The Netherlands
Touted when first announced in January of 2010 as “likely to create hundreds of jobs”, the world’s largest wood pellet plant – a joint effort between German firm RWE Innogy (ETR:RWE) and Swedish firm BMC – cost $170 million to build and occupies about 300 acres in the Waycross (Georgia) Industrial Park. RWE Innogy delivers renewable energy in Europe. BMC is a project and technology development company vested in wood-based biomass.
BP plc (NYSE: BP) said today it has begun construction of the 150 megawatt (MW)Sherbino 2 Wind Farm in Pecos County, Texas. Sherbino 1, which came on line with 150 MW in 2008, was developed with NRG Energy, Inc. Future phases of Sherbino could push capacity to a total of 750 MW, according to BP’s website.
Kior, Inc., which began construction in Q1 2011 on a $190-million commercial-scale plant to convert Southern Yellow Pine chips into renewable crude oil and diesel, has filed a $100 milion Initial Public Offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Kior, based in Pasadena, Texas, is 74.5% owned by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.
Iceland's state-run energy company, Landsvirkjun, is considering manufacturing the world's longest sub-sea electric cable so it can bring its abundance of geothermal energy to interested parties in Europe.
Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed this Week:
1. Air Force Scientists Collect 99 Percent of Wave Energy - A growing industry, wave power technology is increasingly becoming more efficient. Scientists at the U.S. Air Force Academy base in Colorado Springs have demonstrated that submerged wave energy converters can harness up to 99 percent of the kinetic energy inherent in an ocean wave.
I have been wary about profiling bulletin board-listed Lighting Science Group Corp. (OTC: LSCG.OB), a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting manufacturer/marketer:
- On the one hand, the company’s one-year 700 percent stock increase seems justified by its impressive 2010 revenue growth based on what the company claims are the most efficient and cheapest LED products on the market.
- On the other hand, the company’s net losses have been erratic and larger than revenues. And a bulletin board listing always saps a certain amount of confidence.
Solazyme Inc., a South San Francisco, California company that produces non-food-based biofuel, green oils and clean chemicals, last month secured US$52 million in strategic financing.
A new report released by the U.S. DOE, outlines the positive economic impact of ongoing advanced vehicle investments made through the Recovery Act.
The BP oil spill demonstrates an urgent need for the U.S. government to create incentives to drive investment in alternative fuels say biofuel industry leaders, who are lobbying officials in Washington for long-term support.
Europe's first commercial smart-charging station for electric vehicles (EV) has opened for business in The Netherlands.
