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DOE to Invest More than $5M on Concentrating Solar

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to spend $5.2 million to support the development of low-cost Concentrating Solar Power (CSP). DOE will also make available a Technology Commercialization Development Fund (TCDF) of up to $7.2 million to three of DOE’s National Laboratories to support commercialization of clean energy technologies. DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner announced the funding at the American Council on Renewable Energy’s National Policy Conference. Twelve CSP projects were selected for negotiation of awards totaling up to $5.2 million (Fiscal Year 2007; and FY’08, subject to Congressional appropriations). With cost-sharing, the total public-private investment will total nearly $6.6 million. According to a release, these projects aim to develop technology that dramatically reduces the cost of CSP power and emphasizes the development of storage technologies. Specifically, CSP project goals include reducing the cost of solar power to be regularly available at less 10 cents/kWh by 2015. CSP systems use the heat generated by concentrating and absorbing the sun’s energy to produce thermal energy. This type of solar energy can be used immediately for generating power through a steam turbine or heat engine or it can be saved as thermal energy for later use. […]

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Sharp to Boost Thin-Film Solar Output Tenfold

Sharp Corp (3128.TWO) announced yesterday plans to invest 22 billion yen (US$200 million) to increase output capacity for thin-film solar cells more than tenfold by October 2008. The company, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar cells, said it will expand capacity to 160 megawatts (MW) per year at its Katsuragi Plant in Nara, Japan–up from its current level of 15MW . Sharp recently announced plans to for a new thin-film plant in Sakai in Osaka prefecture, which is scheduled to go online by March 2010. The eventual target output for that facility is 1,000MW per year, according to the company.

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Al Yousuf Invests $40M in Altair Nanotechnologies

Dubai-based investor group Al Yousuf LLC has acquired $40 million worth of common stock in Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI) through a private placement. Altair Nanotechnologies is a provider of advanced nanomaterial-based products and technology used in energy for transportation and stationary power as well as industrial and life science applications. Altair Nanotechnologies will issue 11,428,572 shares of common stock to Al Yousuf LLC at a purchase price of $3.50 per share. The shares are restricted from resale for at least two years, with one-third of the shares being released from this restriction on the second, third and fourth anniversaries respectively. “The funding is intended to support manufacturing growth, working capital and general corporate purposes as we expand the production of our advanced power and energy storage products,” said Altairnano President and CEO Alan J. Gotcher, Ph.D. “The strategic investment partnership with Al Yousuf allows us to continue to have an impact on the dynamics of the transportation and stationary power markets.” “We see the tremendous global growth opportunity for Altairnano’s innovative battery technology in both the transportation and stationary power markets,” said Iqbal Al Yousuf, President of Al Yousuf LLC. “Given our transportation expertise, we believe these markets are […]

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Wind Powers Zoltek

URL: http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/29/zoltek-carbon-wind-markets-equity-cx_ra_1129markets41.html?partner=yahootix Website: http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/29/zoltek-carbon-wind-markets-equity-cx_ra_1129markets41.html?partner=yahootix     

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India Opposes Binding Emissions Cuts

With explosive economic growth, highly publicized environmental woes and prominence in global politics, China generally receives more attention from the environmental press than neighboring India. But that could change as negotiations heat up in the years ahead to create a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. India, like China, seems firmly set in opposition to any binding commitments on developing nations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Newspapers reported yesterday that India rejected the latest U.N. Human Development report that called for developing nations to cut GHG emissions 20% by 2050. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India’s national policy making body was quoted as saying, “Its recommendations look egalitarian, but they are not.” He continued, “This is the first time I have seen a United Nations report talk of developing nations to take up commitments. I challenge the research team to supplement their research.” Ahluwalia spoke at the Indian launch of the report, which also calls for rich, developed nations to cut emissions by 80% by 2050. India’s stance on the issue is of critical importance, for two reasons. The country is poised to overtake Russia as the third largest global polluter of GHG in the next decade, according to […]

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