SunOpta and GreenField Ethanol Create Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Venture

SunOpta and GreenField Ethanol Create Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Venture: "SunOpta and GreenField Ethanol Create Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Venture
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SunOpta Inc. (SunOpta or the Company) (NASDAQ:STKL)(TSX:SOY) today announced that it has signed a joint venture agreement with GreenField Ethanol Inc. (“GreenField”), formerly known as Commercial Alcohols Inc., Canada’s leading producer of fuel ethanol, to develop and implement commercial scale processes for the production of cellulosic ethanol from wood chips, including the planned establishment of one or more commercial scale plants employing the new process.
The first plant is planned to produce 40 million liters (approximately 10 million gallons) of cellulosic ethanol per year, which would be the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant built and operational in the world using wood chips. Greenfield Ethanol and SunOpta are actively involved in selecting a site for the first plant in Ontario or Quebec. Subsequent plants will be in the range of 200 to 400 million liters (approximately 50 to 100 million gallons) per year capacity.
The venture will be owned 50% by GreenField and 50% by SunOpta’s BioProcess Group and will utilize the SunOpta BioProcess Group’s patented and proprietary process solutions for the production of cellulosic ethanol. SunOpta and GreenField Ethanol Create Cellulosic Ethanol Joint Venture
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SunOpta Inc. (SunOpta or the Company) (NASDAQ:STKL)(TSX:SOY) today announced that it has signed a joint venture agreement with GreenFie"

dailyvideo - Swiss Rocket Bicycle

Interesting speed record
dailyvideo - Swiss Rocket Bicycle: "Swiss Rocket Bicycle"

biofuels international

energy future trend?

biofuels international: "Biofuels can make a significant contribution to meeting future road-transport energy needs, helping to promote energy diversity and reducing emissions. Biofuels reach 4% of road-fuel use in the Reference Scenario in 2030 and 7% in the Alternative Policy Scenario, up from 1% today. The United States, the European Union and Brazil account for the bulk of the global increase and remain the leading producers and consumers of biofuels in both Scenarios. But rising food demand, which competes with biofuels for existing arable and pasture land, and the need for subsidy in many parts of the world, will constrain the long-term potential for biofuels production using current technology. New biofuels technologies being developed today, notably ligno-cellulosic ethanol, could allow biofuels to play a much bigger role - if major technological and commercial challenges can be overcome. "

Investing Deirdre MacMurdy - Sympatico / MSN Finance - Reaping rewards from Ottawa's newest obsession

Good news for green innovators

Investing Deirdre MacMurdy - Sympatico / MSN Finance - Reaping rewards from Ottawa's newest obsession: "Reaping rewards from Ottawa's newest obsession
Strange bedfellows: Politics and profits come together on environmental issues
advertisement

By Deirdre McMurdy
December 07, 2006
Politics and financial markets make uneasy bedfellows. It isn't just that stock traders and policy makers are wary of one another, it's the fundamental clash of short-term and long-term perspectives.
That said, for those are able to look beyond the two solitudes and find the points where agendas intersect, there can be some unexpected investment ideas to consider.
A case in point: When Stephane Dion recently won his bid to lead the federal Liberal Party, environmental issues suddenly got a huge shot in the arm.
It's not just that Mr. Dion's policy platform centered on everything green, it's what that focus means to his Opponents.
There's not much question his leadership will pull votes in the upcoming spring election from both the NDP and the Green Party. Both have made aggressive efforts to claim ownership of that file.
But the real traction will come from the fact that in an effort to undermine Mr. Dion and the Liberals, the Tories are likely to ramp up their environmental policies to pre-empt any gains the Liberals might make.
That means that for investors, green has a whole new meaning and companies with leverage to that agenda, are likely to look pretty attractive over the near term.
Federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl, for example, is expected to make an announcement with respect to the use of alternative fuels in the next couple of months. And Ontario has already legislated that by 2007, all gasoline sold in the province must contain five per cent ethanol, i"

RED HERRING | Biofuels Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans

RED HERRING | Biofuels Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans: "Biofuels Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans

Industry waters say the ‘Holy Grail’ of feedstocks for biofuels could be years from reality.
December 7, 2006
By Jennifer Kho

While some see algae as the ideal source for biofuels, industry watchers at ThinkEquity’s Greentech Summit in San Francisco on Thursday said the technology is likely to be years away.

“Algae, as a biodiesel feedstock, is further out than cellulosic ethanol,” said Martin Tobias, CEO of biodiesel company Imperium Renewables, referring to ethanol from materials like wood chips, switchgrass, and corn stover.

Algae simply aren’t available in large-enough quantities right now, he said.

“We’re opening a 100-million-gallon facility in June, and there won’t be 100 million gallons of algae available next year,” he said. “It’s not about whether algae can produce oil, but about whether it can meet a standard quantity needed for fuel. It’s going to take longer than anyone wants to say at an investor’s conference. Whereas with farming, we can make a significant replacement of fuel now, with what we have.”Biofuels Smackdown: Algae vs. Soybeans

Industry waters say the ‘Holy Grail’ of feedstocks for biofuels could be years from reality.
December 7, 2006
By Jennifer Kho

While some see algae as the ideal source for biofuels, industry watchers at ThinkEquity’s Greentech Summit in San Francisco on Thursday said the technology is likely to be years away.

“Algae, as a biodiesel feedstock, is further out than cellulosic ethanol,” sa"

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor

so much for the free health care myth

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor: "Urgent care clinic fee will cut wait times

By Susan Gamble
Local News - Saturday, November 18, 2006 Updated @ 11:59:49 PM

A controversial new program designed to reduce the number of people waiting to see doctors has been launched by the Brantford Urgent Care clinic.

About 2,000 clients of the clinic got a letter at the beginning of the month outlining an extended coverage policy they could purchase that would mean skipping waits to get certain prescription renewals or laboratory tests.

The $90 annual fee was quickly paid by some who want to avoid one- or two-hour waits in the clinic just for prescription refills, but others are upset about the program and wondering if its legal. "

Venturi-Technical specifications

Venturi-Technical specifications

interesting future car option

Power Air Corp | Technology | PAC Fuel Cell

e Power Air Corp Technology PAC Fuel Cell

looks like a very promising technology

Magenn Power Inc. - Home

Magenn Power Inc. - Home: "Floating Wind Generators
The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) is an innovative lighter-than-air tethered device that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, efficiently generating clean renewable electrical energy at a lower cost than all competing systems.
Electrical power generated at the floating Air Rotor is transferred down the tether to ground level equipment. Depending on size of the Air Rotor, power is sent to users ranging from campers to large power grids. Helium (an inert non-flammable lighter-than-air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds. No towers or heavy foundations are necessary and sizes range from small 'backpack' models to large megawatt generating devices.
Due to design simplicity, low capital & operating costs, and higher efficiency, MARS represents a paradigm shift from the standard wind turbines of today. Magenn Power will start a projected billion-dollar business through sales and licensing of its wind generators. Our first step is the development of a 4 KW prototype which the company will demonstrate in the latter part of 2006."

Farming for Energy - BusinessWeek Online - MSNBC.com

Farming for Energy - BusinessWeek Online - MSNBC.com: "As oil prices continue to rise, power companies and consumers have started to look elsewhere for their energy needs. Voila: Alternative energy producers are clambering out from the shadow of the oil industry giants, ready for their moment in the sun -- or the wind or the ocean, as it were. Though the trend is worldwide, Europe is a particularly friendly setting for renewable energy these days, both as a center of homegrown innovation and as a theater for overseas investment and development. "

Power Air Corp | Technology | PAC Fuel Cell

Power Air Corp Technology PAC Fuel Cell: "PAC Fuel Cell

Zinc Air Fuel Cell ('ZAFC')
The ZAFC was developed at the world-renowned DOE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. By solving longstanding issues related to power consistency and by making the fuel cell re-fuelable, the scientists at LLNL developed a power generation and storage technology that dramatically changes the competitive landscape for fuel cells. "

Helium inflated wind generator

Interesting new technology

Magenn Power Air Rotor System
An Helium inflated wind generator
http://www.magenn.com/index.php

Sweet new business ideas from around the globe - Money - Browse All Money Articles.

Sweet new business ideas from around the globe - Money - Browse All Money Articles.: "Sweet new business ideas from around the globe



Article By: Cynthia Ross Cravit

Every entrepreneur needs a little inspiration sometimes. Whether you're the head of a start-up, a management consultant, marketing manager, business development director, trend watcher, or anyone else interested in creating or expanding companies, it helps to get a pulse on promising young ventures from around the world. "

Tiny hydrogen racer could lead to big things

Tiny hydrogen racer could lead to big things

Elaine Kurtenbach
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
1 2 NEXT >>
CREDIT: AP Photo/Elaine Kurtenbach
Taras Wankewycz, founder of Horizon, explains the hydrogen-powered system in Shanghai, China. This month, the company will begin sales in the U.S. and other major markets of a tiny hydrogen fuel cell car, complete with its own solar-powered refueling station, that Wankewycz and his partners say is a step toward making the technology commercially viable for the mass market.


It's a dream that's been pursued for years by governments, energy companies and automakers so far without success: mass-producing affordable hydrogen-powered cars whose tailpipes spew nothing but clean water.
So Shanghai's Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies decided to start small. Really small.
This month, it will begin sales of a tiny hydrogen fuel-cell car, complete with its own miniature solar-powered refuelling station. The toy is a step toward introducing the technology to the public and making it commercially viable.

RE-E-POWER

Electric motors for boat conversion RE-E-POWER

Rinspeed "Splash" sets English Channel record - Autoblog

Rinspeed "Splash" sets English Channel record - Autoblog: "Rinspeed 'Splash' sets English Channel record
Posted Jul 27th 2006 5:59PM by Stuart Waterman
Filed under: Etc."

Selling Power Back to the Grid

Selling Power Back to the Grid: "

Selling Power Back to the Grid
Pioneering individuals and small businesses are using sun, wind�even cow manure�to produce clean electricity and turn a profit


Carl Baldino, a plant manager for a textile finishing company in Philadelphia, is moonlighting as a small-time energy tycoon. In his second job, he's got the kind of overhead most businesspeople can only dream of. His rooftop solar power generation system pays him an extra $3,000 per year on top of producing all the energy he needs to power his New Jersey home for free. The money comes from an emerging market in renewable energy credits (RECs), part of a program in many states where electricity suppliers that are required by law to invest in renewable energy buy tradable certificates from sources like Baldino. It's just one way individuals and small businesses are making money off clean energy. Advertisement

Baldino says he's never made a better investment�especially with today's unstable energy market. 'I don't think I can find anywhere that I can make a return of $3,000 per year [just for having solar power], and that's if the price of energy doesn't go up,' says Baldino. For him, the $12,000 "

Silicon Valley races to bring electric cars to market

Silicon Valley races to bring electric cars to market: "Silicon Valley thinks it can do what Detroit could not - create a thriving business selling electric cars. In the 1990s, General Motors and other automakers spent billions to develop battery-powered vehicles, but they flopped because most couldn't travel more than 160 kilometres before having to recharge.
By tapping the Bay Area's engineering expertise and culture of innovation, a cluster of entrepreneurs, engineers and venture capitalists are racing to bring electric cars to market. But unlike the Detroit and Japanese automakers, they're working on high-performance sports cars for wealthy car enthusiasts.
At least three Silicon Valley startups - Tesla Motors of San Carlos, Wrightspeed Inc. of Woodside and battery maker
Li-on Cells of Menlo Park - are among a small cadre of U.S. companies developing electric cars.
Some major automakers are also working on electric vehicle technology, but most are focused on hybrid cars that run on a combination of gas and electricity, Pratt said. The success of Toyota's Prius and other hybrids have shown there's a market for eco-friendly cars.
But Tesla's Eberhard thinks the Prius is 'terrifically ugly' and believes other wealthy car enthusiasts feel the same way.
In Tesla's workshop just south of San Francisco, Eberhard and Tarpenning offered a glimpse of their first model - a sleek two-seater called the Roadster that resembles a Lotus Elise - but would not allow photographs. They plan to unveil it next month in Santa Monica.
'We're building a car for people who like to drive,' Eberhard said. 'This is not a punishment car.'"

Better Solar by 2007

Cost and Efficiency
With Stellaris’s technology, solar-power systems can produce the same amount of electricity as other systems, using only one-third of the photovoltaic material, according to Mr. Ward. He predicts the technology will result in an overall cost savings of about 40 percent.

Instead of crystalline solar photovoltaic cells, the concentrators use thin-film solar cells. Thin-film cells contain little or no costly polysilicon, which is especially advantageous during a polysilicon shortage (see Solar’s Going Thin).

Stellaris’s technology is compatible with any thin-film technology, according to Mr. Ward.

Mr. Parker of the Cleantech Venture Network said the technology is interesting, but added that there is a lot of competition in the space. One challenge will be getting warranties for the new technology, as thin-film cells have historically degraded more quickly than crystalline cells, he said.

“It’s a matter of taking a lab test and proving it out in the real world,” he said. “Degradation has been a problem with thin film. It’s got to be plug and play. A concentrator adds a whole new level of complexity, depending on how it’s embedded in the product.”

He believes it may take some time for Stellaris to capitalize on its recent triumph.

“It’s one thing to win a business plan competition, but there’s a lot of pilot work that’s got to be done before this is a successful company,” said Mr. Parker. “There’s a long way to go

Beware of wireless security systems

Gone in 60 seconds--the high-tech version


By Robert Vamosi Senior editor, CNET ReviewsMay 5, 2006
Let's say you just bought a Mercedes S550, a state-of-the-art, high-tech vehicle with an antitheft keyless ignition system. After pulling into a Starbucks to celebrate with a grande latte and a scone while checking your messages on a BlackBerry, a man in a T-shirt and jeans with a laptop sits next to you and starts up a friendly conversation: "Is that the S550? How do you like it so far?" Eager to share, you converse for a few minutes, then the man thanks you and is gone. A moment later you look up to discover your new Mercedes is gone as well. Now, decrypting one 40-bit code sequence can not only disengage the security system and unlock the doors, it can also start the car--making the hack tempting for thieves. The owner of the code is now the true owner of the car. And while high-end, high-tech auto thefts like this are more common in Europe today, they will soon start happening in America. The sad thing is that manufacturers of keyless devices don't seem to care.

Fast electric car from New Zealand Inventor

A car that could save the planet—fast
Silicon Valley's big brains think they can beat Detroit and Tokyo and save the planet - all while doing 0 to 60 faster than almost anything on the road.

By Michael V. Copeland, Business 2.0 Magazine senior writer
May 5, 2006: 7:25 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) - Ian Wright has a car that blows away a Ferrari 360 Spider and a Porsche Carrera GT in drag races, and whose 0-to-60 acceleration time ranks it among the fastest production autos in the world. In fact, it's second only to the French-made Bugatti Veyron, a 1,000-horsepower, 16-cylinder beast that hits 60 mph half a second faster and goes for $1.25 million.
The key difference? The Bugatti gets eight miles per gallon. Wright's car? It runs off an electric battery.
Before creating the X1, Ian Wright designed routers and switches for Digital Equipment and Cisco.


The X1 recently challenged -- and beat -- the Ferrari 360 Spyder (in red) at the Infineon Raceway in northern California.
Play video
Wright, a 50-year-old entrepreneur from New Zealand, thinks his electric car, the X1, can soon be made into a small-production roadster that car fanatics and weekend warriors will happily take home for about $100,000 - a quarter ton of batteries included. He has even launched a startup, called Wrightspeed, to custom-make and sell the cars.
(For a photo gallery of what's under the X1's hood, click here.)
But Wright isn't some quixotic loner. He's part of a growing cluster of engineers, startups, and investors, most of them based in Silicon Valley, that believe they can do what major automakers have failed at for decades: Think beyond the golf cart and deliver an electric vehicle (EV) to the mass market.
Indeed, the race for the new consumer EV has already begun: Just a year ago, Wright was working for his Woodside neighbor Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla Motors, a startup that has 70

RED HERRING | California OKs BPL

RED HERRING California OKs BPL: "California OKs BPL

State gives power utilities the go-ahead to send data traffic over its electricity distribution network.
April 28, 2006
The slowly evolving broadband over power lines (BPL) market got a much-needed shot in the arm late Thursday as the California Public Utilities Commission gave the technology its official blessing.

The blessing came a day after the U.S. Congress included an amendment in its controversial Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006 requiring the FCC to study the interference potential of BPL systems.

The California PUC gave its nod to electric utilities and other companies in the state that wish to begin BPL projects, but laid down ground rules designed to protect ratepayers and secure the power distribution system.

The guidelines allow for third parties to invest in and operate BPL systems, placing the control of the BPL network in the hands of companies with specialized knowledge of the technology."

Plug-ins the answer?

Plug-In Hybrids Get 100+ MPG

While some automakers use hybrid technology to boost performance, some drivers are raising their MPG. Red Herring Article
April 23, 2006

The latest hybrids from Toyota and Honda focus more on high performance than better fuel economy. Now a few drivers are heading in the other direction: squeezing more than 100 miles per gallon from their hybrids by recharging them at electrical outlets.



CalCars, a nonprofit organization that promotes so-called “plug-in hybrids,” has added batteries and plugs to several Toyota Prius hybrids, getting gas mileage as high as 130 mpg. The organization shows its prototypes at events around California, and is working on conversion kits that any driver could install with the help of an engineer.



For those less mechanically inclined, Canada-based Hymotion retrofits the Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Mercury Mariner—for fleets only—with prices starting at $9,500. The company plans to begin converting the hybrids for consumers within the next year.



EnergyCS has also made Prius plug-in hybrid prototypes, and its sister company, EDrive Systems, plans to begin taking orders in the United States this year. Amberjac Projects, in the U.K., will also distribute EDrive plug-in hybrids in Europe.

New project- Hi tech 15 passenger hover craft

A dream machine?
Imagine a dream machine that could effectively carry passengers or freight payload over diverse terrain - land , ice or water -year round -safely, economically and speedily.(faster then any land based alternative.)

Powered by diesel engines - that could use green biofuel alternatives . Run by 2 operators . The operations and flexibility of uses are very broad-

Imagine - using our natural rivers as highways - going upstream,to navigate rapids - wow


These are pictures of a test prototype on trial runs .

Any interest out there to make them commercial in North America.

How much they cost depends on the number made for our domestic market. I am for their commercialism and am interested in your opinion and help.

globeandmail.com : Gold to surpass $800: survey

globeandmail.com : Gold to surpass $800: survey: "Gold to surpass $800: survey
WENDY STUECK
Globe and Mail Update
Strong investment demand will continue to drive gold prices to new highs this year and could see the precious metal surge past the $800 (U.S.) an ounce mark, consulting firm GFMS Ltd. said Wednesday in an annual survey of the gold sector.
�Levels safely over $600 are now in our sights and further hefty gains over the next year or two are quite possible,� GFMS spokesman Philip Klapwijk said in a summary of the survey's findings. �In the right circumstances, the 1980 high of $850 could even be taken out.�
This year's bull run will be overwhelmingly driven by investment demand, the firm said, propelled by some of the same factors that helped push gold prices higher last year, including the high probability of a sharp slowdown in U.S. economic growth and a slide in the dollar."

2006 Fiat Panda MultiEco Concept - Cars - Blogs.ca

2006 Fiat Panda MultiEco Concept - Cars - Blogs.ca: "2006 Fiat Panda MultiEco Concept
March 6th, 2006 by Justin Couture - Canadian Auto Press
Pages: 1 2

Since its divorce and cash-paid settlement with General Motors, Fiat has done some serious thinking about the future. After a near-death brush with accountants, the brand has moved well ahead, bouncing back from the sorry state it was in just a year ago with several new products for the Fiat brand and its luxury/performance subsidiary, Alfa Romeo, destined to enter North America by 2008."

Aylmer Ethanol plant

Ethanol plant moves to Aylmer

By Michael-Allan Marion
Local News - Wednesday, March 29, 2006 @ 01:00

A local farmer-led co-operative will build its $86-million ethanol plant in Aylmer rather than in the Brantford area.

Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative has decided to cast aside an earlier plan to build in the Oak Park North private industrial park in the city’s northwest -- which was meeting with growing community resistance -- and put down stakes in a fully serviced business park on the outskirts of Aylmer in Elgin County.

The board of directors for IGPC -- with more than 600 members mostly from Brant County -- decided to buy 48 acres in that industrial park after the town council voted unanimously to support the project.

The plant will use municipal water that comes by pipe from Lake Erie -- rather than from an aquifer at Oak Park North -- and 15 million bushels of corn to produce 150 million litres of ethanol per year.

Thin solar panel

New thin solar panel could be woven into clothing, says Canadian prof
Last Updated Mon, 10 Jan 2005 18:47:42 EST
CBC News
TORONTO - A new material created at the University of Toronto could lead to clothing that can harness the sun to recharge cellphones and other devices.

The new, thin plastic is five times more efficient at converting the sun's power into electric energy than conventional solar panels, says Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university.

The plastic composite is a combination of tiny particles called quantum dots and a thin polymer, and can absorb light in the infrared, the same kind of light used in television remote controls.

And while today's best plastic solar cells can convert only six per cent of the sun's energy to electricity, Sargent says his film can capture 30 per cent.

Grow your own meat?

How to make your own meat

Vladimir Mironov, a tissue engineer at the Medical University of South Carolina, wants to build a device the size of a coffee maker that would allow people to grow meat in their kitchens.

Here is how it might work.

1. Myoblasts, immature cells that develop into muscle fibre, would be harvested from a pig, cow, chicken or turkey and cultured.

2. Cooks could buy these starter cells, and add them to a growth medium, which would contain water, sugar, salt vitamins, amino acids and growth factors that would stimulate them to reproduce. (Scientists now use fetal bovine serum, but say they would have to come up with a product that was more affordable).

3. The mixture would be put into a counter top incubator, where it would be warmed to encourage growth.

4. The cells would develop into muscle fibre.

5. Hours later, small pieces of meat could be harvested, washed and cooked, either in a patty or a sauce.

Harvesting pig manure on a conveyor belt shows promising test results

Harvesting pig manure on a conveyor belt shows promising test results

globeandmail.com : Ontario unveils green power plan

great Sglobeandmail.com : Ontario unveils green power plan: "Ontario unveils green power plan
Canadian Press
Cambridge, Ont. � Ontario is fixing prices for green power generated by small renewable energy projects.
Under the program, the Ontario Power Authority will buy power produced by wind farms and other renewable methods at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour."

canada.com Autos/Cars - New/Used Car Classifieds and Review

canada.com Autos/Cars - New/Used Car Classifieds and Review: "Intelligent gas pedal alerts of possible collision

By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer
AP


Friday, March 17, 2006



CREDIT: AP Photo
A driver keeps eyes on a vehicle running ahead during a test of Nissan Motor Co.'s new safety feature dubbed 'magic bumber' that causes a car's gas pedal to lift by itself to alert the driver of a possible collision at a Nissan's test facility in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 14, 2006. That new technology combines radar sensors and a computer system to judge a car's speed and the distance to the vehicle in front. Senior manager Yousuke Akatsu hopes to offer the feature in about tw

A new safety feature being developed by Nissan Motor Co. causes a car's gas pedal to lift by itself to alert the driver of a possible collision.
That new technology, shown to reporters this week, combines radar sensors and a computer system to judge a car's speed and the distance to the vehicle in front.
When the car senses a possible head-on crash, the gas pedal automatically rises against the driver's foot as a signal to step on the brake.
If sensors detect a possible collision ahead, the brake automatically kicks in when the driver lifts his or her foot off the gas."

canada.com Autos/Cars - New/Used Car Classifieds and Review

canada.com Autos/Cars - New/Used Car Classifieds and Review: "Self-repairing finishes the latest in new tech
Mood-ring style car paint

Sarah Staples
CanWest News Service"

Clean energyboom

Clean Energy Boom Forecast
Report predicts that global revenue from biofuel, solar, wind, and fuel cells will hit $167 billion in 10 years.March 6, 2006
The market for biofuels, solar energy, wind power, and fuel cells is expected to quadruple in the next decade, a report Monday said, as the price of these alternative energies decline and the world becomes more concerned about the environmental impact of fossil fuels.

Collectively, global revenue from these fuels is seen growing to $167 billion by 2015 from $40 billion in 2005, according to the Clean Energy Trends report from Clean Edge, a Portland, Oregon-based research firm.

“If you look at the growth rates for wind, solar, and now biofuels, they are now growing more than 30 percent a year,” said Ron Pernick, a principal with Clean Edge. “It’s starting to look similar to the personal computer industry in the 1980s.”

When President George W. Bush said in his State of the Union address earlier this year that America was “addicted to oil” and needed to achieve energy independence through alternative energy sources, clean energy came to be perceived as “the new red, white, and blue,” according to Mr. Pernick.
“America’s No. 1 oilman finally came around,” he said. “It’s very important what Bush did in the State of the Union, for the nation’s understanding of how important energy independence is to security issues. It’s not so much early leadership. The train was leaving the station and he had to get on it.”

The firm found that the market for biofuels alone, such as biodiesel and ethanol, reached $15.7 billion globally in 2005. The report projects that amount will grow to $52.5 billion by 2015. Biofuels are already up 15 percent over 2004 and exceeded wind and solar energy technology in revenue.

However, those markets are growing as well. Clean Edge forecasts that the market for solar photovoltaic energy technology, including modules, system components, and installations, will grow from $11.2 billion in 2005 to $51.1 billion by 2015.

Wind power has also been blowing in the right direction, with installations expanding from $11.8 billion in 2005 to $48.5 billion in 2015. Fuel cells and distributed hydrogen are on the rise too, increasing from $1.2 billion in 2005 to $15.1 billion by 2015.

Venture capitalists have been taking notice. Clean Edge teamed with Nth Power, an energy tech venture firm based in San Francisco, to chart the growth of VC funding in the clean tech sector.

They found that VC investors funded more than 80 clean energy companies in 2005, to the tune of $917 million. That represented an increase of about 28 percent from 2004. Clean energy investments totaled more than 4 percent of the $21.7-billion U.S. venture capital market, up from 3.3 percent in 2004.

“2005 marked a sharp rise in venture capital dollars invested in energy-tech companies,” said Rodrigo Prudencio, a principal with Nth Power.

Renewable Tipping Point
Renewables are now crossing a tipping point in terms of pricing, according to Mr. Pernick. Customers of Austin Energy’s GreenChoice and Xcel Energy’s Windsource were able to lock in their energy pricing while natural gas prices and surcharges went through the roof for other utility customers.

Prices of alternative energy products have been decreasing drastically. Wind power used to cost $0.30 per kilowatt hour in 1980 and now costs $0.03 or $0.04 per kilowatt hour.

About 4 million vehicles on U.S. roads run on a mix of ethanol and gasoline, and GM and Ford are starting to ramp up their production of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) that can run both on conventional and alternative fuels. GM plans to produce 400,000 such vehicles this year and Ford plans to make 250,000.

Countries such as Brazil, China, and India have been aggressively expanding their use of clean energy technology as well. “A lot of these countries are poised to leapfrog other nations, and we’re starting to see that happen,” said Mr. Pernick.

Global warming and climate change are also having an impact, forcing industry to put more resources into clean energy technology. The financial incentives are also there, with three of the biggest IPOs of the past year occurring in the solar energy industry: SunPower, Suntech, and Q-Cells.

The influx of capital is occurring within large corporations as well. General Electric’s acquisition of Enron Wind generated $2 billion in revenue in 2005. Toyota shipped more than 200,000 hybrid vehicles last year and now has a larger market cap than General Motors.

Hanging Back
Rona Fried, president of SustainableBusiness.com, pointed out, however, that companies and investors have not seen the same growth in the fuel cell and hydrogen sectors as they have with wind, solar, and biofuels. “Investors are hanging back because they see it’s a maybe,” she said.

Rob Wilder, president of WilderShares LLC and manager of the WilderHill Clean Energy Index, said his index has seen an increase of about 26 percent just since January 1. “We’re up far more than any other sector,” he said.

He noted that exchange-traded funds grew from $200 million to $400 million in two-and-a-half months. “Those metrics are good examples of the eyeballs drawn to clean energy,” he said.

gizmag Article: Functional redesign of the wall electrical outlet

gizmag Article: Functional redesign of the wall electrical outlet

Interesting designs

Bull run in resources

Bull run in resources

Yahoo! Mail - respondfeedbacknow@yahoo.ca

Yahoo! Mail - respondfeedbacknow@yahoo.ca: ""

"A 330 mpg car for everyone" - Autoblog

"A 330 mpg car for everyone" - Autoblog: "'A 330 mpg car for everyone'
Posted Jan 18th 2006 9:00PM by Stuart Waterman
Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrids/Alternative"

Taiwanese researchers breed glowing pigs for stem cell research

Taiwanese researchers breed glowing pigs for stem cell research: "Taiwanese researchers said Friday they have bred the pigs with a fluorescent material in a move they hope will benefit the island's stem cell research effort. The fluorescent pigs are green from inside out, including their hearts and internal organs, said Wu Shinn-Chih, assistant professor of animal science at the prestigious National Taiwan University. "