US wind turbine installations were down in 1Q10, according to new figures from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Following a record-setting year in 2009 that saw an installation of more than 10,000 MW, the first quarter of this year expanded capacity by only 539 MW. That's the lowest 1Q figure since 2007. AWEA said continued lack of long-term market signals, combined with low power
demand and price, has allowed the pipeline for projects to slow
over the past 18 months. The industry association renewed its call for Congress to create a national renewable electricity standard (RES) to send the long-term
signal the industry needs to grow at a steady and sustained pace.
Power company Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) is doing its part to sustain the North American wind power industry. The company said it is planning to build a massive, $5.5 billion wind farm in Baja California. They gave no specific timeline for the project, but said the first stage will consist of 52 wind turbines north of the village of La Rumorosa. Sempra said it has secured 294 hectares for the project, which will have a total capacity of between 1,000 MW and 1,200 MW.
Internet company Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is investing $38.8
million in two North Dakota wind farms.
The deal with developers NextEra Energy Resources marks Google's first direct investment
in utility-scale renewable power. The wind farms will have a combined capacity of 169.5 MW and employ the latest technology in turbine design and remote monitoring. Google did not say what company will be supplying the turbines.
In other wind power news, Siemens (NYSE: SI) launched its new direct drive wind turbine, which uses less than half the moving parts of
conventional geared wind turbines. Direct drive turbines are the latest evolution in commercial turbine designs and promise greater power conversion efficiency and reduced maintenance. The new Siemens turbine is rated at 3 MW and is for use in onshore or offshore wind projects.
Abengoa Solar (ABG.MC) has begun
commercial operation of a new 50-megawatts (MW) solar thermal power
plant in Spain. The company said performance of the Solnova 1 plant matches the theoretical output
of the design, validating the potential of its parabolic trough technology. The company has
contracts to use the sun-catching technology in two much larger plants in the US--one in California (250 MW) and the other in Arizona (280 MW).
BYD Co. (BYDDF.PK), the Chinese automaker backed by Warren Buffet, announced that it will
locate its North American headquarters in Los Angeles. The company aims to begin selling small, all-electric hatchbacks to fleet
operators in the US later this year. Retail sales to the public are
expected in 2011, and the company said it will offer "several models" by
the end of 2011. BYD also plans to base a solar-panel division in Los Angeles. And the company has plans to sell large, iron phosphate batteries to US utilities for storing power. In five to ten years, Americans are likely to be as familiar with BYD as they are today with South Korean conglomerates LG and Samsung.
Switzerland-based technology group ABB has agreed to acquire energy
management software company Ventyx from Vista Equity Partners for more
than $1 billion.
Energy management technology is at the core of the smart grid revolution
that is getting underway in the US and abroad, and ABB said the
acquisition will triple its market reach in the sector.
Ventyx is based in Atlanta, Georgia and provides software solutions for planning and forecasting electricity
needs.
One such application gives utilities and grid
operators information needed to match electricity
generation with consumption down to even the individual household level. The company's load forecasting software can also help to integrate large
amounts of unpredictable renewable energies, such as wind and solar
power. Ventyx is currently owned by Vista Equity Partners.
Renewable fuel company Joule recently announced the closing of a $30
million second round of funding. The company says it has developed a process that uses microorganisms to convert sunlight and waste carbon dioxide (CO2) directly into liquid fuel. The new funds will be used to support
high-capacity production of diesel fuel, which is scheduled to begin in 2012. Pilot-scale operations of the so-called Helioculture technology are currently underway in Texas. If successful, the company could leapfrog biofuel companies which depend on large quantities of biomass for fuel production. Joule is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it was founded--and continues to be funded--by Flagship Ventures.
