Renewable Energy Today articles from September 2003

Renewable Energy Today archives from September 2003

CVPS Survey Reveals Support for Renewables in VT.
September 2, 2003... Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS), an independent, investor-owned company providing energy and energy-related services to customers throughout Vermont, recently announced the findings of a survey conducted to gauge support for the...

Additional First Solar Arrays Installed for TEP.
September 2, 2003... Phoenix, AZ-based First Solar recently installed 240 kilowatts (kW) in two solar arrays at the Tucson Electric Power (TEP) generating station in Springerville, AZ. The recent installation augments two existing 120-kW arrays installed in 2001....

Caruachi Hydroelectric Project Operates First Two Turbines.
September 2, 2003... GE Hydro, a unit of GE Power Systems, recently announced that the first two GE Hydro turbine-generators installed at the Caruachi Hydroelectric Project in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela have entered into commercial service. According to the...

GMEC Begins Construction on Two Wind Turbines in OH.
September 3, 2003... Green Mountain Energy Company (GMEC), American Municipal Power-Ohio and the City of Bowling Green recently participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of two 1.8-megawatt wind turbines near Bowling Green, OH. Officials...

OSU Supports Local Wind Power Through Green Tags.
September 3, 2003... The Portland, OR-based Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a nonprofit organization established to "further the development and use of new renewable energy resources," recently announced a commitment from Oregon State University (OSU) to...

British Proposal Encourages Use of Biomass.
September 3, 2003... Great Britain's energy minister Stephen Timms recently outlined a measure encouraging power stations to burn a mix of coal and biomass as part of proposed changes to the country's Renewables Obligation, a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction effort....

CHI Energy Changes Name to Enel North America.
September 4, 2003... Stamford, CT-based CHI Energy, Inc., which was purchased by Italian electricity company Enel in 2000, recently announced it has changed its name to Enel North America, Inc. "The name change represents a closer integration of our strategy...

NPS to Develop 'MicroGrid' Power Network in VT.
September 4, 2003... Northern Power Systems (NPS) recently announced plans to engineer, build and operate a new "custom-designed, utility-connected energy generation, storage and distribution network" within the area known as Mad River Park located in Waitsfield,...

Officials Approve Hydro Tasmania Wind Farm.
September 4, 2003... The Lower Eyre Peninsula District Council in Cummins, South Australia recently granted environmental approval for Hydro Tasmania to build a 66-megawatt wind farm in Cathedral Rocks, South Australia. "We have to develop a number of further...

Navitas Energy Wind Farm in IL to be Completed This Year.
September 5, 2003... Peoria, IL newspaper the Journal Star recently reported that Minneapolis, MN-based Navitas Energy's 50.4-megawatt (MW), $56-million Mendota Hills wind farm, to consist of 63 wind turbines spread across 2,600 acres in Lee County, IL, is...

ARISE Reports Second-quarter Financial Results.
September 5, 2003... Kitchener, Ontario-based solar energy company ARISE Technologies Corporation recently announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2003, reporting a quarterly net loss of $248,522, compared to a net loss of $282,514 during the...

AWEA Accepts Abstracts for Global WINDPOWER Conference.
September 5, 2003... The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently announced it is accepting abstracts for participation in the "Global WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition" scheduled to be held March 28 through 31, 2004 in Chicago, IL. According to...

SCE Procures 23 Percent of Power From Renewables.
September 8, 2003... Edison International (EIX) recently announced that "for the first time, renewable energy sources represented as much as 23 percent of [EIX subsidiary] Southern California Edison's (SCE) total monthly power sales this summer...." "We have...

Shell Solar Products to be Sold in Southern CA, Indian Nations.
September 8, 2003... Riverside, CA-based Southern States Power Company, Inc. (SSPC), recently announced it has entered into a one-year product re-seller agreement with Shell Solar Industries to promote and sell the latter's photovoltaic (PV) products to sovereign...

USDA Awards $21.2 Million in Grants to Support Renewable Energy.
September 8, 2003... The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it has selected 113 applications from 24 states to receive renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants totaling approximately $21.2 million. According to...

PGE Again Picks Green Mountain to Market Green Power.
September 9, 2003... Portland General Electric (PGE) in Oregon recently announced it has again selected Green Mountain Energy Company as its primary supplier of renewable energy products and green power marketing affiliate. Officials said state rules required that...

Suncor, EHN Announce Joint Venture to Build 30-MW Wind Farm.
September 9, 2003... Calgary, Alberta-based Suncor Energy Products, Inc. and EHN Wind Power Canada, Inc. recently announced they have received approval from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board to construct a $48-million Canadian (about $35-million U.S.),...

Conservationists Notify Energy Regulators of Planned Lawsuit.
September 9, 2003... Conservation groups the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League (SCCCL), American Rivers, National Heritage Institute (NHI) and the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) recently notified utility South Carolina Electric and Gas...

Mass Megawatts Reports Quarterly Financial Results.
September 9, 2003... Worcester, MA-based wind farm developer Mass Megawatts Wind Power, Inc. recently announced its financial results for the quarter ended July 31, reporting a quarterly net loss of $228,521, or 10 cents per share, compared to a net loss of...

Endesa Begins Construction of 75.9-MW Wind Farm in Spain.
September 10, 2003... Spanish electric and telecommunications utility Endesa, through its subsidiary Endesa Cogeneracion y Renovables (ECYR), recently announced it has begun construction of the 75.9-megawatt (MW), 115-wind turbine Fonsagrada-Punago wind farm, which...

Environmental Power Secures Financing, Unveils Growth Strategy.
September 10, 2003... Portsmouth, NH-based Environmental Power Corporation recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary EPC Corporation has completed a transaction with ArcLight Energy Partners Fund I affiliate Crystal Creek Coalpower Funding "for the purpose...

ACEEE Says Renewable Energy Can Lower Natural Gas Prices.
September 10, 2003... The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently released a study, titled "Impacts of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on Natural Gas Markets," indicating that "new investments in energy efficiency and renewable...

GE Wind Energy Supplies Turbines for Tehachapi Wind Farm.
September 11, 2003... GE Wind Energy recently announced plans to supply two 1.5-megawatt (MW) wind turbines to Coram Energy for a wind farm in Tehachapi, CA. According to officials, GE Power Systems expects the project to generate more than 9 million...

Officials Say Scotland to Meet Green Energy Targets.
September 11, 2003... Government officials in Scotland recently reported that the country is currently producing approximately 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources, placing Scotland "on track" to meet the 18-percent and 40-percent green energy generation...

Infocast to Host Energy Venture Fair IV in PA.
September 11, 2003... Infocast, Inc. will host the Energy Venture Fair IV, "a showcase and networking event for established and emerging growth companies, venture capitalists, service providers and corporate development executives focused on bringing new innovations...

Konarka Secures $2-Million Line of Credit.
September 12, 2003... Lowell, MA-based polymer photovoltaic products developer Konarka Technologies, Inc. recently announced it has secured a revolving line of credit of up to $2 million from Silicon Valley Bancshares subsidiary Silicon Valley Bank. Although...

Pataki Inaugurates 'Green' Residential High-Rise in NY.
September 12, 2003... Garden City, NY-based real estate firm the Albanese Organization, Inc. recently announced that New York governor George Pataki joined last week with members of the Albanese Organization, the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority,...

Officials Approve Te Apiti Wind Farm in New Zealand.
September 12, 2003... Meridian Energy recently announced it has received approval from the Tararua District Council to build the Te Apiti wind farm located between Ashhurst and Woodville, New Zealand. According to the company, the 55-turbine wind project is...

PSE Issues Draft RFP for 150 MW of Wind Power.
September 15, 2003... Puget Sound Energy (PSE) recently announced the issue of a draft request for proposal (RFP) to acquire approximately 150 megawatts (MW) of capacity from wind power for its electric-resource portfolio. According to PSE, the draft RFP, which...

GE Hydro Receives Contract for Turbine Refurbishment.
September 15, 2003... GE Hydro recently announced it has received a contract worth more than $1.6 million from Vattenfall AB of Sweden "for a major turbine refurbishment that is expected to increase the output of the [latter's] Stalon hydroelectric power plant by...

Altair Selects New Strategic Accounts Manager.
September 15, 2003... Golden, CO-based solar electric systems provider Altair Energy recently announced it has selected former Solar Works, Inc. vice president of marketing and sales Richard Eidlin to serve as the company's strategic accounts manager. According...

Genesis Power to Advance Awhitu Peninsula Wind Farm Proposal.
September 15, 2003... Genesis Power recently announced it has conducted 12 months of research indicating that the Awhitu Peninsula in New Zealand is "a reliable source of wind power for the next wind farm development for Genesis." According to officials,...

BEF Invests in Site for New 200-MW Wind Farm.
September 16, 2003... Olympia, WA-based Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) recently announced it has joined with fellow members of the Last Mile Electric Cooperative to "secure the development rights to some 20,000 acres of high-quality wind resource land on...

Princeton Researchers Develop New PV Production Technique.
September 16, 2003... Princeton University recently announced that a team of university electrical engineers has invented a new technique for producing photovoltaics (PVs), reported in the September 11 issue of the journal Nature, that could potentially "move...

GLFC Researcher to Serve as Chief Forester of DynaMotive.
September 16, 2003... Vancouver, British Columbia-based DynaMotive Energy Systems Corporation recently announced that Canadian Forest Service (CFS) Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) researcher Luc Duchesne will serve as DynaMotive's new chief forester. ...

MGE Plans to Build New Wind Farm in WI.
September 17, 2003... Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) recently announced plans to build a new Wisconsin-based wind farm with an energy generating capacity of at least 10 megawatts, providing enough power for "more than 3,500 homes." According to MGE, the new...

Centrica Forms JV to Acquire Offshore Wind Farm Company.
September 17, 2003... Berkshire, England-based energy supplier Centrica, plc recently announced it has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Danish energy group DONG A/S and Norwegian power company Statkraft to acquire Barrow Offshore Wind, Ltd. (BOW), which has...

SaskPower, ATCO Power to Increase Wind Generation in Saskatchewan.
September 17, 2003... Saskatchewan Executive Council premier and president Lorne Calvert recently announced plans to expand Regina, Saskatchewan-based electric utility SaskPower International's wind generation nearly tenfold to 150 megawatts (MW) through a joint...

Asahi Breweries Sets Sights on Wind Power Company.
September 17, 2003... Asahi Breweries, Ltd. recently announced plans to purchase a 19-percent equity stake in Nishihara, Japan-based wind power firm Green Power Aso Company, which is wholly owned by Japan's semi-governmental utility Electric Power Development...

Brooklyn Brewery Converts to 100-Percent NY Wind Power.
September 18, 2003... Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) recently announced that the Brooklyn Brewery's plant and headquarters in Brooklyn, NY will convert to 100 percent "NewWind Energy" brand wind power generated at the Fenner, NY wind farm in upstate Madison County....

McKenzie Bay Signs MOU with Valence Technology.
September 18, 2003... Brighton, MI-based alternative energy solutions firm McKenzie Bay International, Ltd. recently announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Valence Technology, Inc. "for the evaluation of Valence's Saphion lithium-ion...

UCS Receives Contract to Install PV Panels in Israel.
September 18, 2003... Miami, FL-based Universal Communications Systems, Inc. (UCS) recently announced it has received a contract from the City of Herzliah, Israel to build and install photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and systems "to provide solar/electric power for...

First Solar Wins R&D 100 Award for HRVTD Process.
September 18, 2003... First Solar recently announced it has won -- in collaboration with the National Center for Photovoltaics, part of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) -- a 2003 research and development (R&D) 100 Award from R&D...

IndiaCore to Host 'Green Power 4' Conference in New Delhi.
September 18, 2003... IndiaCore will host "Green Power 4 -- Sustainable Energy Development for Improved Quality of Life," the fourth in a series of biannual conferences, October 16 and 17 at the Hotel Hyatt Regency in New Delhi, India. According to IndiaCore,...

Community Energy Launches 'Catch the Wind' Campaign.
September 22, 2003... Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) recently announced the launch of its "Catch the Wind" campaign to "mobilize New England electric consumers in developing new, community-based supported wind projects that deliver clean, renewable energy to the...

Niagara Mohawk Awards Grants, Distributes 'GreenUp' Information.
September 22, 2003... Syracuse, NY-based electric utility Niagara Mohawk recently announced it has distributed to customers enrollment information for the company's "GreenUp" renewable energy program, which has obtained 7,700 customers since its launch last year....

MicroFab Receives NSF SBIR Award.
September 22, 2003... Plano, TX-based MicroFab Technologies recently announced the award of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program titled "Fabrication of Organic Photovoltaic Solar Panel Using Ink Jet Technology." ...

MTC Announces $4-Million Wind Power Initiative.
September 22, 2003... The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) recently announced a $4-million initiative to make "funding, technical assistance and detailed wind maps available to [state] municipalities that have expressed interest in exploring development...

CREIA Launches Renewables Partnership in China.
September 22, 2003... The China Renewable Energy Industrial Association (CREIA) recently announced the launch earlier this month of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), "a global initiative launched by the British government at last year's...

WRI Relies on 100-percent 'Green' Energy.
September 23, 2003... The Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute (WRI), "an environmental research and policy organization that creates practical solutions to protect the Earth and improve people's lives," recently announced its offices are now powered by...

Mendota Hills to Employ AMSC D-VAR System.
September 23, 2003... Westborough, MA-based American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) recently announced that its dynamic volt-ampere-reactive (D-VAR) transmission grid reliability system will be used by wind farm developer Mendota Hills. According to AMSC,...

Apex-BP Solar Receives Solar Power Contract in Morocco.
September 23, 2003... BP France subsidiary Apex-BP Solar, in partnership with Moroccan oil company Compagnie Marocaine des Hydrocarbures (CMH), recently announced it has received a "major contract" from Morocco's state-owned electric utility Office National de...

Pitney Bowes to Purchase Renewables Certificates.
September 24, 2003... Pitney Bowes, Inc. recently announced plans to purchase "an amount of renewable energy trading certificates equivalent to 10 percent of its annual U.S. and U.K. home office consumption of electricity generated from conventional sources." ...

DTI Announces Additional Funding for Renewables Projects.
September 24, 2003... The U.K. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently reported that U.K. energy minister Stephen Timms has announced extra funding for 12 renewable energy projects throughout the country totalling 1.6 million pounds (about $2.6 million). ...

Macroshaft Touts Wave Energy Power Plants.
September 24, 2003... Sydney, Australia-based Macroshaft Pty., Ltd. recently announced plans for a wave energy power plant (WEPP) project in the North Pacific Ocean that is expected to supply 1.6 gigawatts of electricity to California and "eventually boost [the...

Study Focuses on 'Bio-energy' Potential in Eastern WA.
September 24, 2003... The Washington Department of Ecology, the Inland Northwest Technology Education Center (INTEC) and Washington State University recently announced the release of a study indicating that "up to 40 percent of Eastern Washington's residential...

FPL Wind Farm Included in CA ISO Renewable Energy Program.
September 25, 2003... The California Independent System Operator (ISO), a nonprofit public benefit corporation charged with "managing the flow of electricity along California's wholesale power grid," recently announced that Florida Power and Light's (FPL)...

Green Mountain Seeks Commercial Customers in Houston.
September 25, 2003... Green Mountain Energy Company recently announced plans to expand its Texas commercial clean energy business from Dallas to Houston, TX. Through its Green Mountain Energy electricity service, officials said the company's commercial customers...

Hammerfest Stroem Launches Subsea Power Station.
September 25, 2003... Hammerfest Stroem, Statoil, ABB and local Norwegian utilities recently announced the launch of a 80-million krone (about $11.4-million) subsea power station located in the Kvalsund channel near the town of Hammerfest, Norway. According to...

Infocast to Host Energy Venture Fair IV in PA.
September 25, 2003... Infocast, Inc. will host the Energy Venture Fair IV, "a showcase and networking event for established and emerging growth companies, venture capitalists, service providers and corporate development executives focused on bringing new innovations...

NHA Lauds Domenici-Tauzin Hydro Licensing Reform Proposal.
September 26, 2003... The National Hydropower Association (NHA) recently praised U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin (R-LA) for "recognizing the importance of hydropower to the nation's energy portfolio and electricity grid by...

WTCG Completes Engineering on Wind Turbine Erection Technique.
September 26, 2003... Dallas, TX-based WTCG recently announced the completion of "preliminary engineering" on its "alternative wind turbine erection technique." According to WTCG president John Miller, the company's partnership with Westower Communications,...

Aquila Seeks Green Tag Program for Biomass Plant.
September 26, 2003... Aquila, Inc. recently announced it is working with the Colorado Office of Energy Management and Conservation "to develop the first U.S. Green Tag renewable energy program" that would support the company's biomass waste-to-energy power plant in...

ASES to Launch National Solar Tour in October.
September 26, 2003... The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) will launch the "8th Annual National Solar Tour" on Saturday, October 4 to allow participants to "see first-hand the successful use of many forms of renewable energy including passive solar designs and...

GE to Provide Wind Turbines to Portuguese Sites.
September 29, 2003... GE Power Systems business unit GE Wind Energy recently announced plans to deliver 16 wind turbines and build two wind farms in Portugal through an agreement with ENERSIS SA. According to officials, the projects -- Lomba da Seixa II in...

WRI Announces 97 MW of 'Green Power' Deals.
September 29, 2003... The World Resources Institute (WRI) recently reported that the Green Power Market Development Group (Green Power Group), "a collaboration of 12 leading corporations and [WRI] dedicated to building corporate markets for green power," has...

Rodney Strong Vineyards to Install Solar Energy System.
September 29, 2003... Rodney Strong Vineyards of Healdsburg, CA recently signed an agreement with Berkeley, CA-based Powerlight Solar Electric Systems to install "the largest winery solar electric system in the world of wine." Once installed on the winery's...

Brascan Acquires Three Hydroelectric Plants in New England.
September 29, 2003... Toronto, Ontario-based Brascan Corporation, a real estate, power generation and asset management firm, recently announced the acquisition of three hydroelectric power plants in New England from Oslo, Norway-based energy company Hafslund for...

Idaho Rivers United, American Rivers Submit FERC Requests.
September 30, 2003... Conservation groups Idaho Rivers United and American Rivers recently submitted formal requests to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that would require energy utility Idaho Power to "perform the needed [environmental] studies" in...

IWEA Calls for More Renewable Efforts, New Regulator.
September 30, 2003... Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) chairman Tim Cowhig recently maintained that the country "could solve many of its energy problems by installing up to 2,000 [megawatts (MW)] of renewable energy," citing a recent study conducted for the...

Geothermal Power Bill Passes in Indonesia.
September 30, 2003... The Indonesian House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would grant protection to investors in geothermal power projects, as well as to citizens living near potential project sites. According to state minister of research and...

DOE Announces 2005 Solar Decathlon Teams.
September 30, 2003... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that 20 teams from universities in the U.S., Europe and Canada will participate in the second "Solar Decathlon" scheduled to take place during fall 2005 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C....