects comprising 667 turbines...

USDA Awards Over $4 Million to Local Woody Biomass Projects.
April 28, 2006... The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced nearly $4.2 million in grants to 18 small enterprises to develop innovative uses for woody biomass in national forests as sources of renewable energy and new products. "This...

Weekly Update.
April 28, 2006... greenT FORUM: RAISING THE BAR ON VOLUNTARY ENVIRONMENTAL CREDIT MARKETS, May 1-2, 2006, New York, NY PATIENT CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE VENTURE FAIR AND CONFERENCE: INNOVATION AT THE NEXUS OF VENTURE CAPITAL, SOCIAL INVESTING AND...