1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 1267)

EPURON Takes Over Spanish Company

EPURON GmbH has acquired Panergia, a Spanish clean energy project management and development company. With this acquisition, EPURON’s project pipeline for large-scale solar power plants in Spain has expanded to a total output of some 150 megawatts. Panergia was founded in Madrid in 2003 and has shown a track record of fast-growing business generation over the years. The company’s project managers and engineers are among the first to develop Europe’s youngest and most dynamic-growing solar energy market. “The take-over of Panergia will accelerate our current dynamic growth in Spain. Together, we will establish a long term leading position among the top project developers and financiers,” explained Thomas-Tim Savecke, managing director at EPURON responsible for photovoltaic and solar thermal development. By the end of this year, EPURON will complete and connect solar energy projects in Spain that amount to an expected total capacity of more than 20 megawatts to the public power grid.Other large-scale projects are under completion and some will begin construction later this year. This makes EPURON one of the leading companies in the European market to implement large-scale photovoltaic plants. Among these projects are solar parks developed jointly with Panergia. As early as 2005, both companies have been […]

Read More

Stationary Fuel-Cell Makers Expanding

Two companies that make stationary fuel cells each plan to boost production levels in the coming months, signaling growing demand for the alternative power source. Speaking at an investor conference Thursday, FuelCell Energy Inc. President and Chief Executive Dan Brdar said the company expects to more than double output by the end of the year. HydroGen Corp. President and CEO Joshua Tosteson, meanwhile, said his company expects to boost production at an existing plant and plans to build a new, larger facility to keep up with demand. “We’re on an extremely fast manufacturing ramp,” Tosteson said. Both alternative-fuel companies make fuel-cell modules which generate electricity to power buildings using hydrogen. Like smaller fuel cells being developed for vehicles and other applications, the power systems release fewer emissions than traditional coal or oil-burning power sources. Brdar said FuelCell Energy plans to increase its output to 25 megawatts by the end of the year, up from about 10 megawatts now. The companies measure factory output based on the total wattage their combined units produce. In an interview, Brdar said production levels are likely to rise even further in 2008, but he declined to provide specifics. The Danbury, Conn.-based company makes generators that […]

Read More

WorldWater Signs Agreement With Prime Solar Senergy

WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. has signed an agreement with Prime Solar Senergy, S.L. of Barcelona and Madrid to be WorldWater’s exclusive representative in Spain. Prime Solar Senergy (Prime) will act as WorldWater’s marketing and logistics partner to acquire and fast-track large scale photovoltaic installations throughout Spain, such as the multi-megawatt, 5-year project announced by WorldWater with a Letter of Intent in July with M&G Promociones de Vivienda Urbana, S.A. An executive mission from WorldWater’s U.S. headquarters will depart next week for Spain to meet with Prime and M&G in Madrid to negotiate final contracts with M&G to build three 10-MegaWatt (MW) farms over the next three years (10MW each year) and two additionally planned 50MW farms in the fourth and fifth years in Lorca (Murcia Province) Spain. If final contracts are successfully negotiated construction is expected to start in 2008 for the M&G project. Quentin T. Kelly, WorldWater Chairman and CEO said, “Prime has already established a track record of successfully completing large development projects in Spain and they have numerous large-scale solar projects in their planned pipeline. When you combine their national market expertise with our proprietary technology and advanced solar engineering we bring a powerful and cost […]

Read More

Canada's First Global Clean Energy Fund Launches

The average Canadian citizen now has a way to invest in clean energy through the new Criterion Global Clean Energy Fund. Toronto-based Criterion Investments will invest in a diversified portfolio of clean energy companies worldwide that contribute to or benefit from the transition to less carbon-intensive energy. The carbon-free energy segment includes wind, solar and hydro; the low-carbon energy segment includes natural gas and biofuels; and the energy efficiency segment includes power monitoring and controls, and batteries. “The drive for clean energy is a global theme that’s here to stay, offering a powerful investment opportunity for Canadian financial advisors and their clients,” says Ian McPherson, president of Criterion. “Investors now have the opportunity to capitalize on the global wake-up call to reduce carbon emissions.” Geneva-based Pictet Asset Management SA will actively manage the fund. Pictet, with $120 billion under management, has established itself as a leading manager of funds based on global mega-trends. It manages the Criterion Water Infrastructure Fund as well as its own clean energy fund with over US$500 million in assets. Canadian investors can purchase shares in the Global Energy Fund with a minimum C$500, which is available through financial advisors across the country. Website: [sorry this […]

Read More

Greenhouse Gas Proposals Unveiled in California

State air pollution chief Mary Nichols on Thursday unveiled six new measures to trim California’s greenhouse gas emissions, including requirements to streamline big rigs, keep vehicle tires properly inflated and stop cargo ships from idling their engines in port. With the proposal, Nichols made good on a July promise to the Legislature that she would accelerate efforts to implement Assembly Bill 32, which requires the state to cut climate-warming emissions 25 percent by 2020. She also soothed critics of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose commitment to fighting climate change was questioned earlier this summer following a dispute between Robert Sawyer, Nichols’ predecessor as chair of the Air Resources Board, which will vote on the proposals, and members of the governor’s staff. Schwarzenegger fired Sawyer in June after he backed a plan to accelerate the adoption of heat- reflecting “cool paints” for new vehicles, which can help reduce the load on automobile air conditioners and thus save fuel. Critics charged that dispute showed the governor was happy to talk about fighting climate change but unwilling to back proposals that might be unpopular with industry. “This proposal shows that AB 32 implementation is really back on track,” said Bill Magavern, senior representative with […]

Read More