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Superprotonic Raises Funds

Superprotonic, Inc., a developer of Solid Acid Fuel Cells, has closed the first tranche of its $16.2M second institutional financing round. The round was led by US Venture Partners and included Dow Venture Capital and all existing Superprotonic investors: CMEA Ventures, Nth Power Technologies, Hydro Technology Ventures, Battelle Ventures, Innovation Valley Partners and OnPoint Technologies. The new funding will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of Superprotonic’s low cost and durable solid acid fuel cell (SAFC) stacks. Superprotonic is initially targeting the portable military, premium and back up power, and auxiliary power unit (APU) markets. About Superprotonic Superprotonic was founded in 2003 based on its founders’ work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Superprotonic is pioneering the use of solid acids as fuel cell electrolytes. Solid acids are solid-state materials exhibiting liquid level conductivities at intermediate temperatures (150 degrees C to 300 degrees C). Solid Acid Fuel Cells (SAFC) constitute a fundamental and radically different solution that overcomes the barriers to mass adoption of fuel cells.

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Quantum's Lithium-Ion Battery Partner, Chinese Automaker in JV

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTWW), announced that its strategic partner in lithium-ion battery systems, Advanced Lithium Power Inc. (ALP), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a leading Chinese automaker to jointly develop battery-dominant propulsion systems for passenger vehicles, with the goal of establishing a cooperative venture to commercialize products globally. ALP has developed breakthrough energy and power management technologies, including advanced control strategies for lithium-ion cell balancing and thermal management, resulting in battery packs of unprecedented power density, energy density, safety, and durability. The Quantum-ALP team was recently selected by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to engineer and supply a fleet of plug-in-hybrid vehicles based on the Ford Escape Hybrid, for application in Southern California. “Our strategic partnership with ALP enables us to provide fully-integrated powertrain solutions, including advanced energy storage solutions. This joint project with the Chinese automaker advances our commercialization strategy as a one-stop shop for automotive energy storage solutions,” said Alan P. Niedzwiecki, President and CEO of Quantum. “This project will accelerate the translation our innovative battery technologies into fully validated commercial products for our automotive OEM customers.” Website: http://www.qtww.com     

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$79m Order for ZAP Electric Cars

ZAP (ZAAP.OB) has received a $79 million order for electric vehicles from Chicago-based start-up, The Electric Vehicle Company. The Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) is being funded by two hedge funds, Diversified Equity Funding, L.P. and Diversified Strategies Fund, LLC, which also have investments in ZAP. EVC will sell electric vehicles to municipalities, distributors, university campuses, auto and recreational dealers, foreign countries and the military. Its goal is to develop the first electric vehicle retail chain. The two funds have committed the funding necessary to develop the marketing organization. The hedge funds will also provide financing for the purchase of ZAP vehicles by fleets and municipalities. “We believe this order, which constitutes thousands of vehicles, is the largest order for consumer electric vehicles in history,” said Steve Schneider, Zap CEO. Website: http://www.zapworld.com     

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Energy Efficiency Senate Bill Introduced

“The Energy Efficiency Promotion Act” (S.1115) has been introduced in the US Senate which aims to improve efficiency in vehicles, buildings, consumer appliances and industrial equipment. The bill is the broadest energy proposal yet to come from the new Democratic-controlled Congress – it seeks to cut America’s gasoline use by 20% over the next decade while providing government loan guarantees to automakers and suppliers that churn out fuel-efficient vehicles. The legislation targets gasoline demand, which accounts for the biggest part of US petroleum use. Under the bill, the Energy Department would have to come up with a plan to slash gasoline consumption by 20 percent by 2017, 35 percent by 2025 and 45 percent by 2030. The 20% cut is similar to the Bush energy savings plan, but moves it along quicker by setting reduction goals for the years ahead. The bill was introduced by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Richard Lugar (R-IN). Other co-sponsors include Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Larry Craig (R-ID), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and John Kerry (D-MA). The Senate Energy Committee will hold a legislative hearing on S.1115 on April 23. Other key elements of […]

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Top 10 US Cities for Renewable Energy

Which of the largest 50 US cities provide citizens with the highest percentage of power produced from renewable energy? According to SustainLane, which determined the percentage of each city’s electricity that comes from renewables, Oakland, California leads at 17%. San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose tied for second place at 12%. California cities rank high in general because of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which set minimal requirements in 2002 for utility purchases of renewable energy for the state’s electric grid. That standard requires a 20% renewable energy total for the state’s utilities by 2020. 1. Oakland, CA (17%) 2. Sacramento/SF/San Jose, CA (12%) – tied 3. Portland, OR (10%) 4. Boston (8.6%) 5. San Diego, CA (8%) 6. Austin, TX (6%) 7. Los Angeles, CA (5%) 8. Minneapolis, MN (4.5%) 9. Seattle, WA (3.5%) 10. Chicago, IL (2.5%) Just over 33% of US greenhouse gases came from electricity production in 2004, making it the leading category of such emissions over other areas such as transportation (27.9%), industry (19.6%) and agriculture (7%).

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City Of Durango Purchases 100% Wind Power

The city of Durango, Colorado will purchase 100% of its electricity from wind power through La Plata Electric Association (LPEA), a nonproft Colorado energ cooperative. The city will also work with LPEA to increase energy efficiency through load and demand-side management. “We are all becoming increasingly aware of how important ‘buying local’ is for our economy,” says Greg Munro, LPEA’s CEO. “City officials understand also that by purchasing green power through LPEA, they are actually buying real wind power and not just energy credits.”

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