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Acciona Plans Bigger Solar Thermal Plant

Acciona Energy is quickly becoming a major player in utility-scale solar thermal installations in the U.S. West. The company, a division of Acciona of Spain, recently opened Nevada Solar One, a $266 million 64-megawatt (MW) plant in Boulder, Nevada, that is the largest solar thermal plant built in the last 16 years. Now they have announced plans to build another plant, three times larger, either in New Mexico, Arizona or Nevada. Peter Duprey, Acciona Energy’s CEO says he believes centralized solar-thermal plants will overtake the capacity of roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels around the year 2017. “The US has this vast solar resource in the Southwest that makes solar thermal a lot more of an interesting play than solar PV,” he told Reuters. Acciona has invested in both solar thermal and solar PV installations, and according to Duprey, the power generated by solar thermal is about half the cost (15 cents per kilowatt hour) of that produced by PV panels. The company’s new facility will produce approximately 200 MW. Duprey says sites in Arizona are tempting because the power could easily be linked to the grid to supply either Phoenix or California, where demand for clean energy is perhaps the greatest. […]

Government Dumping $100M Into Filthy Fuels Project

URL: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5487 Website: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5487

The Future of Diesel Hybrid Trucks

Yesterday SustainableBusiness.com reported on International Truck and Engine Corporation’s entry into the commercial production of medium and heavy diesel hybrid trucks. International believes that as it builds scale, the cost of producing the trucks will decrease dramatically, thus lowering the sale price. However, reaching that level of scale for International or any other company in the hybrid-truck market could be difficult, as truck fleet owners will weigh the total cost of ownership when considering new purchases – costs including maintenance and hauling capacity. The additional battery powertrain adds weight to hybrid trucks, which can reduce their hauling capacity, and buyers will likely be concerned about the reliability of the new technology. Combined with higher costs, these concerns may weigh more heavily than potential fuel savings. Undoubtedly, there is potential for hybrid powertrains to save fuel for buses, delivery vans, refuse collection and construction vehicles in stop-and-go, urban driving. Manufacturers believe the vehicles, which run off battery power at low speeds and while stopped, could save as much as 20-35% of fuel costs. But according to Stefano Chmielewski, president of Renault Trucks, the French division of Volvo, economies of scale for truck manufacturers begin at around 150,000 units. In Europe, where […]

Study: Waste Water and Bacteria Make Hydrogen

URL: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45296/story.htm Website: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45296/story.htm

Solar Stocks Fall After Worrisome Reports

Solar are taking a hit after the industry’s trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association, posted an alert on its website Friday suggesting Congress may pass an energy bill with no solar Investment Tax Credits (ITC). The site stated “there are widespread reports that a decision has been made, at least provisionally, to move energy legislation without a tax title that extends the Solar Investment Tax Credits.” There has been no confirmation that congressional leaders will fail to pass extensions for the ITC, which allow commercial system owners a 30% tax credit against the total cost of solar systems. However, if the credit were to expire in 2008, it could reduce the demand for solar systems among commercial customers. According to Stephen Chin, an analyst at UBS, these customers accounted for 41% of 2006 solar installations. The U.S. represents only 10% of the solar-products market, but as seen in the last two days, U.S. policy decisions could have widespread effects on the industry. However, some analysts are not worried. Jonathan Hoopes, a ThinkEquity Partners analyst told the Associated Press, “With oil treading near $100 per barrel, we fully expect Congress to figure out a way to work incentives (be they […]

Honda Soltec Opens of Thin-Film Solar Plant

Honda Soltec Co., Ltd., Honda’s (NYSE: HMC) wholly-owned solar cell subsidiary, opened a thin-film solar cell plant last month that the company says will required 50% less energy for production than conventional crystal silicon solar cells. Using thin film made from a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) instead of silicon, Honda says the next-generation solar cell provides environmental benefits not only during its life-cycle but during production as well. Honda Soltec began mass production in October, and expects annual production will reach full capacity of 27.5 megawatts by next spring. The company has also begun sales of solar cells for homes throughout Japan with 80 distributor locations and plans to accelerate sales by increasing the number of distributor locations to more than 200 within 2008. Honda will also work to begin exports of Honda solar cells from its new operation based in Kumamoto. In addition to solar cells, Honda says it is also developing technology to produce ethanol from cellulose, as well as fuel cell vehicles and household cogeneration units for sale in Japan and the U.S. Website: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Akeena Solar Reports Record Revenue Growth for Q3

Akeena Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKNS), which designs and installs solar power systems, posted record revenue growth in Q307. The company says net sales for the Q307 were $8.1 million, compared with $3.6 million of net sales in Q306. Compared to Q207, net sales increased 8%. Gross profit for Q307 was $1.7 million, or 21.0% of sales, compared to $0.9 million, or 24.7% of sales, in Q306. Total operating expenses for the quarter were $5.4 million, compared with $1.3 million in Q306. Net loss for the Q307 was $3.7 million, or $0.16 per share, compared to net loss of $0.4 million, or $0.04 per share, in Q306. Installations for the quarter amounted to approximately 1,000 kilowatts, versus approximately 400 kilowatts for Q306. “This quarter, Akeena again posted record revenue growth, with top-line results up 125% over last year’s $3.6 million,” said Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena. “This performance puts us squarely on track to meet our full year goal of increasing revenue 135% over 2006. We are experiencing greater demand for our commercial business owing to favorable government rebates and expect this dynamic will open up more opportunities for us to pursue larger contracts in the future. Cinnamon said, “Our agreement […]

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