Energy and Environment: Vol 1, Issue 3

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OriginOil Files International Patent for Low-Energy, High Efficiency Algae Production		GE Energy Announces Industrial Waste-Heat Recovery Innovation for Onsite Power Plants
Los Angeles, CA -- OriginOil, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, announced the recent filing of its Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT application, entitled "Apparatus and methods for photosynthetic growth of microorganisms in a photobioreactor." This filing consolidates previous OriginOil inventions and adds new developments since the original filings. The invention addresses challenging problems in the culturing of microalgae, including high energy utilization, fouling of light emitting surfaces, and diurnal growth cycles. The proposed system provides efficient light utilization with comparatively low energy costs by providing light at closely spaced intervals within a photobioreactor so that light is provided throughout the photobioreactor rather than just at the surface and at the interfaces between culture medium and photobioreactor wall.		MUNICH, GERMANY - GE Energy and energy developer ECOS Ltd. have announced they plan to demonstrate an innovative, industrial waste-heat recovery system that will dramatically increase the efficiency and output of a 7.2 megawatt (MW) biogas power plant in the eastern Slovenia town of Lendava, near the border with Hungary. GE's new pilot Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) waste-heat recovery system for gas engines is designed to make onsite power plants that use natural gas, landfill gas and other waste gases more cost-attractive to build as countries install more cogeneration and renewable energy capacity to enhance energy security and lower regional emissions.
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Foster Wheeler Announces Successful Start-Up of World's Largest Circulating Fluidized-Bed Steam Generator at Lagisza Power Plant in Poland		Cyclone Power Successfully Completes First Stage of Robotic Technology Project
ZUG, Switzerland --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Foster Wheeler AG announced today that the world's largest circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) steam generator – which is also the world's first supercritical CFB -- has successfully started operating at the Lagisza power plant, owned by Polish utility company Po?udniowy Koncern Energetyczny SA (PKE). Foster Wheeler's Global Power Group provided the turnkey supply of the boiler island, including engineering and design, erection, civil work, start-up, and commissioning. The new CFB replaces 1960s-era pulverized coal units at the power plant and was built adjacent to the old boilers. Many existing plant systems, including coal handling and water treatment, were renovated for use with the new CFB unit.		POMPANO BEACH, FL - Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. announced that it has completed the first stage of its project with Robotic Technology Inc. (RTI), of Potomac, MD, to develop a beta biomass engine system used to power RTI's Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR™). This is a Phase II SBIR project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office. In this first stage Cyclone successfully coupled its proprietary steam generator with a compact biomass furnace to be used with the prototype EATR, and produced sufficient steam to power Cyclone's six-cylinder, 16HP Waste Heat Engine (WHE). With the completion of this stage, RTI has paid Cyclone a total of $50,000 in development fees. Cyclone will now proceed to attaching the WHE to this heat source and commence system performance testing with the goal of delivering a complete beta system to RTI in the next 90 days.
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Tesla Gets Loan Approval from US Department of Energy		Clean Energy Opens World's Largest LNG/CNG Truck Fueling Station At Long Beach/Los Angeles Ports Complex to Support Clean Air
SAN CARLOS, Calif. --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tesla Motors has received approval for about $465 million in low-interest loans from the US Department of Energy to accelerate the production of affordable, fuel-efficient electric vehicles. Tesla will use $365 million for production engineering and assembly of the Model S, an all-electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge. The Model S has an anticipated base price of $49,900 after a $7,500 US federal tax credit. It has lifetime ownership costs equivalent to a conventional car with a sticker price of $35,000, thanks to the lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline and a relative lack of service and maintenance. Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011 in a state-of-the-art assembly plant employing about 1,000 workers. Tesla will use $100 million for a powertrain manufacturing plant. The facility will supply all-electric powertrain solutions to other automakers, greatly accelerating the availability of mass-market EVs. The new facility will employ about 650 people.		Seal Beach, CA - The world's largest natural gas truck fueling station, designed and built by Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE), is now open for business on a 2.9-acre site adjacent to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The new public access station, configured to fuel trucks on a 24/7 basis, features two 25,000-gallon liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks, six LNG dispensers, and two compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensers. The Clean Energy station is located on property leased from the Port of Long Beach at Anaheim and I streets. It is specifically designed to support the goals of the San Pedro Bay Ports' Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) and Clean Truck programs.
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Southwall Announces World's Largest High Performance XIR(R) Glass Installation at Universiade Center in China		SolarCity Introduces Affordable Solar Financing Option for Small, Medium and Large Businesses
PALO ALTO, Calif., (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Southwall Technologies, Inc., the worldwide innovator of high performance, energy-saving films and glass products, announced today the use of its heat-reflective XIR film in a glass-intensive, multi-building sports complex in Shenzhen, China, the site of the World University Games in August 2011. The Universiade Center, a landmark green building project currently under construction at a cost of $548 million US dollars and consisting of a main sports stadium, swimming complex and multifunctional arena, will be equipped with over 35,000 square meters (380,000 square feet) of Southwall's heat-blocking XIR laminated glass forming a dramatic series of glass crystals that will redefine the Longgang Sports New Town section of the city.		FOSTER CITY, Calif., -SolarCity®, whose residential solar lease (SolarLease™) has become one of the nation's most popular ways for homeowners to go solar, today announced an affordable new solar financing option for businesses of all sizes. SolarCity's Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) can allow even small and medium-sized businesses, churches and schools to adopt solar power for no money down and pay less than they previously paid for electricity. The SolarCity PPA also allows organizations to lock in predictable electricity rates to protect themselves from rising energy costs. SolarCity's PPA is a unique, full-service solar option—the company provides financing, design, installation, monitoring and maintenance. While PPAs have typically been used to finance massive solar farms, SolarCity's PPA can finance commercial solar systems as small as 20 kilowatts (approximately 2,000 square feet), or up to 1,000 kilowatts (approximately 100,000 square feet) or more, with generating capacity suitable for organizations of many different types and sizes.
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American Transmission Co. Identifies Power Line Options to Help Midwestern States Meet Renewable Energy Goals		MDU Resources Intends to Help Develop Green Power Express Transmission Project
PEWAUKEE, Wis. – American Transmission Co., a proven leader in the planning, construction and operation of transmission infrastructure, has identified various new high voltage transmission line projects that can help deliver renewable energy while also addressing reliability issues in the Midwest. One potential project, an approximate 150-mile 345-kilovolt line between La Crosse and Madison in western Wisconsin, is anticipated to provide multiple benefits and address needs identified in other regional planning studies. ATC has begun coordinating with the Minnesota CapX2020 group, which is proposing a 345-kV line from Minneapolis/St. Paul into La Crosse that would need to connect to ATC's transmission system at that point. ATC also is studying the benefits of a 345-kV line from Madison south to Dubuque, Iowa, and a 345-kV line from Wisconsin's Fox River Valley (Green Bay and Appleton areas) north and south along Lake Michigan. ATC's studies also will examine the viability of voltage levels at 765 kV.		Bismarck ND - MDU Resources Group, Inc. announced that it intends to participate with ITC Holdings Corp. in developing the Green Power Express transmission project, which would transport renewable energy from wind-rich Plains states to major metropolitan markets. The transmission project would enable development of the enormous wind energy potential in North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, which currently is severely limited by the lack of transmission capacity. The Green Power Express would be the first high-voltage line that is intended to provide transmission to markets for wind developers in these areas. It would run approximately 3,000 miles through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana.
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SUNNY TOWER Inverter System Creates New Opportunities for Solar Installers		New Energy's Device for Generating Electricity from Moving Cars to Test at New Jersey Burger King Drive-Thru
ROCKLIN, Calif., - SMA America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of global solar technology leader SMA Technology AG, offers residential solar installers the ability to expand their services and customer base with the innovative Sunny Tower. The SMA product allows installers to apply their existing experience and tools in the residential market to commercial-grade projects. "The Sunny Tower is an ideal product for residential solar installers looking to tap into the commercial market during this challenging economy," said Jurgen Krehnke, president and general manager of SMA America. "The powerful inverter system is pre-configured with six Sunny Boy inverters enabling it to handle commercial applications with the same best-in-class performance and reliability installers expect from SMA."		Burtonsville, MD - New Energy Technologies, Inc., a next-generation alternative and renewable energy developer, announced that engineers have completed development of the Company's newest MotionPower™ prototype for generating electricity from the movement of cars and light trucks, and will now undertake active field tests of the device at a drive-thru located at a prominent Burger King® franchise in the New York metropolitan area. "I'm proud to announce that our engineering team has successfully completed our newest, ultra-low profile, modular, second-generation MotionPower™ prototype. We're eager to field test the device in a real world setting as part of our ongoing efforts to aggressively engineer, test, refine, and ultimately, commercially launch America's first active roadway energy capture system of its kind," explained Mr. Meetesh V. Patel, Esq., President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc.
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Delphi Multec Electronic Fuel Injection Helping Chinese All-Terrain Vehicle Maker Achieve Emission Goals		Headwaters Resources Completes Conversion of Wet-Handled Coal Ash Operation to Dry Ash for Beneficial Use
SHANGHAI -- Delphi Corp. has announced that it will supply Linhai Group—a leading China-based all-terrain vehicle (ATV) producer and exporter—with its environmentally-friendly Multecµ electronic fuel injection (EFI). The Delphi system for Linhai, which controls the air, fuel, and spark delivery in engines, is designed to help the company's ATVs exported to European and North American markets meet increasingly stringent emission standards. "From a Delphi perspective, we are seeing segments outside the automotive industry—including motorcycle and scooter manufacturers—working hard to reduce the exhaust emissions of their products," said Kevin Quinlan, Delphi Powertrain Systems' Asia Pacific lead executive.		Monroe MI - HEADWATERS RESOURCES - America's largest manager and marketer of coal combustion products – is completing the conversion of a wet-handled coal ash facility to a dry ash operation in Monroe, Michigan. The conversion to dry handling is designed to collect the coal ash before it is placed in a disposal impoundment and to make it available for safe and environmentally beneficial use in the production of concrete. "Converting wet ash handling systems to dry handling is increasing as an important coal ash management strategy," said Mike Adams, vice president of Headwaters Resources. "Regulatory changes on the horizon are expected to make conversions like this one even more desirable." The wet-to-dry conversion project under way in Michigan is located at Detroit Edison's Monroe Power Plant – a four unit, 3,200-megawatt power station originally constructed in 1974.
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Cooper Industries: Offering a Wide Range of Solutions for Renewable Energy Applications

Cooper Industries origins extend back more than 170 years to a small iron foundry in Mount Vernon, Ohio, started by brothers Charles and Elias Cooper in 1833. Today, Cooper Industries has become a leading worldwide manufacturer of electrical products and tools and hardware. For the first 125 years of its history, Cooper was primarily a one-market company, manufacturing power and compression equipment for the transmission of natural gas. In the 1960s, Cooper began to diversify, eventually broadening its product lines to include petroleum and industrial equipment, electrical products, electrical power equipment, automotive products, tools and hardware.

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