Monthly Archives: August 2004

Fuelcell Energy Inc (FCEL) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U. S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center/Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) and will provide a 250-kilowatt Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power plant to the Department of Defense (DoD) Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center (FCTec) for evaluation in a combined heat and power application. This distributed generation fuel cell system will supply electricity, and the byproduct heat will be coupled with an adsorption chiller.

Environmental Power Corp (POWR) announced today that it had signed an agreement with De Snayer Dairy of Lodi, California, for the on-farm location of an animal feed production system based on Microgy's anaerobic digester technology. Microgy expects to own and operate the proposed facility that will utilize manure from De Snayer's dairy operations to generate biogas for the operation of equipment developed to process feed ingredients, utilizing a process that is being pioneered by The Scoular Company.

Evergreen Solar Inc (ESLR) announced that the company was named to the prestigious New England Technology Fast 50 list. The annual ranking, conducted by Deloitte & Touche LLP and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, designates the fastest-growing companies located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island by revenue growth.

Oregon continues rewarding people who buy hybrid cars. The state Department of Energy has announced that the 2005 Ford Escape will qualify for tax credits. Tax credits already apply to the 2004 Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Honda Insight, and state DOE officials expect that the 2005 models of those cars will also qualify. I wanted to point out one key paragraph from the article above. Demand for Hybrid automobiles is soaring. In 2003, 509 people took advantage of the tax credit, said Justin Klure, a policy analyst with the Department of Energy. So far this...

Toyota Motor Corp (TM) are developing a hybrid drivetrain system that can be used for gasoline, diesel, natural gas and fuel-cells.

Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ENER) and ChevronTexaco Technology Ventures LLC, is demonstrating the use of its metal-hydride hydrogen storage system in a modified hydrogen-electric variant of today's best-selling hybrid sedan. The modified hydrogen hybrid will be available for test drives at the South Coast Air Quality Management District's "Hydrogen - Fueling the Clean Air Future" conference today and tomorrow, August 16 and 17, at the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert, Calif.

Electro Energy Inc (EEEI) and In-Q-Tel, a private not-for-profit venture group funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, today announced the establishment of a strategic relationship, including a technology development agreement. In-Q-Tel's mission is to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve United States national security interests. This means that they like what they see with this next generation battery technology.

Stuart Energy Systems Corp (SRNYF) attended the grand opening ceremony held at the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Diamond Bar headquarters. Hydrogen fuel-powered vehicles from Honda, Toyota, and DaimlerChrysler were fueled at the grand opening ceremony. The AQMD's facility is among the first of 13 hydrogen-fueling stations co-funded by AQMD and slated for construction throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. These stations will provide fuel for hydrogen-powered fuel cell and internal-combustion engine vehicles used in fleet demonstrations throughout the region.

DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX) announced its first fuel cell vehicle customer in California today the Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The government agency will use a DaimlerChrysler F-Cell in daily use, based at its new hydrogen refueling station, the first station to be open to the public. Just a reminder, DaimlerChrysler is in partnership with Ballard Power (BLDP) to provide the fuel cell stacks.

In time for the Olympic Games RWE SCHOTT Solar has begun operation of the country’s largest rooftop solar-energy unit in Athens. Supported by its Greek and German partners, this will help the company to further strengthen its market position in Greece. RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. is a joint venture of the RWE Group (RWEOY), a global international multi-utility concern with core businesses in electricity, gas, water, waste management and recycling; and the SCHOTT Group, a leading international specialty glass manufacturer.

Hydrogenics Corp (HYGS) announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenlight Power Technologies (Greenlight), received a multi-million dollar test station contract from General Motors (GM). The highly customized test stations will be delivered to GM's Fuel Cell Activities research facility in Honeoye Falls, New York. In addition to the test station contract, General Motors has also awarded Hydrogenics with a new multi-million dollar contract to provide testing services in support of General Motors' fuel cell stack development program.

Arotech Corporation (ARTX) announced today that its Electric Vehicle unit has developed technology that will allow its zinc-air batteries to use commercially available zinc, eliminating the need for the special dendritic zinc used to date. Arotech's technological breakthrough for utilizing readily available zinc will boost commercialization plans for the zinc-air hybrid bus, which until now required heavy investments in zinc producing infrastructure.

A legislative committee on Thursday defeated a $1 billion proposal to run half of new California homes on solar energy by 2020, in part because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has yet to sign on to the proposal advanced by his own Environmental Protection Agency. The vote came hours before the governor met privately with senior aides to decide how to fulfill an ambitious campaign pledge, and a day after he renewed a promise to help put the state on a par with world leaders like Japan and Germany in offering solar incentives. Related story: Solar power homes...

Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ENER) announced that they are going to be focusing on accelerating the commercialization of its products. The Board of Directors has unanimously approved Management's business restructuring plan to take full advantage of the favorable battery settlement agreement announced on July 7, 2004 and the increasing market interest in solar energy systems and hybrid electric vehicles.

Intrepid Technology and Resources, Inc. (IESV) announced today that they have received multiple offers from recognized buyers on their Montana gold property located near the ghost town of Garnet in southwestern Montana. This sale will allow ITR to appreciably escalate their build out of anaerobic digester plants in southern Idaho and will result in accelerating the expansion of the nearly completed Whiteside refinery and allow construction to begin on the second methane refinery as early as the end of 2004. The sale of the Garnet mine will have a substantial and materially significant effect on ITR's ability to...

Enova Systems Inc (ENVA)announced today that it has entered into a development and sales agreement with China's First Auto Works (FAW) for parallel hybrid drive systems for their hybrid buses. FAW signed a two-phase development agreement with Enova for hybrid-electric motors and power controllers for its newest hybrid buses. Enova is working with both FAW and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) of Texas to integrate and validate the new Enova parallel hybrid drive system for these buses.