BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDFMillions of California households will see a Climate Credit averaging $35 dollars on their April utility bill. The California Public Utilities Commission and California Air Resources Board said the Climate Credit is made to households and small businesses to promote a cleaner and more efficient energy California. The goal of the credit is to encourage consumers to save money while fighting climate change.
  • Ocean Electric, Inc. a developer of marine-based alternative energy solutions, received notification from the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office that its application for international patent PCT/ES2013/070911 will be processed. The patent, titled “Power Plant for the Generation of Electrical Energy from Waves,” protects the company’s core innovation: a low-cost, floating platform that converts wave action directly into electricity. The company says this patented technology represents a major clean energy opportunity, decreasing the cost of owning and deploying wave-generated electricity plants and making the ocean a more practical source of renewable electricity.
  • Data from satellite sensors show that during the Northern Hemisphere’s growing season, the Midwest region of the United States boasts more photosynthetic activity than any other spot on Earth, according to NASA and university scientists. According to co-author Christian Frankenberg of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., “The paper shows that fluorescence is a much better proxy for agricultural productivity than anything we’ve had before. This can go a long way regarding monitoring – and maybe even predicting – regional crop yields.” The research found that during the Northern Hemisphere’s growing season, the U.S. Corn Belt “really stands out”.
  • The City of Lancaster has partnered with Green Charge Networks to install an intelligent energy storage system and an electric vehicle charging station at the Lancaster Museum of Art & History. Funded by a California Energy Commission grant, the system will be installed by private partner Green Charge Networks at no cost to the City. The project will generate an estimated $3,200 annually in cost savings. The energy storage system will be the first installed in the High Desert region of California. The electric vehicle (EV) charging station – specifically, a Nissan DC fast charger – will also be the first of its kind in the High Desert.
Bioenergy Bytes