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Hyundai Heavy Commissions Spire's PV Manufacturing Line

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. of Ulsan, Korea, has commissioned Spire Corporation’s multi-megawatt turnkey photovoltaic (PV) module assembly line and it is now in production there. Using Spire’s advanced PV module manufacturing equipment and process technology, Hyundai Heavy will manufacture state-of-the-art PV modules from solar cells for the growing Korean and Asian solar PV market. Hyundai Heavy Industries is one of the largest corporations in Korea, with a heavy emphasis on fabrication towards energy projects and shipbuilding throughout the globe.

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Fuel Cell Energy Contracted for 500kw System for Aluminum Smelter

FuelCell Energy, Inc.(NasdaqNM: FCEL), a leading developer of fuel cell power plants, and its partner Alliance Power Inc., a consultant in citing economical and environmentally friendly distributed generation facilities, announced they have been contracted to provide 500-kilowatts (kW) of green electricity to a secondary aluminum smelter in southern California. Electricity produced by two 250-kW Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plants will be sold to TST, Inc., of Fontana, Calif., as part of a five-year power purchase agreement. Fuel cells provide the firm, 24/7 electricity that is appropriate for base load power requirements, which is critical for many industrial customers. TST, a major American producer, trader and processor of aluminum, faces issues affecting many California industrials: increasing electricity costs cutting into profitability combined with stringent air pollution standards limiting access to on-site generation alternatives. “Industrial customers in southern California are under mounting pressure to reduce emission of gases and particulates,” said Andrew Stein, CEO of TST. “We’re based in an area that has been the focus of a number of emissions initiatives. This project gives us an opportunity to take control of our energy sources with a market-priced source of electricity that actually decreases the amount of air-borne pollution.” The DFC power […]

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On the Road With BioWillie

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Willie Nelson has been advocating for truckers and farmers for decades – now he sees BioDiesel as a solution for both groups and the environment. Willie Nelson Biodiesel Company, founded in December of 2004, is owned by Nelson and three partners. Customers are lining up for it at truck stops throughout Texas and it will soon be available along the eastern seaboard from Miami up to Rochester, New York. Biodiesel is actually available at over 450 retail pumps in the U.S. and is carried by 1400 U.S. petroleum distributors. But because of his down-home celebrity status, Willie Nelson is bringing it into the spotlight. He’s quickly expanding the bio part of the diesel from 20% (B20) to B40 and B95 blends. Carl Cornelius, owner of one of the most popular truck stops in Texas says, “I’m so doggone enthused about it, it makes my liver quiver.” He plans to build a biodiesel production facility a few hundred yards away. “We’ve got the resources in the U.S. – feedstock from animal fat, soybeans, sunflower seeds, the whole works. All we need is plants to process the biodiesel and get it going. If everybody’s got biodiesel, we don’t need awful wars. We […]

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Baseball Stadium Hits Home Run for Recycling & Composting

by Christopher Williams & Steven ShermanSBC Park – home of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team – seats 42,000 fans. Last season, more than 3 million people attended the games. One feature that sets SBC Park apart from most stadiums is its commitment to comprehensive recycling, water and energy conservation, and growing use of biodegradable, recycled content and lower toxicity products. Giants’ staff recover materials like paper, cardboard, grass clippings and food scraps. The organic residuals – about 12 cubic yards per game – are collected and composted by Norcal Waste Systems. Applied Composting Consulting, under contract with San Francisco’s Department of Environment, provides technical expertise and employee training. By the end of last season, the Giants reached a 56% diversion rate. The team’s goal is to limit purchases to only those items that are compostable or recyclable to further reduce solid waste.The current goal of the Giants organization is to reduce garbage compactor “pulls” (collection events) to one per game day. Before materials recycling began in February 2002, there were three compactor loads pulled per game. In 2003, one compactor was eliminated and the remaining one was pulled twice per game, completely full each time. With increased […]

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