Vivent Solar is teaming up with Google on “Project Sunroof,” a new online tool created by Google that provides homeowners with custom solar information for their home. It works through high-resolution aerial mapping (Google Earth technology) to help calculate a roof’s solar energy potential. “Vivint Solar teaming up with Google is giving homeowners across the country immediate insight, information and …
BioEnergy Bytes
Renewable Energy Group (REG) completed its acquisition of substantially all the assets of Imperium Renewables, Inc. REG paid Imperium $15.0 million in cash and issued 1.675 million shares of REG common stock in exchange for substantially all of Imperium’s assets, including the 100-million gallon nameplate biodiesel refinery and terminal at the Port of Grays Harbor, WA. For two years post-closing, …
Broward Schools Finds Success with Propane
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, has seen success since changing its bus fleet to run on propane autogas. Analysis has found that the Student Transportation and Fleet Services Department reduced its annual operating costs more than $600,000. BCPS began using 98 of the propane autogas fueled school buses, made by Blue Bird, in the 2014/15 …
Perry Urges Return to “Constitutional Country”
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s main message on the soapbox yesterday at the Iowa State Fair was to get America back to a constitutional country. Citing the 10th amendment, he stressed that power and decision making needs to go back to the state and to the people, as intended by our founding fathers. Power needs to be taken away from …
Prez Candidates Tell ‘Bootstraps’ Stories
I’ve hit on a few common themes in recent posts after hearing more than a dozen soapbox speeches at the Iowa State Fair. Another one: how the presidential candidates’ parents succeeded with nothing to make life better for their children and the children pulling themselves up by their “bootstraps” to become successful. These stories were no different when Florida Senator …
Ethanol Industry Asks Walker to Clarify RFS Stance
America’s Renewable Future (ARF) is asking Governor Walker to clarify his position on the Renewable Fuel Standard after his remarks at the Iowa State Fair on the Des Moines Register Soapbox. Walker called for ethanol mandates to be phased out; yet acknowledge that the industry created around the RFS must stay in place. Click here to read about his speech. …
BioEnergy Bytes
Solexel, a leading US-based producer of high-performance solar PV technology, has successfully finalised a round of financing that included Riyadh Valley Company, the venture capital investment arm of King Saud University of Saudi Arabia. Through investor introduction services provided by naseba, the investment will be used to help transition Solexel into revenue. Solexel’s innovative high performance, lightweight solar PV panels …
Republican Candidates: ‘We Can Fix America’
The battle cry of the presidential Republican candidates is to fix America through debt elimination, military strength and cooperation. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham took the stage during the Des Moines Register’s Soapbox and spoke to thousands of people at the Iowa State Fair. While the crowd is supposed to …
Portland Int’l Airport Adds EV Charging
Portland International Airport (PDX) has become the airport with the largest number of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in the country. PDX installed 42 L1 PowerPost EV charging stations that are designed and manufactured by Telefonix. EV drivers are able to recover about 5 miles of range for every hour they are plugged in. The range lost in a typical commute …
Geothermal May be Africa’s Energy Solution
Representatives from 12 African countries gathered in Nairobi recently to discuss the feasibility of establishing the Africa Geothermal Centre of Excellence (AGCE). The center would work to improve the continent’s institutional and infrastructural capacities including bringing and training geothermal scientists an engineers. Around 600 million people in Africa lack access to grid electricity, with the number expected to rise to …