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PG&E, Ausra Announce 177 MW Agreement

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has entered into an agreement to purchase the power produced by a 177-megawatt (MW) solar thermal power plant being developed by Ausra Inc. The plant, which will be located in San Luis Obispo County, California, is expected to begin generating power in 2010. The project will use one square mile (640 acres) of land to employ Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) technology, which utilizes solar heat to create steam and drive turbine generators. PG&E currently has 553 MW of solar thermal power under contract, and has announced other commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years. PG&E’s solar thermal commitments are part of the company’s broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12% of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E claims to be on target to exceed 20% under contract or delivered by 2010. Website: http://www.pge.com     

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UN Emissions Report Card for 2005

Green house gas emissions from rich nations was close to an all-time high in 2005 according to new UN data. This in spite of world-wide curbs aimed at combating global warming. Chief Offenders? The U.S., which did not join the Kyoto treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Russia, whose industrial resurgence has raised emissions levels closer to those seen before the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the UN Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn, the 40 leading industrial nations had total emissions of18.2 billion tons in 2005, a slight increase from 18.1 billion in 2004, and just below the record of 18.7 billion set in 1990. The United States was responsible for 7.24 billion tons of emissions in 2005, up from 7.19 billion in 2004. Data for 2006 won’t be available for many months, but the U.S. government has issued a preliminary estimate that CO2 emissions for 2006, fell by 1.3%. Economic growth in former Soviet bloc nations added significantly to the rise in emissions. Russia in particular, had an increase from 2.09 billion tons in 2004 to 2.l3 billion in 2005. The country has yet to return to 1990 levels of 3.00 billion tons, reached before the […]

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To Cap or to Tax?

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Investor Survey on Commercial Green Building

According to a new survey of commercial real estate investors, green building is picking up steam. The survey, published in November issues of National Real Estate Investor and Retail Traffic magazines reports that corporations and developers are responding to the rising demand for sustainability and energy efficiency in commercial real estate. More than 84% of responding corporate users and 77% of developers expect to own, manage or lease at least some green properties in the next five years. Energy efficiency was the primary concern in selecting a green building to four out of five respondents. Water savings were the second most important factor in green site selection for developers (58%) and corporate users (53%). Other points of interest include: Corporate respondents are willing to pay an average of 4% more for LEED-certified buildings, which meet requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Currently 52% of corporate respondents and 39% of developer respondents own, manage or lease some green properties. One in four developers say green building increases construction costs by 10% or more. The survey drew responses from nearly 400 corporate users and commercial real estate developers. A chief goal of the […]

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PG&E, Ausra Announce 177 MW Agreement

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has entered into an agreement to purchase the power produced by a 177-megawatt (MW) solar thermal power plant being developed by Ausra Inc. The plant, which will be located in San Luis Obispo County, California, is expected to begin generating power in 2010. The project will use one square mile (640 acres) of land to employ Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) technology, which utilizes solar heat to create steam and drive turbine generators. PG&E currently has 553 MW of solar thermal power under contract, and has announced other commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years. PG&E’s solar thermal commitments are part of the company’s broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12% of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E claims to be on target to exceed 20% under contract or delivered by 2010. Website: http://www.pge.com     

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Fuel Tech Reports 3Q Results

Fuel Tech, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTEK) reported reduced revenues for the quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2007. Revenues for the third quarter totaled $15.2 million, down 24% from the comparable prior-year quarter. Net income was $0.9 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared with $2.1 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, in the same year-ago quarter. Revenues for the first nine months were $47.7 million, down 16% from the comparable year-earlier period. Net income for the nine months totaled $2.0 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, compared with $5.4 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, in the same year-ago period. “The effects of delayed orders are evident in our results thus far this year,” commented John F. Norris Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer. “However, an unparalleled surge in third-quarter contract announcements, coupled with the receipt of significant new business as we move through the fourth quarter, bode well for our financial performance in future periods.” Revenues for the Air Pollution Control (APC) business segment for the third quarter and the first nine months declined 39% and 37%, respectively, from comparable year-ago levels. These declines primarily reflect the timing of new orders in the United States as well as […]

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