Now Epishine's world unique solar cell is here
Biden administration and what it means for China and rest of Asia Pacific
Another year in the doldrums? Resilience and sustainability to be core oil and gas themes of 2021
Solar market forges ahead in Q3 as residential installations recover and utility-scale pipeline grows
OPEC+ agrees to increase output after tense negotiations
CONTACT Software explores new high-temperature applications for sustainable energy production
PV module innovations to help drive down solar costs in coming decade
Southeast Asia’s wind power needs US$14 billion new investments by 2030
Sumitomo Electric awarded for Redox Flow Battery Systems from Hokkaido Electric Power Network
ExxonMobil, FuelCell Energy Expand Agreement for Carbon Capture Technology
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Yanmar Energy System Europe Established as Full-Service Energy Solutions Provider
Yanmar has announced the establishment of Yanmar Energy System Europe GmbH (YESE), a full-service energy company that will provide advanced, full-service solutions to customers in Europe in gas-powered generation, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). The establishment of the company follows the Eschenfelder KKU Group’s move to join the Yanmar Group in April 2019. As a specialist in the design, engineering, distribution and installation of resource-saving refrigeration, cooling and heating solutions for trade and industry, KKU joined with Yanmar group company, Yanmar Energy Systems Co. Ltd (YES), a leading force in development, production and distribution of gas engine heat pumps, chiller and cogeneration solutions for the HVAC industry worldwide, to provide development and manufacturing capabilities that enable production of tailormade solutions for complicated situations where standard solutions fall short. “The establishment of this new company consolidates Yanmar’s wide-ranging energy systems portfolio and capabilities under the one roof,” said YESE CEO Yosuke Tajima. “We can now offer full-service, customized solutions to customers across a broad spectrum of gas-powered generation and HVAC applications.” He added: “This move further positions Yanmar for significant growth in European markets by realizing synergies between company functions and optimizing pan-European business management.” Headquartered in Marl, Germany, the new entity will enable Yanmar to strengthen its development activities to further expand tailor made solutions for its energy customers in Germany and the rest of Europe.
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Less waste and energy usage result of Olofsfors switch to SSAB steel
/ins Olofsfors, a Swedish manufacturer of steel products for the forestry and construction industries, has reduced its material usage, optimized its production process and developed a lighter, more fuel-efficient product. How? By moving its production in house and switching to SSAB Boron 27 steel. “We have transitioned from using pre-manufactured parts to buying steel that we press and manufacture in house,” explains Maria Ragnarsson, Olofsfors’ Head of Purchasing and Logistics. “Now that we control our production process, we’re generating less waste and making a more sustainable product.” In 2008, Olofsfors opted to bring the production process for its ECO-Tracks for forestry machines in house. In the search for a supplier to provide the steel for the side supports on the tracks, it chose SSAB Boron 27 steel. “Quality is one of our top priorities,” says Ragnarsson. “If we want to produce the right quality, the material we use has to meet the required quality standards. “We chose steel from SSAB because it maintains a high, consistent level of quality and because SSAB is a sustainably minded company that is also a relatively local supplier to us here in northern Sweden,” she continues. In addition to optimizing fuel consumption as a result of the lightweight properties of SSAB’s steel, the switch to SSAB Boron 27 has resulted in less material use, less waste and improved sustainability for Olofsfors. “The material waste percentage from cut steel can be as high as 50 percent, but, with SSAB’s steel, we’ve reduced that number significantly. Our material use is down too. We make some 400,000 side supports a year and, for each one, we’re saving between half a kilo and a kilo of steel. So we’re heating less steel and wasting less steel,” says Olofsfors’ Strategic Product Developer, Mats Frangén. “SSAB is committed to reducing its long-term climate impact and that’s something we value when choosing our suppliers. With SSAB, we use and transport less material, all of which has a positive impact on our carbon emissions,” concludes Maria Ragnarsson.
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Fenix International’s inclusive employee ownership programme gives first-of-its-kind pay-out in Africa
Fenix International is announcing a pay-out to employees such as customer service associates, sales managers, chefs, and guards under their unique inclusive employee ownership programme in Africa. The ‘Fenix Flames’ programme extends benefits to employees in lieu of traditional company stock options. As part of an employee benefits programme, the scheme was designed to offer a pay-out in the event of an acquisition or public listing. Following Fenix’s recent acquisition by global energy company ENGIE, 350 employees based in Africa will now benefit as a result of the programme. The unique ownership initiative was created to ensure all full-time Fenix employees, beyond those eligible for traditional stock options, benefit from the business’ performance and value creation, including an acquisition or IPO event. African-based employees, including sales managers, call centre staff, support teams, chefs, cleaners and guards, will each receive a pay-out, with longer-serving employees receiving up to 2-5 times their gross annual salary. Fenix Flames are a core part of Fenix’s mission to create long-term impact in their African markets, where the average Ugandan earns as little as $1.50/£0.90 a day. In offering a long-term vested interest in the business, it helps Fenix to attract and retain the best talent and has proved a powerful performance driver for the team as Fenix has rapidly expanded. Alongside ownership, Fenix and ENGIE provide employees with professional development, comprehensive health insurance, parental leave and other benefits to empower and develop the team. Lyndsay Handler, CEO of Fenix International, said: “At Fenix, we believe that employee ownership is powerful. Fenix Flames drive the team to go above and beyond to achieve our long-term goals, to collaborate across traditional department lines, to operate with integrity and to achieve profitability. We spent over two years working with lawyers, investors and financial advisors to carefully craft the Fenix Flames programme and all of this hard work has paid off today.” Fenix held an all-hands meeting to let employees know the value of their Fenix Flames options. Denis Mutti, National Sales Manager at Fenix International said: "I must say it wasn’t easy to leave a secure job in microfinance to join Fenix in its start-up stage, but today I celebrate taking that leap into the unknown. Alongside being a part of the company’s growth and helping to change the lives of millions of people, I have also been able to earn Fenix Flames which are enabling me to acquire a property in Kampala – a dream come true. Only one in a million companies would do this in Africa. Now that the ENGIE acquisition is finalised we will all be working hard to take Fenix to the next level.” Carol Akello, Chef at Fenix International said: "It's not everyday that one can get an opportunity to receive such a package. To date, I still can't believe it. I have worked in Fenix for over 3 years now. This money is going to bring a big difference in my life. The dreams I had only in my head can now be brought to life." Lyndsay concludes: “Today there are very few companies who extend ownership to employees –despite the transformative effect it can have on customers, employees and shareholders. We hope that programmes like Fenix Flames demonstrate the feasibility and impact of employee ownership and that this is just the beginning. In a few years, we want to see a vibrant business community with many more inclusive employee ownership programmes across Africa, and we will actively support this.”
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Inatech Picks Romania to Expand Product Development in Oil Trading ETRM
Inatech, the energy trading risk management (ETRM) systems provider owned by Glencore, today announces that it has picked Romania as a new hub for IT development Inatech has taken on five developers in Bucharest to work on new releases of its key ETRM product for the oil trading industry. The product, named Techoil, enables fully informed and collective decision-making processes by allowing trading firms to see profit and loss in real-time on any given oil trade, and to track the evolution of P&L as variables change such as supply logistics. The development team in Bucharest will complement the work of Inatech’s existing product development unit, headquartered in Chennai, India. “As we grow as an organization, we’re keen to diversify our pool of talent,” said Inatech’s CEO Jean-Hervé Jenn. “Building R&D in more than one location enables a richer exchange of ideas and cross-pollenates unique best practices from each location.” The choice of Romania reflects the high level of skills available locally in IT, a strong sense of professionalism and good education, as well as a cost base 20-30 percent lower than in Western Europe. In terms of technical prowess, Romania is a global leader: the rate of gifted children is twice the worldwide average and the country has ranked No. 1 in Europe at the International Math Olympics this decade.* “We particularly appreciate the way in which our IT specialists in Bucharest like to think long and hard about an assignment at inception,” said Jean-Hervé. “Before coding even begins, you’ll get asked so many questions, it will drive you crazy – but it’s because they’re thinking through the full concept, and at the end of the process you get the product you truly need.” The new team in Bucharest reports to Satyadip Das, Head of R&D, based in India.
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Research from Schneider Electric Reveals Companies Unprepared for New Energy Economy
While global business leaders are gathering at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this week to talk about energy and environmental challenges, a new study released today by Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy and carbon management, and automation, reveals that most organizations feel prepared for a decentralized, decarbonized and digitized future, but many are not taking the necessary steps to integrate and advance their energy and sustainability programs. This false sense of security can be attributed to the finding that most companies still take fairly conventional approaches to energy management and climate action. And the gaps in innovation are further complicated by limited coordination between procurement, operations and sustainability departments, as well as inefficient data collection and sharing. - 81% of companies have made efficiency upgrades or plan to, but 30% or less are considering new energy opportunities such as microgrids and demand response According to the survey of almost 240 large corporations ($100 million in revenue or more) from around the globe, 85 percent of respondents said their company is taking action over the next three years to keep its carbon-reduction plans competitive with industry leaders. But the projects that have been initiated or are in development skew heavily toward energy, water and waste conservation. Outside of renewables, few of the organizations represented are implementing more advanced strategies and technologies to manage energy and emissions. Key findings include: · Eighty-one percent of respondents have made energy efficiency upgrades or plan to within the next two years; 75 percent are working to reduce water consumption and waste. · Fifty-one percent have completed or are planning to pursue renewable energy projects. · Just 30 percent have implemented or are actively planning to use energy storage, microgrids or combined heat and power — or some mix of the technologies. · Only 23 percent have demand response strategies or plan to in the near term. “We are in the middle of a massive disruption in the way energy is consumed and produced,” said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO at Schneider Electric. “The near-universal focus on conservation is a positive. However, being a savvy consumer is only a part of what’s needed to survive and thrive. Companies need to prepare to be an active energy participant, putting the pieces in place to produce energy, and interact with the grid, utilities, peers and other new entrants. Those that fail to act now will be left behind.” A primary barrier to progress may be internal alignment. Sixty-one percent of respondents said their organization’s energy and sustainability decisions are not well coordinated across relevant teams and departments, particularly true for consumer goods and industrial businesses. In addition, the same number of respondents said lack of collaboration is a challenge. Data management was cited as another obstacle for integrated energy and carbon management, with 45 percent of respondents stating that organizational data is highly decentralized, handled at local or regional levels. And of the people who identified “insufficient tools/metrics for data sharing and project evaluation” as a challenge for working across departments, 65 percent manage data at the local, regional or national — not global — level. Managed cloud services leader iomart is an example of a company that’s taking an integrated, data-oriented approach. It works to coordinate energy efficiency and environmental management across the network of data centers it owns and operates in the U.K. “Having data and actionable intelligence is essential,” said , group technical operations director for iomart. “But what happens once the information is in hand is equally important. Our procurement, energy and sustainability teams compare data, and develop shared strategies to manage consumption and emissions, and cut costs. That collaboration has delivered significant savings for the business, and helped us achieve ISO 50001 accreditation and meet Carbon Reduction Commitment requirements.” - The research points to progress in several areas as well. More than 50 percent of companies represented have initiated renewable energy projects or plan to do so within the next two years, with healthcare (64 percent) and consumer goods (58 percent) leading the way. Plus, the c-suite and corporate functions have a high degree of involvement in these and other sustainability-focused programs. Seventy-four percent said C-suite members review or approve renewables and sustainability initiatives, for instance, indicating this work is seen as a strategic priority. And while ROI is the obvious benchmark for energy and sustainability initiatives, companies are starting to take a longer, more comprehensive view of investments. For example, more than half of the respondents said environmental impact is factored in to the evaluation process. Organizational risk (39 percent) is another important consideration. The study was conducted by GreenBiz Research to identify how businesses develop energy and environmental strategies, collect and share data, and coordinate across departments — a practice known as Active Energy Management. Participants included professionals responsible for energy and sustainability management, from C-suite and board members to individual contributors. Companies surveyed represent 11 primary segments, including consumer goods, energy/utilities, finance, industrial, healthcare and technology. Results of any sample are subject to variation. Read the research report for a detailed summary of the survey and results. And for energy and sustainability news and trends, visit Perspectives or follow @SchneiderESS.
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580MW's of Solar Farm Projects being sold by Innovative Solar Systems, LLC
Innovative Solar Systems, LLC (ISS) is a US based Utility Scale Solar Farm Developer. ISS is currently offering for sale a 580MWac portfolio of high quality, high return Solar Farm Projects. The portfolio consists of sixteen (16) individual projects that total 580MWac of grid generation. This portfolio of projects has sites located in the following eight states: MT, CO, UT, AL, NC, SC, WA and TX. These projects are easy build, high return projects and will have excellent rate and term PPA's with credit worthy off takers. ISS is the leader in the development of Utility Scale Solar Farms and has sold approximately 2.7GW of projects to date. Large Investors, Capital Groups and Investment Funds all look to Innovative Solar Systems on a regular basis to supply their large Renewable Energy Investment needs, knowing that ISS develops and builds larger, higher return assets. This known quality allows investors and their stock holders much higher returns. ISS's projects will typically yield its buyers and investors the highest returns in the solar industry. Many factors contribute to ISS's success; such as 1) Better project sites requiring less preparation allowing for quicker build times, 2) ISS has master contracts with some of the best and most economical EPC's in the industry and is able to build projects out for 20-30% less than competitors, 3) Lower long term O&M contracts maximize returns 4) Quality sources of tax equity, 5) Stronger PPA's, 6) Experienced project designers capable of lowering final EPC build costs, 7) Significant in-house services negating clients need for outside consultants.
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Voltus Announces $10 Million Funding to Reinvigorate Innovation in Demand Response
Voltus, Inc., announced today that it has closed on a $10.1 million investment from Prelude Ventures and a family office represented by Energy Innovation. Voltus's suite of energy management products and services delivers cash to commercial, institutional, and industrial customers at no-cost and no-risk in a simple, single page agreement. Combined with Voltus's industry-leading energy expertise and best-in-class cloud-based technology platform, this investment is meant to solidify Voltus as the world's leading provider of demand response. "Customers are excited to take advantage of new demand response opportunities that can more than double the cash they're getting today," said Gregg Dixon, Voltus's CEO. "This investment will help us widen our lead in offering customers more demand response programs in more markets than any of our competitors. We're bringing transparency, simplicity, and energy markets expertise at a time when it's needed most, ultimately to deliver a simple promise: less energy, more cash." "The demand response market went through a rough patch when federal jurisdiction of the resource was called into question, ultimately resulting in a resounding victory at the United States Supreme Court for not only demand response but all distributed energy resources," said Veery Maxwell, Director of Energy Innovation, and now a member of the Voltus Board of Directors. "With this risk addressed, we were eager to invest in a truly innovative demand response solution that would reinvigorate growth in this vital national resource. Not only does Voltus have the most experienced and successful leadership team in demand response, but they developed a best-in-class distributed energy resource technology platform that scales for rapid growth while opening entirely new markets that others couldn't." "We learned quickly that Voltus customers really appreciate their focus on fundamentals and we're excited to support their aggressive plan to bring this industry back into focus," said Tim Woodward, Managing Director of Prelude Ventures, and now a member of the Voltus Board of Directors. "With hundreds of customers already signed, a proven technology platform that has already delivered greater than 100 percent performance to their utility customers, and a dream team of talent, we were sure from the first conversation that we wanted to be part of their vision."
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College of the Desert deploys JLM Energy's Foldrz renewable energy solution
College of the Desert today deployed a first-of-its-kind, renewable energy mobile unit made by JLM Energy, a California-based renewable technology company. The school will use Foldrz in sustainability education programs and as a recruiting tool with prospective students. Countless mechanical and electrical engineering hours went into designing and building Foldrz. Foldrz is fully equipped with the ability to generate, store and distribute power to critical operations, including integration with third-party generators, hydraulic motion controls, and the ability to track the sun. The system is monitored and managed using JLM Energy's innovative cloud-based software, Measurz. Students will be trained in: Renewable Technology Energy Storage Monitoring Software Energy Production Inverter Technology Hydraulics Jon Caffrey, project director for Prop. 39 Grant/Energize Colleges said, "We are proud to showcase our commitment to sustainability and renewables with this innovative and flexible technology. It'll help our Career Education students immensely to provide them with hands-on training in a real-world environment." Nathan Newsom, Vice president of sales at JLM Energy said, "College of the Desert is clearly committed to clean power and we are pleased to work with them to provide a venue for students to become aware of the importance of sustainability and explore careers in the field."
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Pioneer Launches Line of Private Label Engine Generators
Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.("Pioneer" or the "Company"), today announced it is launching a comprehensive all-new line of power generation equipment designed for a broad spectrum of market segments, including but not limited to, prime power, standby power, agricultural, oil and gas, mobile, telecommunications and off-road applications. The line is expected to be marketed exclusively in eight states, and otherwise non-exclusively nationally, significantly expanding Pioneer's addressable market for engine generators. Branded as "Pioneer Critical Power," the complete line of engine generators, ranging from 9 kW to 2 MW of output per generator set, marks the Company's initial foray into offering its own line of power generation equipment. The units are available for order now and first shipments are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2017. Pioneer has already booked over $1 million in new orders for these new private labeled generators, including one order for four 500 kW Tier 4-Final generators with custom enclosures and automatic transfer switches valued at $850,000, representing the largest single generator order in Pioneer's history. Pioneer's diesel generator sets range from 9kW to 2,000kW, feature low operating costs for a wide variety of applications that require convenient and reliable power for EPA compliance for standby or prime power. All units come equipped with a two-year standard warranty and state-of-the-art engine and alternator for exceeding any application, along with common controller platforms for ease of use for your application needs. The Company's natural gas generator sets range from 25kW to 450kW and deliver clean, best-in-class power for standby or prime applications. Both product lines are designed and manufactured to operate in a multitude of environments and meet the most current EPA standards to provide users an efficient and innovative power solution.
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Quanta Services Acquires Stronghold
Quanta Services, Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Stronghold, Ltd. and Stronghold Specialty, Ltd. (Stronghold), a leading specialized services company that provides high pressure and critical path solutions to the downstream and midstream energy markets. Headquartered in La Porte, Texas, Stronghold has a strong presence in the strategically important Gulf Coast refinery and petrochemical market and serves nearly all regions of the United States. The company has achieved strong organic growth by leveraging its operational excellence to expand into ten distinct specialty services companies, each providing platforms for future growth. Stronghold generated revenues of approximately $500 million for the full year of 2016 and has a workforce averaging approximately 2,800 employees. The industrial services market is a natural service line expansion for Quanta, further enabling Quanta to meet energy customers' needs. Stronghold's operations will be reflected in Quanta's Oil and Gas Infrastructure services segment. "We remain positive on our 2017 and multiyear outlook and believe Stronghold is a strategic acquisition that will allow us to capture a greater portion of the energy industry operating and capital spend," said Duke Austin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quanta Services. "With positive industry dynamics, visible cross-selling opportunities and Quanta's support, we believe there is a multiyear opportunity for Stronghold's operations to achieve double digit growth. Stronghold's recurring revenues, accretive operating income margin profile and strong free cash flow generation align well with our strategic imperatives for long-term profitable growth. Stronghold is led by a multigenerational, experienced and well respected management team and, importantly, has a world-class, industry leading safety record. We welcome all of Stronghold's employees to the Quanta family." The transaction consideration consists of an upfront payment of approximately $450 million, comprised of $360 million of cash and 2.7 million shares of Quanta Services common stock valued at approximately $90 million, with a cash and stock earnout that could provide maximum additional consideration of $100 million if cumulative three-year EBITDA targets are achieved. For the remainder of 2017, the acquisition of Stronghold is expected to generate $6.0 million to $7.5 million of net income attributable to common stock and to be accretive to Quanta's GAAP diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock by $0.02 to $0.03 and to non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock by $0.06 to $0.07, with accretion expected to increase in 2018. Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to common stock is calculated by adjusting net income attributable to common stock to account for, all net of tax, $3.0 million to $4.0 million of acquisition and integration costs, $2.0 million to $2.5 million of amortization expense associated with Stronghold's intangible assets and approximately $0.5 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense. The allocation of the purchase price is preliminary and subject to change. "Quanta is an ideal cultural and strategic fit for Stronghold, and we are excited to join the Quanta family," said Joe Durham, Chief Executive Officer of Stronghold. "Both companies are committed to safety, our employees and our customers, which provide the foundation for success. Joining Quanta will provide significant resources to Stronghold as we look to build on our history of profitable growth and meet the growing needs of our customers in the years ahead." Stronghold's existing management team will remain in place, with founder Joe Durham continuing in his leadership role as Chief Executive Officer of Stronghold. With a skilled, dedicated and high-quality workforce, Stronghold will serve as a platform operating unit of Quanta. Harris Williams & Co. served as financial advisor and Baker Botts L.L.P. served as legal advisor to Quanta for the transaction.
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NASA Seeking BIG Ideas for Solar Power on Mars
Missions to the surface of distant planetary bodies require power – lots of power. Through the 2018 Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge, NASA is enlisting university students in its quest for efficient, reliable and cost-effective solar power systems that can operate on Mars both day and night. The teams will have until November to submit their proposals. Interested teams of three to five undergraduate and/or graduate students are asked to submit robust proposals and a two-minute video describing their concepts by Nov. 30. NASA's Game Changing Development Program (GCD), managed by the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) are seeking novel concepts that emphasize innovative mechanical design, low mass and high efficiency, with operational approaches that assure sustained power generation on the Mars surface for many years. It's not easy to harness the power of the sun from Mars. Depending on where spacecraft land, the angle and distance from the sun changes substantially during different seasons, affecting solar power flow management and performance. Martian dust is also a threat. It clings to everything on the surface and could form a blanket over solar panels. The goal is to have a reliable operating power source in place before astronauts ever step foot on the surface of Mars. That means solar array designs will need to fit compactly into a single cargo launch, have the capability to deploy robotically on the surface, and begin producing power soon after landing. The 2018 BIG Idea Challenge invites teams and their faculty advisors to work together to design and analyze innovations in the design, installation, and sustainable operation of a large solar power system on the surface of Mars, in the following areas: Novel packaging, deployment, retraction, and dust-abatement concepts Lightweight, compact components including booms, ribs, substrates, and mechanisms Optimized use of advanced ultra-lightweight materials and high efficiency solar cells Validated modeling, analysis, and simulation techniques High-fidelity, functioning laboratory models and test methods From these proposals, NASA and industry experts will select four teams to continue developing their proposed concepts, submit a technical paper, and present their concepts in a face-to-face design review at the 2018 BIG Idea Forum, held at a NASA center in early March 2018. Each of these four teams will receive a $6,000 stipend to participate in the forum. Student members from the BIG Idea Challenge winning team will receive offers to participate in paid summer internships at either NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, or Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where they will continue developing their concept under the mentorship of NASA experts.
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