STUFF

US Fed grand jury indicted 2 Sinovel execs, former employee of American Superconductor (AMSC) for conspiring in '11 to steal AMSC software that controls el flow in turbines. Caused alleged $800M damages. Loss of 500 jobs. No US extradition treaties with China, Serbia (where AMSC employee ended up). (No extradition treaty with China?!) Sinovel to face trial in US. Could face fines 2x damages plus restitution to AMSC. AMSC also suing in China for $450M for infringement of trade secrets and other settlements. Sinovel-made wind turbines contain AMSC-stolen intellectual property. DOJ launched $4.8B prosecution case. (Confucious said: "the wind cleanses the spirit". I made that up. Maybe it was Lao Tse. Maybe Charlie Chan. Bruce Lee?)

Heritage Foundation: reduced power gen from coal plants could cost 500K jobs, drop family incomes, raise NG prices. (I bet they exaggerate some. But cleaner, healthier air, less global warming will cost something somewhere to someones; add value elsewhere.)

Study: human-caused climate change behind record hot Australian summer 6 months ago. (They did get a govt leadership change lately.)

After 7 months of drought, Marshall Islands' capitol had tidal floods.

Study: historical records of sea levels during last ice age inaccurate. May change current climate models.

BLM proposing to offer 8 parcels near Mesa Verde in Nov oil/gas lease sale. Locals do not like. (Ever been there?)

Nordex (Germany) closing Arkansas wind turbine nacelle assembly plant in Oct. "Uncertainty in US market from govt extending PTC 1 year in last hour last year, plus some over capacity." Opened in '09 for $100M with goal of 700 jobs by '14.

Binz nominated to head FERC.

Sunrun scored over $630M for solar rooftop installs across US. JP Morgan, US Bank among investors. Using 3rd party owned model. US residential solar installs up 53% yoy. Sunrun has over $2B in pipeline.

IEA: globally, clean/renewable energy may supply more power than nuclear or NG by '16. Clean/ren may grow 40% next 5 yrs. Near 22% now worldwide.

Sale of shares in new grid lines to normal citizens launched in Germany. More citizens working to take power supply into their own hands. Also buybacks of muni utilities sold to private firms in '90's. '07-'12 over 230 municipalities started their own utilities or bought back from private owners.

Better insulation, triple glazing, better boilers, etc. can cut new house power use up to 90%. (But do utilities want that? We need a new power paradigm folks.)

Every 5% global shift to av biofuels creates 72K jobs, avoids 3M tons/yr of carbon emissions. US commercial av uses near 20B gal jetfuel/yr. 5% shift in US creates 3.6K jobs, avoids 150K tons carbon/yr.

CleanWorld (Cal) expanding 10K tons/yr biodigester to 40K. Will be largest commercial high solids food waste digester in US. Dec '13 completion. Will convert 100 tons/day of food waste into heat, power, NG, fertilizer enhancements. CNG fueling station next door.

US Forest Service awarded near $2.5M in grants to 10 comps, community groups for wood-to-energy projects. Recipients to provide at least 20% of project cost. Other matching funds near $6.3M. GAO: USFS $314M backlog in trails maintenance. (How do we maintain our happy trails, pards?)

2-junction solar cell reached new record 31.1% efficiency at NREL. Beat Alta Devices' 30.8% made 2 months ago. NREL joint project with U Cal Berkeley, Spectrolab.

Repsol rejected $5B offer from Argentina for '12 seizure of 51% stake in YPF.

Consortium rejected Nabucco NG pipeline from Azerbaijan to Europe for shorter TAP pipe through Turkey, Greece, Albania, under Adriatic to Italy. Nabucco a more northern route. Production under Caspian starts in '18 - 16BCM/yr. TAP ready in '19.

New nuke reactors in Brit to be backed by govt. Britain wants to attract 100B Pounds of private investment in energy sector. Also unveiled plans for tax changes, planning laws to exploit shale gas. EDF wants to build 2-reactor 14B Pound nuke plant in Brit.

MidAmerican subsid completed largest ever solar project bond offering. (I couldn't find more on it.)

Malakoff to pay $600M for 50% stake in Australian wind project.

Returns at clean/renew energy mutual funds up avg. 23% last 12 months. Smallest gain over 14%. Latest Q returns avg. 4.5%. ETF returns mixed. Largest 12-month gain from QCLN - over 50%.

Obama turned over keys of climate change plan to 2 women.

Oregon temporary ban on pesticide suspected in bee deaths.