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SMUD Partnership Makes Residential Solar Easier

A new partnership between the City of Folsom and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) will make it much easier for the city’s residents to install their own solar systems. Last week, the Folsom City Council passed a resolution that will waive the permit fee for a residential solar installation, and agreed that city staff will review the application in one day, use a standardized application packet, and conduct the post-installation inspection within 24 hours. The Folsom-SMUD partnership is landmark, as it means that the permit fee has been waived throughout Sacramento County, for all residents–whether they live in a city or the unincorporated portion of the county. SMUD undertook the effort in early 2007 to gain partnerships with all six city councils and the county board of supervisors. The partnerships are three-year pilot programs that run through 2009. SMUD also works directly with residential customers by providing financial incentives to help reduce the cost of solar electric systems by as much as 25%. In addition, the homeowner is eligible for a $2,000 federal tax credit. In combination with energy efficiency practices and equipment, owners of solar-powered homes can see drastic reductions and even credits on their SMUD bills. SMUD […]

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Crop Company Funds Switchgrass Development

Switchgrass is a native species of North America’s tallgrass prairie and is widely considered an ideal raw material for a new generation of biofuels made from non-food crops. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. wants to genetically modify the plant to become an even better source of fuel and is sponsoring research at South Dakota State University in Brookings to help make it happen. Ceres was founded as a plant genomics company and holds one of the world’s largest proprietary collections of fully sequenced plant genes. The company, whose equity investors include heavyweights like Monsanto and Soros Private Equity Partners, licenses its technology and traits to other organizations. The cooperative, multi-year program at South Dakota State Universit will focus on developing higher-yielding cultivars adapted to production in northern latitudes, often called upland types. South Dakota State University (SDSU) plant breeder Arvid Boe, Ph.D, will lead field and greenhouse research, which will involve cross breeding and selections supported by Ceres technology. University researchers will also study genetic diversity in this perennial grass species, among other objectives. Peter Mascia, Ceres vice president of product development, said that South Dakota has been a key supporter of cellulosic biofuels, and switchgrass, in particular. “Dr. Boe […]

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Western Wind, Solon to Develop Solar Projects

Western Wind Energy (WND.V) announced plans to collaborate with Solon America Corporation, a subsidiary of Solon A.G. of Germany (S001.DE) on solar energy projects in California and Ontario, Canada. Western Solargenics Inc., a subsidiary of Western Wind Energy, and Solon plan to development 5 to 40 MW of photovoltaic capacity in California and an additional 5 – 40 MW of in Ontario, according to a release. Solon will supply the photovoltaic equipment and engineering, procurement and construction services, and Western will develop, own and operate the projects. About Solon Solon A.G. is one of the world’s leading producers of photovoltaic modules. Solon’s capital shares are currently trading at over US $100 per share equivalent, and has a market capitalization of over US $1.2 billion. About Western Wind Endergy Western Wind Energy claims to be the largest producing pure wind energy, publicly traded company (non-income trust) in North America. Western Wind Energy currently produces 34.5 MW of energy from over 500 wind turbine generators located in Southern California. Western Wind also has over 155 MW of expansion power sales agreements with the associated projects in the late stages of development.

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Japanese Firm Invests $16.6M in CA Wind

Japanese trading firm Marubeni Corporation (8002.T) will acquire a controlling interest in the California-based wind energy generator Oak Creek. The transaction will occur through a $16.6 million equity investment in Oak Creek Holdings, Inc., a newly formed parent holding company. Oak Creek, which develops and operates wind energy projects, will also have the opportunity to be Marubeni’s exclusive wind energy development partner for North America. Oak Creek is one of the longest-running wind energy generators in the Tehachapi region of Southern California and currently has more than 5,000 megawatts (MW) of wind energy projects in its development pipeline in the US Southwest. Significant among them is the Alta Wind Energy Center project in Kern County, California. Development there is being undertaken by Alta Innovative Power Company LLC, Oak Creek’s joint venture with Allco Finance Group of Sydney, Australia. When completed, Oak Creeks says the Alta Wind Energy Center will provide the generation capacity for a 1,550 MW power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison, which is considered to be one of the largest contracts of its type in the country. The Alta Wind Energy Center will be constructed over several years as transmission capacity becomes available from the Tehachapi Renewable […]

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SunOpta Announces Secondary Share Offering

SunOpta Inc. (NasdaqGS:STKL; Toronto:SOY.TO) announced yesterday a major secondary public offering of its common stock. Stephen R. Bronfman, SRB Belvedere Trust and The Charles R. Bronfman Trust intend to sell all of their 5,080,532 common shares of SunOpta. The Companys says it will not receive any proceeds from the offering and that it has entered into an underwriting agreement at the request of the selling shareholders. The sole underwriter for this offering is BMO Capital Markets Corp. The shares will be offered for sale by the underwriter to the public only in the United States pursuant to the prospectus. About SunOpta Inc. SunOpta Inc. is an operator of high-growth ethical businesses, focusing on integrated business models in the natural and organic food, supplements and health and beauty markets. The Company has three business units: the SunOpta Food Group, which specializes in sourcing, processing and distribution of natural and organic food products integrated from seed through packaged products; the Opta Minerals Inc. (Toronto:OPM.TO) (66.3% owned by SunOpta), a producer, distributor, and recycler of environmentally friendly industrial materials; and the SunOpta BioProcess Inc., which engineers and markets proprietary steam explosion technology systems for the pulp, bio-fuel and food processing industries. Each of […]

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Gulf Ethanol to Test New Cellulose Technology

Gulf Ethanol Corporation, (OTC:GFET) is ready to begin testing a new cellulosic feed-stock processing technology for commercial use. The company recently acquired the exclusive right to a new technology, developed by Meridian Biorefining, Inc., that it says creates a fungible cellulose Auburn University studies demonstrated is highly effective as an ethanol feed-stock. Beginning in December, the company says the first commercial processing unit will be moved to its permanent location near Houston for final testing. The company says the end product–an extremely fine cellulose powder–will then be sent to multiple cellulosic ethanol companies and independent laboratories for final testing and analysis so that all results are fully verified. Gulf says it will then fund the development of complete engineering plans for the retrofit of existing corn-based plants into cellulosic ethanol facilities. By mid-2008, the company says it expects to begin construction on processing facilities for its first commercial partners. JT Cloud, President of Gulf Ethanol said, “We will focus on implementing cellulose processing units at underperforming existing plants operating on far more expensive food-based feedstocks. This will change the economics of these plants substantially and alter the ethanol equation forever. About Gulf Ethanol Corporation Gulf Ethanol, is an alternative energy […]

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