Students in O’Fallon and St. Peters, Missouri are riding to school in Blue Bird propane-powered vision school buses. The Fort Zumwalt School District piloted eight propane-powered school buses and found that they cut costs and reduced emissions. Since last June, the buses have produced 60 percent less carbon monoxide, 12 percent less carbon dioxide, 20 percent less nitrogen oxide and …
Mexico’s Future Shines Bright
There is gold in Mexico. Not the kind you wear around your neck and fingers in the form of jewelry, but the kind that produces renewable energy. The field of energy dreams lies in the Sonora Desert in Northern Mexico, and some experts believe that only 25 square kilometers could provide enough solar energy to supply Mexico’s 114 million residents with …
MyEnergi Lifestyle Initiative Launched
A new initiative, MyEnergi Lifestyle, has been launched to demonstrate how a typical American family can significantly reduce their electricity bills and carbon dioxide footprint. The campaign is a collaboration between Ford, Eaton, SunPower and Whirlpool and combines energy efficiency tips with plug-in vehicle technology. Specifically, MyEnergi Lifestyle showcases how combining renewable energy generation with “time-flexible” loads optimizes energy consumption …
Wind Power Makes Gains in China
According to Liu Qi, deputy director general of the National Energy Administration, wind power is the third-largest source of electricity in China. He proclaimed that there is no electric power to substitute the position of wind power as No. 3, during the 18th CPC National Congress. He added that China “is determined to promote the revolution of energy generation and …
Renewable Fuels Legislation Crib Sheet
Although the Taxpayer Relief Act is an all but done deal, stakeholders across numerous industries continue to pick at the legislation. This is particularly true for the renewable energy industry. Legislation can be hard to digest and so the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy created a “crib” sheet, or alert, giving a brief overview of how the Act …
Two Solar Projects Kick Off in South Africa
Two ground-mounted solar power projects totaling 33 megawatts are underway in South Africa, a joint venture between AE-AMD Renewable Energy and Tenesol, a subsidiary of SunPower. Tenesol will construct both projects, located near Douglas, South Africa in the Northern Cape Province. The ground-mounted solar systems will feature 138,000 Tenesol TE 240 photovoltaic solar panels on single-axis trackers. The solar panels are …
Icom Adds Propane Autogas Vehicles to Fleet
Icom North America, a developer, integrator and manufacturer of liquid-injection propane systems for commercial and consumer vehicles, has announced an installation program for 140 propane autogas Ford F150 pickup trucks for use by Menards home improvement stores. The vehicles will serve 36 Menards locations throughout Illinois along with the store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Icom-trained Installer Metro Motors of Cicero, …
Free Solar Panels Brighten San Diego Family Homes
Several families in San Diego county will have a brighter 2013 as a result of the 2012 Solar Holiday Drive led by Sullivan Solar Power. Five low-income families were selected to receive free solar panels for their homes. The solar drive was part of a partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit that installs solar energy on homes for families who …
First Solar Extends Agreement with Intermolecular
First Solar has entered into a two-year collaboration and licensing agreement with Intermolecular (IMI) focused on further increases to the conversion efficiency of First Solar’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cell technology. Within the new collaborative program, the two companies will work together to develop disruptive new approaches to increasing the performance of CdTe solar cell technology using Intermolecular’s proprietary High …
Abengoa US Formed
International company Abengoa has announced the creation of a new American subsidiary, Abengoa, US, which will be responsible for all its business in the country. The formation of the new subsidiary supports the company’s strong commitment to the U.S. market. According to the company, Abengoa US has assets in excess of $5.8 billion, more than $1.7 billion in shareholders’ equity, …