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June 16, 2008

Intel Funds New Solar Initiative

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Intel Spins off solar energy Technology; Intel Capital Invests in SpectraWatt Cogentrix Energy, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund, Solon AG also Invest in SpectraWatt to Deliver Solar Cells

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 16, 2008 – To spur new development and demand for renewable energy sources, Intel Corporation is spinning off key assets of a start-up business effort inside Intel's New Business Initiatives group to form an independent company called SpectraWatt Inc. Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, is leading a $50 million investment round in SpectraWatt and is joined by Cogentrix Energy, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund ("CETF") and Solon AG. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008.

SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers. In addition to focusing on advanced solar cell technologies, SpectraWatt will concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce the cost of photovoltaic energy generation. SpectraWatt expects to break ground on its manufacturing and advanced technology development facility in Oregon in the second half of 2008 with first product shipments expected by mid-2009.

"SpectraWatt is a great example of technology resulting from entrepreneurial efforts inside Intel," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. "This is an important investment for Intel Capital in the growing cleantech sector and we look forward to working with the company to support its expansion."

Solar cells are the discrete components in a solar energy generation system responsible for converting sunlight to electricity. The end-user market segment for solar technology in 2007 was approximately $30 billion, a 50 percent increase from 2006, according to Photon Consulting. Solar industry growth of 30 to 40 percent annually is expected to continue in years to come as the economics of solar, which is currently approximately twice the cost of delivered retail electricity on a per kilowatt basis, begins to approach that of traditional electricity-generation technologies.

Intel has a long history of commitment to the environment and has applied technology innovation to drive energy-efficiencies within its own products and operations. The development of a small solar business within Intel is consistent with the philosophy to protect the environment as well as seek new business opportunities. Intel is on track to reduce its total worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from 2004 levels through 2010, and also recently introduced lead- and halogen-free microprocessors. Additionally, Intel currently tops the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power list as the largest purchaser of renewable energy credits.

"The formation of SpectraWatt is an important step forward in the renewable energy market," said Andrew B. Wilson, SpectraWatt CEO and former general manager in the Intel New Business Initiatives group. "We are pleased to work with these companies in the goal of moving toward long-term national energy independence."

"We are very proud to be part of this exciting new venture," said Thomas Krupke, SOLON AG CEO. "With the experience and commitment of all companies involved, we are confident to reach our common goal — advancing solar technology to a new stage."

About Intel Capital Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, home, mobility, health, consumer Internet, semiconductor manufacturing and cleantech. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$7.5 billion in approximately 1,000 companies in 45 countries. In that timeframe, 168 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 212 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2007, Intel Capital invested about US$639 million in 166 deals with approximately 37 percent of funds invested outside the United States. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.

About Cogentrix Energy, LLC Cogentrix Energy, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., is a leading owner and operator of independent power and cogeneration assets in North America. Cogentrix is a primary Goldman Sachs platform for the development and operation of both conventional and renewable power generation in North America and selected international markets.

About The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high net worth individuals. Founded in 1869, it is one of the oldest and largest investment banking firms. The firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major financial centers around the world.

About PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund The PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund is a co-mingled fund of funds and co-investment vehicle dedicated to investing across the spectrum of the global clean energy and technology value chain. The fund is managed by a dedicated cleantech investment team within PCG Asset Management, which oversees more than $15 billion of private equity commitments through a combination of fund-of-funds, separate accounts and advisory relationships and is based in La Jolla, Calif.

About Solon AG SOLON AG für Solartechnik is one of the largest solar module manufacturers in Europe and a leading supplier of photovoltaic systems for large-scale solar power plants. The SOLON Group has subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the United States, and employs more than 700 people worldwide. The SOLON Group's core business is the manufacture of solar modules in various performance categories and of complete photovoltaic systems for the construction of solar power plants.

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Ultimate Biodiesel Guide


November 28, 2007

Google to Fund Alternative Energy Research


Google announced yesterday that they are going to take their large fund of cash and use some of it to support research into alternative energy development in order to help offset energy usage at their company and beyond. They intend to fund solar energy and wind power strategies.

"We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centers," said Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products. "We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at globally significant scale, and produce it cheaper than from coal."

Page added, "There has been tremendous work already on renewable energy. Technologies have been developed that can mature into industries capable of providing electricity cheaper than coal. solar thermal technology, for example, provides a very plausible path to providing renewable energy cheaper than coal. We are also very interested in further developing other technologies that have potential to be cost-competitive and green. We are aware of several promising technologies, and believe there are many more out there."

Page continued, "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades." (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)

"If we meet this goal," said Page, "and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well."

Working with RE, Google.org will make strategic investments and grants that demonstrate a path toward producing energy at an unsubsidized cost below that of coal-fired power plants. Google will work with a variety of organizations in the renewable energy field, including companies, R&D laboratories, and universities. For example, Google.org is working with two companies that have promising scalable energy technologies:

* <strong>eSolar Inc</strong>., a Pasadena, CA-based company specializing in solar thermal power which replaces the fuel in a traditional power plant with heat produced from solar energy. eSolar's technology has great potential to produce utility-scale power cheaper than coal. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/esolar.pdf">http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/esolar.pdf</a>.
*<strong> Makani Power Inc.</strong>, an Alameda, CA-based company developing high-altitude wind energy extraction technologies aimed at harnessing the most powerful wind resources. High-altitude wind energy has the potential to satisfy a significant portion of current global electricity needs. For more information on Makani Power, please visit <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/makani.pdf">http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/makani.pdf</a>.

More coming soon on this item

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January 18, 2008

iChapters.com Helps Environmental Activism Take Root


Online College Textbook Store Pledges to “Plant a Tree” for Each eChapter or eBook Purchased Through Partnerships with ChangingthePresent.org and PasoPacífico.org

Belmont, Calif., January 16, 2008 – At a time when environmental issues are a growing concern and people are looking for simple yet proactive ways to make a difference, iChapters.com, a convenient online store where students can purchase print and digital textbooks, today announced a month-long green campaign aimed at emphasizing conservation, supporting reforestation efforts, and reducing the company’s environmental impact by planting trees for every eChapter or eBook purchased through their website, www.iChapters.com.

This groundbreaking program is made possible through partnerships with ChangingthePresent.org, a non-profit Website enabling the donations and reporting for implementation of the program, and PasoPacífico.org, a non-profit group charged with planting the trees.

“Today’s youth are aware of the global environmental crisis and want to act. This partnership provides an exciting way for students to participate in the solution,” stated Dr. Sarah Otterstrom, Founder and Executive Director of PasoPacífico.org. “Trees are central to healthy life on earth. A single tree can provide a home to a multitude of species, filter water and provide fuel, shelter, and comfort for local people. Simply put, trees benefit people.”

This program reduces the demand for paper and supports PasoPacífico.org’s reforestation efforts. iChapters.com expects to plant at least 7,000 saplings over the course of the campaign. In addition, students who participate will also save money on learning materials while benefiting from the choice, value and convenience the digital products from iChapters.com provides.

“Today’s students are a highly informed and savvy generation that has been actively aware of the environmental crisis for some time,” said Erin Wetzel, Vice President of eCommerce for iChapters.com. “Our goal is to join with these students and respond to their concerns about the environment.” energyhq.com/press-releases/ichapterscom-helps-environmental-activism-take-root" class="more" class="more-link">More on iChapters.com Helps Environmental Activism Take Root

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August 28, 2007

Coal-to-Liquids and Lignite-to-Liquids - An Environmentally-Sound Solution for the Peak Oil Crisis


The use of coal and lignite to produce liquid transport fuels has been given new importance with the looming "peak oil" crisis. The synergies of mining, drying and conversion technologies need to be explored in order to achieve the highest efficiency and sound environmental process performance of an integrated production system.



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February 2, 2007

$500 million to fund new Bio Fuels/Alternative energy research at two top campuses announced


Thursday February 1, 12:30 pm ET

University of California Berkeley, the University of Illinois and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab join research effort

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ — BP today announced it has selected the University of California Berkeley and its partners the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to join in a $500 million research program that will explore how bioscience can be used to increase energy production and reduce the impact of energy consumption on the environment.

BP Selects Strategic Partners for Energy Biosciences Institute

The Energy Biosciences Institute will perform ground-breaking research aimed at the production of new and cleaner energy, initially focusing on renewable biofuels for road transport. The EBI will also pursue bioscience- based research in three other key areas; the conversion of heavy hydrocarbons to clean fuels, improved recovery from existing oil and gas reservoirs, and carbon sequestration.

'The proposal from UC Berkeley and its partners was selected in large part because these institutions have excellent track records of delivering 'Big Science' — large and complex developments predicated on both scientific breakthroughs and engineering applications that can be deployed in the real world,' said BP Group Chief Executive John Browne. 'This program will further both basic and applied biological research relevant to energy. In short, it will create the discipline of Energy Biosciences. The Institute will be unique in both its scale and its partnership between BP, academia and others in the private sector.'

Dedicated facilities on the campuses of UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois will house EBI research laboratories and staff. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will carry out supporting research. Up to 50 BP staff located on the two campuses will work in partnership with university faculty and researchers. BP and its partners will share governance of the EBI and guidance of its research programs.

'We are delighted to welcome UC Berkeley, the University of Illinois and the Lawrence Berkeley Lab to this effort,' said Bob Malone, chairman and president of BP America Inc. 'We are joining with some of the world's best science and engineering talent to meet the world's demand for low carbon energy. As part of that effort we will be working to improve and expand the production of clean, renewable energy through the integrated development of better crops, better processing technologies, and new biofuels.'

'BP's award is a tribute to the scientific excellence of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its academic partners at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,' said U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. 'As we continue to promote alternative energy as a means to strengthen our nation's energy security, it is important that private industry join in support of research to advance President Bush's goal of making clean energy sources, like bioenergy and biofuels, commercially available.'

'We are extremely pleased that BP has chosen to partner with the University of California at Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to create the Energy Biosciences Institute,' said Dr. Robert J. Birgeneau, chancellor of UC Berkeley. 'Contributing our world-class expertise in the areas of alternative energy research and policy with BP's ambitious vision for EBI will harness the most creative science and innovative technologies to develop viable solutions to global energy challenges. We are tremendously excited at the possibility this partnership holds for solving one of the most fundamental problems that currently faces our nations and the world.'

'I can't tell you how excited I am that BP has chosen UC Berkeley and California for its new $500 Million Energy Biosciences Institute,' said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. 'I'm proud that the private sector has recognized California's leadership and commitment to clean energy. This is a perfect complement to our new low-carbon fuel standard which will cut carbon emissions 10 percent from our cars by the year 2020, and with research facilities like the Energy Biosciences Institute, California will continue to be a leader in the Cleantech industry.'

'I thank BP for engaging the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in this noble enterprise,' said Richard Herman, chancellor of UIUC. 'This exciting venture allows two of the country's greatest public universities to work together to develop renewable energy — an initiative that will play a critical role in the success and security of our nation. Addressing the problems facing society is the business of our institution. The scientists leading this important work are continuing Illinois' rich heritage of paradigm-changing discovery and innovation.'

'We are extremely pleased that Illinois and our flagship public-research university is a part of BP's exciting new Energy Biosciences Institute, which will advance important new discoveries to protect our environment and expand our economy,' said Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. 'If we make these kinds of investments now in cleaner renewable biofuels like ethanol and other biodiesel, within ten years we'll be able to produce enough energy from our own natural resources to dramatically cut our dependence on foreign energy and help fight global warming. That means billions of our hard-earned dollars will stay here at home, in our economy creating more jobs, rather than leaving our country forever. As a national leader in corn and soybean production and world-class biofuels research and development, Illinois is uniquely positioned to advance the vision of this new Institute. We look forward to working together with BP and our partners in the state of California to bring even more efficient and effective renewable sources of energy to the marketplace,' Gov. Blagojevich said. 

    Notes to editors:
    * BP is of one of the world's largest energy companies, providing its
      customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light,
      retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items. It is
      the largest oil and gas producer in the U.S. and one of the largest
      refiners.  The company has operations in more than 100 countries.



* BP's decision to devote significant resources to widening the
  availability of biofuels is part of its strategy of identifying low
  carbon or renewable fuels for the future. It follows on from the
  company's announcement of BP Alternative Energy - a dedicated
  alternative energy business which is active in solar, wind, hydrogen and
  combined-cycle-gas-turbine (CCGT) power generation - and the
  establishment of a biofuels business within its Refining &amp; Marketing
  Business.

* BP is already a top player in the global biofuels market, blending and
  distributing 590 million gallons of ethanol and 70 million gallons of
  biodiesel in 2005. In 2006 BP blended 718 million gallons of ethanol
  with gasoline -- a 25 percent increase from the previous year. With the
  blending and marketing of these products, along with other refined
  products, BP accounts for about 10 percent of the global biofuels
  market.

* With current production technology, only a fraction of the oil contained
  in most reservoirs is ever recovered. Depending on reservoir quality,
  recovery rates can vary from 20 to 70 percent.   The EBI will explore
  the possibility of using biological methods to improve recovery rates.

* Plants and other organisms can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and
  transfer it to the soil or ocean. The EBI will work on techniques to
  enhance this process.

Source: BP BioFuels

Alternative Energy HQ was in the house when this announcement was made this week. We bring you this release in its entirety for background on the effort. If you would like our take on this deal check out this page.

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