08/06/2008 10:39 AM

Page: 1  | 2  | 3  | 4

Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: August 6, 2008

Page 2

Companies and Utilities to Launch Algae Farm in Hawaii

Two companies and two Hawaiian electric utilities are teaming up to develop a commercial-scale microalgae facility on Maui for the production of biodiesel and other products.

HR BioPetroleum, Inc. and Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. announced in mid-July that they have signed a MOU with Hawaiian Electric Company and Maui Electric Company to pursue the development of the algae farm, with HR BioPetroleum managing the overall project and Alexander & Baldwin providing land next to a Maui Electric power plant. The two utilities-both subsidiaries of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.-will help engineer piping to carry emissions from the neighboring power plant to the algae facility.

The project is contingent upon a number of factors, including positive results from HR BioPetroleum's pilot-scale and demonstration-scale algae facilities. If the project goes forward, the facility should begin operating in 2011.

During operation, the algae will grow in the CO2-rich atmosphere of the power plant emissions, converting some of those emissions into algae. The oil will then be extracted from the algae, combined with local vegetable oils, and converted into biodiesel fuel. Microalgae have significant potential as an energy crop, with the levels of oil production per acre potentially far exceeding the levels found in vegetable oil crops.

HR BioPetroleum is currently working with Royal Dutch Shell plc on a pilot facility to grow algae on land leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, which is located on the west shore of the island of Hawaii. See the HR BioPetroleum press release and Web page on its joint venture with Shell.

Large-Scale U.S. Solar Power Facilities Becoming Commonplace

A spate of announced plans to build large solar power facilities throughout the United States seems to indicate that relatively large-scale systems are becoming commonplace. The trend is most apparent in concentrating solar power (CSP), with a number of facilities in the planning stages with capacities greater than 100 megawatts (MW).

One recent example is a plan to build a 106.8-MW CSP plant near Coalinga, California, about 60 miles southwest of Fresno. Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) signed a power purchase contract for the facility with a subsidiary of Martifer Renewables Electricity LLC in June. Slated to start operation in 2011, the facility will produce power from biomass fuels when the sun is not available, allowing for constant power production. In addition, the four largest utilities in New Mexico, including PNM, issued a request for proposals (RFP) in late June to build a CSP plant in the state on the scale of about 100 MW. Bids are due by September 26, and a contract should be issued by January 2009, with the goal of commercial operation by 2012. Both the California and New Mexico facilities will use parabolic trough-shaped mirrors to concentrate the sun's heat. See the PG&E press release and the PNM press release and RFP.

Meanwhile, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is moving ahead to deploy solar power in the Sunshine State. The utility plans to build a 75-MW CSP facility at the site of its gas-fired Martin Plant in Indiantown, just east of Lake Okeechobee. The solar thermal facility will help to reduce natural gas consumption at the power plant. But FPL is also making an impressive commitment to solar PV technology, with plans to install 25 MW of solar panels at a site in DeSoto County, east of Sarasota. Construction will begin by the end of this year on what will be the world's largest PV power facility (although larger projects are now planned for Europe). FPL will also install a 10-MW PV project at the Kennedy Space Center. The three projects were approved by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last week. See the FPL press release, the FPL Web page on the Martin Plant, and the Florida PSC press release.

« back   next »