Energy infrastructure News for October 2009

Energy infrastructure News Archive

GE, Whirlpool ++ launch smart green grid initiative

GE, Whirlpool Corporation and a number of other companies are creating a new collaborative effort aimed at demonstrating the role of smart grid technologies and practices in the achievement of climate change goals.

AMSC signs power grid contracts for wind farms in Australia

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) says its D-VAR grid interconnection solution has been ordered for two additional wind farms under construction in Australia.

London hydrogen station is step closer to hydrogen fuel cell buses

In the UK, the Olympic Delivery Authority has granted planning permission for a hydrogen refuelling facility to be built in east London. This marks a major milestone in bringing a fleet of five hydrogen fuel cell buses to London.

Obama announces US$3.4 billion to spur transition to US smart energy grid

The US$3.4 billion in grant awards are part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and will be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion.

FuelCell Energy, POSCO Power to localize fuel cell products for Korean market

US-based FuelCell Energy has signed a licensing agreement with POSCO Power, allowing the South Korean utility to manufacture molten carbonate fuel cell stack modules from cell and module components provided by FuelCell Energy. These fuel cell modules will be combined with balance-of-plant manufactured in Korea, to complete electricity-producing fuel cell power plants for sale in Korea.

Renewable energy takes 5% of Asian Development Bank funding

Renewable energy projects receive 5% of the financial assistance provided from 2001 to 2008.

New England wants to develop “vast and untapped” renewable energy resources

Governors of six US states have approved a renewable energy blueprint for their region, and now want President Obama and Congress to support their development of these resources.

Renewable energy can reduce 20% of world goal for GHG emissions

Renewable energy could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 2741 Mt by 2030 under accelerated environmental policies, according to the International Energy Agency.

3TIER launches next generation of solar assessment products

3TIER has unveiled a suite of solar assessment products that give utility-scale developers a higher degree of certainty in the availability of solar resources, and a more complete picture of the production potential of their projects.

ISES calls for feed-in tariffs worldwide

The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has called for the use of feed-in tariffs worldwide at its solar world congress (SWC) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Scientists to use artificial photosynthesis and nanotubes to generate hydrogen fuel from sunlight

US Department of Energy awards US$1.7 million to team exploring the generation of hydrogen from sunlight.

Record flight for UAV using Protonex fuel cell system

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has announced that its Ion Tiger unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recently flew for 23 h and 17 min, setting an unofficial flight endurance record for a fuel cell powered flight. The Ion Tiger UAV utilizes the latest generation of UAV power systems from Massachusetts-based Protonex Technology.

AMSC’s superconductor electricity pipelines to be adopted for USA’s first renewable energy market hub

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) will supply its Superconductor Electricity Pipelines to the Tres Amigas Project, the USA’s first renewable energy market hub.

Huawei to deploy Bangladesh's first solar-powered base transceiver station (BTS)

Huawei, a provider of next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, says it has been selected by Grameenphone (GP), a subsidiary of Telenor, to deploy Bangladesh's first solar-powered base transceiver stations.

ChapDrive makes it into Global Cleantech 100

Following recognition from Red Herring earlier this year, and inclusion in the Nordic Cleantech 50 list of companies, the developer of a patented hydraulic transmission system for wind turbines has now made it into the Global Cleantech 100, cementing its reputation as a company to watch.

September's top 5 stories

What were the top 5 stories at www.renewableenergyfocus.com during September?

China and USA energy and climate change comparison

China has long since been criticised by the West as being intransigent on its response to climate change issues. But a new analysis by NGO Greenpeace compares various aspects of China's policy and energy landscape with that of the USA, and it reveals some interesting findings.

DuPont and Applied Materials collaborate to boost PV cell efficiency

DuPont and Applied Materials, Inc. are to collaborate to advance multiple printing technology for crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) solar cells.

Enbridge to acquire Ontario solar project from First Solar

Enbridge Inc. is to acquire a 20 MW solar PV project that First Solar has developed and is constructing near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Canada takes delivery of first hydrogen fuel cell bus for Olympic fleet

The first bus of what will become the world’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses has been delivered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses will be in operation as part of the BC Transit bus fleet in Whistler during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and beyond.

India to adopt feed-in tariffs

India is one of the latest countries to make the strategic move to a comprehensive system of feed-in tariffs to develop its renewable energy potential.

Cisco continues global smart grid development momentum

Cisco has put into place further steps to enable the development of an end-to-end, highly secure Smart Grid communications infrastructure to help utility companies and their customers better manage and reduce energy consumption, improve smart grid security and reliability, and reduce overall energy costs.

EUPVSEC: Danfoss unveils system to integrate functions in solar inverters EUPVSEC: Danfoss unveils system to integrate functions in solar inverters

The new TripleLynx Pro system for solar inverters provides a package for integrating communication and data logging functions in the inverter and has an Integrated Web Server, Master Inverter and Ethernet functionality.

Australian utility to install BlueGen generator from Ceramic Fuel Cells

Australian-based Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd reports that a leading Australian energy utility has agreed to install a BlueGen solid oxide fuel cell generator in a showcase sustainability home.

Air Products designs self-service hydrogen fueling station

Air Products will install and operate the first 24-hour self-service hydrogen fueling station in Hürth, Germany. The station, based at the Infraserv-Knapsack Chemical Park, will be in regular operation by March 2010, when it will initially supply hydrogen to two buses run by the local council.