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Lennar Homebuilding to Install Solar on All New Bay Area Homes

Lennar Homebuilding, one of the largest residential developers in the country, and the largest in the East Bay, has announced that, beginning immediately, all new communities constructed in the greater San Francisco Bay market will be equipped with a roof integrated solar electric system from PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), as a standard feature. Its first development, “Milano,” has just opened for sale. The 77 luxury home development in Danville, California has homes ranging in size from 3,673 square feet to 4,243 square feet. “The SunTile® systems we are providing to these communities feature the world’s most efficient solar cell, said Howard Wenger, Vice President of Global Business Units for SunPower. The solar electric system will become part of Lennar’s Everything Included package. Rather than offering costly upgrades, Lennar researches what customers want and value in a new home and includes those items as standard in their homes. “It’s a matter of economies of scale,” Dale Billy, President of Lennar Bay Area Homebuilding states. “By automatically providing upgraded features in our homes like solar power, granite countertops, high-end appliances and other amenities that other builders charge extra for, we are able to take advantage of volume buying […]

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Johnson Controls Enters Renewable Energy Business

Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) is expanding its business direction in the areas of designing, installing and servicing geothermal, solar, biomass, wind and other renewable sources as energy supply options for customers. “We expect demand from businesses and organizations for onsite renewable energy to escalate as fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas increase in price and concern grows about their economic and environmental impact. The real opportunity for customers involves combining renewable technologies with innovative energy efficiency strategies,” says Bruno Biasiotta, vice president, solutions, Johnson Controls. Don Albinger, a 25-year Johnson Controls veteran, has been named vice president of renewable energy solutions. Albinger will lead a team dedicated to the development of Johnson Controls renewable offerings to state, local and federal government agencies, school districts, hospitals, and private industry. Johnson Controls has implemented several renewable projects for its customers, such as: · Geothermal: Utah Department of Corrections. This heating plant project includes an onsite geothermal well that provides building heat for prison cell blocks, a furniture manufacturing shop, and a dormitory. It also heats water for use in showers and the kitchen and laundry systems. The waste water is piped to a neighboring tropical fish farm and a […]

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Imperium Renewables Scores Another $113M

Seattle biodiesel company Imperium Renewables has raised another $113 million in private equity, bringing the total to a dazzling $214 million. Imperium is building a 100 million-gallons-a-year biodiesel plant at the Port of Grays Harbor on the Pacific Coast. It will use the proceeds to begin planning for up to three additional similarly sized facilities across the country and around the world. Investors in Imperium’s second round include Technology Partners and Nth Power, both of which invested in the first $7.5-million round last year, as well as ArdsleyPartners, Attractor Investment Management, BlackRock Investment Management, Capricorn Management, Ecofin, Robeco, Silver PointCapital, Southport Energy Alternatives, Stark Biodiesel Investments, and TreatyOak Capital Management. The company is also in the process of obtaining a $101 million senior secured credit facility with Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking (SOGN.PA).

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Imperium Renewables Scores Another $113M

Seattle biodiesel company Imperium Renewables has raised another $113 million in private equity, bringing the total to a dazzling $214 million. Investors in Imperium’s second round include Technology Partners and Nth Power, both of which invested in the first $7.5-million round last year, as well as ArdsleyPartners, Attractor Investment Management, BlackRock Investment Management, Capricorn Management, Ecofin, Robeco, Silver PointCapital, Southport Energy Alternatives, Stark Biodiesel Investments, and TreatyOak Capital Management. Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking is arranging $101 million in debt financing.

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