Sector Snap: Solar Stocks Shine
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Solar Energy's Long Term Appeal
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Pax World and Citizens Announce Engagement
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11th National Solar Tour: Oct. 7
This is the 11th year for the U.S. National Solar Tour, organized by the American Solar Energy Association (ASES). On Oct. 7, homes and businesses that run on renewable energy open their doors to the public to spread the word about how it works and to experience it in action. As more and more buildings are running on renewables, there are opportunities to visit and meet your progressive neighbors in most areas of the country. Last year, 72% of surveyed tour guests attended their first solar or green-building tour. Visitors talk with hosts about the energy efficiency strategies they chose, learning about how various strategies work, what it costs and why it makes sense. Although the focus of the tour was initially on solar installations it has broadened over recent years to include a range of renewables and green building features. This year’s tour includes LEED-certified buildings, Energy Star homes and net-zero energy homes. The tour began in 1991, when John Schaeffer, president of Real Goods Trading Co. in Hopland, California, launched the National Off-Grid Day. John handed the reins to ASES in 1996, when national attendance was 5000. In 2005, attendance was estimated at 68,000, a 34% increase over […]
Canada Close to Organic Regs
Although Canada has had a voluntary organic standard since 1999, it is only now close to being codified into law. The Canadian organic community seeks mandatory national organic standards to ease the way for trade of organic products both within Canada and with other countries. Pre-publication of Canada’s organic regulation appeared recently in the Canada Gazette (Vol. 140, No. 35, Sept. 2, 2006) marking the beginning of a 75-day comment period for international and domestic stakeholders. The government will review the comments and make any necessary revisions prior to final publication and enactment.Certification of organic producers and handlers as well as accreditation of certifiers have been voluntary except in the province of Quebec, which requires certification to the Quebec organic standards by certifying bodies accredited by the Conseil des appellations agroalimentaries du Quebec (CAAQ).A national regulation will pave the way for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to secure equivalency agreements with other countries, thus facilitating markets for Canadian-produced organic products. When the regulation is finalized, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will establish a Canada Organic Office (Bureau canadien du biologique).The US Organic Trade Associaton (OTA www.ota.com) played a central role on the Organic Regulatory Committee (ORC), which helped shape the […]
Solar Shines in Washington State
Washington State is pioneering the first pay-for-performance renewable energy incentive in the U.S.
Better Living and Bigger Profits Through Safer, Greener Chemistry
The breadth of "chemical risk" or "environmental health risk" to portfolios may be just as broad as the "climate risk" that investors are coming to recognize.
European SRI Market Valued at 1 Trillion Euros
Eurosif, the European Social Investment Forum, has just published the “European SRI Study – 2006.” This unique study highlights the scale and progress of European Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) across nine countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). Based on a survey of funds under management, the report reveals that the Broad European SRI market is currently estimated to be up to 1 trillion Euros and representing as much as 10-15% of the total European funds under management. This represents a 36% growth since December 31, 2002. SRI is growing in many countries and is particularly booming in Spain and Austria. Eurosif’s Executive Director Matt Christensen states: “Readers of the Study will find a European SRI market that has considerably changed since 2003, when we last published our report. Across Europe, there are signs of robust SRI strategies, increased mandates from institutional players and the growing involvement of more traditional financial services providers. The one constant in the field is that European SRI continues to be an area of diversity and innovation.” The research shows that the three key drivers of the growth in SRI are the increased credibility of the business case […]
American Superconductor Books $4.6M Wind Farm Order
American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC) has received $4.6 million in new orders for D-VAR® systems for regulating voltage at wind farms in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. These orders are expected to enable AMSC’s Power Electronic Systems business unit to achieve its forecasted 50% growth in revenues for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. These latest orders will also increase the amount of wind-generated electricity served by AMSC’s power electronics solutions to more than 1.8 billion watts (1,800 megawatts), close to the company’s two billion watt objective for March 31, 2007. “The performance of the Power Electronic Systems business unit has surpassed our expectations for this fiscal year,” said Greg Yurek, CEO of American Superconductor. “Our PowerModule(TM) and D-VAR technologies are proving to be ‘must-have’ solutions for wind farms around the globe, enabling operators to regulate voltage to optimize the operation and output of individual wind turbines while also allowing owners to meet the increasingly stringent standards for interconnection of wind farms to power grids.” “Following closely on the heels of several other contracts, these new orders are expected to enable us to grow revenues for this business unit by 50 percent year-over-year to more than […]
Ballard Introduces New Air-Cooled Fuel Cell Stack
Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLD.TO – News)(NASDAQ:BLDP) has successfully completed alpha trials and plans for accelerated beta trials and managed commercial rollout of its air-cooled fuel cell, the Mark 1020 ACS. The Mark 1020 ACS, a product primarily focused on the backup power market, provides a range of power outputs from one to five kilowatts, and leverages Ballard’s air-cooled fuel cell technology expertise to deliver several significant improvements over earlier product prototypes. Key elements of this next generation design include: – Simplified, lower cost design: the Mark 1020 ACS uses 33% fewer parts than the previous generation air-cooled product, incorporates new, lower cost materials, and reduces precious metal catalyst content significantly. – Self-humidification: the unit operates without the need for external humidifiers, thereby reducing both part count and cost. – Ambient operating regime: by dropping operating pressure of the fuel cell stack, Ballard has removed the need for an air compressor, again reducing system cost and improving reliability. Utilizing air-cooled fuel cell technology for lower power output applications enables system integrators to develop fuel cell products that can compete effectively with today’s technologies. With reduced balance of plant costs, integrators can offer customers a lower cost, clean energy alternative. “Ballard’s Mark […]