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Xcel Energy Announces Project Selections

Twenty-two proposed renewable energy projects featuring wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass and biofuel technologies have been selected to receive nearly $23 million from the Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) Renewable Development Fund. An advisory board with representation from Xcel Energy, environmental groups, Xcel Energy customers and the Prairie Island Indian Community today recommended to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission that $8,223,922 be awarded to projects for energy production and $14,397,817 for research and development. Nearly 100 renewable energy proposals were reviewed during the current funding cycle. In previous cycles, more than $52 million has been awarded for renewable energy research and renewable energy production. Currently, more than 23 megawatts of renewable energy are under development from fund initiatives. “Innovative and new renewable technologies, such as solar and biomass, have trouble competing with conventional energy in the marketplace,” said Scott Wilensky, Xcel Energy acting vice president of regulatory and government affairs. “The fund’s objective is to remove barriers to entry of new renewable energy technologies by funding research on emerging technologies and supporting development of renewable energy projects.” Money for the Renewable Development Fund, which was created in 1999, comes from Xcel Energy customers. Each year the company transfers $16 million to the fund […]

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Atlan Focusing on Renewable Energy Markets

Atlan International Holdings Corp. (Frankfurt:QV8.F; OTC:ATLI.PK) is turning its full attention to the alternative energy industry. The global development, marketing, sales and acquisition company today announced that it has completed the divestiture of all subsidiaries which are not related to the alternative energy industry. “We are pleased with our progress in divesting products and technologies that are outside of our current focus,” commented Henry Val, CEO of Atlan. “Atlan’s growth strategy is focused on the renewable and solar energy industries. The successful divestiture of these assets is a key part of our team’s progress towards profitability, cash flow and predictability for Atlan.” On September 25, 2007 Atlan announced that it had entered into a long-term Strategic Alliance Agreement with Pacific Seaboard Ltd. to jointly develop renewable energy projects.

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Spire Corporation Expands Solar Manufacturing Space

Solar equipment provider Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR) is expanding to meet the growing global demand for solar energy. The company, which provides turnkey solar factories and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic modules, today announced it has expanded into an additional 53,000 square feet of solar equipment manufacturing space at its Bedford, Massachusetts headquarters facility. The company now maintains a total of approximately 144,000 square feet of manufacturing and headquarters space at this location, according to the release. “Spire’s solar capital equipment business is benefiting from the confluence of two powerful market forces,” said Roger G. Little, Spire’s chairman and CEOr. “Global demand for solar power is accelerating, and manufacturers of photovoltaic wafers, cells and modules anticipate greater availability of solar-grade silicon – the industry’s primary raw material – within the next year. They want to have new factory capacity in place to take advantage of these market forces, which is creating unprecedented new requirements for solar capital equipment. Spire is committed to helping meet this growing demand.” Rodger W. LaFavre, COO of Spire said, “The increased manufacturing space and capacity is necessary to respond effectively to our customers’ demand for new equipment and facilities. We are fortunate to be able […]

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Green Building Certification Spins Off

The success of the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification system is spawning a revolution in green building. Green building currently stands at a $2 billion market expected to double in the next few years. There’s an avalanche of new green buildings websites and organizations, and the entry of competing certification schemes. What’s needed now is the training and accreditation of legions of building professionals interested in learning how to apply green building techniques. The USGBC has created a new organization to take charge of developing and implementing credentialing programs – the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). You can learn about LEED Professional Accreditation, register for a LEED AP Exam, find LEED Accredited Professionals in your area and list your business in the LEED AP Directory at the GBCI website. The USGBC has also been working with the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation to create the first nationwide green renovation certification for existing homes. Its “Regreen” program will offer guidance on everything from simply painting a room to gutting a house down to its framing and rebuilding it from scratch. There will also be guidelines that focus on specific areas of the house, like the kitchen or bathroom, […]

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DOE to Invest $7.7M More on Biofuels Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week the selection of four biofuels projects in which it plans to invest up to $7.7 million. The DOE says it has now announced more than $1 billion this year in multi-year funding for biofuels research and development projects. The DOE says the four R&D projects chosen in this round of financing will help make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with gasoline and more efficiently eliminate contaminants generated during the thermochemical production of biofuels. Combined with the industry cost share, more than $15.7 million is slated for investment in these four projects. Funding will begin in Fiscal Year 2008 and will run through FY 2010, subject to Congressional appropriations. The following four projects were selected for negotiation of awards: Emery Energy Company of Salt Lake City, Utah Emery Energy Company has partnered with Ceramatec, Inc. and the Western Research Institute to demonstrate a new, low-cost, novel way to mitigate tars and oils in biomass synthesis gas while also managing other impurities. This project will also verify the technical viability of using the resulting clean synthesis gas in a downstream liquid fuel catalysis process. EEC intends to use a ‘high impact’ biomass such as corn […]

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Sweden Mandates Sustainability Reporting

Sweden is taking a step towards advancing sustainable business practices that no other country in the world has yet made. The Swedish government announced earlier this week that in an effort to improve sustainability performance and ensure the transparent use of public money, all state-owned companies will have to file an annual sustainability report before March 31 of each year, beginning in 2009. The Swedish Government Office administers 55 companies or groups, of which 41 are wholly owned and 14 partly owned by the state. The state is the largest owner on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and its companies, which have an assessed value of SEK 675 billion, employ approximately 190,000 people. State-owned companies include Telia Sonera, a telecommunications provider; Svenska Spel, a gaming company; and SJ, Swedish railways. The yearly reports will based on guidelines created by the Global Reporting Initiative, which is perhaps the most recognized global standard for sustainability reporting. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has developed an international network with thousands of members from business, civil society, labor, and professional institutions to create the content of its Reporting Framework. GRI hopes that reporting on economic, environmental and social performance will one day be routine for organizations […]

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