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8:25 AM May 12th
• AmericanWindEnergyAs: April 20, 2010 Poll finds overwhelming support for wind power in Nebraska The Lincoln Journal Star … full story
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7:04 AM Aug 26th
• American Superconductor Corp: 08/26/2009 AMSC Receives Second D-VAR(R) Order for Chinese Power Grid … full story
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1:41 AM Jun 13th
• SolarCity: FEATURED VIDEO PRESS RELEASES SEIA Honors SolarCity with Inaugural Industry Innovator Award for Groundbreaking Solar Lease SolarCity and U.S. Bank Forge New Partnership to Fund Solar Projects Acterra Honors SolarCitys Green Business Practices National Bank of Arizona, SolarCity and First … full story
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7:08 PM Apr 10th
• Ardour Solar Index: Value 1,791.56 Change N.A. % Change N.A. High 1,791.56 Low 1,786.00 Open 1,791.51 … full story
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6:00 PM Feb 4th
• Borrego Solar Systems Secures $14 Million in Venture Financing to Fuel Next Stage of GrowthrnrnNew Funding to Support the Geographic Expansion of Commercial and Government Business; Industry Veterans John Robert Wallace and Stan Change Join the Board of DirectorsrnrnEL CAJON, Calif.--Feb 4 2009 --Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., a leading designer and installer of grid-tied solar electric power systems, today announced that it has secured $14 million in venture financing to fuel a major geographic expansion and to support its next phase of corporate growth. The company will use the round of financing to expand its commercial and government design and installation operations into the Mid-Atlantic Region and to develop new low-cost integration solutions which will reduce overall system cost and ultimately speed return on investment for its customers.rnrn … full story
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10:02 PM Nov 11th
• Ritchey went on to note, "Despite tight credit markets and a depressed residential new construction market, more consumers are buying geothermal systems. The high price of fossil fuels make geothermal systems a compelling investment in a time when people are very concerned about the environment and about the cost of living in their homes." … full story
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8:20 PM Nov 3rd
• Sun concentrator SolFocus Inc. signed a $103 million deal to install power projects in southern Spain over the next two years. The Mountain View company, which has its European head office in Madrid, inked the deal with EMPE Solar. SolFocus has already done some work in Spain, which has strong solar power subsidies that encourage the development of such projects. SolFocus makes so-called Âconcentrating photovoltaic devices, which use mirrors to focus and intensify sunlight onto photovoltaic cells. Its backed by New Enterprise Associates, Moser Baer India, Metasystem Group, and others. … full story
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3:17 PM Oct 15th
• ARVADA - In another indication that Colorado is a clear leader in both traditional and new energy development, an Arvada company has unveiled what they call the highest performance, lowest cost utility-scale solar power system of any kind for generating electricity. The SkyTrough, by SkyFuel cuts the cost of its parabolic trough concentrator by 35% compared to other commercially available systems, largely because of a mirrored polymer which replaces the heavy glass used in other solar parabolic trough collectors. … full story
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3:14 PM Oct 15th
• With a new energy plan in place, India is focusing on solar energy for a major contribution. Meanwhile, India's PV manufacturing sector is developing fast, writes Jaideep Malaviya. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan SinghÂs recent announcement of a credible energy plan for India goes way beyond the hullabaloo IndoUS nuclear deal. By far the most welcome component of the six-point plan is the declaration to develop Indias capacity to tap the power of the sun in order to increase sustainable sources of energy. The PM memorably said: In this strategy, the sun occupies centre stage, as it should, being literally the original source of all energy. We will pool all our scientific, technical and managerial talents with financial sources to develop solar energy as a source of abundant energy to power our economy and to transform the lives of our people and change the face of India. … full story
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3:13 PM Oct 15th
• Toronto has become the first major city in North America to purchase large amounts of solar heat to offset its use of fossil fuels in buildings. And local taxpayers won't have to pay an extra dime. The city has selected two companies to install, own and operate solar-thermal equipment at 20 municipal sites, which are expected to include community centres, water treatment facilities, shelters and seniors' residences across town. In return, the city has signed a 20-year contract to purchase the heat energy from those sites at a fixed price competitive to current natural gas rates. Heat is captured from the sun and used to produce hot water for showers, swimming pools and some industrial processes. … full story
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4:45 PM Oct 8th
• OKLAHOMA CITY Â The Economic Stability Act of 2008 passed by Congress and signed by President Bush last week includes tax credits for purchasing geothermal heat pumps. Latest Energy News Oklahoma ranks 43rd in promoting energy efficiencyKansas ethanol plant files for bankruptcyDrilling Reports: Oct. 8Energy Department warns of higher heating costsOil prices recover slightly after steep dropOSHA fines Wynnewood Refining $91,000Oil prices fall as financial turmoil goes globalConocoPhillips, Abu Dhabi win Kazakh oil rightsRam Energy stock drops 18 percent Monday despite cash-flow assurancesStudy: Utility plans may boost efficiency by only a small margin Current Edition ClimateMaster, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based LSB Industries, is a major geothermal heat pump manufacturer.Tax credits included in House Resolution 1424 or the financial industry bailout package are expected to encourage the purchase of residential and nonresidential geothermal heat pumps. We believe that the tax incentives contained … full story
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3:13 PM Oct 2nd
• To meet the current demand for great performance and fuel economy, GM announced a $359 million investment to build a new powertrain plant in Flint for production of smaller engines. In fact, they plan to double global production of four-cylinders by 2011 - with more than half of the increase coming in North America. The new strategy is highlighted by an all-new 1.4L Turbo engine that will power the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The 1.4L performs like a larger engine when needed, but retains the efficiency of a small four- cylinder in most driving conditions. … full story
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3:04 PM Oct 2nd
• Tiring of its mission to "organize the world's information," Google has set itself a new objective: save the planet. The search giant unveiled a US$4.4 trillion plan Wednesday to reduce the U.S.'s dependency on fossil fuels and embrace alternative energy. The proposal would yield a net saving of $1 trillion by 2030 and slash U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 48 percent, according to Google, which said it had been busy "crunching the numbers." The plan involves weaning the U.S. off of coal for producing its electricity and turning to wind, solar and geothermal power instead. It would also cut oil use in cars by 40 percent and use electricity for personal transportation. Google said its goal in announcing the plan, called Clean Energy 2030, was to stimulate debate. … full story
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3:02 PM Oct 2nd
• The driving force in establishing Palo Alto, Calif.-based Ausra has left the company, which announced today a new funding round of $60.6 million for its utility-scale solar-thermal power plant technology. Executive Vice President John O'Donnell, who persuaded Ausra's scientists to move from Australia to Silicon Valley and form the company, left Ausra in mid-September to focus on advocating renewable energy policies incorporating solar thermal, as well as the policies supported by the U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama, he told the Cleantech Group today. … full story
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11:13 AM Oct 2nd
• Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. OPT ("OPT" or the "Company") today announces that it has received a US$2.0 million award from the US Department of Energy (DoE), in support of OPTÂs wave power project in Reedsport, Oregon. The DoE grant will be used to help fund the fabrication, assembly and factory testing of the first PowerBuoy® to be installed at the Reedsport site. This system will be a 150 kilowatt-rated PB150 PowerBuoy, major portions of which will be fabricated and integrated in Oregon. … full story
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11:53 AM Sep 25th
• According to an article by James Winebrake and Patrick Meyer in Technovation: The International Journal of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management, developing hydrogen-fuel infrastructure will not be a cakewalk. To make it affordable, efficient and acceptable to common consumer, there are a number of barriers to overcome. However, we have to believe that a 100-year dominance of petroleum as a transportation fuel is coming to an end. It might be due to escalating prices, shortage, and a need to cut down environmentally degrading emissions. But the widespread acceptance of hydrogen fuel has to pass the test of the Âchicken and egg phenomenon. The manufacturers wont be able to convince the consumers if refueling and service infrastructure is not well developed. And why would anyone be interested in developing the infrastructure if enough number of vehicles are not plying on the road? … full story
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11:49 AM Sep 24th
• WASHINGTON (AP) Â Major tax legislation that would save 20 million people from the clutches of the alternative minimum tax and renew dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals is being taken up in the House, where its fate is uncertain. The tax package passed the Senate on Tuesday on a 93-2 vote, but faces obstacles in the House, where fiscally conservative Democrats object to tax relief that is not paid for with an increase in revenues elsewhere. The House plans to offer a competing version as early as Wednesday that raises more revenue by closing loopholes used by hedge fund managers and corporations doing business overseas. That could complicate getting a bill to the president before Congress adjourns for the year. … full story
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11:26 AM Sep 24th
• Both parties will collaborate on a business plan to source, construct, operate, market and distribute wood biomass energy to the residential and commercial markets. The goal is to better understand the potential for utilizing wood products in pellets, briquettes or dry chips suitable for boilers. Wood products are already being utilized throughout Europe and could provide solutions to high energy costs in rural southeast Alaska, while also alleviating the costs of disposing of wood products for Sealaska and Viking Lumber. ÂIm looking forward to providing an alternate fuel source for southeast Alaska residential and commercial users, said Kirk Dahlstrom, Viking Lumber general manager. … full story
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6:09 PM Sep 23rd
• Green technology is a hot investment among venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, but is it too hot? Some technology watchers have feared an investment bubble in the sector. Not so, say the venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, executives and bankers who back these ventures. (Are you surprised?) In a survey released Tuesday by KPMG, the audit, tax and advisory firm, two-thirds of those polled said that green technology investment is sustainable. Almost all said they expected venture capital for start-ups producing these technologies to continue to increase in 2009. Half predicted an increase of 20 percent or more over 2008 levels. … full story
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6:05 PM Sep 23rd
• WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved a package to extend $18 billion in tax credits for using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal and also provide incentives to cut energy consumption. Under the proposal, which will be part of a much bigger tax bill, the tax credit for producing electricity from wind would be extended for one year. The credit for other renewable sources, such as wave and ocean tide projects that generate power, would be extended for two years. … full story
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12:14 PM Sep 18th
• SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The chief executives of Google Inc. and General Electric Co. said Wednesday that their companies are launching a joint lobbying effort in Washington to promote alternative-energy technologies. General Electric's Jeffrey Immelt and Google's Eric Schmidt said at a public event that the companies would team up on a "policy partnership" in Washington intended to promote "tomorrow's power generation, transmission and distribution." … full story
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11:56 PM Sep 16th
• Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) has signed the largest single wind power deal in the company's history with German utility E.ON AG (EON.L). Under the agreement Siemens Energy, a unit of Munich-based Siemens, will supply 500 wind turbines with the capacity of 1,150 megawatts (MW) for planned projects in Europe and the U.S. in 2010 and 2011. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said that each turbine will have a capacity to generate 2.3 MW. … full story
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11:55 PM Sep 16th
• Enphase Energy, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of solar micro-inverter systems, has raised $15 million in new funding to expand manufacturing of its products. New investor RockPort Capital Partners led the round, and existing institutional investors Third Point Ventures and Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc., also participated. … full story
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11:55 PM Sep 16th
• LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), a manufacturer of solar wafers, has signed an eight-year contract with Japan- based Sumitomo Corporation (SC), a trading and investment house in Japan, to supply multicrystalline solar wafers to an undisclosed manufacturer of solar cells and modules in Japan. Under terms of the agreement, LDK Solar will deliver approximately 750 megawatts (MW) of multicrystalline silicon wafers to Sumitomo over an eight-year period, commencing in 2009 and extending through 2016. Sumitomo will make an advanced payment representing a portion of the contract value to LDK Solar. … full story
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11:08 PM Sep 7th
• You may not find windmills in New York CityÂyetbut you will find Ardour Capital Investments, which is prospering as an investment bank for the green revolution. The five-year-old firm specializes in research, advisory services and funding for renewable energy and sustainable technology companies. Ardour's narrow focus has been rewarding: Revenues surged to $8.4 million in 2007 from $3.9 million the year before. They are expected to reach $10 million this year and are projected to double in 2009. The company's concentration, green energy, is one of the few niches that is thriving on Wall Street, even as big investment banks lay off thousands of workers. … full story
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9:23 AM Sep 2nd
• Honeywell (NYSE: HON) is helping school districts in California address both concerns through an innovative solar program. The company today announced that Dixon Unified School District and Riverdale Joint Unified School District in central California have awarded Honeywell solar projects expected to drive more than $1 million in energy savings for each district over the next 20 years. Under the agreements, Honeywell will install solar panels at several facilities and sell the electricity the panels produce to the districts. The projects require no upfront investment from the districts, which are able to buy renewable energy at a price below their current utility rates. … full story
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11:04 AM Aug 29th
• Here are some quick snapshots of Palin's record on issues related to energy and the environment: Opposed a statewide ballot initiative to prohibit or restrict new mining operations that could affect salmon in the state's streams and rivers Has pushed to build a natural-gas pipeline from Alaska's North Slope Got the state legislature to pass a bill to provide each Alaskan $1,200 to help with energy costs Sued the Interior Department over its decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species Has proposed eliminating Alaska's gas tax Has pushed to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling Was the ethics commissioner of the Alaska Gas and Oil Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004 … full story
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10:56 AM Aug 25th
• The money is good - Wolff estimates graduates earn $18 to $24 an hour - and demand is hot. An initial assessment indicated the wind power companies within a 50-mile radius of The Dalles would need 360 technicians by 2011. The projected need has since jumped to 500 to 600 technicians. It's an economic and environmental success story in an area hard pressed for family-wage jobs, an example of "green collar" employment blossoming in reaction to high energy costs and concerns about global warming. And advocates say it shows sustainable technologies don't have to mean cutting back, but can mean growth instead. … full story
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11:40 PM Aug 24th
• Governor Martin OÂMalley applauded General Motors Wednesday as the company announced a massive solar power project for its Baltimore County transmission plant. The plant, which produced over 189,000 six-speed transmissions last year for GM vehicles and employs over 300 people, will install a rooftop solar power installation which, when completed, will cover over 300,000 square feet of rooftop and will be one of the largest installations of its kind on the East Coast. … full story
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11:19 PM Aug 24th
• SOLAR POWER RECEIVED what could be a landmark advance with a decision by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to buy 800 megawatts of photovoltaic power from two Bay Area firms. That is enough to power 239,000 homes. The utility will purchase 550 megawatts from OptiSolar, a Hayward company, and another 250 megawatts from SunPower Corp. of San Jose. OptiSolar will place thin-film solar panels on 9.5 square miles of land in San Luis Obispo County. SunPower will do the same on 3.5 square miles of land in that county. … full story
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3:00 PM Aug 20th
• SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GWS Technologies, Inc., (OTCBB: GWSI) an alternative energy company developing and marketing microgeneration solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Urban Green Energy, Inc. to distribute its incredibly advanced 2nd generation 4kW vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT), the first in a line which will include several other sizes, including a 1kW VAWT available this fall. The 4kW VAWT uses composite materials to create a wind turbine that is, according to Urban Green EnergyÂs CEO Nick Blitterswyk, quieter than a human whisper while providing enough energy to power an average American home. Our second generation line combines functionality and visual appeal, Mr. Blitterswyk said, and was designed for peak energy output in an urban environment. … full story
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9:47 AM Aug 20th
• ThereÂs a little something for everyone to hate in the energy proposals House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) articulated over the weekend. Republicans dislike her plan to repeal a series of tax breaks for the oil industry. Key Southern senators have opposed previous measures that would require utilities to produce more renewable wind and solar power. And Pelosi herself cant be thrilled with the prospect of opening more federally protected waters for offshore oil and gas exploration. … full story
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3:22 PM Aug 18th
• To drill or not to drill? That has been the question this summer as Congress, the president and both candidates debate where and whether we should be exploring for domestic oil. The implication is that this is an important step in reducing our dependence on imported oil. It is not. OilÂwherever it is producedis priced, sold and consumed in a global marketplace. Whatever the outcome of this existential debate, any incremental oil will be sold to the highest bidder, in the U.S.or in other countries most of which have an insatiable appetite for oil. … full story
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5:09 PM Aug 15th
• WASHINGTON -- T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire Texas oilman and financier, predicted today his ambitious plan to refocus U.S. energy policy on alternatives like wind and natural gas soon will become a major issue for the presidential candidates. ÂOur dependence on foreign oil has got to change, Pickens said. The outflow of $700 billion a year (to oil exporting nations), we cant afford that. Thats totally unacceptable. Its not sustainable. … full story
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10:30 AM Aug 15th
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today, applauded new agreements that would increase California's renewable energy supply with enough solar power to service approximately 239,000 homes annually. The agreements stipulate that Pacific Gas and Electric Company has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts, one that will create the largest photovoltaic plant in the world. The agreements will generate an estimated total 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. … full story
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10:22 AM Aug 15th
• Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announced Thursday that it has entered into agreements to purchase 800 megawatts of power from two solar plants to be built on the Carrizo Plain. The development sets the stage for making the area around California Valley one of the stateÂs major regions for production of solar electricity. … full story
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10:54 AM Aug 14th
• While US energy demand this year will be limited by weak economic growth and improved fuel-use efficiency China, Latin America, and the Middle East will sustain worldwide oil demand growth despite high global prices and keep pressure on supply. The extent to which producers can respond to the need for more oil in the short run is inadequate to relieve prices. US oil demand will con- tract this year, and demand for natural gas and coal will get a lift from increased power con- sumption. Hydroelectric power and other renewable sources of energy will also be in higher demand in the US, although they still represent a small share of the energy market. … full story
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11:15 AM Aug 13th
• Bronx, NY - Governor David Paterson signed several new bills proposed by PlaNYC that are designed to spur the NYC solar market. The Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) worked with the NYC MayorÂs office to identify policies that would open up the New York City solar market and helped the city achieve the Department of Energys Solar City status as part of the Solar America Initiative. … full story
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10:29 AM Aug 12th
• WaterFurnance Renewable Energy Inc. continues to cut through the U.S. economic downturn like a hot knife through butter. The company, which makes ground-source heat pump systems for homes and businesses, reported today that sales in its second quarter had increased by 21 per cent to $31.3 million and profits jumped 64 per cent to $3.43 million. "Sales in the U.S. residential business were robust despite the slowdown in residential new construction and the tight lending markets," said CEO Bruce Ritchey. "Our dealers are finding that homeowners are very interested in saving money on their heating and cooling bills and in doing the right thing for the environment." … full story
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5:48 PM Jul 31st
• Spanish solar gets a big boost from GE Energy Financial Services, along with 16 other deals we spotted over the past week. Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric (NYSE: GE) continued its cleantech investments this week with a move into Spanish solar. … full story
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5:23 PM Jul 29th
• Solar hot water heating is a bit like the brilliant actor who never wins a blockbuster movie deal. The technology receives great reviews, but has yet to hit the big time in the US energy market. Using the sun to heat water has taken a backseat, in particular, to its sister technology, photovoltaics, which uses sunlight to generate electricity. Indeed, if jobs are an indicator, the US solar electric industry is several times the size of the solar hot water sector. … full story
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12:44 PM Jul 25th
• A look at companies with a stake in clean energy … full story
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4:38 PM Jul 24th
• American energy use will change more in the next two decades than it has in the past five. U.S. News spoke with three top executives already helping shape that future. … full story
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4:36 PM Jul 24th
• Southern California Edison uses more solar power than any other public utility in the United States, followed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., according to a report released Thursday by the Solar Electric Power Association. The power association ranked the utilities by the power-producing capacity of solar electric systems in 2007. … full story
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11:55 AM Jul 24th
• NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- GT Solar International Inc. fell in its stock market debut on Thursday after pricing its initial public offering in the middle of its expected range Thursday, raising $500 million as the largest U.S. alternative energy deal so far this year. GT Solar (SOLR:gt solar intl inc com News, chart, profile, more Last: 14.69+14.690.00% 12:54pm 07/24/2008 Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolio Analyst Create alertInsider Discuss Financials Sponsored by: SOLR 14.69, +14.69, 0.0%) offered 30.3 million shares at $16.50 a share, the midpoint of its previous pricing guidance of $15.50 to $17.50 a share. The stock fell to $14.89 in the open market. … full story
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7:43 AM Jul 24th
• Venture capital investors have high hopes for green-tech companies. Not only do they expect clean-tech firms to garner the most attention in the coming year, but they also see them reviving the anemic market for initial public offerings (IPOs). KPMG is expected on Tuesday to publish results of a survey of almost 300 investors and entrepreneurs. Almost 80 percent thought that IPO activity would start to turn around in 2010 and continue in the following years. Green-technology ventures are favored to lead the way, followed by mobile and digital entertainment firms, according to the survey. However, 12 percent of respondents said they did not think IPO activity will reach historic levels ever again. … full story
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9:56 AM Jul 16th
• With todayÂs economy, commodity ETFs (exchange traded funds) are the investment to watch. Energy ETFs are among the most popular of the commodities. Energy exchange traded funds include crude oil, coal, natural gas, and even gasoline. Alternative energy ETFs are now making their way into our hearts. These include solar energy, wind energy, and nuclear energy. Even water resource energy is now being sold. Why are alternative energies growing so popular? … full story
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9:53 AM Jul 15th
• Biden addressed more than 30 environmentalists, supporters and passers-by at the state parkÂs Great Dune Monday, July 14, and outlined his plan for freeing the nation from its dependence on expensive foreign oil. The address came on the same day President George W. Bush announced he was lifting an executive ban on offshore oil drilling. Biden said the timing was coincidental, but offshore drilling, prohibited since the administration of George H.W. Bush, would do nothing to reduce fuel prices for as many as 20 years. … full story
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7:52 AM Jul 15th
• Spanish owned Abengoa Solar would suspend its plans to build a concentrating solar-thermal plant and a mirror manufacturing plant in the United States if the federal government doesn't extend a package of investment tax credits for eight years, a company official said Monday. The company has been working on a 280-megawatt solar thermal power plant in Arizona that would use a field of mirrors to direct the sun's heat for generating electricity. … full story
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7:51 AM Jul 15th
• HereÂs some good news for startups looking for investments: Venture capitalists gave a record amount of money to greentech companies during the second quarter of this year. That, along with GT Solars plan to raise up to $609 million through an initial public offering, should lift the spirit of folks attending this weeks Intersolar conference in San Francisco. … full story
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3:56 PM Jul 14th
• With so many venture-backed startups looking to build solar thermal power plants in the U.S. desert, we thought it would be interesting to hear from one of the more well-established  and well-capitalized players. Abengoa Solar is the solar arm of the decades-old Spanish renewable energy and engineering giant Abengoa, which did 3.21 billion euros ($4.78 billion) in sales in 2007. We chatted with the companys senior adviser to the U.S., Fred Morse, who shared with us these five thoughts on the U.S. solar thermal market. … full story
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3:55 PM Jul 14th
• As home heating oil prices have skyrocketed, the pay-back period for solar thermal installations has dropped from 10 to five years, he said. "This is taking off. Ninety percent of our business in photovoltaic," Haines said. "From last year to this year, we've seen a 300 percent increase in interest. Last year, it was two or three phone calls a day. Now it's six to eight. We had six (employees) last year. Now we have 22." Homeowners realize energy expenses will continue to climb, and they want to protect themselves, said French, who is awaiting action in Congress to renew funding for sustainable energy. … full story
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3:50 PM Jul 14th
• Ausra chief executive Robert Fishman said Australian innovation had created several clean technologies, including Ausra's solar thermal technology. "Now it is Australia's time to lead the world, deploying zero-carbon power generation and securing its energy needs now and into the future," he said. Australia and California have similar solar levels and are both ideal sites for renewable, clean power generation, he said. Ausra is headquartered in northern California and has already secured major deals with power providers in the US, including a major power purchase agreement with California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). … full story
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10:45 AM Jul 14th
• It is also clear that every alternative source of energy, in the form of fuels for transportation and electricity for everything else, has serious shortcomings as far as the energy density and efficiency are concerned. The simply fact is, no one technology can compare to coal and petroleum on either scale. But when applied to local circumstances and in the context of a world in which energy costs include greenhouse contributions, each alternative has advantages. … full story
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12:45 PM Jul 11th
• Green concrete maker Hycrete has raised $15 million in a Series C round of funding, the company tells us this morning. The round was led by Mohr Davidow and the funds will be used for international expansion. Going international will be a capital-intensive endeavor for Hycrete as the company doesnÂt plan to license its proprietary concrete mix and will instead own and operate plants. … full story
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3:42 PM Jul 10th
• ATLANTA - Prices for natural gas and electricity are a growing burden on consumers' pocketbooks - especially as the temperature climbs - but the state is offering a little relief for homeowners and businesses that install solar, geothermal or other "clean energy" equipment. … full story
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5:27 PM Jul 9th
• The METFAB Solar Pipe Electroplating System precisely applies a metallic coating from 10 to 100 micro-inches to the surface of utility-scale solar thermal power pipe and tube which enhances their ability to absorb heat. Developed for companies who design and construct solar power plants, this fully automatic system can operate at continuous speeds up to 30 FPM. … full story
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2:47 PM Jul 8th
• So what drove growth in the second quarter? Solar thermal technology and second-generation biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol and algae-based biodiesel. Solar thermal companies, like these 11 that are building big power plants in the desert, brought in $278 million in venture capital in the second quarter. That brings their year-to-date total to $543 million. Algae-to-fuel companies (thereÂs also a lot of those, see these 15) raised $84 million for the quarter, including a $50 million round for Sapphire Energy, which the report says is the single largest round ever raised by an algae company. Cellulosic ethanol companies like Range Fuels, EdeniQ, Mascoma, and Gevo raised $136 million for the quarter (see these 11 companies building next-gen cellulosic ethanol plants). … full story
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2:40 PM Jul 8th
• Mr. Pickens will kick off a media campaign today to promote his energy policy ideas  which align perfectly with his business investments. He'll spend tens of millions of dollars on television and Web advertising and will make talk show appearances along the way. He aims to make energy a central issue in the presidential election. He'll challenge the candidates to go beyond pandering on gasoline prices to create real energy plans. … full story
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2:39 PM Jul 8th
• The Cleantech Group(TM), founders of the cleantech investment category and providers of leading global market research and investment services to its members, today announced 2Q08 results for cleantech venture investments in North America, Europe, China and India, totaling $2.0 billion across 96 companies, an all-time record quarter. The previous record quarter was 3Q07, which saw $1.8 billion of cleantech venture investments. Business Wire The 2Q08 total is a 58 percent increase over the same period a year ago, and 48 percent over 1Q08. This quarter's growth in cleantech venture investments contrasts with a projected decline in overall venture investments during the same period. … full story
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2:31 PM Jul 8th
• PHILLIPSTOWN Â Congressman John Hall Monday rolled up his shirtsleeves, put on work boots and a hard hat and helped lay coils as the foundation for a geothermal system being installed for a new home in the Town of Philipstown. Hall (D-Dover Plains) spent part of the day helping to install the underground coils for geothermal heating, cooling, and hot water distribution in a new Glassbury Court at Cold Spring home as part of his ongoing Work-A-Day initiative. … full story
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2:48 PM Jul 2nd
• As gas prices soar, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants to lower the cost of doing green business. He was at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry on Tuesday pushing for a federal bill that would double the maximum tax credit for new residential solar panels and extend it through 2016. It also extends credits for geothermal pumps and energy efficient buildings. "It has a majority of support but these days they filibuster everything so you have some senators, particularly who are in sort of the pocket of the oil companies, filibustering everything, but we're going to get the 60 votes," said Schumer. The bill has already passed the house. … full story
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2:35 PM Jul 2nd
• While Ausra CEO Robert Fishman was far from excited yesterday about the BLM solar moratorium policy, he was perfectly happy to tout his companyÂs new 130,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Las Vegas. This is a crossover point for this industry. Ausras factory is accelerating Nevadas and Americas solar future by tripling worldwide manufacturing capacity, relieving the supply constraint that has slowed the industry, and continuing to drive down costs, Fishman said in Ausras press release. The factory will be the Palo Alto-based companies first North American manufacturing and distribution centers and will supply reflectors, absorber tubes and other components for the companys solar thermal power plants. At full capacity, the facility will produce more than 700 MW of solar collectors annually. … full story
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2:31 PM Jul 2nd
• El Paso Electric, Xcel Energy, the Public Service Co. of New Mexico and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association together issued a request for proposals to find developers for the construction of a solar parabolic trough generation facility to provide solar electricity to each of the utilities by 2012, according to a release issued late Monday. The requirements in the RFP include locating the plant in New Mexico, storage of thermal energy generated through solar parabolic trough technology and the ability to deliver between 211,000 and 375,000 megawatt-hours per year. That's enough to power between 29,000 and 52,000 average New Mexico homes. (A "megawatt hour" means one megawatt acting over a period of one hour. A megawatt measures the capacity of an electric generator and a megawatt hour measures the actual amount of electricity it produces over a certain period of time.) … full story
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10:54 PM Jun 26th
• Jun 26, 2008 (The Kansas City Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Alternative Energy Sources Inc. is ceasing operations after being unable to expand its ethanol management consulting business and failing to raise money to build an ethanol plant. … full story
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11:32 AM Jun 24th
• WSJ Environmental Capital - Alternative energy companies have long cheered high oil prices, figuring it would make them even more competitive and attractive. But even if thereÂs seemingly no limit to oil-price rises, clean-energy stocks are hitting the wall. … full story
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11:24 AM Jun 24th
• John Farrell, of the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR), pens a nice article on the discrepency in tax incentives between residential and commercial solar. … full story
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11:11 AM Jun 24th
• More investors are seeing the benefits of buying solar stocks, whether to diversify portfolios or to champion an energy movement. SocialFunds.com -- Solar energy is clean energy's rising star, leading the pack in renewable energy investments last year. The Solar Energy Industries Association ( SEIA) reports that 254 megawatts of photovoltaic and concentrating solar power were installed in 2007. The solar energy sector has grown substantially over the past 25 years. At the same time, some investors have also seen substantial growth in their solar-related investments. … full story
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4:13 PM Jun 23rd
• Four years ago, Colorado voters charted a new energy direction for the state by passing a ballot initiative requiring investor-owned utilities to produce 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015, with 4 percent from solar. Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility, opposed that measure but then made such rapid progress toward the goal that when the legislature doubled down the bet in 2007 - requiring a 20 percent renewable energy standard by 2020 - Xcel supported the bill. That measure also imposed a less ambitious standard on many of the state's electric co-ops and municipal utilities. … full story
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4:06 PM Jun 23rd
• Alternative energy technologies are proliferating rapidly. And it is big bad business that is making it happen. As reported in this week's Economist, alternative energy is now officially big business. A couple of months ago, T Boone Pickens, the oilman's oilman, agreed to hand over $2bn to build a windfarm in Texas. General Electric, about as hard-nosed a firm as can be imagined, plans to sell $6bn-worth of wind turbines this year. It reckons that, by 2020, some 15% of America's electricity will be generated from wind  a figure not far short of nuclear's contribution. Solar is a little behind this curve, but over the next few years, you should expect the deserts of the American south-west and (perhaps more surprisingly) those of Algeria and Morocco to bloom with a variety of ways of turning sunlight into electricity. … full story
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4:03 PM Jun 23rd
• The next technology boom may well be based on alternative energy, says Geoffrey Carr (interviewed here). But which sort to back? EVERYONE loves a booming market, and most booms happen on the back of technological change. The worldÂs venture capitalists, having fed on the computing boom of the 1980s, the internet boom of the 1990s and the biotech and nanotech boomlets of the early 2000s, are now looking around for the next one. They think they have found it: energy. … full story
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3:59 PM Jun 23rd
• Pick your poison when it comes to producing energy. Many environmentalists oppose nuclear reactors and coal-fired power plants. Others fear even large-scale solar power projects, a popular source of renewable energy, will damage the environment. Concentrating solar thermal power plants, which focus the heat of the sun to boil liquids and spin generators, can consume large quantities of water and use vast areas of previously untouched wild areas, participants told the Bureau of Land Management at a hearing Wednesday night at the Clarion hotel in Las Vegas. Some solar thermal plants, which use wet cooling, consume the same quantity of water as wet-cooled coal-fired plants, although water consumption can be cut by 90 percent with dry-cooling technology. Government experts also said solar thermal plants typically need five acres for every megawatt of electricity produced. The BLM is expected to deal with issues like those in rules it is preparing to govern how and where it leases federal land in six states, … full story
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3:01 PM Jun 23rd
• Sunday, June 22, 2008 Printable VersionEmail This Article del.icio.us Digg Technorati Reddit Facebook Slashdot Fark Newsvine Google Bookmarks (0) Georgia (default) Verdana Times New Roman Arial Get Quote: Detailed News Charts SEC Filings Company Profile Historical Quotes Symbol Lookup Main Business & Finance Page: Stock quotes, portfolio, funds and more... Small Business Center: A new resource for small businesses. Get expert advice, forms and more. SFGate Technology: It's a high-tech world - - we just plug you into it... Where can you find alternative energy stocks? Do actively managed mutual funds outperform index funds? These are some of your questions that I'm answering today. … full story
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2:50 PM May 28th
• Marlboro, MA based Evergreen Solar announced two deals totaling $1 billion. $750 million is committed to Germany's Ralos Vertriebs and the other $250 million is to an undisclosed US manufacturer. Both are expected to take about 5 years to fulfill. Even with this level of order it's expected that only be a sizeable fraction of the manufacturing plant's capability. … full story
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1:27 PM May 28th
• One of Arizona's biggest solar projects, the Solana Solar Station, is a $1 billion project hanging in the balance on Congress' decision to extend renewable energy tax credits. … full story
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4:04 PM May 19th
• This was a survey of solar companies in the Bay Area. Of the 77 employers surveyed, 75% said they are going to be hiring. The area currently employs 16-17,000 people and is expected to hire another 5,000 in the next year. The biggest demand is for qualified people to install photovoltaic panels. That's basically a construction skill. … full story
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7:08 PM May 16th
• Pickens Mesa Power Orders 1,000 MW of Wind Turbines • Worlds Largest, $1.8 Billion, 500 MW, Wind Farm to be Built off the Coast of UK • DuPont To Enter Thin Film Amorphous Silicon Market • Sungri Claims 5-7 cents per kWh for CSP Solar Technology • GM Invests in Mascoma • Land for Largest Field of Switchgrass for Bioenergy Acquired • Missouri City Goes 100% Wind Power • Optisolar to Build Largest Solar Farm in North America • EPRI Analysis Finds Utility Based Energy Efficiency Programs Could Cut Energy Consumption 7-11 % • eSolar Receives Funding for 33MW Modular Solar Power Plants • Order your Tesla Roadster Now, TH!NK City Coming to North America in 2009 • Study Develops More Accurate CO2 Data • Largest Laser Beam in the World to Create Fusion • Pickens Wind Farm to Get Underway • Trina Solar Cancels $1 Billion Polysilicon Plant • Climate Change Confirmed but Global Warming is Cancelled • The Beginning of the End for Coal … full story
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4:16 PM May 16th
• This is a $100 million dollar program where Xcel energy is replacing all electric meters with digital meters. These meters can be controlled and throttled by Xcel, but also the consumer will be able to see how much they are using in near real time. Also, they can compute carbon footprints and set energy budgets and begin to control when they consume electricity based on the best rates. This program is being watched closely nationally as one of the most sophisticated retrofits to help can more insight into energy usage at the home. … full story
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1:02 PM May 15th
• Google chipped in on a $115 million round for BrightSource Energy of Oakland, CA. This is Google second investment in solar thermal with their first going into eSolar, a Pasadena based company that made headlines last November after partnering with Google on the RE … full story
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12:59 PM May 14th
• KPCB confirmed the existence of a $500 milllion clean tech fund intended to speed mass market adoption of solutions to the world's climate crisis. John Denniston, KPCB, and Ben Kortland, previously from Goldman Sachs, will manage the fund. Additionally they announced the formation of KPCB XIII, a $700 million fund investing in clean tech, IT, and life sciences. … full story
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12:58 PM May 14th
• Discussion includes the world's first building integrated with a wind turbin in Bahrain, California's Mojave desert with it's big solar thermal projects, and Scotland's tidal energy project. … full story
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12:56 PM May 14th
• I'm not exactly sure what this piece is trying to do except to further educate the public on the advantages of utility scale solar power. It makes a few pokes at the regulatory environment in California and puts forth an argument that smaller utility scale solar installations can be built within short distances of cities obviating the need for 100kv transmission over long distances. … full story
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12:54 PM May 14th
• Patrick Moore co-founded Greenpeace and is now a nuclear power advocate. There are some interesting arrows chucked at solar and California's solar subsidies. … full story
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12:52 PM May 14th
• One of the first thin film solar manufacturers to market, Nanosolar has taken another $50 million. Some estimations have the company investment at around $170 million. The latest $50 million places a valuation at around $2 billion. The two existing facilities are producing thin film solar at the rate of 100MW per year and running at full capacity. … full story
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12:49 PM May 14th
• Another step to get the SITC passed again, but today the Senate voted, as part of the US Housing Bill, to extend the Solar Investment Tax Credit another eight years. This ammendment got removed from the recent energy bill because it was going to be funded by removing oil company subsidies. When Bush decided that he would veto that bill if the oil subsidies were pulled, the ITC went with it. Perhaps it stands a better chance of passing now if it's attached to this housing bill. … full story
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12:46 PM May 14th
• This is an issue getting a lot of state and national attention. It won't be long before HOAs all over the US will have their solar resistance trumped by state or national law. … full story
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12:44 PM May 14th
• There has certainly been a lot of money going into these areas. It seem premature to me that they're calling a top on venture investments. Perhaps what they're really seeing is a slowdown while everyone catches their breath. … full story
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12:43 PM May 14th
• Plan for 2.5b photovoltaic solar station in the Arava desert near the Jordanian border. … full story
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12:42 PM May 14th
• San Francisco supervisors have put a solar incentive pilot program on hold pending further budget review. Already one of the lowest solar producing counties of the Bay Area, per capita, proponents are hoping to get the program back on track. … full story
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12:42 PM May 14th
• Sharps says it will spend $729 million on a solar cell plant based in western Japan. … full story
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12:41 PM May 14th
• Souther California Edison is going to lease 65 million square feet of rooftops in their service area. It is expected generate 250 megawatts of energy from photovoltaics...the largest utility supported photovoltaics project ever. … full story
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12:35 PM May 14th
• Because of the amount of ethanol that can be produced from an acre of sugar cane, it is coming to the front of the pack of biofuel feedstocks while environmentalists and policy makers are coming to the consensus that using grain feed stocks, such as corn, to produce ethanol has many unintended consequences including a contribution to quickly rising food prices. Amyris Biotechnologies, an Emeryville, CA, based biotech company is hoping to tap into big sugar cane markets in Brazil … full story
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12:35 PM May 14th
• A rundown on Nevada alternative energy projects and energy businesses from The Ely Times. It seems that every state that starts an alternative energy business or implements something thinks they are the hub of all this action. It seems that the fact that they all think they're in the middle of it is more a reflection of just how much activity is going on out there. Nevada has one natural resource that most states don't and that is hot rock geothermal. Although their temperatures don't match those of the northern California there is a person who has taken basic geoexchange/refrigerator/heat pump concepts to geothermal. That is to use the lower temperature water to evaporate a chemical into gas and capture that cycle just as a heat pump does, but at a utility scale. … full story
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12:32 PM May 14th
• This actually seems like a much better way to produce biofuel than producing it from grains and high production energy sources. Plus it actually helps the CO2 problem in the process. It sounds like the whole algae industry is starting to find its feet. … full story
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12:32 PM May 14th
• Here's a New York Times article on solar thermal power generation. … full story
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12:30 PM May 14th
• You may have to scroll down this page to see where the article starts, but some interesting figures in here include fact that all the turbine production capcity in 2008 has been sold out despite at least four new factories coming on line. … full story
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12:29 PM May 14th
• A rundown on recent moves by GE to position in energy business as well as carbon offsets. … full story
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12:29 PM May 14th
• From cleantech.com...a nice rundown on the various project and company fundings that occurred this week. … full story
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12:28 PM May 14th
• This is a review of a study on utility scale solar thermal power. … full story
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12:27 PM May 14th
• Torresol is a Spainish firm, one of the biggest solar thermal companies in the world. Besides the magnitude of this utility project there is also some discussion about Torresol licensing or selling their solar thermal plant designs to others. … full story
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12:25 PM May 14th
• Here's a company using cheaper glass to focus sunlight on a smaller and more expensive, but also more efficient solar cell. It's an enclosed system so the mirrors don't need to be cleaned. They aim to attain cost parity on traditional fossil fuel even without subsidies. … full story
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12:21 PM May 14th
• One of the largest wind farm design and construction companies moved their headquarters from Austin, TX, to Broomfield, CO, just outside my hometown of Boulder, CO. Nearby Lousville recently announced that ConocoPhillips was also going to be building their renewable energy research center to CO. … full story
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12:12 PM May 14th
• Recent stock picks from Zacks Investment analyst Jon Kolb … full story
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12:06 PM May 14th
• Good article on Renewable Energy World discussing distributed versus centralized alternative energy generation and distribution. … full story
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12:05 PM May 14th
• You mostly hear about solar power towers being used at very large scales. Here's a suggestion to mount them on factories or in industrial areas to take advantage of local transmission capabilities and use geothermal exchange technologies to store the heat. However, it's not like you can run molten salt through a standard geothermal ground loop, so I'm not sure this is all quite as easy as he is making it sound. … full story
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12:04 PM May 14th
• Up until today all the rumors were that BP was going to fully divest itself of its alt energy business. Of course they could be just trying to keep the fire under control, but this is an article quoting the head of the unit saying that even if they did sell some ownership interest that BP would retain overall control. I think that's probably good news overall. … full story
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12:04 PM May 14th
• Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter formalized what is already law in many states. That is, require the utility to purchase surplus power being generated by residential producers. … full story
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12:03 PM May 14th
• The House just passed a similar measure. A coalition of more than 100 business, trade and advocacy groups called on the US to pass this legislation. This would allow for tax incentives that would strengthen the renewable energy industry. … full story
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12:02 PM May 14th
• Plus Dow Jones VentureSource reports that VCs put $3 billion into alternative energy in 2007. … full story
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12:02 PM May 14th
• Article on Michigan politicians positioning Michigan for wind production, bio fuel production, and alternative energy research … full story
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12:00 PM May 14th
• This company is still working on improving efficiency of internal combustion engines. Their angle right now is making the spark plug up to 6% more efficient. Doesn't sound like much, but multiplied over millions of cars and the $5M investment could look pretty good. … full story
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12:00 PM May 14th
• There is so much money going into this area right now. Currently XunLight has a pilot plant that can print 100KW of thin film solar panels a year. Thin film solar is still just 10% efficient compared to marks of close to 40% efficient for traditional silicon. The hope is that the less efficient flexible panels can find more applications because it's cheaper and literally flexible to fit applications that a brittle solar panel can't. … full story
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11:59 AM May 14th
• They're banking on geothermal being one of the primary alternatives to fossil fuel based electricity generation. … full story
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11:57 AM May 14th
• Some interesting discussion in here, but also noting that they are saying South Africa has some incredible sun. Very high wattage per square meter given clearer skies than many other deserts of the world. … full story
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