for largest wind farm in U.S.

New York-based alternative energy supplier Terra-Gen Power has secured $1.2 billion in financing for the construction of what it says will be the largest wind farm in the U.S. The funds will deliver four projects at the company’s Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, California, with a capacity of 570 megawatts. A total of 190 3.0 MW Vestas-American Wind Technology turbines will be used in the new initiative. These will be added to the already underway 150 MW Alta Project I which uses GE turbines. Eventually it’s envisioned that the Alta Wind Energy Center will deliver 3,000 MW of wind power.

Construction is expected to begin immediately and Terra-Gen says the 720 MW potential of the first five projects at the Alta Wind Energy Center will increase the installed wind capacity in California by more than 25% and deliver enough clean, renewable energy to supply up to two hundred thousand homes. Commercial operations are slated to begin in 2011.

“We are delighted to have closed this financing and to be working with Vestas and GE on the Alta projects. The project represents an important expansion of the renewable generating base of California and helps us advance our nation’s goals of achieving energy independence in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Jim Pagano, CEO of Terra-Gen. “The Alta projects I-V will create more than 1,500 domestic manufacturing, construction and operation and maintenance jobs, and inject more than $600 million into the local economy. We are grateful to Kern County, the State of California, the U.S. Congress, and the Treasury Department for their supportive renewable energy policies, without which ambitious projects like the Alta Wind Energy Center would simply not be possible.”

The company signed a purchase agreement with Southern California Edison in 2006 to deliver 1,550 MW of power and currently has 21 renewable energy projects in operation in six states, with more than 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity under development.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Lifecycle. Wind power generation from the roof top of your building

David Hare, who describes himself as an “environmental
entrepreneur”, owns 80 per cent of Windation Energy Systems
Australia – a would-be maker of rooftop wind turbines. (The
turbines’ American designer owns the other 20 per cent).
The missing piece is another investor to take him from
holding the Australian and New Zealand licence rights to
contracting a local manufacturer to, if all goes well, selling
turbines to commercial building owners.
But the 38-year-old’s “main business” is one he owns solely:
Eco Rebates.
As well as holding the Windation investment, Eco Rebates
advises homeowners and businesses on how they can save

energy and water. Its 60 assessors have been accredited under

the national Green Loans program (meaning the federal government will pay the $250 assessmen fee on homeowners’ behalf).
A vegetarian since he was 24, Hare’s entrepreneurism is even more longstanding.
His family’s engineering firm(Hare & Forbes) stretches back over eight decades. In his 20s his marketing helpedCentury 21 become Optus’ top mobilephone dealer in the 1990s.
The following decade he wenton to found his first business,
thecomputerschool.net, a computertraining company he sold in 2007.
Its sale seeded a series of propertyprojects, which fed Hare’s growing
awareness of how homes and buildingsadd to climate change. Eco Rebates
turned this awareness into a businessopportunity. In October, 2008, a headline
on technology website CNET – “Urban wind power inspired
by ancient Persia” – caught Hare’s attention. He immediately
made contact with the subject of the story, Iranian-born
Mark Sheikhrezai, who was installing his first wind turbine at
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in California. Sheikhrezai
persuaded Hare to bring the idea to Australia.
The turbine, which generates up to 5 kilowatts of electricity,
is about the size of a commercial rooftop air-conditioning unit.
Hare says there is “quite a bit of interest” from local building
owners and power companies but says he needs the help of
the government (which subsidises rooftop solar panels but not
wind turbines), local industry (to bring the unit and installation
cost down from $30,000) and, of course, investors.
The green tinge of his newest ventures is no accident, Hare
says. “I am very passionate about making positive, constructive
changes globally.”.

….More >>>Windation Energy Systems_Australia_Commercial in Confidence V2

…More >>> www.mandatorydisclosureconsultants.com.au

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

Product gets approval from SCEIP; 56 units installed by Codding

AspenAir filters become more efficient as they collect more particles; so they do not require changing as often.

ROHNERT PARK – AspenAir, the air filtration system provider that has touted the health benefits of clean indoor air and increased efficiency of HVAC equipment, has another arrow in its quiver: energy savings.

The Martinez- and Rohnert Park-based company has been accepted by the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program as the only air quality device to receive funding along with energy upgrades like solar heat, solar thermal and insulated roofs.

AspenAir has also gained an important commercial customer in Codding Enterprises, which is showcasing green-building technologies in its Rohnert  Park construction.

“We hired an independent energy consulting firm to confirm what we already suspected, that AspenAir makes a significant reduction of power used to heat, ventilate and air condition interiors,” said Mike Gunion, AspenAir president and CEO.

Results showed the air filtration devices knocked 30 percent off energy use while delivering 65 percent more BTUs of power than traditional filtration systems.

The Department of Energy reports that HVAC systems represent 50 percent of total energy use in homes and commercial buildings.

AspenAir’s technology employs a high-voltage ion chamber that electronically charges and polarizes particles, causing them to agglomerate on a filter medium. Unlike traditional filters, the AspenAir filter becomes more efficient as it collects more particles, so it doesn’t require changing as often.

“As traditional filters clog up – and 50 percent of HVAC users don’t change the filters as often as they need to – more power is necessary to force air through the particulate matter, so energy use increases,” said Mr. Gunion.

Armed with the AspenAir study results, Mr. Gunion went to SCEIP and received its approval. Homeowners can now borrow the cost of installation – $800 to $1,200 – and pay it off in assessments to their property taxes.

AspenAir is currently working with Energy Star to include its systems in its highest rating and with the Consortium of Energy Efficiency to extend federal and state incentives and rebates to its customers.

Codding Enterprises has installed AspenAir systems in 56 units at the Sonoma Mountain Business Park.

“Our next target is schools. We’re doing a pilot project with a school system in the Central Valley, where our systems should be able to save 60 percent of their HVAC energy bill, or about $1 million a year,” said Mr. Gunion.

Six-employee AspenAir, which got a jump start from the North Bay Angels in 2005, is not yet profitable.

“We’re closing a Series C round now and should be break even by the end of this year or in 2011,” he said.

“With companies trying to cut costs across the board, we see a lot of growth for our commercial market. Green, clean and cost-saving is what everyone wants.”

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

WINDATION ENERGY SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD provides the most effective renewable energy wind turbine suitable for installation to urban buildings in the world. The patented TWM 5000 units by Windation produce up to 5Kw of clean electricity, have no external moving parts and discretely produce electricity. The units are un-obtrusive and comply to International standards IEC 61400-2. Windation units are the premier choice for urban wind farming as the units can be mounted in multiple arrays and operate whisper quietly. Additional power can be produced with solar panel mounting making Windation’s urban wind turbines an unbeatable choice for energy conscious building owners, tenants, investors, or clean power companies. Windation’s TWM mounts like a commercial Air conditioning unit with ease and plans are being been made to position Windation as the number 1 clean energy wind turbine network globally.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

• Unique product – No competitor
• Unique design unmatched in suitability for buildings
• Renewable energy sector
• High growth industry and opportunities
• High safety factor – No external moving parts
• Resalable electricity asset
• Discrete mounting and positioning
• Wind turbine for city buildings
• Untapped market
• High output per square metre
• Perfect timing for market readiness

KEY INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Increased Electricity costs and feed in tariffs after July 1st
• Valuable Carbon credits and renewable energy certificates produced
• Recent Government support with stimulus programs
• Renewable energy grants available
• Increasing coal and oil costs forcing market shifts
• Electricity grid currently incapable of serving network
• Pre Launch opportunities
• Extremely competitive with solar PV
• High market demand in renewable sector
• Carbon emissions trading will recommence
• Share holding available under ten year licence
• Australia NZ Exclusivity
• Patented first of its kind
• Fastest Growing Wind energy source in the World
• US and International patents in place

BOARD & MANAGEMENT

David Jeffery Hare - Executive Director

Management role assisting Century 21 to be No 1 Telecommunications dealer (Optus) 90’s. Director – ECO REBATES P/L & WINDATION ENERGY AUS P/L 2009. Director – thecomputerschool.net (International website training site) 2005 – 2007. Family background HARE & FORBES (60years) National engineering machine suppliers.

Mark Sheikhrezai – Executive Director

Founder, CEO Rotating Machinery, system design expert, Mechanical Engineer MSME, PE Photo electronic corporation, Beckman Instruments, Composite Rotor.

EXIT STRATEGY

Company wishes to reach an IPO stage on suitable exchange platform or trade sale.

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

WINDATION ENERGY SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD is 80% owned by ECO REBATES PTY LTD a company solely owned and directed by David Hare and 20% owned and directed by Windation Energy systems I

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Innovation Puts Next-Generation

Solar Cells on the Horizon.

Could dye from berries be the answer??

ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2009) — In a world first, a Monash University-led international research team has developed an innovative way to boost the output of the next generation of solar cells.

Scientists at Monash University, in collaboration with colleagues from the universities of Wollongong and Ulm in Germany, have produced tandem dye-sensitised solar cells with a three-fold increase in energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported tandem dye-sensitised solar cells.

Lead researcher Dr Udo Bach, from Monash University, said the breakthrough had the potential to increase the energy generation performance of the cells and make them a viable and competitive alternative to traditional silicon solar cells.

Dr Bach said the key was the discovery of a new, more efficient type of dye that made the operation of inverse dye-sensitised solar cells much more efficient.

When the research team combined two types of dye-sensitised solar cell — one inverse and the other classic — into a simple stack, they were able to produce for the first time a tandem solar cell that exceeded the efficiency of its individual components.

“The tandem approach — stacking many solar cells together — has been successfully used in conventional photovoltaic devices to maximise energy generation, but there have been obstacles in doing this with dye-sensitised cells because there has not been a method for creating an inverse system that would allow dye molecules to efficiently pass on positive charges to a semiconductor when illuminated with light,” Dr Bach said.

“Inverse dye-sensitised solar cells are the key to producing dye-sensitised tandem solar cells, but the challenge has been to find a way to make them perform more effectively. By creating a way of making inverse dye-sensitised solar cells operate very efficiently we have opened the way for dye-sensitised tandem solar cells to become a commercial reality.”

Although dye-sensitised solar cells have been the focus of research for a number of years because they can be fabricated with relative simplicity and cost-efficiency, their effectiveness has not been on par with high-performance silicon solar cells.

Dr Bach said the breakthrough, which is detailed in a paper published in Nature Materials, was an important milestone in the ongoing development of viable and efficient solar cell technology.

“While this new tandem technology is still in its early infancy, it represents an important first step towards the development of the next generation of solar cells that can be produced at low cost and with energy efficient production methods,” he said.

“With this innovation we are one step closer to the creation of a cost-efficient and carbon-neutral energy source.”

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 8th June 2010

Mechanical Engineers’ Device

Helps Electricity Conservation

January 1, 2007 — Smart meters are small computers that provide real-time information on how much electricity is being used by each customer and when, and can relay information back to the head office over the very same power lines they feed from. Smart meters can bill different rates depending overall grid usage, to encourage conservation. Users can program them to control appliances, for example running the dishwasher during off-peak hours, when rates are lower.

SAN FRANCISCO — During the winter, we crank up the heat. During the summer, we turn up the air. And all the time we’re eating up electricity. Now a new smart meter may help to save energy and save money.

Like most parents, finding ways to save is a priority for Trina Camping. But she thought saving on her electric bill was a lost cause. That is, until she saw the light and started using a SmartMeter.

“This is what makes a SmartMeter smart,” Mechanical Engineer Tim Vahlstrom, tells DBIS. “It’s mounted onto a typical electric meter.”

Engineers at Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco are working on SmartMeters. They’re mini computers that provide real-time information on how much electricity is being used by each customer and when.

“This utilizes a technology called ‘Powerline Carrier.’ So it puts the signal back on the lines that actually feed the Meter, back through the power lines, to the transformer, back all the way to the head office,” Vahlstrom says.

Everything is done remotely. You can turn your air conditioning, heating and lights on at home — even when you’re on vacation.

Vahlstrom says, “I want my thermostat to raise temperature by five degrees or four degrees if the price of electricity gets above this level. Then automatically the thermostat we can send a command to do that.”

Power outages can be detected immediately, and within seconds, power is back on. “It actually does these things remotely without a person on-site,” Vahlstrom says.

Peak power hours are from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. By running her dishwasher and other appliances later at night, the power company gives Camping and her family a discount.

“We’ve saved about $150 to $200,” Camping says. It’s the first step to saving electricity and saving money.

Minnesota, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Florida are already using the SmartMeters. Not all of the functions are available right now in every state, but will be soon.

A view inside the National Ignition Facility’s target chamber, a space easily big enough for technicians to stand inside. It is hoped the NIF will eventually be a major source of carbon-free energy.

(Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Lab)

LIVERMORE, Calif.–Think clean energy is a fantasy? What if the power of a star was applied to the problem?

That’s the approach being explored at the National Ignition Facility, a huge-scale experiment in laser fusion based at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory here. Scientists are looking at NIF as a potential key to producing large amounts of carbon-free power.

It’s not known if the system will ever bear the kind of fruit the scientists and administrators who run NIF would like. Still, the facility is a scientific wonder that can transform a single laser beam no wider than a human hair into 192 beams–each of which is 18 inches wide. Together, the beams are designed to produce 4 million joules, the amount of power that would produce 4 million watts of power in a single second.

The NIF was completed in early 2009 and eventually will be used by the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as technicians from national laboratories, fusion energy researchers, academics, and others. It is “the world’s largest and highest-energy laser, [and] has the goal of achieving nuclear fusion and energy gain in the laboratory for the first time,” according to the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, “in essence, creating a miniature star on Earth.”

This is serious high technology. The NIF employs a series of amplifiers and mirrors known as switchyards to route and split the original hair’s-width laser beam over a total distance of 1,500 meters. After being separated by pre-amplifiers into 48 beams, each beam is then split into four beams, and then all are injected into the 192 main laser amplifier beamlines, according to the NIF.

The hope is that NIF will be online as a power plant within 15 to 20 years. For now, the facility is a proof-of-concept system, albeit one comprising two 10-story buildings and more than $3 billion of investment. Eventually, the 192 laser beams reunite to focus on a target fuel pellet that is just millimeters in size, yet placed inside a target chamber that towers over the technicians who sometimes work inside.

And 192 laser beams of this magnitude create some serious heat. The theoretical maximum, according to LLNL retiree and docent Nick Williams, is 100 million degrees Celsius.

For now, because of the amount of power necessary to produce the beams, and the heat created, scientists are only able to fire the laser system once every two or three hours. Eventually, the idea would be to fire it many times a second.

And by 2030, it is hoped, the NIF will be helping produce commercial power and helping scientists and researchers better understand the nature of the universe. That, it would seem, would be a main benefit of producing what amounts to a small star, right here in the middle of Northern California.

On June 24, Geek Gestalt will kick off Road Trip 2010. After driving more than 18,000 miles in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last four years, I’ll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more throughout the American northeast. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. In the meantime, you can follow my preparations for the project on Twitter @GreeterDan and @RoadTrip.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 7th June 2010

EK 700 Mini – the compact beginner

LANNER® chip crusher

LANNER® chip crushers are suitable for breaking up steel wool, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, brass and cast chips that are high in oil content. The broken, free flowing chips achieve around 20% of their original volume depending on the type of material.

Chips from high-alloyed or rough materials are not a problem for our chip crushers. The robust design of the electromechanical motor means you can apply ideal crushing parameters. You have the option of a hydraulic motor for chips with a high percentage of bulk. Added bulk such as rods or turned parts are removed from the crushing area by automatic bulk separators. If bulk like this does end up in the crushing funnel, the motor switches itself off. Then a part of the crushing wall opens. A quick reversal of the knife head sends some of the already crushed chips and the bulk part out through the open hatch. Then the hatch closes and the crusher starts up again.

Chip crushers for crushing long chips

• Suitable for steel, stainless steel and aluminium chips
• Suitable for cast, titanium and brass chips
• Possible volume reduction of up to 80%
• Compact and robust design
• Precision grinder with bulk separator
• Valuable, hardened knife with long lifetime
• Low energy consumption
• Mechanical or hydraulic motor
• Safe and quiet to use
• Highly wear-resistant lining possible
• 

LANNER® chip crushers are suitable for breaking up steel wool, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, brass and cast chips that are high in oil content. The broken, free flowing chips achieve around 20% of their original volume depending on the type of material.

Chips from high-alloyed or rough materials are not a problem for our chip crushers. The robust design of the electromechanical motor means you can apply ideal crushing parameters. You have the option of a hydraulic motor for chips with a high percentage of bulk. Added bulk such as rods or turned parts are removed from the crushing area by automatic bulk separators. If bulk like this does end up in the crushing funnel, the motor switches itself off. Then a part of the crushing wall opens. A quick reversal of the knife head sends some of the already crushed chips and the bulk part out through the open hatch. Then the hatch closes and the crusher starts up again.

An SPS controller in the control box manages the disturbance function on a fully automatic basis.
More information…

Request
Documentation Request
a Quote Where to buy
this product ? Manufacturer’s
contact details

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 23rde May 2010

New York-based Beautiful Earth Group has launched a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is powered entirely by a 235W photovoltaic system. The off-grid modular station is constructed of recycled shipping containers and can charge a range of plug-in electric vehicles including the BMW Mini E, which has a range of 100 miles and takes about 3 hours to charge.

What a great idea. Ther is more to come yet with innovation

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 5th May 2010