Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG; CMG.B) plans to install solar power on the roofs of about 75 restaurants over the next year, a move that further solidifies the chain’s reputation for sustainability practices. The company is partnering with Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) to install a total of about 500 kilowatts of solar capacity that will reduce load on the energy grid during peak hours from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. Construction has already begun on several Texas stores.
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) announced it will acquire the solar thermal power
company Solel Solar Systems Ltd. for about $418 million. To date, the majority stake has been held by London-based investment firm Ecofin Ltd., and another unnamed shareholder.
Solel Solar has a workforce of over 500 and is a supplier of solar receivers, which are key
components of parabolic trough power plants. Siemens makes the steam turbines used in such plants, and now the company will be able to produce complete systems. Solel Solar also has experience in the construction of solar thermal plants and had revenue of nearly $90 million in the first six months of its current fiscal year.
Leading geothermal company Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) has entered the commercial solar market for the first time in Israel. The company signed a Joint Venture Agreement
(JVA) with solar firm Sunday Energy Ltd. to develop and operate photovoltaic (PV) systems in Israel with
a total capacity of 36 megawatts (MW).
The projects are expected to cost a combined $195 million and generate approximately $30 million in annual
revenues. Ormat will own a 70% stake in the projects.
BP Solar (NYSE: BP) announced an agreement with
Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL) to manufacture BP Solar modules for the
European market in Jabil’s plant in Poland. The agreement calls for an
initial capacity of 45 MW in 2009 with the opportunity for
expansion as demand increases. Jabil is a manufacturing specialist making a strong move into solar production. In June the company signed a multi-year agreement to produce panels for SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA; SPWRB) in Mexico.
California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) (NYSE: PCG) has signed a contract with NextLight Renewable Power, LLC, for a second solar thermal power plant. The Agua
Caliente project will be located in Yuma County, Arizona and will have a capacity of 290 MW. In recent months, PG&E has contracted a total of 830 MW of solar power. The Agua Caliente project is expected to be fully operational by late 2014.
Power company Sempra (NYSE: SRE) has acquired Auwahi Wind Energy LLC, a company developing a 22-MW wind energy and battery storage project on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The company was previously owned by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-B).Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The project is significant in that it is one of the first in development to combine utility-scale battery storage for wind power. Sempra recently submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy to co-fund costs of expanding the battery storage capacity from 28 megawatt-hours (MWh) to 72 MWh. Construction is likely to begin in 2011 for completion in 2012.
Following a pilot program in Indiana, utility company American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) selected Silver Spring Networks for the full rollout of planned smart grids in Indiana and Ohio. Silver Spring Networks will provide its IP-based, end-to-end platform. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but it will be a major boon for Silver Spring, as AEP’s goal is to network 5 million homes and businesses throughout its
service territory by 2015.
International Power plc (IPR.L) has signed an agreement to acquire wind power developer AIM PowerGen Corporation from its parent company Renewable Energy
Generation Limited. International Power owns power plants around the world a net capacity of more than 20,000 MW. The company said it was drawn to the investment by the new feed-in tariff in Ontario, Canada, where AIM wind portfolio is concentrated. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but International Power’s financial backing is expected to accelerate the AIM’s development pipeline.
Toyota (NYSE: TM) announced this week it will launch a new hybrid-only vehicle model in Japan in December. The sedan, called the Sai, is a redesigned version of the company’s
Lexus HS250 hybrid. It will be priced above the Prius hybrid at a base
price of 3.38 million yen ($37,290). Toyota said it has no plans to export the Sai to the U.S. or any other foreign market. However, the company did announce the launch of its Prius and Camry-hybrids in South Korea, where they will compete with popular offerings from Hyundai.
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