Massachusetts

It was another underwhelming week for the stock markets, with the broad markets and broad clean energy indices all losing ground over the five days. 

The only strongly positive clean energy sector was wind power and technology, with the EnergyBoom Wind Subindex (E•B Wind) increasing 1.35% and the First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (FAN)  climbing 0.90%. Biggest loser was the solar power and technology sector, with the EnergyBoom Solar Subindex (E•B Solar) falling 7.34% and the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) dropping 6.27%.

After performing a life-cycle analysis of 14 fuel sources, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have determined carbon emissions from biofuels vary greatly depending on the type of land used to produce the feedstocks.

The broad stock market indices all had lacklustre weeks, apparently bothered by ongoing worries about the Greek economy and a meeting of Euro-zone finance ministers scheduled for Monday. Nevertheless, the broader markets managed to outperform the clean energy and energy efficiency indices this week, with the biggest exception being the EnergyBoom Biofuel Subindex (E•B Biofuel) which ended the week up 2.48%.

Investment in power transmission infrastructure will range from $12 to $16 billion per year in the U.S. from now through 2030 and C$45 million cumulatively in Canada through 2030, according to an estimate released May 11 by consulting firm The Brattle Group.

Power and gas utility Dominion Resources, Inc. (NYSE: D) said today it has received regulatory approval to close two of the four units at its Salem Harbor Power Station in Salem, Massachusetts, by the end of the 2011 and plans to retire all four units on June 1, 2014, because pending environmental regulations and market conditions are making the power station uneconomical to operate.

Applied Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT), the world's largest provider of equipment used to manufacture both solar photovoltaic panels and computer chips, has announced plans to purchase Gloucester, Mass.-based Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, a leading maker of ion-implantation systems—which are used to build the transistors for solar panels, long-lasting, energy-efficient LED technology and mobile device chips—for $4.9 billion.

A collaboration between researchers from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Boston College has delivered a solar thermoelectric generator, or STEG, with a peak efficiency of 4.6 percent.

U.S. venture capitalists invested $1.14 billion in cleantech companies in Q1 2011, a 54% increase compared with Q1 2010, in 69 deals, compared with 79 deals in Q1 2010, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource.

Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed this Week:

Beacon Power Corporation (Nasdaq: BCON) (market cap $43 million) said today it will receive a $22.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for construction of the company’s next 20-megawatt (MW) flywheel energy storage plant. The company also announced it has filed a Form S-3 shelf prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $100 million in equity and/or debt financing.