STUFF

Semprius opening 1st solar panel plant this month in N Carolina. Concentrating solar (CSP). ~34% efficient. (SPWR @ 24%.) GaAs (EMKR), of course, over 40%. Semprius plant capac 5-6Mw/yr, potential expansion to 35. Siemens 16% stake. NREL tech.

Chevron unit signed E services agreement with Dublin to overhaul infrastruct, install solar arrays and switch streetlights to LEDs. $14M savings next 25 years to finance, plus $650K in incentives, rebates.

E.ON unit expanding solar operations in US, relocating global solar HQ to San Fran.

Africa Development Bank approved $800M in loans to spur private investment in Morocco's wind and solar markets. Morocco goal 42% clean E by '20. ADB loaned them another 168M Euros in May that, along with $100M from Clean Tech Fund, financing 1st phase (120-160Mw) of concentrated solar plant. Full capacity to be 500Mw. Cost est. 1.04B Euro. More finance coming from 6 more agencies, including World Bank. In June, ADB loaned Morocco 359M Euros for wind/hydro and rural el program. Goal > 1Gw of wind power, el to 80K new users. Cost $2.16B, '17 completion.

Spain govt debt hit 76% of their GDP.

Japan now says will phase out nuke power by end of '30's, extending out another ten years.

Commerce Dept declared disaster for N East's '13 groundfishing industry. Stocks have failed to rebuild. Cod, Haddock, Flounder.

Exelon against extending wind tax cred. Surges of wind E late nights in Midwest (low el demand) drive market price of el below zero. Nuke plants then have to pay grid operators to use their el. So do wind operators, but they have the subsidy to pull out profits.

National Park Service ID'd 30 national parks where oil/gas drilling could begin. Allowed in 12 now.

Some economists say new fuel efficiency standards will do less good than would more tax on gasoline.

Shell spending $15M/yr to research ice conditions, eco systems, sea life and oceanography in Alaska Arctic.

Poll: upstate support tilting NY to favor fracking.

WV not keeping up with abandoned oil/gas wells.

Prius Energy (OH). Sustainable tech harvesting el, fuels, gases, chems while cleaning wastewater. Announced their parent comp. Bacterial Robotics. Prius 3 years old. BactoBot synthetic biotech based on bacterial metabolism.

USDA Sept crop report more optimistic on corn. Avg yield 122.8 bu/ac. New fact: ~1/3 of corn used for ethanol returns to feed market. Net basis, eth uses 26% of corn supply. Global crop projected to be 2nd largest ever. Argentina up > 30%, Mex up 19%, S Africa up 17%, Canada up 9%, China up 4%.

Tests coming soon on 100% unblended renewable jet fuel that meets petrol jet fuel specs.

Ohio State researchers report white rot fungus shows promise of boosting cellulosic ethanol production. 1 month fermentation yields 30% more sugar from corn leaves, 50% more from cobs, stalks. Corn leaves left in field controls soil erosion. Common sense says just go with cobs and stalks.

Draft EU proposal to elim food crops subsidies for biofuels by '20 and cap crop-based fuels at 5% blend. Biofuels now 4.5% of EU consumption. Puts 5% target onto advanced biofuels because of overall 10% by '20 target.

Over 50 Lukoil gas stations in NJ, PA increased prices to > $8/gal to protest N Am Lukoil policy. Normal 7 cents/gal more than competitors, 25 cents in places.

5 months after BP Gulf spill, bacteria had consumed at least 200K tons of oil and NG.

Vestas-commissioned global poll: 85% of folks want more clean/ren E. 49% willing to pay more for it. Corps continue to show preference for investing in it. In '11, new investment in clean/ren $237B v. $223B for fossil.

You gardeners know about global warming. USDA's Plant Hardiness Zone Map updated early this year from '03. So much uproar, they reverted to '90's map. Now new one out. Planting zones shifting north.