USDA Awards $5 Million To Develop BioJet Fuel

Posted on September 28, 2011 by quest

Gevo, Inc., a leading renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, received a $5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the development of biojet fuel from woody biomass and forest product residues. The award is a portion of a $40 million grant presented to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA), a consortium led by Washington State University (WSU).”This is an opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and drive economic development in rural communities across America by building the framework for a competitively-priced, American-made biofuels industry,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Public-private partnerships like these will drive our nation to develop a national biofuels economy that continues to help us grow and out-compete the rest of the world while moving our nation toward a clean energy economy.”

NARA includes a broad consortium of scientists from universities, government laboratories and private industry. The WSU-led grant aims to address the urgent national need for a domestic biofuel alternative for U.S. commercial and military air fleets. The NARA project envisions developing a new, viable, aviation fuel industry using wood and wood waste in the Pacific Northwest, where forests cover almost half of the region. The project also will focus on increasing the profitability of wood-based fuels through development of high-value, biobased co-products to replace petrochemicals that are used in products such as plastics.

“The airline industry and the United States Department of Defense are eagerly looking for near-term alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel,” said Patrick Gruber, Ph.D., CEO of Gevo. “Woody biomass has the potential to be a cost-effective and sustainable option for biorefineries. This project should help accelerate the commercial deployment of cellulosic biorefineries, grow the economy in rural America and contribute to home grown energy independence.” Gevo previously announced its progress to airline engine testing using starch derived isobutanol to jet fuel. Gevo expects to receive full fuel certification by 2013 from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for its biojet fuel.

Serious Eco Fashion In Portland

GREEN NEWS WALL

World Solar Challenge 2011 Gets Veolia Sponsorship

Posted on September 26, 2011 by quest

Veolia Environmental Services announced today that it has joined as the naming rights sponsor of the 2011 World Solar Challenge. The Veolia World Solar Challenge, held in October 2011, requires entrants to build a vehicle that runs on solar power, and can be driven from Darwin to Adelaide. Doug Dean, Managing Director of Veolia Environmental Services Australia described the partnership as a natural fit with Veolia’s proactive approach to developing viable and sustainable environmental solutions. “As a global leader in the provision of environmental services, Veolia is committed to supporting innovation which improves our environment, whilst also promoting renewable and alternative energy sources. We are therefore very proud to partner with the World Solar Challenge in 2011.”

Commenting on the partnership, CEO of the South Australian Motor Sports Board, Mark Warren said reaching the landmark agreement, with such a significant corporation was a turning point in the history of the event, which has struggled for recognition and support from the Australian corporate world. “With the backing of one of Australia’s leaders in environmental services, we have a much greater chance of taking solar cars and their sustainable technology out of the future fantasy realm and into the garages of everyday Australians,” Mr. Warren said.

The announcement further solidifies Veolia’s position as supporting innovation within Australia through the development of technologies which utilize alternative energy sources. The Darwin-to-Adelaide, 3,021-kilometer 2011 World Solar Challenge is also being by supported by Panasonic. They are is providing the latest Lithium Ion battery technologies for use with solar-powered vehicles engineered by undergraduate teams from the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University in the seven day drive through the Australian Outback.

Solar Powered Farming Takes Root With Cali Growers

Enchanting New Mexico Develops Mega Solar Energy

Posted on September 23, 2011 by quest

Wells Fargo announced project financing for the deployment of a 53.5 megawatt multi-site solar project for Sun Edison LLC, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials. A site ceremony was held yesterday in Carlsbad, New Mexico with the city’s mayor and officials from SunEdison, Xcel Energy, and Wells Fargo to announce the activation of the first three of five solar power plants that make up the 53.5 MW project. “Wells Fargo is committed to helping cleantech businesses and will continue to expand our support of projects and companies, such as SunEdison, that are leaders in building a clean energy economy,” said Puon Penn, head of Wells Fargo’s National Cleantech group. With the remaining two plants expected to begin operation before the end of 2011, the total 53.5MW solar project is expected to be among the largest photovoltaic solar power projects in the U.S. As the construction lender, Wells Fargo provided more than $200 million to finance the installation phase of the projects.

New Mexico

Building upon its ongoing support of the renewable energy industry, Wells Fargo began providing construction financing for the project earlier this year, and the new SunEdison projects collectively mark Wells Fargo’s largest renewable energy construction loan to date. Wells Fargo has also committed to provide permanent equity financing for all five projects upon completion. The company has already invested approximately $2.2 billion in renewable energy projects since 2006, including funding for 35 wind projects and over 220 solar projects in 26 states.

Electricity from the solar farms is sold to Southwestern Public Service Co., a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, Inc., supporting the utility’s compliance with New Mexico’s renewable portfolio standard. Once all sites are active, the solar farms are expected to produce more than 1.9 million megawatt-hours of electricity over the next 20 years, generating enough to power over 8,000 average U.S. homes per year while the environmental attributes associated with the solar farms are expected to offset more than 2.9 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over 20 years. “We are proud to make investments in our energy future through these groundbreaking solar projects,” said Barry Neal, head of Wells Fargo’s Environmental Finance Group.

SunPower Donates Solar Training To Greenpeace Africa

Clinton Welcomes World Environmental Leaders To CGI

Posted on September 22, 2011 by quest

Former President Bill Clinton welcomed global sustainability leaders to the 2011 the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) which convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Among the dignitaries are Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize laureate, peacebuilder, and general secretary of the National League for Democracy via satellite and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of the Elders in a first-time conversation between the two visionary leaders. Suu Kyi spoke about her own struggles for human rights, democratic governance, and ethic reconciliation, while Archbishop Tutu discussed his recent work to end child marriage. The highlight of the conversation was the overwhelming admiration Tutu and Suu Kyi expressed for each other’s efforts to promote world peace and democracy. “The lives and accomplishments of Aung San Suu Kyi and Archibishop Desmond Tutu are an inspiring testament to the tremendous good than can be achieved by a boundless reserve of courage, humility, and conviction,” said President Clinton. “Suu Kyi and Archibishop Tutu exemplify the positive work of CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) members – who have made 194 new commitments this year, valued at $6.2 billion that will positively impact more than 100 million people.”

President Clinton introduced President Barack Obama, who made remarks regarding job creation in the U.S., including infrastructure building and supporting education. President Obama also thanked CGI members for their commitments to address some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Her Royal Highness Princess Ghida Talal announced new commitments by Care with Love, Johnson and Johnson, Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, GBCHealth, and OVG that will build a home and healthcare facility for rural children with cancer in Egypt, promote and obtain smokefree worksite policies for major companies with global supply chains, and raise and distribute $1 billion during the next five years to develop green buildings around the globe. General Wesley Clark also announced new commitments by Applied Environmental Research Foundation, Amazon Watch, Rural Action, Darden Restaurants, and others that will promote the prosperity and preserve the biodiversity of local landscapes and marshal the talents of the next generation of international leaders.

Visit The Solar Wall

Solar Energy Growth In America Outpaces Global Market

Posted on September 20, 2011 by quest

The U.S. solar energy market continued its rapid growth during the second quarter of 2011, according to the latest release of GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association quarterly U.S. Solar Market Insight report. Solar photovoltaics (PV) led the way with 314 megawatts installed across the U.S. in the second quarter, 69 percent more than during the same period last year. “Even in this tough economy the U.S. solar industry continues to be one of the fastest growing in America,” said SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. “There are now more than 100,000 Americans working in the solar industry, twice as many as there were in 2009. They work at 5,000 companies – mostly small businesses – across all 50 states.”

The utility and commercial solar market segments grew 37 percent and 22 percent, respectively. The residential PV segment slowed, installing 60 megawatts, a 5.7 percent drop over last quarter. Still, the industry’s overall growth means it is powering the equivalent of 630,000 homes. The industry faces challenges in 2012 that could slow its torrid pace from the past year and a half. “The potential expiration of the 1603 Treasury program, along with current malaise in major markets, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, threaten to slow growth in 2012,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “Still, with increasing market diversity and the continued emergence of the utility-scale solar market, we anticipate that the U.S. market share of global installations will triple over the next four years.”

“The dynamic second quarter growth is a result of increased competition in the solar market, competition that drove down the price of solar panels by 30 percent since the beginning of 2010,” added Resch. “This is good news for residential and business customers as solar becomes more affordable every day.”

First Solar Advances Thin Film Solar Technology

JinkoSolar To Sponsor San Francisco 49ers

Posted on September 19, 2011 by quest

The San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) today announced its sponsorship agreement with JinkoSolar, a fast-growing, vertically-integrated solar power product manufacturer. JinkoSolar will serve as the team’s exclusive solar sponsor for the 2011-2012 NFL season. “Our agreement with JinkoSolar is a reflection of the San Francisco 49ers’ dedication to promoting environmentally friendly practices within our facilities and throughout the greater community,” said Paraag Marathe, Chief Operating Officer for the 49ers. “As we look to the future with a new stadium, we plan to incorporate significant green building and design elements, including energy and water conservation measures in addition to the use of clean solar power. As such, we are proud to count such a respected provider of solar energy technologies among our valued network of sponsors.”

Under the terms of the agreement, JinkoSolar will display its signage in a variety of locations within the team’s stadium, Candlestick Park, including the scoreboard, LED message boards and a prominent ribbon panel. JinkoSolar will also have exclusive branding rights to Gate F in Candlestick Park, which will be known as “JinkoSolar Gate” for the duration of the season.

Additional branding opportunities are included for radio and online outlets, with JinkoSolar entitlements during halftime radio broadcasts and commercials, as well as on the team’s website and official Facebook page.“JinkoSolar is dedicated to building strong relationships in the United States through partnerships with customers and distributors – and now, with one of the country’s most esteemed sports teams,” said Arturo Herrero, Chief Marketing Officer for JinkoSolar. “We are honored to align ourselves with an organization that shares both our commitment to sustainability and our high-performance ideology, and we look forward to a successful season all around.”