China Dominates Renewable Energy Market

Joanna Schroeder

According to the most recent Global Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices Report (CAI), China will continue to dominate the global renewable energy market. The country has quadrupled its solar capacity target to 50GW by 2020. At the top of the All Renewable Index (ARI), China will have to overcome some challenges including oversupply of wind turbines and solar panels as well as solve many grid transmission issues to reach its goal.

While China’s score is on the rise, America’s score is going downward. The U.S. dropped 1.5 points to share in second position with Germany. The decline was caused by ongoing uncertainty in U.S.’s long-term energy strategy and a failure to indicate if there will be an extension to the Production Tax Credit for wind projects. The rise in Germany’s score was a result of the government’s approach to addressing barriers to offshore wind development and stability in its solar market.

“While the U.S. and Germany markets are level within the ARI, the contrast between these two markets is evident. The upcoming elections have led to an understandable slowdown in the decision making process in the US, while Germany is pushing ahead with its ambitious renewable energy agenda — including the introduction of a new solar PV tariff and compensation for offshore grid connection delays,” explained Ernst & Young’s Global Cleantech Leader, Gil Forer.

He continued, “Having made positive progress, the challenge now facing Germany is making sure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to ensure the renewable power generated in the north of the country can be shipped to customers in the south. It is important for any country not only to focus on policies that support supply, but also on those that will encourage and simulate demand.”

Next on the leaderboard is India, who fell one point due to recent severe blackouts causing speculation that the country has not attracted enough private investment to modernize its power infrastructure. There are worries that the investments in renewable energy will also suffer due to an unreliable power grid.

Rounding out the top five is the UK who overtook Italy who fell due to worsening economic conditions. However, UK seems to be in the turbulent boat with general consensus that policy and subsidy announcements have fallen short of establishing transparency, certainty and longevity within the market.

Energy, International, Research, Solar, Wind

SoloPower Adds Another Patent to Portfolio

Joanna Schroeder

SoloPower has added another patent to its growing solar portfolio. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of thin-film solar cells and modules. This patent is the company’s 50th with 41 patents in the U.S. and nine patents internationally. SoloPower was the first to receive certification of flexible CIGS panels to both UL and IEC standards.

“The strength of SoloPower’s intellectual property portfolio enables us to cover all key aspects of our solar solutions, technology, and manufacturing processes, giving us a competitive advantage in the marketplace,” said Dr. Mustafa Pinarbasi, Chief Technology Officer, SoloPower. “By developing and owning the new technologies and manufacturing methods that are critical to our integrated solar solutions, we are constantly able to increase our flexible, lightweight module efficiencies while driving down costs.”

The company says its approach embodies critical technology, manufacturing, and cost advantages that enable large-scale “fab-style” production of high-efficiency CIGS-based photovoltaic cells. The cells are packaged into unique, flexible, lightweight solar modules. Non-penetrating kit technology was developed for installation.

Company CEO Tim Harris added, “SoloPower’s world-class technology team is constantly pushing the envelope, and our innovations will continue to help us make rooftop solar the primary energy source for the world’s commercial and industrial buildings. We’re excited as we prepare to open our high-volume manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon, which will enable us to meet the strong demand we’re seeing from our customers around the world.”

SoloPower will be showcasing its solar power technologies September 11 to 13, 2012 at Solar Power International in Orlando, Florida.

Electricity, Energy, Solar

Terranol C5 Yeast Marketing Deal Solidified

Joanna Schroeder

Novozymes has solidified a deal to register and market Terranol’s C5 yeast technology. C5 yeast is an important aspect in the production of cellulosic ethanol. The partnership will enable Novozymes to speed up the global rollout of Terranol’s yeast to the emerging cellulosic industry. It is believed that the product will help the industry ramp up from pilot-scale to commercial-scale production.

“We want to make sure there are no biotech-related hurdles to the creation of a cellulosic ethanol industry,” said Poul Ruben Andersen, Vice President Bioenergy at Novozymes. “Terranol’s C5 yeast is currently one of the best strains developed, and by getting it registered and marketed around the world, we can help make it available to the biofuel industry. This will provide a higher degree of certainty in the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol.”

Although the cellulosic industry has made great technological strides over the past few years, there are still areas that need additional improvement. Novozymes says that the C5 yeast is one product that will help producers gain improvements in the fermentation process. When producing cellulosic ethanol (or any form of ethanol), enzymes convert cellulose and hemicellulose in biomass such as corn stover and wheat straw to sugars. The sugars are then fermented into ethanol. The goal is to achieve optimal yields so it is important to ferment both the easily accessible C6 sugars (glucose), and more difficult C5 sugars (xylose and arabinose).

“A yeast that ferments C5 sugars is essential to cost-efficient production of cellulosic ethanol,” said Birgitte Rønnow, CEO of Terranol. “Our C5 yeast is among the furthest developed in the industry and by leveraging Novozymes’ global marketing muscle we can speed up its commercialization.”

advanced biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol

CBD Energy, Westinghouse Solar Announce Projects

John Davis

Australia-based CBD Energy Ltd. has announced it is getting into the renewable energy businesses in the U.S. The move comes after the company revealed its proposed merger with Westinghouse Solar, Inc., and its technologies and services will be debuted during the upcoming Solar Power International conference, Sept. 10-13, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.

“CBD Energy’s pending merger with Westinghouse Solar offers an ideal platform for the expansion of our renewable energy business into the world’s largest market,” said Gerry McGowan, Managing Director and CEO of CBD Energy Ltd. “In addition to building upon Westinghouse Solar’s business in the U.S., CBD Energy plans for U.S. operations built around its core strengths in design, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of commercial solar projects; energy efficiency and storage technologies; and energy services.”

“CBD Energy sees tremendous opportunity in the solar market in the U.S., particularly with their EPC expertise combined with Westinghouse Solar’s success in driving down installed system cost by innovating the design and ease of installation of solar panels,” said Margaret Randazzo, Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse Solar, Inc.

The company’s focus will be on the engineering and building of solar projects, as well as the financing of those ventures. The two companies have already collaborated on a contract to build a 1.4 MW solar project in New Jersey, as well as projects in Italy and Australia.

International, Solar

Wind Energy – There’s an App for That

Joanna Schroeder

There is an app for pretty much anything you can dream up and now there is an iPad app for wind and solar energy. Developed by Capstone Turbine Corporation, “Capstone World 2.0,” is an application where a person can determine energy cost savings and carbon dioxide emission reduction numbers of city buildings if he switched to microturbines, solar power or wind turbines.

When you download the free app, the first interactive component experienced is the Distributed Energy Calculator.  By culling electric rates from utilities, the app is able to estimate energy cost savings and emission reductions of microturbines, solar PV and wind turbines as separate energy sources or when combined together.

From there, the user is able to explore the diverse landscape where Capstone microturbines are in use. Set up as an interactive tutorial, per se, the program enables users to click on an application to learn how Capstone microturbines help save money, energy, and the environment. Each industry area includes written and video case studies.

“This is the first-of-its-kind iPad app,” said Darren Jamison, Capstone President and Chief Executive Officer. “With the introduction of Capstone World 2.0, our goal is to provide real world data that will help people make smart energy decisions for the clean energy future we all want and need.”

Jamison added, “We believe a holistic approach to clean, decentralized energy is imperative. Our low-emission microturbines are a clean-and-green energy source that can be installed anywhere and, when considered with solar and wind power, can craft a future where economical, reliable, clean energy is the norm.”

Electricity, Energy, Solar, Wind

REG Opens Biodiesel Terminal in Long Beach

Joanna Schroeder

A new biodiesel terminal is off and running in Long Beach, California compliments of the Renewable Energy Group (REG). The first truckload of biodiesel was picked up by Whole Energy, a fuel distributor and retailer operating in Washington, Oregon and California.

“Whole Energy is committed to biodiesel, helping Californians meet their carbon reduction goals, and offering supply for Oregon and Washington blending requirements,” said Gary Haer, VP Sales and Marketing at Renewable Energy Group. “REG’s terminal agreement with Maxum Petroleum expands the opportunity for West Coast distributors like Whole Energy to blend biodiesel for public and private diesel fleets.”

Atul Deshmane, CEO and President of Whole Energy said that biodiesel has demonstrated both great performance and low carbon characteristics and is an important part of meeting California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. REG recently registered its REG-9000 biodiesel produced at its biodiesel facility in Seneca, Illinois with a carbon intensity as low as 4.0 gCO2e/MJ.

“We are excited about the opportunity to offer biodiesel from the nation’s largest biodiesel producer and marketer in California,” added Deshmane. “Whole Energy is committed to a multi-region approach for offering biodiesel blends for fleets and consumers who are looking to go green, enhance performance and protect the earth with a sustainable fuel.”

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, REG

Oregon Begins Testing Wave Energy

Joanna Schroeder

Oregon is beginning testing wave energy as a potential renewable energy resource. Northwest Energy Innovations has installed a wave energy device off the coast of Newport, Oregon known as Wave Energy Technology-New Zealand (WET-NZ). The technology has been deployed at the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center’s (NNMREC) open ocean test facility.

“This is a huge milestone for the WET-NZ technology, for Oregon, and for the wave energy industry as a whole,” said NWEI Program Manager Justin Klure. “We are excited to have the opportunity to lead the deployment of the WET-NZ device off Oregon’s coast with the support of NNMREC, our funding partners and a host of marine professionals.”

The WET-NZ is a multi-mode waver energy converter and maximizes energy capture by harnessing power from the heave, pitch and surge motions of passing waves. From there, the power generated is transmitted through an underwater cable to the test center’s Ocean Sentinel, the instrumentation buoy that dissipates the electricity and records power performance data.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) Executive Director Jason Busch said of the project, “OWET’s mission is to responsibly develop the ocean energy industry in Oregon, and helping NWEI get the WET-NZ in the water is a major step towards achieving that goal. In-ocean testing will move the technology towards commercialization and lead to a better understanding of technology performance and impacts in real-world conditions. This is a major accomplishment for NWEI, NNMREC and Oregon.”

The technology is the product of a research consortium between Industrial Research Limited, a Crown Research Institute, and Power Projects Limited, a Wellington-based private company.  The deployment portion of the project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and OWET.

Electricity, Energy

Vilsack Talks Biofuels at DNC

John Davis

Delegates gathered to nominate Pres. Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC heard from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who pointed to his boss’ commitment to biofuels and rural America. “President Obama has a detailed plan for a new rural economy,” Vilsack told the delegates. “More support for small businesses making, creating and innovating. More investment in biofuels and other biomaterials. And more trade and more markets.”

Vilsack said rural Americans want someone who will help the middle class and that Obama and running mate Vice President Joe Biden are the ones to keep things moving forward.

In a recent ZimmPoll, Obama and Biden’s challengers, Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan seem to be holding a small lead in a close race, with 42 percent choosing Romney/Ryan and 35 percent going for Obama/Biden. But nearly a quarter of respondents say we need a better choice.

Hear Vilsack’s remarks here: Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack at DNC

Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, politics

Growth Energy Receiving Support From New Holland

Chuck Zimmerman

New Holland proudly displayed its support for the ethanol industry during the 2012 Farm Progress Show as you can see on the side of the CR6090 Combine. They are the first major manufacturer of farm equipment to do so in this manner. As part of that initiative New Holland has become a partner with Growth Energy and American Ethanol. They are a “Clean Energy Leader!” I learned more about this partnership from Mark Hooper, New Holland Director, Commercial Growth Initiatives.

Here are some of the reasons New Holland supports what Growth Energy and the ethanol industry is doing:

  • Reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil
  • Energy that is more environmentally friendly
  • Renewable energy that is sustainable over many generations to come
  • Production that produces jobs for rural America – jobs that will not be exported
  • Support and stability for farmers in America and their families

Mark says the partnership helps New Holland get closer to its customers. He says they recognize the impact ethanol has had on its business and farmer customers. Mark says New Holland is actively involved with Growth Energy initiatives and is “going to our dealers and our growers and putting on events across the country where we bring them in and really partner with the local ethanol plant promoting the message of E15, energy independence, food vs. fuel and dispelling the myths that are out there right now.” New Holland is also a partner with American Ethanol as a NASCAR sponsor.

Listen to my interview with Mark here: Interview with Mark Hooper

2012 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Agribusiness, American Ethanol, Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Growth Energy, New Holland

Look For Decrease in Equipment Sales

Melissa Sandfort

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”How will the drought affect farm equipment sales?” At last week’s Farm Progress Show where there was a lot of equipment on display the talk was dominated by weather.

Our poll results: sixty-three percent said sales will drop; six percent said sales will increase and thirty-one percent said no impact.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ”What tillage practice changes will you make due to drought?” The continued dry conditions are changing a lot of things in agriculture. Are tillage practices one of them? What do you think?

a href=”http://www.rkconnect.com/Home.aspx”>ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll