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Editor: C.V. Clute editor@epoverviews.com $10.25 million for Geothermal development (Funding) Google.org has followed up on earlier investments in solar power and clean transportation initiatives with an additional $10.25 million US for the following three geothermal projects:
AltaRock Energy Inc. has closed a $26.25 million US second round of financing that will fund the development and demonstration of technology designed to lower the cost of Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) electricity generation. The funding is coming from the company's first-round investors, Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as well as new investors, Google.org, Advanced Technology Ventures, and Vulcan Capital. AltaRock has filed applications for a portfolio of U.S. patents in the EGS area, and holds exclusive U.S. licenses for other related intellectual property. The company intends to develop EGS to provide cost-effective baseload renewable energy in Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada power markets. AltaRock Energy's planned EGS demonstration project will test the company's proprietary technology advancements that are expected to reduce the costs of engineering geothermal fluid flow paths in hot rock. (Source: Press Release, Aug. 19, '08)
Contact: AltaRock Energy, Business Development, (415) 331-0130, afoley@altarockenergy.com, www.altarockenergy.com
Potter Drilling Inc. indicates it has closed a $4 million series A round of financing from Google.org that will fund the development of hydrothermal spallation drilling technology. According to the company, Potter Drilling's technology has the potential to lower the cost and expand the range of deep hard rock drilling. Earlier this year, Potter Drilling had been awarded a U.S. DOE Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant for the development of its non rotating drilling for geothermal energy. (Source: Press Release, Aug. 19,'08)
Contact: Mark Hankowski, Potter Drilling, (650) 701-1737, mark@potterdrilling.com, www.potterdrilling.com
The Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab is receiving a $489,521 US grant from Google.org to improve understanding of the size and distribution of geothermal energy resources and to update geothermal mapping of North America. (Source: Market Watch, Aug. 19, '08)
Contact: Maria Richards, Program Coordinator, Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab, (214) 768-1975, mrichard@smu.edu, www.smu.edu/geothermal
Is Renewable Energy the answer to NYC's energy needs? (Ind. Report) The New York City Economic Development Corporation has released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) calling for innovative ideas to help New York City develop renewable energy sources. These ideas could include offshore wind farms, wind turbines on top of New York City's bridges and skyscrapers, tidal power, solar power and geothermal energy. The information gathered from this RFEI will be used to identify promising renewable energy projects for New York City and to provide a better understanding of the opportunities for both established and emerging renewable energy technologies. Responses are due Sept. 19, '08. (Source: Reuters, Aug. 20, '08)
Contact: New York City Economic Development Corporation, (212) 619-5000, www.nycedc.com,
RFEI
Solar Thin Films and Amelio Solar sign deal (G&C) Solar Thin Films, Inc. has entered into a strategic alliance and cross license agreement with Amelio Solar Inc. of New Jersey. Under the deal, Solar Thin Films will market and sell PV products using copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) technology developed and commercialized by Amelio Solar, and has rights to manufacture PV module manufacturing equipment using CIGS technology subject to certain terms and agreements. (Source: Press Release, Aug. 20, '08)
Contact: Solar Thin Films, (856) 673-1749, info@solarthinfilms.com, www.solarthinfilms.com. Amelio Solar, (609).434-0600, info@ameliosolar.com, www.ameliosolar.com
$2.9 million US for Solar Energy Grid System development (Funding - Cont'd) As indicated in our last two issues, the U.S. DOE plans to invest up to $24 million US over a number of years to develop products to connect solar power systems with the electrical grid in an interactive way. In the current year, $2.9 million US will be distributed to develop conceptual designs and market analyses for Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS). The following projects to maximize the value of PV systems are being funding this year:
PV Powered of Bend, Ore. with Portland General Electric Team, South Dakota State University, and Northern Plains Power Technologies: to develop a suite of maximum power point tracking algorithms to optimize energy production from the full range of available and emerging PV module technologies with communications integration, facility energy management systems and utility management networks. Contact : Gregg Patterson, CEO, PV Powered, (541) 312-3832, www.pvpowered.com
SmartSpark Energy Systems, Inc. of Champaign, Ill. with Evergreen Solar and Innovolt, Inc: to design, construct, test, and commercialize an alternating-current PV module with smart building systems interfaces that provide system diagnostics, data logging, and advanced utility interconnection. Contact : SmartSpark, (217) 344-6044, webinfo@smartsparkenergy.com,
www.smartsparkenergy.com
The Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida in Orlando with SatCon, Sentech, Inc., EnFlex, SunEdison, Northern Plains Power Technologies, Lakeland Electric Utilities and additional utilities: to develop new grid integration concepts for PV that incorporate optional battery storage, utility control, communication and monitoring functions, and building energy management systems. The research will validate an anti-islanding strategy for PV inverters to allow PV generation to remain connected to the grid during some grid disturbances, while still meeting safety operation requirements. Contact : James Fenton, Director, Florida Solar Energy Center, (321) 638-1002, www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/
VPT Inc. of Blacksburg, Va. with the Center for Power Electronics, Plug-in Conversions, Moonlight Solar, Breakell Inc., and Delta Electronics: to develop component circuits and an overall system design for an integrated energy system. The R&D will include inverter controllers that can be used with existing inverters to add sophisticated home interoperability, active anti-islanding and intentional islanding control, and a bidirectional power converter designed for plug-connected vehicles. Contact : VPT Inc., www.vpt-inc.com
Subject to the availability of funds, additional contracts will be awarded starting in '09 for projects demonstrating the most promising technology advancements exhibiting a high likelihood of commercial success. This completes our coverage of these project details. (Source: U.S. DOE, Aug. 12, '08)
Contact: Jennifer Scoggins, U.S. DOE, (202) 586-4940, www.energy.gov
$2.9 million US for Solar Energy Grid System development (Funding - Cont'd) The U.S. DOE plans to invest up to $24 million US over a number of years to develop products to connect solar power systems with the electrical grid in an interactive way. In the current year, $2.9 million US will be distributed to develop conceptual designs and market analyses for Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS). In addition to the projects that were identified in yesterday's issue, the following projects to maximize the value of PV systems are being funded this year:
Nextek Power Systems of Detroit, Mich. and Hauppauge, N.Y. with the Houston Advanced Research Center: to modify an existing power gateway design to incorporate bi-directional current flow capability, higher voltage operation, and added functionalities that include integrated communications and an energy management system for value-added PV utility interconnections. Contact : Paul Savage, CEO, Nextek Power Systems, (631) 750-1000 ext. 16, www.nextekpower.com. Linda Binford, Business Opportunities, Houston Advanced Research Center, (281) 367-1348, lbinford@harc.edu, www.harc.edu.
Petra Solar in Somerset, N.J. with the Florida Power Electronics Center, and Florida Solar Energy Center: to focus on multi-layer control and communication with PV systems to achieve grid interconnectivity, cost reduction, system reliability, and safety. Contact : Shihab Kuran, President & CEO, Petra Solar, (908) 668- 9317, www.petrasolar.com. Issa Batarseh, Director, Florida Power Electronics Center, (407) 823-0185, batarseh@mail.ucf.edu, http://floridapec.engr.ucf.edu. Florida Solar Energy Center, www.fsec.ucf.edu/en
Premium Power of North Reading, Mass.: to develop an inverter system that makes PV economically viable in terms of initial investment, operating costs, and system lifetime. An intelligent PV system that optimizes the value of PV generation will be developed for commercial- and utility-scale applications with an advanced inverter having energy management. Contact : Premium Power, (978) 664-5000, info@premiumpower.com, www.premiumpower.com.
Princeton Power Systems of Princeton, N.J. with TDI Power, WorldWater, and Solar Technologies Corp.: to develop a complete design for a 100-kW demand response inverter based on Princeton Power Systems' proprietary inverter technology. The design will be optimized for low-cost, high-quality manufacture, and will integrate control capabilities including dynamic energy storage and demand response through load control. Contact : Princeton Power Systems, (609) 258-5994, info@princetonpower.com, www.princetonpower.com. Lou DeBartelo, VP of Global Sales & Marketing, TDI Power, (908) 850-5088 ext. 1480, lou.debartelo@tdipower.com, www.tdipower.com. Jessie Sullivan, WorldWater & Solar, (609) 818-0700 ext. 20, JSullivan@worldwater.co, www.worldwater.com
Subject to the availability of funds, additional contracts will be awarded starting in '09 for projects demonstrating the most promising technology advancements exhibiting a high likelihood of commercial success. Additional project details will be provided in future issues. (Source: U.S. DOE, Aug. 12, '08)
Contact: Jennifer Scoggins, U.S. DOE, (202) 586-4940, www.energy.gov
Solar Bills become law in New York (Reg. & Leg.) Following up on a previous initiative discussed in our Jun 24, '08 issue, New York Governor David Paterson has signed a legislative package that includes Senate Bill 7171 which expands net metering to include non-residential solar power systems up to 2 MW in capacity, or equal in size to the customer's peak load, whichever is less, and increases the maximum solar power system size for residential customers to 25 kilowatts (kW), up from 10 kW. He also signed Senate Bill 8145 which creates a four-year real property tax abatement of up to $62,500 US per year for building owners that install solar power systems, with a greater tax abatement available for systems installed before 2011, and a lesser tax abatement for systems installed in 2011 or 2012. (Source: Clusterstock, Aug. 18, 08)
Contact: David Paterson, Governor, New York, (518) 474-8390, www.ny.gov
1.6 MW UTC Solar system in N.J. (G&C) UTC Power and Merck & Co. have struck a deal for the installation of a 1.6 MW SunPower solar tracking system. UTC will supply solar power to Merck under a 20-year power purchase agreement from approximately 7,000 solar panels on seven acres of Merck's headquarters location in Whitehouse Station, N.J. The system will be owned and operated by UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. who will also own, and be free to trade, the Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and other environmental attributes associated with the system. The solar power system will supply up to 7 % of Merck's electrical energy needs at its headquarters when fully operational by the end of '08. (Source: Press Release, Aug. 14, '08)
Contact: Art Kaufman, Merck, (908) 423 6878, art_kaufman@merck.com,
Peg Hashem, UTC Power, (860) 727 2093, Peg.hashem@utcpower.com, www.utc.com
Neo Solar opens Taiwan production facility (Int'l - Ind. Report) Neo Solar Power has opened its new crystalline solar cell lab in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The company has set a conversion rate of 10% as its standard when moving products in volume, said company CEO Quincy Lin. This standard is much higher than the present average of 5-7%. The company will mainly produce its thin-film solar cells using a tandem junction process. (Source: Digitimes, Aug. 14, '08)
Contact: Neo Solar, +886 3 5980126 ext. 1402, Sales@neosolarpower.com, www.neosolarpower.com
$2.9 million US for Solar Energy Grid System development (Funding) The U.S. DOE plans to invest up to $24 million US over a number of years to develop products to connect solar power systems with the electrical grid in an interactive way. In the current year, $2.9 million US will be distributed to develop conceptual designs and market analyses for Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS). The following projects to maximize the value of PV systems are being funding this year:
Apollo Solar of Bethel, Conn.: to develop advanced modular components for power conversion, energy storage, energy management, and a communications portal for residential-size solar electric systems. The inverters, charge controllers, and energy management systems will be able to communicate with utility energy portals to implement seamless two-way power flows. Contact : Apollo Solar, (203) 790-6400, info@apollosolar.com, www.apollo-solar.net.
EMTEC of Dayton, Ohio, with Emerson Network Power, Liebert Corporation, Hull and Associates, and Ohio State University: to develop large, three-phase, highly efficient, small footprint, advanced and innovative power conversion, energy storage and energy management components for commercial- and utility-scale PV systems. These new products will include an integrated grid interface controller working in conjunction with a customer smart meter to respond to time of day pricing signals. Contact : David Swenson, Business Development, EMTEC, (937) 259-1302, www.emtec.org.
Enphase Energy Inc. of Petaluma, Calif.: to develop a complete module-integrated solar electric solution controlled by an energy management system to interface with utilities and allow advanced control for modular utility-interactive applications. Contact : Enphase Energy, (877) 797-4743, www.enphaseenergy.com.
General Electric of Niskayuna, N.Y. and Sentech, Inc. in collaboration with candidate utilities including American Electric Power, Duke, and Hawaii Electric Company: to develop product concepts for integrating solar PV generation with the electrical grid for commercial and residential use integrating energy storage, responsive loads, and utility demand side management. New and enhanced inverter and distribution system control concepts for both commercial- and utility-scale installations will be developed. Contact : Sentech Inc. (240) 223-5500, www.sentech.org.
Subject to the availability of funds, additional contracts will be awarded starting in '09 for projects demonstrating the most promising technology advancements exhibiting a high likelihood of commercial success. Additional project details will be provided in future issues. (Source: U.S. DOE, Aug. 12, '08)
Contact: Jennifer Scoggins, U.S. DOE, (202) 586-4940, www.energy.gov
Other Noteworthy News The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners has approved a new 15-year power purchase agreement for 72MW of renewable wind power with Willow Creek Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC. The power will come from a new wind farm being constructed in Gilliam and Morrow counties, Oregon, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, '08. (Source: Renewable Energy World, Aug. 15, '08)
Pacific Gas & Electric has announced two major solar power deals for 800 MW of power in Calif. SunPower will build a 250 MW facility, Optisolar will build a 550 MW plant - the Topaz Solar Farms, using thin-film solar panels. Both projects will be constructed in San Luis Obispo County and require approval from local and state regulators. (Source: San Jose Mercury News, Aug. 15, '08)
PermaCity Solar, SCHOTT sign three year deal (G&C) SCHOTT Solar indicates it has entered into a three year supply contract with PermaCity Solar to supply the company with over 10 MW of photovoltaic modules. PermaCity designs, engineers, and installs solar solutions for commercial and residential applications across southern California. The contracted for modules will be manufactured at SCHOTT Solar's site in Billerica, Mass. and the company's Albuquerque, N.M. facility, which is currently under construction. Modules produced in Albuquerque are slated for marketed availability beginning in the second quarter of '09. Previous details were provided in our Jan. 15, '08 publication. (Source: Press Release, Aug. 20, '08)
Contact: Jennifer Pecha, SCHOTT Solar, jennifer.pecha@us.schott.com, Jonathan Port
PermaCity Solar, (310) 648-0807, jport@permacity.com, www.permacity.com
Sunrise Solar sells biodiesel operations; will concentrate on Solar business (M&A) Sunrise Solar Corp. has sold the biodiesel operations of SMS Envirofuels, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary to an undisclosed purchaser. Sunrise Solar anticipates that it will record a gain on the sale of assets of approximately $580,000 US related to the sale. The company intends to fully commit to a solar business model through the commercialization and distribution of solar energy technologies and equipment. (Source: Centre Daily, Aug. 21, '08)
Contact: Sunrise Solar Corp. (210) 881-0850, contact@Sunrisesolarcorp.com, www.sunrisesolarcorp.com.
1050 MW of Renewable Energy for Xcel (Reg. & Leg.) Following up on an initiative last reported in our Nov. 16, '07 issue, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has approved Xcel Energy's request to build a 200 MW solar plant using concentrated solar technology and the addition of 850 MW of wind power to the utility's power generation system. The commission also approved Xcel's voluntary decision to close two coal burning generation stations in Denver and Grand Junction. (Source: Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 20, '08)
Contact: Xcel Energy, www.xcelenergy.com. Colorado Public Utilities Commission, www.dora.state.co.us/PUC/
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