June 25, 2008

Record high gas prices are firing up new research. The goal is to commercialize electric vehicles capable of going long distances before they would need fuel.

Hybrid vehicles that run on both electricity and gasoline are now a reality. If the price of gas remains historically high and with the appropriate government incentives, such transportation could become a lot more pervasive and lead to a possible reduction in carbon emissions. Clearly, soaring energy demand and technological advancements have given the all-electric vehicle added potential.

March 6, 2008

Imagine if homeowners could print out plastic sheets of solar cells on inexpensive printers. Imagine further that the solar sheets could be plastered over the roofs of houses and generate electricity – acting in a sense like mini-power stations for the houses. Such a technology would be an enormous boon to American’s growing environmental movement.

And that is the aim of Somenath Mitra, a professor of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, who is experimenting with a solar cell derived from polymers that could one day power not only houses but cars, laptops and other consumer computers. Mitra’s solar research was featured in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry,

June 27, 2008

Talk of the graying utility workforce is starting to get old. Now the language is focused more on pending opportunities -- the need to fill futuristic energy jobs.

It's a critical period in the utility sector. Investment in infrastructure and new technologies has been lagging but is expected to catapult in the coming years. That type of capital influx is now increasingly driven by environmental regulations, necessitating the development of clean generation and smart grid technologies that create energy efficiencies. But labor shortages are looming that could lead to project delays.

July 25, 2008

Tight credit won't prevent utility asset sales. The expected increase in power demand coupled with the need for more investment in infrastructure will continue to drive domestic and foreign enterprises to seek opportunities in North America.

The objective is to leverage assets and to increase earnings growth. Today's environment, however, differs from what it was a couple years ago when some megadeals such as Duke Energy and Cinergy were consummated. The lack of liquidity that now exists has trimmed the list of would-be suitors. As such, the firms with the strongest balance sheets that can still get access to debt financing will guide the process.

ESCANABA - Energy audits and energy-efficiency upgrades are a great way for businesses to save money as well as positively impact the environment, said a guest speaker at Escanaba's Economic Summit at city hall Wednesday.

"Energy audits are a great investment because you need to learn, in all these areas, where you can save," said Kevin Cook, president of G-ENERGY and a board member of Michigan Green.

Cook said right now is the "perfect storm of energy" because economics are really important, people are interested in the green movement, and businesses are seeking energy independence.

Wal-Mart rolls out the green carpet to build a sustainable future

Name the organization that recently announced these environmental goals: "To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain our resources and the environment." If you think it must be a dreamy-eyed environmental group, think again. This ultra-green pledge actually came from the country's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, which operates more than 4,100 stores in the United States and another 2,900 internationally.

Below are a few letters we received on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.

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July 21, 2008

It is a national scandal how America deals with energy research. Certainly not like a leader of the energy world.

You do not have to spend much time with Dan Arvizu, the director of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado before he starts simulating the ups and downs of a rollercoaster with his hands to convey levels of federal support for energy research since the 1970s.

A recent example is DOE's retreat on the FutureGen research effort meant to come up with the technologies that would convert our massive coal inventory into a source of pristine energy. DOE said it was shocked -- shocked -- by cost-overruns and had no choice but to cut the program.

Posted: Tuesday, 08 July 2008 3:21PM

Rochester Hills-based Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER) said Tuesday that its Uni-Solar thin-film flexible solar laminates will power the world's largest rooftop solar power system.

The 12-megawatt system is being installed on GM's assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain and will become operational in the fall of 2008. ECD will supply the solar laminates through its subsidiary United Solar Ovonic LLC.

December 21, 2007

The economic climate facing utilities in 2008 is mild. That's the general forecast from the two leading ratings agencies, which say that the troubles facing the housing and banking sectors are less problematic for power companies that are more defensive.

KALAMAZOO -- After years of planning and incremental advances, the city of Kalamazoo is poised to open an environmentally friendly business park on the once badly polluted site of an oil refinery on the city's southeast side.

Mayor Hannah McKinney, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and city officials will host a phalanx of dignitaries in a ceremonial opening of the Davis Creek Business Park, on about 18.5 acres of land on the north side of Cork Street, at 2 p.m. Wednesday.