GE (NYSE:GE) announced it has received a $1.4 billion contract
from independent power producer Caithness Energy to supply 338 wind
turbines and services for an 845-megawatt (MW) wind farm to be
located in Oregon. When
completed the Shepherds Flat wind farm will be larger than any wind farm currently in operation
around the globe. The project marks the US debut of GE’s
2.5xl wind turbines, which are being made in Pensacola, Florida. The project is schedule for completion in 2012.
In other wind power news, a Mexican subsidiary of Germany’s SoWiTec international GmbH has signed
a development agreement with Enel Latin America LLC (ENEL.MI) to develop several
wind power projects in Mexico with a total capacity of up to 1,000
megawatts (MW). The projects are located
in several different Mexican states and range in in size from 100 to 200 MW. SoWiTec has been present in Mexico since 2007 and is developing a
pipeline of more than 5,000 MW in the country. SoWiTec and Enel have already signed similar agreements for 1,000 MW in Brazil and 850 MW in Chile. SoWiTec is one of the largest project developers in Latin America with a project pipeline of over 35,000 MW. The company also entered the Russian market for the first time earlier this year.
News and information giant Bloomberg L.P. has acquired New Energy
Finance, a provider of news, data and analysis on renewable and
alternative energy. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition is further proof that the renewable energy sector has gone mainstream. Last week Bloomberg competitor Thomson Reuters made a similar move acquiring ASSET4 AG,
a Swiss-based, provider of Environmental, Social Responsibility and
Governance (ESG) information.
Massachusetts-based EnerNOC, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENOC), a provider of demand response and energy
management solutions, has expanded the scope of its business by
acquiring Cogent Energy, Inc., a firm engaged in monitoring-based
commissioning (MBCx). MBCx involves setting dynamic building systems to conserve energy while
simultaneously improving comfort for occupants. MBCx ensures that
systems respond to unsuspected changes in weather or
changes in building usage. EnerNOC’s core business in demand response involves working with
large industrial clients to reduce power usage at time of peak demand.
EnerNOC manages about 3.1 gigawatts of power reductions and has been
looking to expand its business plan. The company has developed its own MBCx
technology, and the acquisition of Cogent provides a path to the
market. Cogent currently (cogentenergy.com) has more than 200 customers whose buildings are significantly smaller than the industrial sites currently serviced by EnerNOC.
Chinese thin-film solar company Trony Solar Holdings Co Ltd.
postponed its initial public offering due to market conditions,
according to a Wall Street Journal report. The company planned to begin trading Thursday on the New York Stock
Exchange, but failed to price Wednesday night. The company previously announced plans to sell 19.5 million American
Depository Shares (ADS) between $9 and $11 dollars a share.
The company says it produces its thin-film panels at a cost of $1.15 a watt–which extremely close to the $1 a watt considered to be the holy grail of the solar industry. But the cancelled IPO indicates that investors are still wary of the solar industry’s future, following a year that has seen module prices dropping from oversupply in the market.
Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) and First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) have agreed to expand the Sarnia Solar Project in Ontario, Canada,
from 20 MW to 80 MW (MW), at a
cost of about CDN $300 million. When completed in the second half of 2010, it is expected to be the largest photovoltaic solar energy facility in North America. First Solar built the first phase of the project for Enbridge. That portion was completed this month. Ontario has become the hotspot for renewable energy development in recent months, after establishing a generous feed-in tariff in September.
Geothermal power developer Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RZ)
announced a financing agreement with investment fund Evergreen Clean
Energy LLC for the development of up to 100 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power projects. Evergreen is expected to
provide approximately $30 million in financing for each power project
funded, in exchange for a 50% equity interest in each project, preferred return on capital and warrants to purchase Raser’s common stock. Raser said the commitment is enough to cover 100% of drilling costs, and the funding is likely to first be used at the Lightning Dock site in New Mexico or the Thermo site in Utah. Collectively the sites are estimated to have potential of 250 MW.
Imara Corporation, a California-based a manufacturer of lithium-ion
batteries, has shut down operations, according to Greentech Media. In September, Imara announced that its first cells were available for commercial applications, but the company reportedly could not find investors to build a factory. In an October interview
on SB.com’s Green Week in Review, CEO Jeff Depew explained that the
company’s cathode technology allowed for greater energy density than
other li-ion batteries. The technology was designed to work with a
variety of li-ion chemistries. The company intended to enter the market for power tools and lawn-care
equipment, but Depew said the company was in talks with numerous major
car manufacturers. Imara reportedly will try to sell its assets and intellectual property.
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