Recently in Renewable Energy Category

In America's efforts to go green, our Achilles' heel is transportation; cars, trucks, and buses represent 29 percent of U.S. energy use, according to Gary Dirks, director of LightWorks at Arizona State University and a renewable energy expert.

Whenever U.S. officials talk about finding ways to end our reliance on oil, like now as a reaction to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, we need to take a realistic look at how we use oil and what are our available alternatives, Dirks said.

For example, in our energy future "nuclear, solar, hydro and wind energy all will have growing roles in electricity generation, whereas the importance of coal and oil will decline," explained Dirks. "But when we want to move a car, a truck or an airplane, there's really only one way to do it - get the stuff out of the ground. Oil remains a relatively cheap source of energy that is so convenient its use overrides its considerable drawbacks in terms of air pollution, environmental concerns and national security."

So what can the U.S. do to end its messy addiction to oil but remain a mobile society?

"In addition to a long-term transportation energy plan that does not include fossil fuels, we need a nearer term solution that can take us from the traditional internal combustion vehicles to tomorrow's advanced fleet," said Dirks. "That future should include the Sun."

"There are techniques and nascent technologies in the works that will take carbon dioxide, water and sunlight and combine them in such a way to generate fuels for our cars, but today they are too expensive," Dirks said. "More research and development is needed to make these fuels a reality.  That is why the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring an energy innovation Hub to make 'drop in' fuels from sunlight."

"The beauty of these fuels is that they don't require production of any fossil fuel, which in itself requires energy and generates pollution, but are made from completely renewable, existing and abundant components - water, carbon dioxide and sunlight."

The process is similar to photosynthesis, by which concentrated solar energy is used in conjunction with carbon dioxide and water to create hydrocarbons. In addition to creating combustible fuels like methanol and ethanol, additional processing can yield more traditional fuels like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

"The fuels that result from these processes will look, feel and perform just like what we pump into our cars today. They will use existing refineries to prepare fuel blends and existing gas stations to deliver the fuel to today's cars," he added.

But the new fuels will be carbon neutral and will not add to the build up of greenhouses gases blanketing the planet. They also will help the U.S. move from an unstable source of energy produced far off shore, to a form of energy generated on our soil. Drilling will not be needed with these fuels. Increased security, cleaner air and new jobs will result.

The DOE Hub, along with several other ambitious initiatives involving both the near-term and long-term future of fuels, specifically looks at processes for making solar liquid fuels and bringing them to market in a developmentally rapid, 15-year time span.

"We need investments in the R&D phases of this technology to come not only from the government, but from industry too," Dirks explained. "And the new fuels will cost a lot more than the old fossil fuels they replace, at least initially.  

"Even with subsidies, the cost difference could be dramatic," Dirks added. "Five dollars for a gallon of solar liquid fuel is a realistic short term target, but it could be more. So, we need to ask ourselves, do we want to continue with what is convenient and economical today or do we want to focus our efforts on what is the logical next step in our long-term energy future?" - SOURCE Arizona State University

According to the Energy Information Administration, buildings already consume a third of energy worldwide, and world energy consumption is predicted to grow 60 percent by 2030.

To increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, many building teams now incorporate renewable energy technologies into new construction and renovation projects.

Renewable energy technologies capture, store and deliver power derived from renewable resources, including sun, wind, water, the earth's core and plant matter. Because they do not depend on finite resources, renewable energies can increase stability in the power grid. Plus, there are state government incentives available to help fund many renewable installations.

At the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) Green Technologies Conference, Jim Knutson, comprehensive solutions director at Trane, will discuss emerging energy tools and technologies for high-performance buildings, their application and results. Knutson will also cover design stage tools and those specific to building construction, performance, operation and renovation. These will include:

• Energy modeling and analysis
• Solar/photovoltaic, geothermal, co-generation and thermal storage
• Infrared thermography, ultrasonic analysis and vibration transducers

Conference attendees will learn the benefits of these technologies and how they can be used to increase operational efficiency and sustainability while reducing energy consumption.

Details of this presentation:

When: Friday, April 16 at 11 a.m. (Conference is April 15-16)

Where: Mustang 6 room in Gaylord Texas Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas

Conference Web site: http://www.ieeegreentech.org/

The second annual IEEE Green Technologies Conference will feature a variety of papers, presentations and technical seminars on current and emerging topics related specifically to the development and use of green technologies.

Jim Knutson, director of comprehensive solutions for Trane, leads a Denver, Colo.-based team in serving new construction and retrofit customers in six states: Colorado, Nevada, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. Knutson has over 27 years of experience providing energy efficiency and contracting solutions for federal, state and local government, K-12/higher education, commercial and industrial clients.

Knutson is a current board member of the Energy Efficient Business Coalition and a member of the Energy Services Coalition, Association of Energy Engineers and the Cogeneration & On-Site Power Association. He played a key role in drafting energy efficiency legislation in 10 states over the past 15 years. He also assisted in the development of the energy performance contracting M&V protocol used now as the standard in many states. He has a bachelor of arts in Business Administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand - the world leader in creating and sustaining safe, comfortable and energy efficient environments - improves the performance of homes and buildings around the world. Trane solutions optimize indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, building and contracting services, parts support and advanced controls for homes and commercial buildings.  For more information, visit www.Trane.com.

Joint Venture Partners SunEdison Canada and SkyPower Corp., today announced the activation of Canada's first ground mount photovoltaic solar system. The 9.1-megawatt (MW) project named First Light, located in Stone Mills, Ontario covers 90 acres of land, about the size of 50 Canadian football fields.

SunEdison and SkyPower expect First Light to generate more than 10 million kilowatt hours (kWhs), enough electricity to power almost 1,000 homes in its first year of operation.

Additional information about First Light:

      -  The system will remove almost 8,000 metric tons of CO(2) from the
         air in its first year of operation, the equivalent of carbon
         emissions from almost 1,800 cars.
      -  Over 20 years, the system will displace nearly 152 thousand metric
         tons of CO(2), the equivalent of removing almost 33,000 cars from
         the road.
      -  To displace the same amount of CO(2) that the system will offset
         over 20 years, Ontario would have to plant more than 6.7 million
         trees.

"This is truly a very proud moment for SkyPower and its joint venture partner SunEdison, together the pioneering architects of Canada's first and, so far, only operational solar park," said Kerry Adler, Chief Executive Officer of SkyPower. "This is a significant milestone for the people of Canada and will help generate a brighter future for generations to come. It is also a testament to the great things that can be achieved when private enterprise, the Ontario government and the local community work together through innovative public policy."

According to SunEdison COO Carlos Domenech, "As the largest system deployed under Ontario's RESOP, First Light Solar Park is a first step in our plan to develop more rooftop and ground mount solar systems. Our joint venture in this project with SkyPower is a success and in full operation, delivering the benefits of solar to Ontario. The province's recently announced Feed-in-Tariff program will continue to stimulate solar development. With the support of the provincial government, municipal leaders and communities, Ontario is an exciting market for solar, and we look forward to building on the foundation we have established with First Light." Commenting on the additional steps taken to protect the Shrike habitat, Domenech added, "Our efforts provide a clear example of how companies can work with government and community organizations to protect endangered species while generating clean renewable energy and delivering greater environmental benefits."

During construction of First Light, SunEdison and SkyPower worked closely with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources to successfully preserve habitat for the endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrike on the property.

According to Elaine Williams, Executive Director of Wildlife Preservation Canada, "Both SunEdison and SkyPower have shown all along their willingness to help the endangered Loggerhead Shrikes. We appreciate all of their help and see this as a great example of how cooperation can lead to good outcomes," she said.

The grand opening ceremony is planned for October 14, 2009 in Stone Mills, Ontario.

About SunEdison

SunEdison is North America's largest solar energy services provider. The company finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers. In 2008, SunEdison delivered more kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy than any other solar services provider in North America. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com

About SkyPower

SkyPower is the leading independent renewable energy developer in Canada, and possesses proven expertise in developing, building and managing both large-scale and micro-generation wind and solar power projects. SkyPower has developed a national footprint, with a substantial number of projects at various stages of development across Canada, select U.S. States, India and Panama representing thousands of megawatts (MW) of potential nameplate capacity. SkyPower continues to help many different jurisdictions meet their increasing demand for cleaner, non-emitting renewable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.skypower.com.

Source: SkyPower Corp.

Envion Inc. is leading the charge towards a green future with the introduction of a revolutionary plastic-to-oil conversion technology. The Envion Oil Generator(TM) (EOG) is a first-of-its-kind technology that converts any type of plastic waste into high quality, synthetic light medium oil for less than $10 per barrel.

Envion introduced its first market-ready commercial unit at a demonstration held at the Montgomery County Solid Waste Transfer Station in Derwood, Maryland today. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett joined Envion Chairman and CEO Michael S. Han for a demonstration of the process.

"The Envion Oil Generator(TM) provides a revolutionary solution to the problem of plastic waste by transforming it from an environmental hazard into a sustainable, renewable energy source," said Han. "The market for our technology is vast, and it provides municipalities with a solution that cuts costs."

As a petroleum-based product, plastic contains a huge amount of stored energy that literally goes to waste with conventional disposal methods. Envion's innovative technology reclaims that energy and provides it in a form that is immediately commercially viable: oil.

Through Envion's proprietary technology, one ton of waste plastic can be converted into approximately four 42-gallon barrels of high quality, synthetic light to medium oil. This oil is a refined and 99% sediment free product that can be used to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and kerosene.

"About eight percent of world crude oil production is used to manufacture plastic," Han added. "The Envion Oil Generator(TM) uses a closed loop, catalyst-free system to take plastic and convert it back into oil safely, efficiently and economically."

Each individual unit can process up to 10,000 tons of plastic waste annually, generating as much as 50,000 barrels of oil. With full national deployment, the Envion Oil Generator(TM) could generate over 150,000,000 barrels of oil each year in the United States alone. Additionally, the EOG is capable of processing all types of plastic waste, thus reducing the time and cost of sorting plastic by type.

Envion's innovative approach provides a comprehensive solution that has the potential to remove plastic waste from landfills, freeing up the estimated 24% of capacity that plastic occupies in landfills. The United States produces approximately 50 million tons of plastic waste per year, the vast majority of which ends up taking up space in landfills. With the ability of a single EOG to eliminate 10,000 tons of plastic per year, at a cost of $17 per ton, the Envion Oil Generator is a cost effective alternative to the $70-$200 cost range of landfill disposal. Additionally, according to the EPA recycling programs process only 6.8% of plastic waste and are also not as cost effective, costing between $50 and $150 per ton of plastic recycled.

The Envion process uses a proprietary technology to convert plastic into energy without the need for fossil fuel combustion. The technology is cost effective because it requires only minimal energy input and is fully automated allowing the facility to operate with only two operators.

Envion is expected to have multiple EOGs in full operation within months, with orders coming in from the United States and Internationally. Envion's EOG is a shovel-ready, green technology that is sustainable and poised to reshape the renewable energy industry, offering a cost-effective solution for local municipalities to safely and efficiently manage their plastic waste.

"Given the shortage of sustainable plastic waste disposal alternatives, Envion is uniquely poised to capitalize on the substantial benefits of licensing its groundbreaking technology," continued Han. "Envion's products and services are specifically designed to be sustainable, renewable, and scalable with rapid delivery using cost-effective and efficient supply chains and applying just-in-time manufacturing to minimize inventories."

SOURCE Envion Inc.

BlackLight Power, Inc. (BLP) today announces that scientists at Rowan University have for the first time independently formulated and tested fuels that on demand generated energy greater than that of combustion at power levels of kilowatts using BLP's proprietary solid-fuel chemistry capable of continuous regeneration. Operating power systems using BLP's chemistry, Rowan University professors have reported a net energy gain of up to 6.5 times the maximum energy potential of the materials in the system from known chemical reactions.

In a joint statement, Dr. K.V. Ramanujachary, Rowan University Meritorious Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Amos Mugweru, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Peter Jansson P.E., Associate Professor of Engineering said, "In independent tests conducted over the past three months involving 10 solid fuels made by us from commercially-available chemicals, our team of engineering and chemistry professors, staff, and students at Rowan University has independently and consistently generated energy in excesses ranging from 1.2 times to 6.5 times the maximum theoretical heat available through known chemical reactions."

"Additionally, we have analyzed the reaction products and are confident that the procedures we have followed and chemicals we have procured and reacted are not capable of generating the quantities of heat we have observed with previously known chemistry. This significant disclosure by BLP makes it readily possible for other laboratories to demonstrate the repeatability of these reactions that produce anomalous heat regularly in our university laboratory. Moreover, we have also reproduced BLP's tests that identify a novel form of hydrogen as the likely explanation of the additional heat evolved."

Based on the solid fuel used and power generated at scales of approximately 30 kW, the reaction appears scalable to any level. Moreover, BLP scientists were able to regenerate the fuel by simply applying heat. This breakthrough advances the commercial viability of the BlackLight Process as a new non-polluting energy source that was first announced by BLP in October 2008.

Proof of Power

The validation by the Rowan University team provides further evidence that the observed energy gain will enable the operation of commercial power plants by continuously replacing the hydrogen that is consumed by the BlackLight Process to form hydrinos. Hydrinos are a prior undiscovered form of hydrogen in lower-energy states produced by the BlackLight Process as latent energy is released by hydrogen atoms. The energy released forming a hydrino is over 200 times the energy required to extract hydrogen from water by electrolysis to produce the new hydrogen fuel consumed during the BlackLight Process.

"The advanced version of the solid fuel is very efficient at liberating energy from forming hydrinos and requires essentially no energy to reverse the chemical product back into the initial fuel. Regeneration was achieved simply with heat. This is enabling of continuous generation of power using simplistic and efficient systems that use heat liberated by forming "hydrinos" to concurrently maintain regeneration. The system is closed except that only hydrogen consumed in forming hydrinos needs to be replaced," said Dr. Randell Mills, Chairman, CEO and President of BlackLight Power, Inc.

"The observed energy gain and successful thermal regeneration of the solid fuel show the feasibility of using the solid fuel in a recycled manner as a replacement for fossil and nuclear fuels in power plants. These developments are anticipated to result in a significant decrease in the time to commercialization", noted Dr. Mills.

John Miller, recently appointed to the Board of Directors of BLP and former president of Standard Oil, described the recent advances saying, "The successful development of new-generation chemistry and its simple thermal regeneration is a major historical step toward near-term, commercial hydrino power. Our recent execution of eight billion watts of commercial licensing agreements demonstrates that the power market is beginning to agree."

Proof of Existence of Hydrinos

BLP also announces successful independent production and characterization of a new form of hydrogen by professors at Rowan University. In the study independently performed at Rowan University laboratories, Professor Ramanujachary and Professor Mugweru synthesized from base materials the previously undiscovered form of hydrogen and were able to characterize hydrogen atoms existing in lower-energy states - called hydrinos - as predicted by BLP. In further confirmation, the Rowan University team was also able to identify similar hydrino signatures from net energy producing systems operating in Professor Jansson's laboratories. This represents the first time BLP has taught independent labs the techniques for making hydrinos from scratch.

Dr. Ramanujachary remarked, "Recent advances in techniques at BLP in production of this new form of matter appear to make it straightforward for any lab in the world to synthesize sufficient volumes to characterize this previously unknown form of hydrogen." Dr. Mugweru continues, "Knowing the starting materials of the synthesis reaction and fully characterizing the by-products, other than a new form of hydrogen, we were unable to make an assignment to known species for the signatures observed."

Light Signature of Hydrino

BLP also announces today the publication of a paper, by Dr. Randell Mills, Dr. Kamran Akhtar, and Dr. Ying Lu in the Central European Journal of Physics describing a significant new confirmation of hydrinos. For the first time, BLP confirms direct spectral observation of transitions of hydrogen to form hydrinos. These experiments showing hydrogen spectral emissions below 80 nanometers, the previously known ground state, are decisive evidence of the existence of hydrinos theoretically predicted by Dr. Randell Mills. Describing the significance of the breakthrough, Dr. Mills said, "This is smoking-gun evidence of the existence of hydrinos, the light signature observed is from pure hydrogen and at much higher energy than deemed possible for this element in any known form."

Successful Application of Theory

BLP has published eight journal articles in the past seven months reporting the energetic characteristics of its power-producing process and released in July the newest edition of the Grand Unified Theory of Classical Physics that predicts hydrinos. These are available at: http://www.blacklightpower.com/.

BLP's wholly-owned subsidiary, Millsian, Inc., a developer of molecular modeling applications of classical physics, announces the release today of Millsian 2.0 Beta software that can visualize the exact three-dimensional structure and calculate physical characteristics of a boundless number of molecules of any length and complexity including complex proteins and DNA. BLP believes that Millsian software represents a major breakthrough that may impact nearly all businesses involved in drug development, material science, and chemistry. More importantly, it proves that classical laws of physics apply at the atomic and molecular scale, the principle that predicted hydrinos.

Professors Peter Jansson, K.V. Ramanujachary, and Amos Mugweru, have released reports outlining the full documentation and results of the off-site replication and independent testing of the new power systems, new-generation chemistry, and hydrino characterization testing that is available at: http://www.blacklightpower.com/.

A technical paper giving the detailed chemistry that BLP believes laboratories can easily follow and replicate is given at http://www.blacklightpower.com

About BlackLight Power

BlackLight Power, Inc. is the inventor of a new primary energy source and a new field of hydrogen chemistry with broad commercial applications.

BlackLight Power has invented a new primary energy source with applications to heating, distributed power generation, central power generation, and motive power based on a new chemical process of releasing the latent energy of the hydrogen atom, the BlackLight Process.

For more information, please visit http://www.blacklightpower.com/

About Rowan University

Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., is a highly ranked comprehensive public university that offers bachelor through doctoral degrees. The University comprises seven colleges: Business, Communication, Education, Engineering, Fine & Performing Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Professional & Continuing Education. U.S. News & World Report ranks Rowan's College of Engineering 12th in the nation among programs that offer bachelor and master degrees.

Glossary:

BlackLight Process: A novel chemical process invented by BLP causing the latent energy stored in the hydrogen atom to be released as a new primary energy source.

Hydrino: Hydrinos are a new form of hydrogen discovered by BLP. Hydrinos are produced during the BlackLight Process as energy is released from the hydrogen atom as the electron transitions to a lower-energy state resulting in a smaller radius hydrogen atom.

Spectral Emissions: Spectral emission of an atom such as hydrogen is a unique signature that acts like a fingerprint of its characteristics. Each line of the spectrum is characteristic of and identifies the energy levels of the atom.

Applications of BlackLight Process

Two of the potential applications of its technology are in heating and electric power production. The heat-generating prototypes have shown the BlackLight Process to be potentially competitive with existing primary generation sources over a range of scales from micro-distributed to central power generation. The BlackLight Process thermal power source may be ideal for interfacing with commercially available electric power generating equipment. BlackLight technology may be well-suited for the utility industries and could reduce or eliminate problems such as those arising from the variable regional supply and price of fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, and the cost of building out a suitable supporting infrastructure and transmission grids, as well as eliminate pollution, greenhouse gas emission and other market, supply, infrastructure, or environmental adversities.

SOURCE BlackLight Power, Inc.

Karl W. Miller, a senior energy executive and institutional investor, today issued the following statement through his advisors, regarding the state of the U.S. renewable energy and the cap-and-trade bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act recently passed by the Congress and the overall lack of a credible and comprehensive US Energy Plan.

With the financial markets in turmoil, and a major renewable energy initiative being undertaken by the new Obama administration, major attention is being focused towards developing and implementing a comprehensive energy production and carbon emissions strategy for the United States.

This major paradigm shift is leading the politicians in Washington and the capital markets to attempt to develop and implement a credible energy plan for the United States. Unfortunately, all efforts to date have been flawed and billions of dollars in taxpayer capital is being wasted.

As a senior energy industry executive who has deregulated many energy products and markets in the United States, Europe and Asia, Mr. Miller has increasingly expressed his concern for the misguided direction that the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership has been taking evidenced by the cap-and-trade bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act recently passed by the Congress and other multi-billion dollar handouts for a renewable energy industry not equipped to manage nor deliver the promised results.

Mr. Miller who has a long history of implementing bipartisan and free market views in the energy industry believes the multi billion dollar Obama stimulus and cap-and-trade bill will be wasted with no meaningful change to the reliability and re-powering and re-fueling of US power generation industry and developing sustainable efficient energy production.

The only true proven method of changing energy production is through market driven technology in fuels and efficiency gains. This must be driven by venture and risk capital to finance and judge the winners and losers.

Mr. Miller and other disciplined investors do not intend to invest in the renewable energy sector following the short-term investment drive expected to be created by flawed policies created under the current Obama Administration.

Seasoned investors like Mr. Miller will continue to wait on the sidelines during the short-term boom period and will look to step in and buy failed renewable energy assets at substantial discounts to original cost when the renewable sector flounders in the very near future.

Mr. Miller believes that market will, in a short period of time, become littered with uneconomical renewable energy projects, similar to the illiquid and toxic real estate assets currently held by large banks and hedge funds.

Mr. Miller was one of the first senior energy executives to call the ethanol and bio diesel boom and bust three years ago and was quoted saying at the time, "It is a clear demonstration that government handouts simply do not work, and billions of dollars of investor capital were lost."

Seasoned and disciplined energy executives have begun securing development sites and options for gas and coal plants currently on the wayside in preparation for the next build and re-power cycle which is eminent. Venture capitalist should be taking the risky bets on new power generation technology and other renewable ventures, not the US government.

Who wins with the government renewable energy hand outs embedded in the stimulus package and the cap and trade bill? As always, the investment bankers have all geared up for the hand outs by expanding their respective renewable energy practices and started peddling their wares including project finance services, arrangement of IPO's for new renewable companies (most of which will fail shortly after being taken public) and carbon emission trading and hedging businesses, among other services.

The tag along corporate law firms have done the same and well as all of the major consulting firms. These financial institutions, law firms, and consulting firms will be the short term financial winners as service providers for fees.

The losers will be, as always the pension, insurance, endowment, and retail investors who directly or indirectly invest in the renewable energy sector during the boom period and then get stuck "holding the bag" when the bust comes, especially when the financial sponsor firms dump their renewable energy deals that they sponsored and financed.

Finally the biggest long term winners will be the vulture and distressed investors like Mr. Miller and other disciplined investors, who will be waiting on the sidelines during the short term boom period and will look to step in and buy assets for pennies on the dollar when the renewable bust comes in a few years. Thus the biggest winners will ultimately be the distressed investors, much like the current US real estate crisis, which the US Government is financing.

The Government will do the same in the Renewable energy sector when the bust comes as they will have no choice but to bail out the renewable energy sector.

SOURCE VBCC