RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

- GE and Google are joining forces to help develop power generation, transmission and distribution — known as the “smart grid” — and its interface with next generation electric transportation.  These goals will be advanced by the launch of a policy partnership in Washington, D.C., and collaboration on advanced energy technologies. GE and Google say they will advocate for federal policies “critical” to building a 21st century US electricity system.

- Risø DTU will launch a network that brings companies and scientists together focusing on biological waste. Companies that produce biological waste are invited to join a network of scientists as the waste that may be a problem to the companies could offer high potential seen from the scientists’ point of view. The companies may be food producers of all kinds – slaughterhouses, breweries, bread producers and farmers.

- Sharp and Borrego Solar Systems Inc have teamed up, donating and installing solar electric systems to firehouses in some of the neighbourhoods most severely impacted by the autumn 2007 wildfires in Southern California.  These new solar energy systems will help reduce electricity costs, conserve fire department resources, and reduce constraints on the California’s electrical grid.  Firehouses at the Irvine, Poway and San Miguel fire departments have been fitted with new solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays of approximately 4.5kW each.

- Mitsubishi Electric has announced the expansion of its European research and development (R&D) centre in order to strengthen the company’s innovations in technologies related to energy and the environment. The expansion will add a third research area to the centre’s remit aimed at increasing Mitsubishi Electric’s competitiveness in its air-conditioning, photovoltaic (PV) and other energy and environment-related businesses. The new E&E division will be jointly based in the UK and France, with each laboratory specialising in a different area of research.

- SolarReserve has closed a second round of funding totalling US$140 million. The additional funds will enable the company to advance its development of more than 5 GW of utility scale power plants in locations across the globe, each ranging in size from 50 MW to 300 MW. The financing was led by the renewable energy private equity group within Citi Alternative Investments, Sustainable Development Investments (SDI), and Good Energies. Other investors include US Renewables Group, the founding investor in SolarReserve, along with PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund (CETF), Nimes Capital, LLC and Credit Suisse.

- Another solar investment round has been closed by Ausra, Inc, a provider of large-scale solar thermal energy systems for industrial processes and utility electricity generation. Ausra has secured US$60.6 million from investors led by KERN Partners of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and others including Generation Investment Management, based in London, England; Starfish Ventures of Melbourne, Australia; and Ausra’s founding investors Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The proceeds will fund the company’s research and product development and commercial activities, including the completion of its 5 MW Kimberlina solar thermal power project near Bakersfield, California, incorporating Ausra’s core technology, the Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar collector and steam generation system.

- Valcent Products Inc has reached an agreement with Global Green Solutions Inc to purchase the remaining 50% interest in Vertigro Algae Technologies LLC (VAT), for US$5 million and 5 million common shares of Valcent. Prior to closing, Valcent intends to sell two additional country licenses for its High Density Vertical Growing systems, which will be the source of funds for the VAT purchase. On closing, Valcent will own a 100% interest in VAT which is developing technologies to produce algae biomass fuels and other algae products. In addition, Valcent will sell VAT’s algae technologies to Global Green on commercial terms.

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