STUFF

Eagle Creek Ren En bought Blue Heron Hydro to dev 2 new hydro plants on VT West River.

Green E Ren Solutions (EWRL), muni solid waste processing/recycling, LOI for JV with Landfill Solutions of Puerto Rico for landfill closed since '11.

Zero Point Clean Tech says 2nd biomass gasification plant in Ireland producing C-negative heat and power. 1st plant in Germany. Cost competitive with burner-tip NG in much of world. Whatever burner-tip is.

A month ago, Central Hudson G&E stopped accepting solar or wind installs into net metering program because they had reached NY's minimum - minimum - requirement of clean power. Folks have been asking Pub Svc Commish to raise the minimum. Installs would give free el to Central Hudson if homeowners or biz went ahead. Minimum was 1% of utility's '05 peak E load. I still just don't get why everything has to be so dam complicated. Unless it's to give lawyers work. For Central Hudson that was 12MW. Woo. But. Last Friday they agreed to accept new net metering customers pending PSC final decision. As I understand it.

Global food prices up 6% in July. Drought around the world.

MN utility to close state's oldest coal-fired power plant.

Brazil's local content rule (60%) thwarting solar dev. Buyers of out-of-country equipment can't get below market loan rates from state bank. And the 1 Brazil solar maker - Tecnometal - has too expensive product to make projects viable. Brazil prez says utilities will allow homeowners and biz to install solar and trade el next year. But economics are not there. Country's installing 67.5MW this year (Chile installing 1GW). Import tariffs, shipping costs, other duties make Brazil-made solar up to 85% more expensive than in rest of world. But Tecnometal expects to cut panel costs when factory reaches full capac next year. So, quite naturally, Brazil protecting their own biz.

FL Congressman opposing sale of AONE to Chinese comp, citing national security. AONE got $249M grant. "Taxpayer funded intellectual property." Bob Lutz: "superior batt chem, which was to be a US competitive advantage, now China's." Unless we stop it. And where were the American companies to step up for AONE?

Mass legislature passed bill to help dev hydro. Increases max allowed for RPS financial incentives to 30MW from 25. Woo. Measures also for wind, solar and other clean E.

Nova Scotia announced 3 winning bids for total 116MW of wind projects, completing request for 300GWh/y of clean el.

Petrobras expects Brazil ethanol prod to recover by '14. 14 sugarmills shut this year due to low yields, rising costs. Combined capac of 30M metric tons. Petrobras to invest $1B in existing eth projects.

Ukraine seeking to limit canola exports and focus on developing domestic oil processing for biodiesel or oil exports.

Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of '12 intro'd in US House. I thought they were on vacation. Treasury bonds for as little as $25 each to fund clean E. Up to $50B. Rep Filner and 10 compadres.

Microgrids and solar the answer to India power crisis. They depend almost entirely on hydropower. Doesn't work too well in drought. And then what up when glaciers are melted out upstream? Their grid outdated, under managed, abused and dangerously centralized.

Chevy Volt leads US EV sales.

Brits installed more small wind capac than US in '11. 23MW v. 19. Brit FIT intro'd in '10.

1st ever transportation project to be financed by UN Enviro Project going to 3 orgs in India to help reduce transport C emissions in India cities. Most polluted cities in world.

Solar City - 1 of fastest growing solar leasing comps on planet - has raised >$1B. Expected to go public later this year.

WFR (MEMC) up 8% on 2Q results. Sold 169MW of solar, interconnected 87MW, ended Q with 104MW in construction.