CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Southern gas corridor still needs ITGI

2012-02-27T10:49:00.001+01:00

The selection of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project for the Italian pipeline portion of the Southern gas corridor is only a "provisional decision", says Harry Sachinis, chairman and chief executive of the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA). In an exclusive interview with EurActiv, he insists that TAP lacks the necessary licences ITGI has.

Azerbaijan recently announced it has selected he Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project for the Italian pipeline option of the project to bring gas to Europe from the Shah Deniz II offshore field. The other competitors in the Southern gas corridor - the Turkey-Greece-Italy Interconnector (ITGI) in which DEPA is a shareholder, Nabucco and British Petroleum - hope to obtain the 10 billion cubic meters per year from the offshore Shah Deniz II field. A decision is expected in summer [more].
Harry Sachinis spoke to EurActiv Senior Editor Georgi Gotev.

What is new with ITGI, the Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy project, since the recent news that the Shah Deniz II consortium has given its preference to a competitor, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) pipeline, for the offshore section to Italy?
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give you the information from firsthand. Let me explain what the ITGI system is in general. It includes also IGB -the interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, known as Stara Zagora-Komotini - and then IGI which is the interconnector between Greece and Italy. The idea is - in terms of timeline – IGI to be completed in 2014 and for it to actually carry early Caspian gas before the gas from Shah Deniz II becomes available, and also carry LNG gas that would come from our Revithoussa LNG terminal in Greece. This is very important because as we have seen from the press in the past couple of months, the region has suffered a crisis of gas supply. The reasons are the weather, but also because of other reasons like the fact that this winter Turkey proved to be unreliable, as it stopped providing the gas system in Greece.
And the interconnectors are independent from the bid for Shah Deniz?
Yes, because we are talking way before Shah Deniz II. Shah Deniz II is going to have the first gas in 2018 but the area can’t wait for solutions until then.
Now about Shah Deniz II. As we know there are four pipelines looking for which way the gas from Shah Deniz II will go. One of these pipelines is the IGI, part of the ITGI system. So the interconnection between Greece and Italy ... can be ready before Shah Deniz II gas is available. Because of commercial issues and one might say for negotiation tactics, and because the suppliers have a share with TAP, they made a provisional decision - those were the words they chose – to proceed with that project.
But TAP does not have all the necessary licences and approvals for it to be ready before the time that Shah Deniz II needs to make its final investment decision. And that’s a key thing because if that project is delayed because it doesn’t have the appropriate regulatory approvals, licences and intergovernmental agreements in place that ITGI has, that puts Shah Deniz II at risk of delay. So Shah Deniz II will have two options. One is to go through the northern route [to Austria], or come back to ITGI to actually resolve the commercial issues. And there is an important difference between these two choices. I believe – and I think this is shared by even the European Commission - that the link between Greece and Italy is extremely important for the security of supply of southeastern Europe, because in case of any disruptions for whatever reasons, the fact that there is a pipeline connecting Greece to Italy means that all of southeastern Europe can enjoy having this kind of back-up because you can bring back from Italy - reverse flow – or even from North Africa to Italy to Greece and to all southEastern Europe.
Yes but you can achieve this goal with TAP, it’s not only ITGI that provides this possibility.
You are absolutely right but you have to combine my two points. One point is that TAP cannot be ready for Shah Deniz II to make the final investing decision on time.
Are you offering your cooperation to join strengths with TAP?
I’m not going to comment on market speculation or what has been written. But if one looks at the combination of commercial capabilities and the strength of the routing and the approval that ITGI has, I think you know one may seem how one can resolve commercial issues and potentially also resolve all the timing issues and at the same time killing three birds with one stone, resolving the issue of security and supply in southeastern Europe.
The Commission has repeatedly said that many of the existing projects should combine strengths. Are you going to get a stake with TAP, what is your strategy?
One here has to take into account two things. TAP is a supplier project and just for Shah Deniz II gas. Shah Deniz is not necessarily the only supplier of gas into the area. I don’t want to say more about this now, but there needs to be a balance between suppliers and buyers - and maybe the combination of the commercial interest of the suppliers and buyers, and also with the quickest opening with the southern corridor based on the maturity of the ITGI projects based on the licences and intergovernmental agreements. There is some interesting space there, and as I said, combining that with another element that cannot be missed - especially after what we went through in our region for the last two months - the issue of security of supply. Because of the unreliability of Turkey, you need to have a linkage between southeastern Europe and Italy.
So you keep the cards close to your chest.
Wouldn’t you? [Laughter]
Look, as you can understand we are in the middle of a real game, a real negotiation and I'm not referring only to ITGI but to everybody - Nabucco, TAP, Shah Deniz II, whoever else is involved in bringing new gas sources into Europe. I think that this big negotiation that is moving to the most interesting time.
Is the fact that DEPA is one of the Greek [government] assets earmarked for privatisation, has it impacted of the decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to pick up the TAP option?
In terms of making their provisional decision, obviously having that uncertainty was an issue. But by far the key issue for the suppliers was the commercial issue, in terms of making more money for their gas. But in terms of DEPA, I should tell you that it has been doing extremely well.
We are having a second year of record profits that are going to be announced in a few days - officially. All the sectors of the group are performing extremely well, both the conventional companies, the distribution companies, pipeline company, everyone had a stellar year and were very pleased to report that. The indications are that there are some 20 very good companies interested in DEPA, also because it has a very strategic location. So I think this is going to be very interesting but of course there is the uncertainty of who is going to come.
Should Gazprom bid for DEPA? Are they allowed to bid?
Yes, they are free to bid. But I think the people who will bid the most interested in DEPA and who put the most money in, are people who actually see the opportunity to bring new gas into the market.
What is the time horizon for the privatisation?
This week the call of interest is going to be published.

Actual prices per one liter of fuel February 26,2012

2012-02-26T20:42:00.000+01:00

February 26, 2012	Unleaded (Superbleifrei, Euro sans plomb, Euro95)				Diesel (Gazole, Gasóleo)
Country	Retail Price		Price (Excluding VAT)		Retail Price		Price (Excluding VAT)
Austria	€ 1.381		€ 1.151		€ 1.402		€ 1.168
Belgium	€ 1.686		€ 1.393		€ 1.533		€ 1.267
Bulgaria	€ 1.328	2.61 лв.	€ 1.107	2.18 лв.	€ 1.410	2.77 лв.	€ 1.175	2.31 лв.
Cyprus	€ 1.276		€ 1.110		€ 1.313		€ 1.142
Czech Republic	€ 1.437	36.10 Kč	€ 1.198	30.08 Kč	€ 1.461	36.70 Kč	€ 1.218	30.58 Kč
Denmark	€ 1.777	13.21 kr	€ 1.422	10.57 kr	€ 1.630	12.12 kr	€ 1.304	9.70 kr
Estonia	€ 1.360		€ 1.133		€ 1.395		€ 1.163
Finland	€ 1.638		€ 1.332		€ 1.571		€ 1.277
France	€ 1.575		€ 1.317		€ 1.399		€ 1.170
Germany	€ 1.626		€ 1.366		€ 1.532		€ 1.287
Greece	€ 1.737		€ 1.412		€ 1.547		€ 1.258
Hungary	€ 1.480	422 Ft	€ 1.165	332 Ft	€ 1.543	440 Ft	€ 1.215	346 Ft
Ireland	€ 1.584		€ 1.288		€ 1.556		€ 1.265
Italy	€ 1.802		€ 1.489		€ 1.736		€ 1.435
Latvia	€ 1.399	Ls 0.977	€ 1.147	Ls 0.801	€ 1.385	Ls 0.967	€ 1.135	Ls 0.793
Lithuania	€ 1.370	Lt 4.73	€ 1.132	Lt 3.91	€ 1.326	Lt 4.58	€ 1.096	Lt 3.79
Luxembourg	€ 1.394		€ 1.212		€ 1.271		€ 1.105
Malta	€ 1.420		€ 1.203		€ 1.350		€ 1.144
Netherlands	€ 1.801		€ 1.513		€ 1.495		€ 1.256
Poland	€ 1.338	5.58 zł	€ 1.088	4.54 zł	€ 1.372	5.72 zł	€ 1.115	4.65 zł
Portugal	€ 1.676		€ 1.363		€ 1.514		€ 1.231
Romania	€ 1.285	5.60 lei	€ 1.036	4.52 lei	€ 1.324	5.77 lei	€ 1.068	4.65 lei
Slovakia	€ 1.490		€ 1.242		€ 1.427		€ 1.189
Slovenia	€ 1.412		€ 1.177		€ 1.302		€ 1.085
Spain	€ 1.422		€ 1.205		€ 1.378		€ 1.168
Sweden	€ 1.703	15.03 kr	€ 1.362	12.02 kr	€ 1.687	14.89 kr	€ 1.350	11.91 kr
United Kingdom	€ 1.617	£ 1.371	€ 1.348	£ 1.143	€ 1.701	£ 1.442	€ 1.418	£ 1.202
EU AVERAGE	€ 1.519		€ 1.256		€ 1.465		€ 1.211

News and Events by CCRES February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T15:18:00.001+01:00

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

News and Events February 22, 2012

DOE Awards $6.5 Million for Tribal Clean Energy

DOE announced on February 16 that 19 clean energy projects by tribal nations would receive more than $6.5 million to support tribal energy development. The competitively selected projects in 10 states will allow American Indian tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by assessing local energy resources, developing renewable energy projects, and deploying clean energy technologies. The projects will help save money and create new job and business opportunities. The projects selected for awards fall under three project areas: feasibility studies, renewable energy development projects, and installation projects.

Thirteen feasibility studies will assess the viability of developing renewable energy resources or installing renewable energy systems on tribal lands to reduce energy use by 30%. For example, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Pablo, Montana, will evaluate the technical and economic viability of a co-generation biomass-fuel power plant that uses fuels from tribal forest management activities to provide up to 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Three renewable energy development projects will receive pre-construction funds for new renewable energy generation and one will significantly cut the need for diesel heating fuel. In one case, the Penobscot Indian Nation, Old Town, Maine, will complete the preparation required to secure funding for the proposed 227-megawatt Alder Stream Wind Project. And, two projects will deploy technologies to convert waste and biomass into energy. The Oneida Seven Generations Corp., De Pere, Wisconsin, will build a state-of-the-art waste gasification energy recovery facility capable of converting 150 tons of municipal waste into 5 MW of electricity per hour. See the DOE press release, the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, and the project descriptions.

DOE, Commerce Department Offer $1.3 Million for Energy Workforce

DOE and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program announced on February 16 up to $1.3 million for training programs. The programs provide commercial building professionals with critical skills needed to optimize building efficiency, reduce waste, and save money. The programs will help reach the Better Buildings Initiative goal of improving energy efficiency nationwide in commercial and industrial buildings by 20% by 2020, reducing energy costs by nearly $40 billion, and creating jobs.

The funding announced will support training centers targeted at improving energy performance in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants. To compete for the funding, universities, community and technical colleges, and trade associations across the country will partner with NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers to create robust building efficiency training programs that leverage MEP’s efforts to help businesses create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save time and money. Training will be tailored to building operators, building managers, and energy service providers, and it will provide energy performance solutions that can save businesses 5%-20% on their energy bills. Applications are due March 30. See the DOE press release, the funding opportunity information, and the Energy Education and Workforce Development website.

DOE-Backed EV Battery Maker Opens New Plant

DOE recognized on February 14 EnerG2, which recently opened its new manufacturing facility for electric vehicle (EV) battery components. Supported in part by $21.3 million in DOE funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Albany, Oregon, facility will produce nano-engineered carbon materials for batteries and other energy storage devices that can be used in EVs. EnerG2's proprietary freeze-drying process to make its specialized carbon material was developed in laboratories at the University of Washington. At full capacity, the EnerG2 plant is expected to be able to produce enough advanced carbon material to support 60,000 electric drive vehicles each year.

EnerG2 is one of 30 advanced battery and electric drive manufacturing facilities supported by the Recovery Act. At full scale, these factories will be able to supply batteries and components for more than 500,000 electric drive vehicles. This support for both manufacturing and research and development is contributing to the revitalization of the U.S. auto industry and will help meet President Obama's goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025. See the DOE press release and the Vehicle Technologies Program website.

DOE Highlights New GE Appliance Factory in Kentucky

DOE highlighted on February 15 the opening of GE Appliance's newly revitalized manufacturing facility that will produce its highly efficient water heaters. GE moved the operation from China to Louisville's Appliance Park, the first facility to open there in more than 50 years. The plant revitalization was partially funded through a manufacturing tax credit of $24.8 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and has already created hundreds of jobs in Kentucky. It will produce the company's new GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heaters, which were finalized and performance tested in partnership with DOE.

GE's prototype for the GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heaters was inspired by DOE research efforts in the late 1990s through the early 2000s, including work by DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In 2008, GE entered into a cooperative agreement with ORNL to rigorously test the water heater. The product underwent successive iterations of testing and design changes until test results on the final model indicated it could last 10 years and use less than half the energy of a conventional 50-gallon tank water heater. The new GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater will be available to the public in April. See the DOE Progress Alert.

GE is also one of 60 companies cited by President Obama for taking part in DOE's Better Building Challenge. In 2010, GE achieved a 33% improvement in its own energy intensity and a 24% reduction in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (both from a 2004 baseline). At that time, it set even more aggressive targets for 2015, including a 50% energy intensity improvement and a 25% GHG emissions reduction across more than 105 million square feet. See the White House press release and the Better Business Challenge website.

Leaders of the Fuel Cell Pack

By Sunita Satyapal, Program Manager, Fuel Cell Technologies Program

What do WalMart, Coca-Cola, Sysco, and Whole Foods have in common?

They’re leading the pack when it comes to hydrogen and fuel cells.

DOE's Business Case for Fuel Cells 2011 report illustrates how top American companies are using fuel cells in their business operations to advance their sustainability goals, save millions of dollars in electricity costs, and reduce carbon emissions by hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year.

The report profiles 34 companies and highlights how they incorporate fuel cell technologies into their business models. According to the report, in the last year, profiled companies used more than 250 fuel cells totaling 30 plus megawatts of stationary power—enough to supply electricity for over 21,000 households. In addition, companies in the report purchased or deployed more than 240 fuel cells at telecommunication sites and more than 1,030 fuel cell-powered lift trucks. Read the complete story in the DOE Energy Blog.

New Licensing Agreement Opens Energy Patents to NGOs, Non-Profits

The technology to improve access to fuel, electricity, and clean water for some of the world's poorest people may already be in the patent portfolios of DOE's national labs. The challenge, however, can be finding dedicated organizations willing to develop the technology and bring it to market, which can mean bringing energy technology to the most remote parts of the world.

As part of President Obama's Global Development Policy, a new licensing agreement opens a number of DOE patents to qualified non-governmental and non-profit organizations. Just as was offered to innovative startups with America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge, selected organizations only pay an upfront fee of $2,000 and a royalty of up to 2% of gross sales of licensed products.

Through new technology, the goal is to accelerate progress toward improved health, energy sustainability, and economic growth in some of the poorest countries in the world, many of which are in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Many organizations already have a presence in these countries, educating populations, caring for the sick, and improving standards of living by advancing the technology used to perform their most rote and domestic of tasks, like how they cook their meals. Read the complete story in the DOE Energy Blog.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

Projekt pučinskih vjetroelektrana

2012-02-22T10:51:00.000+01:00

Jadranska ulaganja d.o.o. i dalje su spremna u tri škvera uložiti 183 milijuna eura i u ukupnim troškovima restrukturiranja uložiti 40 posto vlastitih sredstava. U upitniku su istakli kako ostaju pri istoj ulagačkoj strukturi koju su naveli u programu restrukturiranja. Od države, kao ni od bilo koga drugog ne traže poticaje koji nisu dopušteni u EU. Računaju na potpore koje EU daje za sektor istraživanja, inovacija i razvoja, tzv. horizontalne potpore.
Jadranska ulaganja d.o.o. u vlasništvu obitelji Končar, ne odustaju od privatizacije triju brodogradilišta - 3. maja, Brodotrogira i Kraljevice, a u dobivenom upitniku koji se odnosi na strukturu ulaganja koji im je ovog tjedna poslala nova državna administracija vide pozitivan korak naprijed u nastavku privatizacijskog postupka koji je počeo još prije dvadesetak mjeseci.

Tržište jednostavno ne možemo krojiti prema našim željama nego mu se moramo prilagođavati i pratiti trendove. Koliko su velika hrvatska brodogradilišta troma i neefikasna svjedoči podatak da nijedno koje je danas u teškoćama i u postupku privatizacije, unazad jedanaest godina nije završilo niti jednu godinu s pozitivnim poslovanjem. To upućuje na zaključak da je hrvatska brodogradnje kroničan bolesnik koji zahtijeva određenu terapiju.U Njemačkoj i Danskoj je primjerice upravo orijentacija na gradnju u sektoru alternativne energije pokrenula gospodarski razvoj i rezultirala osjetnim zapošljavanjem.Koliko su i dalje neki dijelovi ispregovaranih obveza prema EU nejasni i nedorečeni, svjedoči i Končarov zahtjev za pojašnjenjem koji je uputio Ruđeru Friganoviću. Pojašnjenje se odnosi na citat iz Izvješća o ispunjavanju obveza iz poglavlja 8. od 1. srpnja 2011. u kojem stoji: Hrvatskim zakonodavstvom je utvrđeno da brodogradilišta svoju djelatnost gradnje brodova obavljaju na pomorskom dobru, odnosno nekretninama u vlasništvu države, a tijekom pregovora (sukladno dogovoru sa službama Komisije), utvrđeno je kako koncesijska naknada za korištenje pomorskog dobra u svrhu gospodarskog korištenja luke posebne namjene (brodogradilišta) treba biti uvećana. Službe Komisije su, naime zaključile kako prije nije utvrđena koncesijska naknada utemeljena na tržišnim osnovama te je stoga u suprotnosti s odgovarajućim pravilima EU-a. U veljači 2011. Vlada RH je s upravama svih brodogradilišta u teškoćama sklopila dodatke ugovorima o koncesiji pomorskog dobra koji sadrže novi iznos koncesijske naknade za uporabu pomorskog dobra, utemeljenu na tržišnim osnovama.

Tko može ući i razmrsiti sve te ugovore, veze, koncesije, i još k tome u Hrvatskoj, gdje sudski sporovi nadžive strane u samom procesu?! Projekt pučinskih vjetroelektrana koje bi se mogle graditi i na hrvatskom Jadranu za svaku je pohvalu. Na sjeveru Njemačke i još nekih drugih europskih gradova instalirane su moćne vjetroturbine za što su njihovi stručnjaci osmislili i proizveli potrebnu tehnologiju.Zato nam je nužna kvalitetna i kontinuirana suradnja sa hrvatskim znanstvenicima i stručnjacima od kojih smo već jako mnogo mogli i trebali načiti,ali nismo. Od stručnjaka i znanstvenika okrećemo glavu, radije medijske stupce punimo protestima kojekakvih zelenih i sveprisutnih udruženja za spas hrvatske ovakve kakva je sad, hrvatske prošlih stoljeća dok Europa i svijet idu naprijed.

Već vidimo dušebrižnike na gumenjacima nekoliko milja od obale zajapurene i željne svojih pet medijskih minuta.Mišljenja smo da treba hitno krenuti u spašavanje nacionalne brodogradnje. Hrvatska brodogradnja je strateški dio nacionalnog gospodarstva koji može već u ovoj godini postati jedan od pokretača izlaska iz krize i višegodišnje recesije te tako pridonijeti konkurentnosti nacionalnog gospodarstva.
Stara poslovica kaže: "Dajte dite materi", u ovom slučaju ljudima, stručnjacima koji žele raditi.

Hrvatski Centar Obnovljivih Izvora Energije (HCOIE)

Actual prices per one liter of fuel February 20,2012

2012-02-20T18:43:00.003+01:00

February 20, 2012	Unleaded (Superbleifrei, Euro sans plomb, Euro95)				Diesel (Gazole, Gasóleo)
Country	Retail Price		Price (Excluding VAT)		Retail Price		Price (Excluding VAT)
Austria	€ 1.370		€ 1.142		€ 1.380		€ 1.150
Belgium	€ 1.663		€ 1.374		€ 1.526		€ 1.261
Bulgaria	€ 1.289	2.52 лв.	€ 1.074	2.10 лв.	€ 1.361	2.66 лв.	€ 1.134	2.22 лв.
Cyprus	€ 1.276		€ 1.110		€ 1.313		€ 1.142
Czech Republic	€ 1.440	36.10 Kč	€ 1.200	30.08 Kč	€ 1.464	36.70 Kč	€ 1.220	30.58 Kč
Denmark	€ 1.747	12.99 kr	€ 1.398	10.39 kr	€ 1.613	11.99 kr	€ 1.290	9.59 kr
Estonia	€ 1.360		€ 1.133		€ 1.395		€ 1.163
Finland	€ 1.627		€ 1.323		€ 1.564		€ 1.272
France	€ 1.578		€ 1.319		€ 1.385		€ 1.158
Germany	€ 1.587		€ 1.334		€ 1.469		€ 1.234
Greece	€ 1.722		€ 1.400		€ 1.542		€ 1.254
Hungary	€ 1.431	420 Ft	€ 1.127	331 Ft	€ 1.489	437 Ft	€ 1.172	344 Ft
Ireland	€ 1.577		€ 1.282		€ 1.554		€ 1.263
Italy	€ 1.740		€ 1.438		€ 1.678		€ 1.387
Latvia	€ 1.369	Ls 0.956	€ 1.122	Ls 0.784	€ 1.359	Ls 0.949	€ 1.114	Ls 0.778
Lithuania	€ 1.356	Lt 4.68	€ 1.121	Lt 3.87	€ 1.315	Lt 4.54	€ 1.087	Lt 3.75
Luxembourg	€ 1.376		€ 1.197		€ 1.271		€ 1.105
Malta	€ 1.410		€ 1.195		€ 1.320		€ 1.119
Netherlands	€ 1.756		€ 1.476		€ 1.475		€ 1.239
Poland	€ 1.328	5.59 zł	€ 1.080	4.54 zł	€ 1.366	5.75 zł	€ 1.111	4.67 zł
Portugal	€ 1.670		€ 1.358		€ 1.492		€ 1.213
Romania	€ 1.281	5.57 lei	€ 1.033	4.49 lei	€ 1.327	5.77 lei	€ 1.070	4.65 lei
Slovakia	€ 1.491		€ 1.243		€ 1.428		€ 1.190
Slovenia	€ 1.412		€ 1.177		€ 1.302		€ 1.085
Spain	€ 1.393		€ 1.181		€ 1.358		€ 1.151
Sweden	€ 1.682	14.78 kr	€ 1.346	11.82 kr	€ 1.666	14.64 kr	€ 1.333	11.71 kr
United Kingdom	€ 1.660	£ 1.388	€ 1.383	£ 1.157	€ 1.741	£ 1.457	€ 1.451	£ 1.214
EU AVERAGE	€ 1.503		€ 1.243		€ 1.450		€ 1.199

Hard times for Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

2012-02-19T21:27:00.000+01:00

Europe's record-low carbon prices are making carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology more of "an annoyance" in the absence of additional incentives, a delegate told a Brussels conference where policymakers and energy experts assessed the EU's energy strategies in the light of the economic downturn.

The comeback of nuclear energy and fossil fuels as well as hard times for solar energy and technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) were the highlights of a conference organised by the French Institute for International relations (IFRI) in Brussels 16 February.
Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, said that it was up to EU countries to decide their energy mix, but warned of various constraints.
"You probably read the Citibank report. European energy is uninvestable at the moment because there are too many uncertainties, too many different instances at national level deciding what should be done, no clear indication as to the level of subsidy to be allowed at various places," he said, naming the renewable and nuclear sector.
CCS 'an annoyance'
"Carbon capture and storage (CCS) sounds great. Unfortunately, our public doesn't like it, he said.
Derek Taylor, Regional Representative for Europe of the Global CCS Institute, admitted that this industry was "still waiting", because it implies huge costs "at a time when people are rather unwilling to invest" in what they perceive just as disposing waste.
At the cost of CO2 at only €8, CCS is "just an annoyance", he said, adding that in the absence of additional incentives, it was "impossible" to make a case for CCS.
Solar also in crisis
Arnaud Chaperon, Senior Vice President of Electricity and Renewable Energies at French energy giant Total, said solar power in Europe was undergoing a "major crisis", since China became a major competitor.
He said that this industry was "still in its infancy" and could be competitive in places such as California, the South of Italy or the Middle East, where it could be cost-effective without subsidies.
The solar industry is going to be "chaotic" in the next two or three years in Europe, but in the longer term, it could have a bright future, Chaperon said.

EurActiv.com

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Centar za praćenje poslovanja energetskog sektora i investicija

2012-02-17T08:50:00.001+01:00

Vlada Republike Hrvatske na svojoj je sjednici objavila prijedlog Zakona o centru za praćenje poslovanja energetskog sektora i investicija, s konačnim prijedlogom Zakona, nakon što je rasprava o tome prošloga tjedna povučena s dnevnog reda radi intervencije ministrice Holy.

Trgovačka društva u kojima Republika Hrvatska ima dionice i udjele, posebno u energetskom sektoru, predstavljaju značajan dio bruto društvenog proizvoda, zaposlenosti i tržišne kapitalizacije. Njihovo poslovanje je od velikog značaja za građane i sve dijelove poslovnog sektora. Slijedom navedenog, upravljanje u tim trgovačkim društvima je od presudne važnosti za osiguravanje njihovog pozitivnog doprinosa cjelokupnoj ekonomskoj učinkovitosti i konkurentnosti države.

U proteklom razdoblju, investicije koje su se odvijale u tim trgovačkim društvima ili koje su do njih vođene te koje su vođene od strane tijela državne uprave često su bile bez sustavne kontrole i praćenja Vlade Republike Hrvatske kao imatelja vlasničkih ovlasti. To je imalo za posljedicu da su neke investicije bile neučinkovite, nekoordinirane, neisplative, a i upitne u odnosu na ostvarenje općih ciljeva i strategije razvoja.

Republika Hrvatska kao država često je u nesuglasju između proklamiranih ciljeva svojih gospodarskih politika, s jedne strane, i potrebe profitabilnog poslovanja trgovačkih društava u kojima je imatelj dionica i udjela, s druge strane.

Kako bi se izbjegao nepotreban politički utjecaj ili pasivna državna vlasnička uloga, od izuzetne je važnosti za vlasničko tijelo da se usmjeri na učinkovito ostvarivanje vlasničkih prava. Država kao vlasnik trebala bi se, u pravilu, ponašati kao svaki veliki dioničar kada je u poziciji da značajno utječe na trgovačko društvo i da bude informiran i aktivan dioničar kad ima manjinski udio. Uputno je da svoja vlasnička prava ostvaruje u cilju da zaštiti svoje vlasništvo i optimizira njegovu vrijednost, stoji u smjernicama za donošenje ovoga Zakona.

U pogledu investicija, uočeno je da su, u nedostatku strategije investiranja i praćenja investicija, tijela državne uprave prespora u donošenju odluka, što dovodi do pogoršanja uvjeta financiranja i pogoršanja drugih okolnosti relevantnih za uspješnu realizaciju neke investicije.

Slijedom prethodno navedenih činjenica, Vlada je predložila donošenje ovoga Zakona koji je izrađen uvažavajući Smjernice OECD-a za korporativno upravljanje u državnih tvrtkama i pozitivna iskustva drugih zemalja, a sve s ciljem iznalaženja rješenja za poboljšanje financijske učinkovitosti društava u energetskom sektoru u kojima država ima dionice i udjele te odgovarajućeg i ciljanog usmjeravanja financijskih sredstava na način koji osigurava najveći i dugoročni ekonomski povrat, stabilan rast te centralizirano i sustavno praćenje investicija u Republici Hrvatskoj.

U pronalaženju ravnoteže između nadležnosti države za aktivno izvršavanje njenih vlasničkih funkcija i istovremenog suzdržavanja od nametanja pretjeranog i neprimjerenog političkog utjecaja na radi i upravljanje trgovačkih društava, ovim Zakonom se uređuje praćenje poslovanja energetskog sektora i investicija.

Nadalje, Zakonom se predlaže da država svoju vlasničku funkciju provodi putem centraliziranog tijela koji djeluje neovisno i u skladu s javno objavljenom vlasničkom politikom i u tom smislu, predlaže osnivanje Centra za praćenje poslovanja energetskog sektora i investicija.

Vlada je u svojem prijedlogu istaknula kako su predložena zakonska rješenja dobar pravni okvir kojim će se doprinijeti povećanju financijske učinkovitosti i transparentnosti poslovanja, ubrzanju procesa odlučivanja u trgovačkim društvima u energetskom sektoru, s odgovarajućim i ciljanim usmjeravanjem financijskih sredstava na način koji osigurava najveći i dugoročni ekonomski povrat, stabilan rast te centralizirano i sustavno praćenje investicija u Republici Hrvatskoj, kao i koordinaciju i vođenje investicija javno privatnog partnerstva u kojima sudjeluju tijela državne uprav, a izvan područja infrastrukture.

Ovome dodajemo kako u smislu ovog Zakona, pojam energetski sektor ima značenje trgovačkih društava u kojima je Republika Hrvatska imatelj dionica i udjela i koja obavljaju sljedeću djelatnost: istraživanje i eksploataciju nafte i plina, proizvodnju naftnih derivata te trgovinu naftnim derivatima i prirodnim plinom, transport nafte naftovodima, transport naftnih derivata produktovodima i drugim oblicima transporta, skladištenje nafte i naftnih derivata, transport i skladištenje plina, LNG terminali, proizvodnju, prijenos, distribuciju i opskrbu električne energije, vođenje elektroenergetskog sustava, organiziranje tržišta električnom energijom, proizvodnju opreme i postrojenja za proizvodnju, prijenos i distribuciju električne energije, kao i opreme za primjenu u području transporta i industrije, proizvodnju i distribuciju topline te naposljetku obnovljivi izvori energije.

Djelatnosti Centra su: analiza poslovanja i planova razvoja trgovačkih društava, izrada prijedloga Strategije investicija u energetskom sektoru, kao sastavnog dijela cjelovite Strategije upravljanja državnom imovinom, stručna potpora izrade prijedloga programa investicija na temelju višegodišnjih i godišnjih programa u energetskom sektoru, stručna potpora i sudjelovanje u izradi prijedloga programa investicija, stručna potpora i sudjelovanje u pripremi natječaja i odabiru strateškog partnera, stručna potpora u pripremi i ugovaranju investicija u energetskom sektoru, pružanje stručne pomoći u realizaciji strateških projekata za financiranje i pronalaženje strateških partnera za financiranje, izrada pravila praćenja investicija za trgovačka društva, izrada i vođenje Registra svih investicija, vođenje i koordinacija investicijskih projekata javno privatnog partnerstva, uspostavljanje i razvijanje suradnje s nadležnim tijelima državne uprave, tijelima jedinica lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave i pravnim osobama s javnim ovlastima i drugim pravnim osobama, uspostavljanje i razvijanje suradnje s međunarodnim institucijama iz područja poticanja i razvoja investicija, a osobito investicija u energetskom sektoru, praćenje i analiza provedbe smjernica i pravila planiranja, odobravanja i praćenja investicija u energetskom sektoru te predlaganje ministru nadležnom za gospodarstvo preuzimanje mjera za otklanjanje uočenih nedostataka.

Sredstva za početak rada Centra osigurati će se u Državnom proračunu iz proračuna Ministarstva gospodarstva, a Centar će se nadalje financirati iz naknada za pripremu i vođenje investicija (na temelju sporazuma Centra i subjekata koji su nositelji investicija) i drugih sredstava ostvarenih iz obavljanja svoje djelatnosti. Navedeno je još kako se Centar može financirati i sredstvima kao što su donacije, krediti, sredstva međunarodne pomoći, sredstva iz instrumenata programa i fondova Europske unije i drugih sredstava i drugih sredstava prema posebnom zakonu.

Autor: © Portal croenergo.eu (T.M.) / CROENERGO MEDIA

Više info na http://www.croenergo.eu/

HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE (HCOIE)

Three Events Under One Roof

2012-02-17T07:42:00.000+01:00

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources promotes Three Events Under One Roof
POWER-GEN India & Central Asia 2012
HydroVision India 2012
Renewable Energy World India 2012

19-21 April 2012
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

www,power-genindia.com
www.hydrovisionindia.com
www.renewableenergyworldindia.com

SWITCHING ON INDIA'S
POWER, HYDRO POWER & GREEN POWER FUTURE

WORLD-CLASS ICONFERENCE PROGRAMME SET FOR
INDIA'S PREMIER POWER EVENT ♦ Topical Issues ♦ Eminent Speakers ♦ International Representation
Register Online Now For POWER ♦ HYDRO ♦ RENEWABLE

HOT CONFERENCE TOPICS

From 19-21 April 2012, POWER-GEN India & Central Asia, HydroVision India 2012 and Renewable Energy World India will present:

♦ 28 topics spanning over 8 sessions
♦ Informative strategic and technical presentations and lively panel discussions
♦ The very latest industry news and developments
♦ All under the theme Switching on India's POWER , HYDRO POWER & GREEN POWER Future

POWER-GEN India & Central Asia 2012	HydroVision India 2012	Renewable Energy World India 2012
CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE TOPICS	CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE TOPICS	CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE TOPICS

WORLD RENOWNED SPEAKERS

POWER-GEN India & Central Asia, HydroVision India 2012 and Renewable Energy World India will provide an elite platform of:

♦ Over 100 eminent international chairs and speakers
♦ With representation from more than 15 countries around the globe
♦ Deliver a wealth of knowledge and experience and expertise
♦ Covering topical issues in the field of energy and the environment within the India and Central Asia region and internationally

POWER-GEN India & Central Asia 2012	HydroVision India 2012	Renewable Energy World India 2012
♦ Mr. Timothy Held, VP Engineering, Echogen Power Systems LLC, USA	♦ Dr. Shivcharn Dhillion, Dir. & Senior Consultant, ENVIRO-DEV, Norway	♦ Mr. Mauricio Roja, Business Development, Solar Power Group, Germany
♦ Mr. Yukio Nakagawa, Deputy GM, Hitachi Ltd, Japan	♦ Mr. Syed Mohd. Saad, Lecturer, Ibra College, Oman	♦ Mr. Darshan Goswani, Project Manager, U.S Department of Energy, USA
♦ Mr. Hans-Juergen Nicki, Sales Manager, Siemens, Germany	♦ Dr. Etienne Parkinson, Head of Pelton R&D, Andritz Hydro, Switzerland	♦ Mr. Anders Brendstrup, Senior Vice President, DP CleanTech, China
♦ Mr. P.R. Mandal, Advisor-Projects, Ministry of Coal, India	♦ Mr. Somsiri Karunaratne CEO, Eagle Power, Sri Lanka	♦ Mr. Chana-Muriel Setteboun, CEO, Akoda Power, Israel

POWER-GEN India & Central Asia 2012	HydroVision India 2012	Renewable Energy World India 2012
CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE PROGRAMME CONFERENCE FEES PRE-SHOW GUIDE	CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE PROGRAMME CONFERENCE FEES PRE-SHOW GUIDE	CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE PROGRAMME CONFERENCE FEES PRE-SHOW GUIDE

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday 19 April
11:00 -13:00	Inauguration Ceremony (Event Opens)
14:00 - 15:30	Session 1 - High Level Panel Discussion: How Can India Balance Supply and Demand?
16:00 - 17:30	Session 2D - Delivering India's Solar Mission
Friday 20 April
09:30 - 11:00	Session 3C - India's Hydroelectric Future
11:30 - 13:00	Session 4D - Securing a Bioenergy Future
Saturday 21 April
09:30 - 11:00	Session 7A Plenary Session: Focus on India's Nuclear Power Sector
11:30 - 12:00	Session 8C - Addressing Environmental Considerations

POWER-GEN India & Central Asia 2012	HydroVision India 2012	Renewable Energy World India 2012
CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS	CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS	CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

WHY ATTEND


	♦ Be part of the region's leading power conference that serves the conventional, renewable and hydro power sectors all under one roof ♦ Keep up-to-date with the latest issues, developments and benchmark projects from world leading technical and strategic decision-makers and strategists ♦ Network with high-level influencers from major international organizations ♦ Represent your company at one of the world's most prestigious power industry events

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

♦ Energy Policy Makers
♦ Electricity Boards/Power Utilities
♦ Energy Managers
♦ Urban Planners and Developers
♦ Energy Consultants
♦ Project Financiers
♦ Engineers

♦ Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
♦ Technology Developers
♦ Environmental Agencies
♦ Operations and Maintenance Managers
♦ OEMs
♦ Plant Operators

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

♦Save up to 10 percent (€50.00) with the Early Bird Discount♦ Valid for one-day and three-day conference delegates
♦ Includes access to all conference sessions for the three events and the combined exhibition
♦ Register Now. Offer closes 23 March 2012

Register Online Now For
POWER ♦ HYDRO ♦ RENEWABLE

SPONSORS

Event Organizers

Supporting Organization

Flagship Media Sponsors

3M Authorized Water Dealer Network

2012-02-15T17:25:00.000+01:00

3M and CCRES

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News and Events by CCRES February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T11:07:00.002+01:00

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

NEWS and EVENTS February 15, 2012

President's 2013 DOE Budget Seeks $2.27 Billion for Efficiency, Renewables

The President's FY 2013 EERE budget will continue to support wind energy and other renewables.
Credit: Vestas

President Obama on February 13 released his Fiscal Year 2013 DOE budget request to Congress, which proposes $27.2 billion. For the DOE's Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the President requested $2.27 billion, reaffirming the Administration’s commitment to an energy future that is cleaner, less expensive, and full of new jobs.

The blueprint includes investments in innovation, job-creating clean energy technologies, and national security. Specifically, the FY 2013 request promotes efforts to cut the cost of solar energy by 75% by the end of the decade and continue crosscutting research into clean energy technologies that can lead to a one-third reduction in U.S. dependence on oil by 2025.

The budget will support EERE goals, including improving building energy efficiency 50% by 2030, with 1 million homes weatherized by 2013; reducing energy consumption of manufactured goods across targeted product life-cycles by 50% or more; decreasing federal energy demand by 30% by 2015 (using a 2003 base) and federal greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2020 (using a 2008 base); improving cars to achieve fuel economy greater than 60 miles per gallon by 2025 and creating batteries by 2015 that cost half of what they do today; making solar energy competitive with other energy sources through the SunShot Initiative; and enabling wind energy to contribute 20% of U.S. electricity use by 2030.

Among the highlights: $60 million to perform critical research on energy storage systems and devise new approaches for battery storage; $350 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to continue support for promising early-stage research projects that could deliver game-changing clean energy technologies; $120 million to support energy frontier research centers; and $140 million for five existing energy innovation hubs and to establish a new hub to focus on grid systems and the tie between transmission and distribution systems. The FY13 budget request also highlights steps taken by DOE to reduce costs. For example, the agency will reduce, consolidate, or move 40% of its websites to the Energy.gov platform to increase communication and transparency as well as streamline website infrastructure processes, which will save more than $10 million a year. See the DOE press release, the FY 2013 EERE budget request, and the proposed FY 2013 DOE budget.

DOE Offers $12 Million to Spur Solar Energy Innovation

DOE is offering $12 million to help speed solar energy innovation.
Credit: LBNL

DOE announced on February 8 more than $12 million in funding to speed solar energy innovation from the lab to the marketplace. The funding, which will be made available through the agency's SunShot Incubator program, will support advancements in hardware, reductions in soft costs, and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects. Each awardee will make significant cost-share commitments.

The SunShot Incubator program, part of the SunShot Initiative, helps launch new startups and business units within existing companies to accelerate innovative solar technology development. Since 2007, DOE has invested $60 million through the incubator in promising technologies as they are brought from lab to marketplace. These investments have catalyzed $1.6 billion in private sector support.

The current funding opportunity builds on the SunShot Incubator Program's history of successful partnerships. Nearly 40 companies have participated in the Incubator, including Colorado-based PrimeStar Solar. In 2007, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and PrimeStar began a cooperative research and development agreement to transition NREL's cadmium telluride solar technology to commercial production. PrimeStar later received a $3 million Incubator award to commercialize its low-cost photovoltaic solar panels. PrimeStar is now owned by GE, which has launched a $600 million investment in PrimeStar and the construction of a large-scale manufacturing plant in Colorado that will employ more than 350 workers to produce state-of-the-art solar panels.

Applications are due April 9, 2012. See the DOE press release, the funding opportunity announcement, and the SunShot Initiative website.

'America's Next Top Energy Innovators' Named

DOE announced on February 10 the three winning startup companies out of the 14 participating in the "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" challenge. The decision was based on the nearly half a million votes cast online from January 26 through February 6, as well as expert review. The startups, using technology licensed from DOE's national laboratories, are from Iowa, Maryland, and Oregon. The winning teams will be featured at the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, which will bring clean energy leaders together at the end of the month.

IPAT, based in Nevada, Iowa, is using gas atomization technology developed at Ames Laboratory to make titanium powder with processes that are ten times more efficient than those made using the traditional powder-making method, significantly lowering the cost of the powder to manufacturers for a range of parts. Umpqua Energy, in Medford, Oregon, is using an Argonne National Laboratory technology to develop a system that allows a gasoline engine to operate in an "extreme lean burn" mode to increase gasoline mileage. Vorbeck Materials, in Jessup, Maryland, is using a method developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for building tiny chemical structures to greatly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries. See the DOE press release and the challenge website.

Global Wind Energy Grew 21% in 2011: Report

The global wind industry installed more than 41,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity in 2011, a 21% increase in global installed capacity, according to a report released on February 7 by the Global Wind Energy Council. This brings the total installed capacity globally to more than 238,000 MW. About 75 countries worldwide have commercial wind power installations, with 22 of them already passing the 1 gigawatt (GW) level. New markets in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are driving the market, the report said.

China has solidified its position as global market leader, with a cumulative capacity of more than 62,000 MW, despite having faced a challenging year. The U.S. wind sector rebounded from a tough 2010 with installations of more than 6,800 MW in 2011. Canada reported a record year in 2011, surpassing the 5,000 MW mark. See the Global Wind Energy Council press release.

Turbines off NYC East River Will Power 9,500 Homes

As part of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project, 30 turbines are being installed along the strait that connects the Long Island Sound with the Atlantic Ocean in the New York Harbor. The project, led by Verdant Power, Inc., is the first ever commercially licensed tidal energy project in the United States. The turbines are scheduled to be fully installed by 2015 and will use the flow of the East River and tides to generate 1,050 kilowatts of electricity—enough to power 9,500 New York homes.

The turbines will also collect important data about environmental impacts on fish and river sediment and provide jobs to a team of technicians who will maintain and monitor the equipment.

DOE helps advance water power technologies by funding research to determine the size of the water resource and by developing innovative technologies to unleash its energy potential. The department began providing Verdant Power with funding in 2008 to improve the turbines’ blade design. Verdant had been successfully developing and testing turbine prototypes in the East River since 2002, but those turbine rotors were not durable enough to be scaled up for commercialization. With the DOE assistance, Verdant designed and tested new blades, which are stronger and more reliable—allowing them to capture more energy from faster currents at greater depths and at a lower cost. Read the complete story in the DOE Energy Blog.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

Clean Safe Drinking Water Companies

2012-02-14T15:56:00.002+01:00

FREE PRODUCT INFO FROM CCRES

As a valued member, you can instantly request product and service information.

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Clean Safe Drinking Water Companies

Company

Product Description

3M PURIFICATION INC.

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CHARGER WATER TREATMENT

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THE PRODUCT OF CHOICE OF WATER FILTRATION PROFESSIONALS EVERYWHERE.

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LEVEREDGE/ISPC

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MULTI-PURE DRINKING WATER

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MYRON L COMPANY

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RESINTECH

OUR COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION, QUALITY PRODUCTS, TECHNICAL EXPERTISE & CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN THE BACKBONE OF OUR SUCCESS. RESINTECH WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS NEEDS WHILE DOING OUR PART TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.

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TOMLINSON INDUSTRIES

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VONTRON TECHNOLOGY

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CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

PRORAČUN 2012.

2012-02-13T16:43:00.000+01:00

Proračun 2012.: Za reformu energetskog sektora 21 milijun kuna, Ministarstvu zaštite okoliša i prirode 272 milijuna kuna

Zagreb, 13. veljače 2012. - Najzanimljiviji dio proračuna Ministarstva gospodarstva jest onaj koji se odnosi na 'Reformu energetskog sektora'. Vrijedan je 21.126.513,00 kuna što je 469.520,00 kuna manje od prošlogodišnjeg. Projekcija proračuna za Ministarstvo zaštite okoliša i prirode iznosi 272.816.273,00 kune, što je za 98.314.413,00 kuna više u odnosu na prošlu godinu kada je iznosio 174.501.860,00 kuna.

Proračunom je za 2012. godinu za uklanjanje prepreka poboljšanju energetske efikasnosti u sektoru stanovanja i usluga predviđeno 1.300.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 2.000.000 kuna), za projekt IPA I 2011 Program Zajednice Inteligentna energija Europe IEE 6.500.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 5.649.139,00 kuna), za projekt obnovljivih izvora energije (darovnica GEF/IBRD) 700.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 50.440,00 kuna), za konkurentnost i održivost energetskog sustava 3.600.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 2.751.000,00 kuna), za projekt IPA 2009 I FPP-RAC - Jačanje i daljnji razvoj unutarnjeg energetskog tržišta u domeni Ugovora o energetskoj zajednici 3.041.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 2.496.833 kuna), za projekt IPA I 2008 - Praćenje sigurnosti opskrbe energentima 4.016.513,00 kuna (prošle godine 5.621.000,00 kuna), za informatizaciju katastra istražnih prostora i eksploatacijskih polja 500.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 1.250,00 kuna) i za projekt IPA I 2007 - Administrativno upravljanje podacima u području energetike 1.496.000,00 kuna (prošle godine 3.026.371,00 kunu).

Projekcija proračuna za Ministarstvo zaštite okoliša i prirode iznosi 272.816.273,00 kune što je za 98.314.413,00 kuna više u odnosu na prošlu godinu kada je iznosio 174.501.860,00 kuna.

U zaštitu prirode izdvojiti će se 14.205.815,00 kuna (prošle godine 17.351.250,00 kuna), a to uključuje 1.500.000,00 kuna za financijsko praćenje međunarodnih projekata, 8.500.000,00 kuna za zaštitu prirode, 635.000,00 kuna za tehničku pomoć Europske komisije za provedbu strategije Europske unije za Dunavsku regiju i 3.570.815,00 kuna za projekt IPA I 2009 - Priprema planova upravljanja i jačanje inspekcije NATURA 2000.

Za zaštitu okoliša izdvojiti će se 78.066.774,00 kuna (prošle godine 32.085.400,00 kuna), a to uključuje 1.500.000,00 kuna za provođenje postupka procjene utjecaja na okoliš, 2.675.000,00 kuna za suradnju na lokalnoj, regionalnoj i međunarodnoj razini, 2.280.000,00 kuna za nadzor okoliša i prirode, 90.000,00 za poticanje nevladinih udruga za zaštitu okoliša (prošle godine 900.000,00 kuna), 722.000,00 kuna za promicanje, informiranje i organiziranje događanja u zaštiti okoliša, 3.668.806,00 za upravljanje operativnih programom i izgradnju sposobnosti - IPA Operativni program - MJERA 3.1., 125.000,00 kuna za izradu nacionalnog izvješća o stanju Jadranskog mora, 7.440.000,00 kuna za izradu i provedbu dokumenata za poboljšanje upravljanja okolišem, 80.000,00 kuna za pripremu stručnih ispita za obavljanje poslova iz područja zaštite okoliša, 100.000,00 kuna za integrirano sprječavanje i nadzor onečišćenja - IPPC, 192.718,00 kuna za izradu nacionalnog Akcijskog plana za održivu proizvodnju i potrošnju 2010-2011 UNEP/MAP, 5.705.000,00 kuna za program IPA 2009 - Uspostava centara za provedbu IPPC Direktive na regionalnom nivou u Hrvatskoj, 490.000,00 kuna za program IPA I - Jačanje kapaciteta za provedbu SAPARD (mjera 1 i 2) i IPARD programa (mjere 101 i 103), 4.500.000,00 kuna za monitoring Jadranskog mora - IBRD, 350.000,00 kuna za Montrealski protokol, 780.000,00 za uspostavu sustava praćenja i upravljanja kakvoćom zraka - PHARE 2006, 866.250,00 kuna za provedbu novog zakona o zaštiti okoliša uređenog s legislativnom EU u slučaju kaznenih dijela protiv okoliša - IPA 2008, dok se ostali troškovi odnose na administraciju i upravljanje ministarstvom, informatizaciju uprave i upravljanje zgrada. Za gospodarenje otpadom proračunom je predviđeno 90.566.556,00 kuna u odnosu na 44.319.180,00 kuna iz 2011. godine. To uključuje 240.000,00 kuna za postupanje s otpadom, 5.476.560,00 kuna za sanaciju lokacija visoko onečišćenih otpadom (crne točke) - IPA Operativni program - MJERA 1.2., 8.221.500,00 kuna za program IPA I 2009 - Jačanje kapaciteta za nadzor prekograničnog prometa otpadom, 100.000,00 kuna za provedbu projekta izgradnje regionalnog centra za gospodarenje otpadom - Bikrac - ISPA 2005, 37.542.852,00 kuna za izgradnju županijskog centra za gospodarenje otpadom Marišćina - IPA Operativni program 2007-2009 MJERA 1.1 i 38.985.644,00 kuna za izgradnju županijskog centra za gospodarenje otpadom Kaštijun - IPA Operativni program 2007-2009 MJERA 1.1.

Agenciji za zaštitu okoliša (AZO) pripalo je 19.986.303,00 kuna u odnosu na 15.136.000,00 kuna iz 2011. godine. To čini 2.983.728,00 kuna za informacijski sustav zaštite okoliša, 725.000,00 kuna za projekte s međunarodnim institucijama, 9.600.795,00 kuna za administraciju i upravljanje agencijom, 2.802.980,00 kuna za izvješćivanje o stanju okoliša, 1.419.800,00 kuna za informatizaciju Agencije, 290.000,00 kuna za opremanje zgrade, 539.000,00 kuna za izradu programa trajnog motrenja tala Hrvatske s pilot projektom (LIFE 05), 1.480.000,00 kuna za GEF - Jačanje sustava protoka podataka i pokazatelja vezanih za pitanja zaštite okoliša u Republici Hrvatskoj i 145.000,00 kuna za IPA 2008 - Višekorisnički program za projekt sudjelovanja zemalja Zapadnog Balkana u radu Europske agencije za okoliš.

Za nacionalne parkove i parkove prirode izdvojeno je 69.990.825,00 kuna u odnosu na 65.610.030,00 kuna u 2011. godini. Navedeno čini 44.424.336,00 kuna za upravljanje i administracijom nacionalnih parkova, parkova prirode i Državnog zavoda za zaštitu prirode, 2.950.000,00 za zaštitu prirode, 18.774.139,00 za projekt integracije u EU NATURA 2000, 2.287.350,00 kuna za projekt IPA I 2007 - Utvrđivanje potencijalnih NATURA 2000 područja u moru i 1.555.000,00 kuna za projekt IPA I 2007 - Uspostava faunističke i speleološke baze podataka.

Dodajmo ovome kako su subvencije trgovačkim društvima, poljoprivrednicima i obrtnicima izvan javnog sektora za projekt razgradnje Koksare d.o.o. Bakar smanjene sa prošlogodišnjih 500.000 kuna na 250.000 kuna.

Prijedlog financijskog plana Fonda za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost predviđa prihod od poslovanja u 2012. godini u visini od 1.196.514.000,00 kuna i rashode poslovanja u visini od 1.054.717.000,00 kuna bez uključenih rashoda za nabavu nefinancijske imovine.

Autor: © Portal croenergo.eu (T.M.) / CROENERGO MEDIA

HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE (HCOIE)

Flexible Solar Cells

2012-02-11T14:39:00.000+01:00

CCRES

promotes

Flexible Solar Cells

OEM Components

Best for prototyping or augmenting an existing electronic device, and many hobby projects (i.e. RC Aircraft, BEAM robots, and school projects).

Rollable Panels

Rugged, fully waterproofed cells best suited for marine activities, back country hiking, and most hostile environmental factors.

Foldable Panels

Largest folding arrays available with the best power to weight ratio. Charge laptops, digital cameras, and most other electronics.

Solar Cells: Rollable Series

Overview The Rollable Series Flexible Solar Cells were built with the outdoors in mind. Each unit is assembled using high grade marine components, sealed edges for waterproofing, and built in grommets for easy fastening. These rugged characteristics make this series perfect for hiking, backpacking, tenting, and all marine activities. With three sizes to choose from, the Rollable Series Cells will provide reliable power for all your charging needs in the most remote of places. To store the cells, simply roll them up and toss in your bag. Each unit comes with a 15ft. extension cord with o-ring attachments for easy charging of 12V batteries. Should you need to charge batteries for you mobile electronics, we also offer a full line of authorized accessories to accommodate your specific needs.

Technical Specifications

Solar Cells: Foldable Series

Overview The Foldable Series Flexible Solar Panels are quite possibly the most convenient portable solar system available on the market. Each unit is made to be weatherproof, UV resistant for up to 10 years of continuous use, and provide clean energy for all your portable electronics. This series is ideal for most outdoor activities and the expanded line of five different units will ensure that you have the best cell for your purpose. The units are made to fold conveniently for storage and come with a female cigarette lighter adapter, great for charging electronics. Should you need to charge many different types of batteries, we offer a full line of authorized accessories to accommodate your needs.

Technical Specifications

Solar Cells: OEM Components

Overview The OEM Components line consists of the most basic of flexible solar cell technology. There are 22 different cells in three different product lines to choose from, ranging in size, voltage, current, and encapsulation material. Each cell is created by depositing amorphous silicon on a thin plastic substrate and then encapsulating the cells in either a Polyester coating or heavy duty Tefzel, a DuPont product. The cells are paper thin and can be wrapped around almost any curved surface. The three product lines are the Electronic Series, the RC Aircraft Series, and the WeatherProTM Series. Each series has been designed with certain characteristics. The Electronics Series is perfect for integration into small portable electronics. The RC Aircraft Series has the best weight to power ratio as they were constructed with model aircraft in mind. The WeatherProTM Series was built for permanent fixture in the outdoors, as the Tefzel coating has a rated lifespan of 20 years.

Technical Specifications

More info at: http://flexsolarcells.com/index.php

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

Projekt CCRES AQUAPONICS

2012-02-10T11:00:00.000+01:00

HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE

predstavlja Vam

Projekt

CCRES AQUAPONICS

Posljednje je desetljeće akvakultura najbrže rastući sektor proizvodnje hrane, već je sad svaka treća riba koja se nađe na tanjuru uzgojena , manji su troškovi ulaganja, a veći je prinos ribe i morskih vrsta.

Uskoro bi zbog ekspanzije čovječanstva, zbog kojeg se svakodnevno izlovljava sve više i više ribe za prehranu, moglo doći i do nestašice te prehrambene namirnice, ali isto tako i zbog sustavnog zagađenja mora kemijskim spojevima koji također uništavaju riblju populaciju u prirodi. Zbog toga su mnoge zemlje morale preći na kontrolirani uzgoj u kojem je veći postotak preživljavanja ribe, bolja iskoristivost hrane te brži napredak ribe, te su razvile akvakulturu, uzgoj organizama u vodenoj sredini pod kontroliranim uvjetima.

Posljednje je desetljeće akvakultura najbrže rastući sektor proizvodnje hrane. Naime, smatra se kako će već za desetak godina više od polovice prehrambenih proizvoda iz mora biti uzgojeno, a prema nekim podacima, već je sad svaka treća riba koja se nađe na tanjuru uzgojena. Naime, u akvakulturi su manji troškovi ulaganja, a veći prinos ribe i morskih vrsta.
U primjeni akvakulture poseban je svjetski ugled stekao Izrael, koji je uz veliku nestašicu vode upravo u pustinjskim područjima napravio velike uzgojne bazene. Izraelska se akvakultura intenzivno razvija te danas obuhvaća uzgoj različitih slatkovodnih i morskih vrsta.
Jedna od specifičnosti izraelske primjene akvakulture su tzv. recirkulacijski sustavi, odnosno sustavi uzgoja akvatičnih organizama u recirkulacijskom protoku vode s minimalnim izmjenama i gubicima vode. Posebno praktična metoda u područjima udaljenim od izvora vode, osobito pustinjskim predjelima. Svaka se kap vode, naime, maksimalno iskoristi.

U Hrvatskoj akvakulturu najvećim dijelom čini uzgoj toplovodnih i hladnovodnih vrsta poput šarana i pastrve u kontinentalnim dijelovima zemlje te uzgoj orade, brancina i školjkaša u marikulturi. Hrvatska je izuzetno bogata vodenim resursima, ali zbog nedostatka tehnologije i slabe zainteresiranosti nije razvila veću proizvodnju. Naročito bi se u Hrvatskoj moglo poraditi na povećanju uzgajališta pastrve prema načelu dobre filtracije vode na farmama, čime bi se povećala i produktivnost rijeka. Isto tako zbog sve većeg zagađenja morskog ekosustava za očekivati je u skoroj budućnosti da će i Hrvatska marikultura morati iskoristiti tehnike recirkulacijskih sustava kako bismo umanjili štetne učinke kaveznog uzgoja i prekomjeran izlov ribe te tako očuvali prirodne ljepote našeg mora i biološku raznolikost.

Hrvatski Centar Obnovljivih Izvora Energije

otišao je i korak dalje kroz

projekt

CCRES AQUAPONIC.

Svo uzgojeno povrće Projekta CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012

karitativno je podjeljeno slabostojećim hrvatskim obiteljima.

CCRES AQUAPONICS je nastao u ljeto 2011.godine spajanjem tehnike recirkulacijskih sustava uzgoja riba i klasičnog hydroponicsa.
Hydroponics je uzgoj biljaka kod kojeg se korjen biljke nalazi u vodi u kojoj su otopljene hranjive tvari i potrebni elementi za njen rast i dozrijevanje.Jedina mana hydroponicsu je ta da se u vodu ubacuju kemijske tvari potrebne za rast biljke.

Ribe koje su korištene u Projektu CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012 su

japanski KOI šarani, koje smatramo najboljima za proizvodnju.

U CCRES AQUAPONICS-u intenzivna aquakultura integrirana je s intenzivnim stakleničkih hydroponic sustavom uzgoja povrća. Organske biljne sorte se uzgajaju u plitkim posudama kroz koje cirkulira voda iz bazena s ribama prepuna organskim hranjivim dodacima, koje ispušta riba, koji služe za rast biljaka bez kemijskih dodataka .

Sve vrste salate, crveni i bijeli luk, bosiljak, paprika i krastavci mogu se uzgajati u sustavu.Ovakav uzgoj je idealan za obiteljsku proizvodnju gdje se na nekoliko četvornih metara može postići neovisnost od velikih proizvođača i trgovačkih lanaca koji serviraju hranu proizvedenu tisućama kilometara od krajnjeg kupca. Recirkulacijskim protokom voda koja se vraća u bazen s ribama u potpunosti je čista i idealna za nesmetan rast ribljih vrsta.

Svo uzgojeno povrće Projekta CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012

karitativno je podjeljeno slabostojećim hrvatskim obiteljima.

Prednosti su:
- neovisnost
- proizvodnja je moguća tijekom cijele godine;
- površina za uzgoj je maksimalno iskorištena;
- nema plodoreda;
- stupanj automatizacije je visok;
- biljkama se dodaju organska hranjiva koja su joj potrebna za rast i razvoj u pojedinoj fazi proizvodnje;
- prinosi su znatno veći od uzgoja u tlu, kao i razdoblje plodonošenja;
- potrošnja vode, hranjivih tvari i sredstava za zaštitu bilja svedena je na minimum;
- smanjeno je onečišćenje okoliša;
- smanjena je pojava bolesti i štetnika;
- proizvodnja je moguća na površinama gdje nije moguć uzgoj u tlu zbog primjerice velike onečišćenosti, zaslanjenosti, kiselosti tla i sl. ;
- manje ljudskog rada pri obradi, kultivaciji, dezinfekciji i sl.
- nusprodukt su ribe koje se uzgajaju do konzumne veličine.

Svo uzgojeno povrće Projekta CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012

karitativno je podjeljeno slabostojećim hrvatskim obiteljima.

Ovo su bile kratke crtice o projektu CCRES AQUAPONICS, namjenjene isključivo kao informacija.Mišljenja smo da bi ovaj projekt mogao biti pozdravljen od ljudi kojima je dosta plaćanja visokih cijena svih vrsta salata i ribe.Samo pokretanje i proizvodnja idealna su kao hobi za uzgoj u dvorištu iza kuće, garaži, podrumu ili malom plasteniku.

Svo uzgojeno povrće Projekta CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012

karitativno je podjeljeno slabostojećim hrvatskim obiteljima.

Naravno da bi ovakav uzgoj mogao proći i u intezivnoj proizvodnji.
Na površini od 1 ha moguće je proizvesti otprilike 30 000 biljaka rajčice sa prinosom od oko 400 t/ha, da ne govorim o uzgoju salata koje bi se "brale" svakih 20-tak dana ,što predstavlja puno veći prinos u odnosu na uzgoj u tlu na otvorenoj površini. Ovakva proizvodnja predstavlja najintenzivni oblik poljoprivrede, koji sa svojim brojnim prednostima može u potpunosti ispuniti zahtjeve potrošača za kvalitetnim proizvodom, te proizvođaču osigurati dobar posao.

Svo uzgojeno povrće Projekta CCRES AQUAPONICS u sezoni 2011/2012

karitativno je podjeljeno slabostojećim hrvatskim obiteljima.

Više informacija o Projektu CCRES AQUAPONICS na :
http://ccresaquaponics.yolasite.com/

Za sve dodatne informacije slobodno nas kontaktirajte.

HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE (HCOIE)

Earth Day 2012

2012-02-09T09:33:00.000+01:00

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

promotes

Earth Day 2012 - Mobilize the Earth

On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part.
Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of our Earth Day campaigns as we collect A Billion Acts of Green® and elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world. Together we will Mobilize the Earth™ on April 22 and demand change.
Let us know what you are doing for Earth Day: register your Earth Day events on our toolbar, tell us on Facebook, or send us a tweet.

Programs

Year-round, working with over 22,000 partners and organizations in 192 countries, Earth Day Network pursues its mission to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement through a variety of education, public policy, and activism campaigns.
In Education, Earth Day Network is already a recognized leader in greening schools and environmental education curricula. Its Green Schools Campaign, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council and The Clinton Foundation, aims to green all of America’s K-12 schools within a generation. EDN’s Educator’s Network, used by over 30,000 teachers nationwide, provides innovative education tools to promote civic participation and to develop a sense of environmental awareness.
Earth Day Network’s Policy Team, working closely with the Education Team, identifies legislative opportunities on the federal, state, and local levels that promote and fund environmental education, green school facilities, and enable the shift to a carbon-neutral economy.
With respect to activism, EDN successfully leverages the power of Earth Day each year to strengthen, expand, diversify, and mobilize its partners and the general public worldwide to demonstrate their environmental commitment.
We welcome your support and look forward to hearing from you.

International

Earth Day Network drives environmental initiatives and events across the globe. Learn more about our International Program here.

Education

Earth Day Network’s Education program believes that the nation’s future relies on a well-educated public so that we can be wise stewards of the environment that sustains us, our families, our communities and future generations.

Policy

Learn how Earth Day Network drives policy solutions at the Federal, State, and Local level to green every school within a generation, build the Green Economy, create green jobs, combat climate change, and promote civic engagement.

Take Action

Be part of the solution! Help protect our planet by participating in our most recent online actions. Below is a list of current campaigns.

Billion Acts of Green

Take part in the largest environmental service project on the planet and be rewarded. Pledge an Act of Green today to be entered into our Billion Acts of Green Sweepstakes.

Save Yasuni National Park

Help Earth Day Network spread the word about the most biologically diverse place on the planet.

Say no to Big Coal

Sign our petition to federal, state and local officals to demand we be put on a path to a sustainable and pollution-free energy future.

Defend the Amazon

It is unthinkable that Brazil would seek to remove laws protecting the Amazon and open it up to clear cutting. The good news is that seventy nine percent of Brazilians oppose these laws and that President Dilma Rousseff is open to vetoing this legislation. We must stand with our fellow Brazilians and send a global message to defend the Amazon!

Stop the Attacks on Energy Efficiency

We need your support to keep Congress from tampering with vital cost-saving, environmentally-sound legislation. Please write your Senators and Representative in support of energy efficient lighting today!

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

News and Events by CCRES February 08, 2012

2012-02-08T12:11:00.001+01:00

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

News and Events

February 08, 2012

DOE to Launch New Advanced Battery Energy Innovation Hub

DOE announced on February 7 its plans to launch a new energy innovation hub for advanced research on batteries and energy storage, with an investment of up to $120 million over five years. The Batteries and Energy Storage Hub will focus on accelerating research and development of electrochemical energy storage for transportation and the electric grid. The hub will be funded at up to $20 million in Fiscal Year 2012 and managed by the Basic Energy Sciences program of DOE's Office of Science.

Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to compete and are encouraged to form partnerships when submitting their proposals. Interdisciplinary research and development conducted through the new Energy Innovation Hub will help advance cutting-edge energy storage and battery technologies. These technologies can be used to improve the reliability and the efficiency of the electrical grid; better integrate renewable energy technologies as part of the electrical system; and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil using electric and hybrid vehicles.

Energy innovation hubs are designed to bring together teams of scientists and engineers across intellectual disciplines to rapidly accelerate scientific discoveries and shorten the path from laboratory innovation to technological development and commercial deployment of critical energy technologies. Letters of Intent to apply are due March 1, 2012, with full applications due May 31, 2012. The award selection is expected this summer. See the DOE press release, the funding opportunity announcement and the energy innovation hubs website.

DOE, Volvo Partner to Build Trucks that are more Efficient

DOE highlighted on January 27 its partnership with the Volvo Group to commercialize and deploy cutting-edge trucking technologies that will help boost the competitiveness of the U.S. auto and manufacturing industries. Through DOE's SuperTruck program, the Volvo Group was awarded $19 million to improve the efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles like the Mack and Volvo Trucks. The company is matching the Super Truck program award dollar for dollar. The Volvo Group participating in one of the four SuperTruck development projects that focus on increasing the fuel efficiency of Class 8 trucks, known as 18-wheelers, by 50%. To achieve this goal, companies are developing and improving vehicle technologies in engine efficiency, aerodynamics, waste heat recovery, and hybridization, for example. DOE expects fuel economy increases from 6.5 miles per gallon (mpg) to 9.75 mpg.

The Volvo Group has also embraced manufacturing efficiency as part of the DOE's Better Buildings, Better Plants program, pledging to reduce the energy intensity of its manufacturing plants with assistance and guidance from DOE. At the company's River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, it has implemented a range of measures that reduced its energy intensity by almost 30% in just one year. See the DOE press release and a DOE brochure about the Volvo Group success.

Houston Joins DOE's Better Buildings Challenge

DOE announced on January 26 that Houston, Texas, is joining DOE's Better Buildings Challenge. Houston is the latest community to join the challenge, a public-private partnership that seeks to improve energy efficiency by 20% in commercial, government, and school buildings across the country by 2020. The City of Houston is committing to improving energy efficiency across 30 million square feet of public and private buildings throughout the city.

Through its participation in the Better Buildings Challenge, Houston will work with local partners to implement initiatives that reduce emissions, protect air quality, and save taxpayers money. The Better Buildings Challenge is a national leadership initiative that calls on corporate chief executive officers, university presidents, and state and local leaders to make a significant commitment to energy efficiency. To date, more than 60 companies, cities, universities, hospitals, and other partners throughout the United States have committed to upgrading more than 1.6 billion square feet of building space nationwide. See the DOE press release and the Better Buildings Challenge website.

DOE Report Shows Shift to Energy-Saving Lighting Products

DOE released on January 24 a report showing that the adoption of energy-efficient lighting products in the United States has increased over the last decade. The 2010 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization report examines the current conditions and broad trends in the U.S. lighting market, broken down by technology and sector. The study shows that in 2010, lighting used approximately 700 terawatt-hours (TWh), or nearly 19% of the electricity produced in the United States. Of the total energy used for lighting, the commercial sector consumed nearly half, or 349 TWh, primarily with fluorescent lighting products. While nearly 6 billion light bulbs are installed in the residential sector compared to approximately 2 billion lamps in the commercial buildings sector, the mostly incandescent residential lamps were not used nearly as much per day, on average, as lights in the commercial sector were used. Also, the average system efficacy (a measure of the amount of light provided per watt of power consumed) of installed lighting increased from 45 lumens per watt in 2001 to 58 lumens per watt in 2010, due mainly to a move from incandescent to compact fluorescent lamps in the residential sector, and from T12 to more-efficient T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps in the commercial and industrial sectors.

The new report updates a similar DOE model of the 2001 U.S. lighting market inventory. During the intervening decade, two trends emerged. First, there is push toward energy-saving lighting. Second, there is a continued increase in the demand for lighting, with most of the growth occurring in the residential sector, primarily because of an increase in the number of households, which increased from under 107 million in 2001 to more than 113 million in 2010. See the DOE Progress Alert and the technical reports listed on the Solid-State Lighting website.

Interior Department Takes Key Step in Offshore Wind Leasing

Offshore wind turbines like these may be closer to reality off the Atlantic Coast.
Credit: Siemens

The Department of the Interior (DOI) on February 2 marked a major milestone for offshore wind energy along the Atlantic Coast. DOE and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that the department's initiative has passed a key environmental review. This approval will allow the process for wind energy lease sales off Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia to move forward.

BOEM's National Environmental Policy Act assessment found that there would be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts from issuing wind energy leases in designated areas off the mid-Atlantic Coast. The bureau also published calls for information and nominations for Maryland and Virginia to solicit lease nominations from industry and to request public comments regarding site conditions, resources, and multiple uses of the wind energy areas. The bureau also announced the finalization of a first-of-its-kind lease form that will help streamline the issuance of offshore renewable energy leases. Financial and other terms, as well as any site-specific mitigation measures, will be added to each individual lease before it is executed. The lease form is available now and will be effective 15 days following publication in the Federal Register. See the DOI press release and the lease information in the Federal Register .

Hawaii Gets 'EV Ready'

Hawaii is the most oil-dependent state in the nation, with more than 95% of its energy supplied by imported fossil fuels. Gas and electricity prices in Hawaii are also far above the national average. To increase its energy independence, Hawaii is revving up its state electric vehicle program, "EV Ready," thanks to $4.5 million in funding from the DOE's State Energy Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

As part of the program administered by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, residents and businesses can apply for rebates and grants to purchase electric vehicles and construct charging stations. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers.

Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol's underground parking garage. Since then, five additional charging stations have been installed at state-owned buildings in Honolulu, and another eight chargers have been installed at the motor pool for the state's new fleet of electric vehicles.

The state awarded another $2.6 million in Recovery Act funds to six organizations charged with promoting, installing, and deploying charging stations and electric vehicles across the state. By April 2012, charging stations will be installed across all counties, as part of the EV Ready grant program. Read the complete story on the DOE Energy Blog.

Tapping Top University Draft Picks to Engineer Solar Championships

By Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Director, SunShot Initiative and Solar Energy Technologies Program

As football fans buzzed February 1 about national signing day for college football prospects, excitement also builds for picks from a different higher education talent pool.

On January 20, DOE announced two university research opportunities to advance the SunShot Initiative, a program that aims to dramatically decrease the total costs of U.S. solar energy.

Like football, research is a team sport, no matter how high-powered any individual player may be. In that spirit, DOE is offering up to $10 million to partners in university-based projects to develop and demonstrate heat transfer fluids. The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative: High Operating Temperature Fluids solicitation seeks applicants to develop innovative fluids that are more stable than current technologies at temperatures greater than 800°C. The goal is to improve the efficiency of concentrating solar power technologies and cut solar power costs.

The second opportunity is a second round for the SunShot Initiative postdoctoral research awards. The awards, administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, provide an annual stipend as well as other benefits. Read the complete story on DOE's Energy Blog.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

T.A. Cook Conferences

2012-02-08T11:54:00.001+01:00

Contact T.A. Cook
Or call +44 (0)121 200 3810

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

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T.A. Cook Conferences

We're delighted to announce that the brochure for this year's SAP Conference for Utilities is available for download from the event website at www.tacook.com/utilities.

We hope you can join us at this event in Madrid on April 17-19, 2012 where you can discuss the latest industry trends, explore new perspectives, and find out how utility companies are transforming their organizations to succeed in today's pressurized and constantly changing environment.

Agenda highlights include:

Case studies - Learn how SAP for Utilities solutions are being used by utilities and power generation companies. The list here on the right hand side shows those SAP customers confirmed to present so far.
Keynote presentations - Hear from industry thought leaders about the latest challenges and market news, and learn about SAP's ongoing solution strategy.
Interactive sessions - Find answers to all your questions in the interactive sessions, including exchange sessions, round table discussions, panel question times, meet-the-expert meetings. In addition, visit the interactive showcase center for a demonstration of the very latest solutions.
Latest news - Hear about innovative development plans for mobility and in-memory computing as well as specific solutions for energy and utility companies. Fully understand the scope, functionality, and implementation process of SAP for Utilities and learn how SAP's comprehensive suite of applications can help you optimize key end-to-end business processes.

Maximise the value of this event by visiting the show floor where you can network with the SAP ecosystem and partners, and meet key members of SAP's team. Ensure you take advantage of the early bird rates available until February 24.
For more information, please contact the events team on +44 (0)121 200 3810, info@tacook.com.
We look forward to meeting you in Madrid.

Zeljko Serdar Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Best Practice Case Studies and Keynote Presentations from:

Alliander
City of Capetown
Creos
DEWA
Dong Energy
Ecotricity
EDF Energy
Enerjisa
ESB Networks
EnBW
Eskom
Essent
Gas Madrid
Hydro One
Liaoning Electric Power
RheinEnergie
RWE npower
umetriq

Pre-Conference Workshops:

Take part in pre-conference workshops, to be held before the conference on April 17, to gain in-depth information on the SAP solutions for utilities. Please click here for more detailed information on the workshops available.

Join our SAP for Utilities EMEA group on LinkedIn

T.A. Cook Conferences | 4th Floor, Mclaren Building, 46 The Priory Queensway
| Birmingham, U.K. B4 7LR | Tel: +44 (0)121 200 3810

How to power more than 260 houses

2012-02-05T18:08:00.000+01:00

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

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Shane’s Castle Green Generation

Shane’s Castle on the shores of Lough Neagh near Randalstown in Co. Antrim is the family seat of the O’Neills of Clandeboy. The Demesne is one of the most beautiful and well maintained in Ireland with a rich variety of flora and fauna, including a lovely herd of fallow deer that have been resident there for many years. The Castle is in ruins due to a devastating fire in 1816 but the remaining structure, including a unique Camellia House designed by John Nash, is still a prominent feature in the landscape. A recent and fitting addition to the Demesne is an Archimedean Screw hydro turbine, ancient technology but with a 21st century application.

The O’Neill family are well known for their preservation and conservation and love of nature and the environment and this Archimedean Screw hydro project complements their environmental initiatives very well indeed. Rated at 214 kilowatts the hydro turbine is predicted to save an impressive 840 tonnes or more of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions annually by generating clean, green electricity and will make a major contribution to the Demesne’s green philosophy.

This project is a reinstatement of an old hydro system that was installed circa 1900 that was used to power the estate before mains electricity was introduced to Shane’s Castle in the 1950’s. The old system was capable of generating a maximum of about 55 kW so the new Archimedean Screw system, with its high efficiency across a wide range of flows, is capable of producing at least five times the amount of energy over the year.

The predicted annual output is a massive 1,300,000 kilowatt-hours. To put this in perspective, an average household uses less than 5,000 kilowatt-hours per year, so this hydro scheme has the potential to power more than 260 houses in the locality.

Arriving on site

Almost 15m long the screw weighs approximately 35 tonnes

Offloading from the lorry

With a diameter of 3.5m this screw can take a flow rate of up to 5.5m3/s

The Archimedean Screw turbine provides a fish-friendly alternative to conventional turbines, ideally suited to low-head (1m-15m) sites, and sites with fish protection issues. Extensive fish passage tests have conclusively demonstrated that the large water chambers and slow rotation of the Archimedean Screw allow fish of all sizes, and debris, safe passage through the turbine.

As a result, the Environment Agency (UK) has agreed that no screening is required.Literally thousands of fish passages have been monitored and recorded using underwater cameras at the intake, inside the chamber of the Screw itself and at the outflow to assess the effect of the Screw on salmonids (including smolts and kelts), brown trout and eels.

The trials looked at fish passage across a broad spectrum of sizes and turbine speeds, possibly the most impressive of which was the safe passage of a kelt measuring 98cm in length and weighing 7.6kg. In addition, behavioural and migrational patterns across the species have been shown to be entirely unaffected by the turbine.

: Screw is installed at an angle of 26deg. in this channel

Moving into position

In situ

A lifetime of clean, green generation ahead

Fish pass installed along side the Screw

Completed project

The scheme was designed by Hydroplan and the Archimedean Screw equipment was supplied by Mann Power Consulting based in Yorkshire. Mann Power are the pioneers of the Archimedean Screw in the UK and Ireland and Eco Evolution based in Co. Wexford are their authorised representative for the whole of Ireland. This Hydro project at Shane’s Castle is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and rated at 214 kilowatts this is the largest single Archimedean Screw generator ever manufactured. Eco Evolution and Mann Power installed the massive machine at Shane’s Castle earlier this year. The scheme was commissioned during the summer and it is now fully operational.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Pokrenimo zajednicu - zajedničkim djelovanjem do nižih računa za energiju

2012-02-02T08:48:00.002+01:00

Sudionici dvodnevne konferencije "Pokrenimo zajednicu - zajedničkim djelovanjem do nižih računa za energiju" koja je održana ovoga tjedna u Zagrebu pozvali su sve jedinice lokalne samouprave da svojim primjerom i ostvarenim uštedama energije izravno potiču primjenu mjera energetske učinkovitosti i ušteda energije u Hrvatskoj.

Također, pozvali su lokalne samouprave da svojim primjerom i ostvarenim uštedama energije izravno potiču primjenu mjera energetske učinkovitosti i ušteda energije, izrade programe i planove za učinkovito korištenje energije i akcijske planove za održivo korištenje energije uz sudjelovanje zainteresirane javnosti, te što više koriste fondove EU i sredstva Fonda za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost.
"Od poticanja ulaganja u energetski učinkovite tehnologije i podizanja razine svijesti građana o važnosti i prednostima štednje energije, izravnu će korist imati lokalna zajednica u vidu zapošljavanja, prihoda, ostvarenih ušteda, energetske sigurnosti, udobnijeg stanovanja i čistog okoliša", upozoreno je.

S tim ciljem preporučeno je lokalnim samoupravama da povećavaju vidljivost lokalnih EE Info centara i lokalnih energetskih savjetnika među građanima te potiču sustavnu edukaciju i povezivanje lokalnih energetskih savjetnika u RH, da omoguće poticaje organizacijama civilnog društva i građanskim inicijativama za provedbu kampanja za podizanje svijesti i edukaciju građana o mjerama uštede energije i energetske učinkovitosti, te da organiziraju lokalne akcije i skupni nastup investitora u EnU i obnovljive izvore energije.
U radu konferencije u organizaciji udruge DOOR sudjelovalo je 140 predstavnika javnog, civilnog, obrazovnog i poslovnog sektora iz svih krajeva Hrvatske te iz susjednih zemalja. Na konferenciji je održan niz stručnih predavanja, predstavljeni su dobri primjeri iz prakse te su potaknute brojne diskusije, a osim podizanja svijesti svih sudionika i usvajanja novih znanja i iskustava, konferencija je rezultirala i usvajanjem zajedničkih zaključaka.
"Smatramo da je održiva lokalna i regionalna energetska politika nužna za izlazak iz gospodarske krize te postavlja temelj za održivi razvoj lokalnih zajednica, regije i cijele države. Primjena mjera energetske učinkovitosti i poticanje štednje energije ključ su za smanjenje opterećenja na budžet kako javnog sektora, tako i svakog hrvatskog kućanstva. Energetska učinkovitost je najbrži i najisplativiji način za postizanje energetske neovisnosti i ostvarivanje nacionalnih i europskih ciljeva za suzbijanje klimatskih promjena", zaključili su sudionici konferencije.
Hrvatski Centar Obnovljivih Izvora Energije (HCOIE)

News and Events by CCRES February 01, 2012

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000+01:00

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

February 01, 2012

News and Events

President Obama's State of the Union Address Touts Clean Energy

President Obama called for clean energy tax credits and a clean energy standard in his annual State of the Union address on January 24.
Credit: Pete Souza, White House

President Obama called for clean energy tax credits and a clean energy standard in his annual State of the Union address on January 24. Saying, "I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy," the president framed the issue in terms of international competition, pledging not to "cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here." He also announced two initiatives to advance the deployment of clean energy technologies.

"I'm directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power 3 million homes," said President Obama. "And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, working with us, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history—with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year."

President Obama also emphasized the need for greater energy efficiency, proposing to help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and to give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings, potentially cutting their energy bills by $100 billion over the next decade. In addition, the president referenced a number of tax incentives that would aid domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies, including an extension of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit. See the president's State of the Union address on the White House website, as well as the White House fact sheets on the president's proposals for energy and manufacturing.

DOE Solar Decathlon 2013 Moves to California

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced on January 26 that the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 will be held at a new location in Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. For first time since the competition began in 2002, the event has moved from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Chu also named the 20 teams from colleges and universities across the United States and from around the world that will compete in the biennial event.

The participants will now begin a two-year process to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence. Throughout the two-year process, the teams will design, construct and test their homes before reassembling them at the Solar Decathlon 2013 competition site. Teams compete in ten categories ranging from best architecture and engineering to energy production for heating and cooling. Students gain real-world experience in a growing global industry.

Teams selected include Arizona State University and the University of New Mexico; Czech Technical University (Czech Republic); Hampton University and Old Dominion University; Middlebury College; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Norwich University; Queens University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College, (Canada); Santa Clara University; Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology; Stanford University; Stevens Institute of Technology; The Catholic University of America, George Washington University, and American University; The University of North Carolina at Charlotte; The University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College; University of Calgary, Canada; University of Louisville, Ball State University, and University of Kentucky; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Southern California; Vienna University of Technology (Vienna, Austria); and West Virginia University. See the DOE press release and the Solar Decathlon website.

Vote Now For America's Next Top Energy Innovator

Voting is underway online in the "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" challenge, a DOE-sponsored quest to identify the most innovative and promising start-up companies. Voting will end at 8:59 a.m. EST on February 6. The top start-up companies out of the 14 participating in the challenge, based on the public vote and an expert review, will be invited to be featured at the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, a gathering of clean energy investors and innovators, at the end of February.

Companies in the challenge are pioneering a variety of technologies, ranging from reducing HVAC energy to using composite materials to build low cost lithium-ion batteries. The participants in the challenge have signed option agreements allowing them to license valuable, cutting-edge technologies developed and patented by DOE's national laboratories and the agency's Y-12 National Security Complex. See the DOE press release and profiles of participants.

DOE Launches New Round of America's Top Energy Innovator

DOE announced the February 1 launch of the second year for its "America's Next Top Energy Innovator," a program that allows startup companies to license groundbreaking technologies developed by DOE's national laboratories. Under the initiative, an entrepreneur can pay $1,000 for a technology and use it to build a business. As part of the project, DOE reduces both the cost and paperwork requirements for startup companies to obtain an option agreement to license some of the 15,000 patents and patent applications held by the national laboratories. During the first round, 36 companies signed option agreements with the national laboratories.

In the new round, entrepreneurs and start-ups must identify the technology of interest and submit a business plan to be considered for the program. Participants will have until December 10, 2012 to submit their plans to a laboratory. From February 1 to December 10, the department will reduce the total upfront cost of licensing DOE patents in a specific technology for portfolios of up to three patents from a single laboratory. This represents an average savings of $10,000 to $50,000 in upfront fees. Other license terms, such as equity and royalties, will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will typically be due once the company grows and achieves commercial sales. See the DOE press release.

Defense Department Studies Solar Energy Potential at Desert Bases

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) could generate 7,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy on four military bases located in the California desert, according to a DOD study. The yearlong study, released on January 13, looked at seven military bases in California and two in Nevada. It found that while most of the surface area is unsuited for solar development because of military use and other factors, the suitable sites are large enough to generate more than 30 times the electricity consumed by the California bases. That would equal about 25% of the renewable energy that California requires utilities to use by 2015.

The study concludes that 25,000 acres are suitable for solar development, and another 100,000 acres are "likely" or "questionably" suitable for solar. According to the study, the most economically viable acreage is found at Edwards Air Force Base (24,327 acres), followed by Fort Irwin (18,728 acres), China Lake (6,777 acres), and Twentynine Palms (553 acres). Finally, the study finds that private developers can tap the solar potential on these installations with no capital investment requirement from DOD, and that the development could yield the federal government up to $100 million a year in revenue or other benefits such as discounted power.

DOD is seeking to develop solar, wind, geothermal, and other distributed energy sources on its bases to reduce both their $4 billion-a-year energy bill and their dependency on the commercial electricity grid. Such on-site energy generation, together with energy storage and so-called smart-microgrid technology, would allow a military base to maintain its critical operations "off-grid" for weeks or months if the grid were disrupted. See the DOD press release.

Announcing the Clean Energy Trust Semifinalists

On January 6, the Clean Energy Trust announced the semifinalists for its inaugural student clean energy challenge. Semifinalists were chosen from more than 40 innovative clean energy business plans submitted from eight Midwestern states.

The 16 semifinalist teams represent five states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio) and 11 universities, with the most teams coming from Purdue University (four teams) and Northwestern University (three teams). Within the submissions, Clean Energy Trust reviewers saw a broad assortment of undergraduate and graduate students, male and female students, engineers and social science majors, as well as those who have gone to school to focus on entrepreneurship and those who recently learned of the business plan competition opportunity. Many teams developed business plans around technologies straight from their university labs while some teams chose technologies from DOE national labs or other technology sources from across the country. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog.

Why Did the LED Light Bulb Cross the Road?

By Roland Risser, program manager, Building Technologies Program

Everyone knows that laughter is good for you. Studies suggest it can buffer stress and increase your resistance to disease. Also, it just feels great to laugh. Advertisers have long used the allure of laughter to sell their products, and many Americans tune in to the Super Bowl just to chuckle at the funny commercials. However, when it comes to selling people on smart energy solutions, it could be hard to find a punch line. Could using humor as a marketing strategy make energy efficiency a bit more digestible?

Energy Impact Illinois, a grant recipient of DOE's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, is trying to find the funny in energy efficiency. The goal? Communicate the benefits of home energy upgrades and motivate local residents to take action in improving their buildings. The program has enlisted two comedians from The Second City—a comedy theatre whose alumni include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Murray—to play "The Energy Bills," friends who visit Chicago-area homes distributing energy saving tips.

"Little Bill" knows all the tricks to make your home more energy efficient and your bills, well, little. "Big Bill's" actions show how everything from overuse or misuse of appliances to not understanding heating and cooling can result in energy waste—costing you money. The contrast of the Bills is quite amusing, but jokes aside, Energy Impact Illinois is spreading an important message. You have a choice between two bills. Instructions on how to learn more or participate in Energy Impact Illinois' program are on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. The website also offers a tool called MyHomeEQ, which lets Chicago-area residents calculate about how much energy they could save with energy upgrades and helps them come up with customized plans to get rid of their Big Bill, all while connecting them with local contractors. Read the full story on DOE's Energy Blog.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge

2012-01-30T18:09:00.000+01:00

CCRES

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America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge

Help Choose America's Next Top Energy Innovator

It’s up to you, America, to help decide America’s Next Top Energy Innovator. Voting opens for you to help select which technology has the potential to deliver the greatest impact to the country’s economic and energy future.

Of the 36 companies that received option agreements, 14 of the start-up companies participating in America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge have signed option agreements allowing them to license cutting-edge technologies developed and patented by one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories and the Y-12 National Security Complex. With the help of the Department's technologies, these start-up companies are inventing new ways of doing business in America.

You can view the profiles of these start-ups and then cast your votes by 'liking' your favorite companies at www.energy.gov/topinnovator. Voting will remain open until Monday, February 6 at 8:59 a.m. EST.

The voting results play a significant role in determining which of these innovative and promising companies will be invited to be featured at the 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, the premier annual gathering of clean energy investors and innovators. An expert panel will also evaluate the companies and rank them based on their economic and social impact.

"Through the America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge, we are unleashing start-up companies to do what they do best: create new products, new industries, and new jobs,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “We’ve challenged America's entrepreneurs and innovators to create new businesses based on discoveries made by our world-leading national laboratories.”

America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge is part of the Obama Administration’s Startup America initiative, which aims to create the best possible climate for high-growth entrepreneurs across the country.

Who Will Be America’s Next Top Energy Innovator?

Below is the innovative companies participating in the challenge:

Element One, Inc.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Element One’s detection products will change the paradigm in the way hydrogen and other hazardous gas leaks are detected, achieving a new level of safety in existing industrial and emerging consumer environments. Element One has patented the only available coatings for the detection of hydrogen that change color reversibly or non-reversibly as desired to give both current and historical information about leaked hydrogen. In 2011, Element One optioned to license three National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) patents that complement its own technologies.
Completed and proposed testing of our indicators for different applications include: large plastics manufacturing plant has completed tests, and discussions for licensing our product for use in safety shields for hydrogen fittings and valves is underway; testing programs in several oil refineries, the largest consumers of hydrogen, are being planned; an Israeli company used our products to test for degradation in zinc-air batteries for the U.S. Army; and, a proposed Canadian project to investigate the safety of hydrogen equipment in mines will incorporate our indicators into their tests.
Interest in the technology has also come from unexpected sources. Our technology is licensed for incorporation into a diagnostic test kit for a common sexually transmitted disease identified as a precursor to HIV. If the protozoan parasites that cause the STD are present, the indicator changes color when it reacts with the hydrogen produced as a metabolic byproduct during their growth in a culture medium.
Recent research has found that ingested hydrogen has unique and therapeutic benefits, and a medical research team is intending to dissolve hydrogen in a beverage. Our indicator is being tested for possible incorporation into the packaging to provide assurance to the consumer that hydrogen is still present.
Element One is working in collaboration with NREL to accelerate development of new devices to alleviate concerns about hydrogen safety in consumer environments with the introduction of hydrogen cars. The transition to hydrogen as a fuel would quadruple the size of the market for our products.
Element One was formed by veterans of NREL in Boulder, Colorado in 2005.
Technology
Our patented visual hydrogen gas indicators use either thin films or nano-particles of a transition metal oxide with a very thin, discontinuous coating of a catalyst to catalyze its reaction with hydrogen. Element One’s indicating thin films and coatings can be applied to a variety of materials for a variety of applications, making for a whole suite of potential products. Thin films may be applied to stretch films or shrink wrap to cover or encapsulate tanks, equipment, fittings and valves. Nano-particles can be used as pigments in indicating paints and printing inks, and may be applied with a brush, spray can, paint or marking pen, or applied to decals or tape. Either thin films or paints can be used in a network of our RFID sensors, providing a low cost, effective system to continuously monitor for leaks. When used to supplement electronic sensors, these new products can dramatically provide new levels of safety and economy in industrial operations that use hydrogen.
Impact on the Country and /or the Economy
Hydrogen is widely used in industry, and there are strong financial incentives to monitor hydrogen leaks. Hydrogen is expensive; leaked hydrogen is equivalent to lost profits. In the worst-case scenario, industrial gas leaks can cause loss of human life and large-scale financial loss. Companies must meet greenhouse-gas emission regulations and workplace safety and OSHA standards. The costs in labor and system downtime caused by leak testing can be significant. One oil industry representative indicated that RFID sensors could save his company more than $50 million per year.

7AC Technologies, Inc.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Air conditioning is a very large contributor to U.S. and world energy consumption. Heating and cooling costs for commercial and industrial buildings exceed 25 percent of U.S. primary energy consumption (cooling alone accounts for 4.5 Quads out of 40 Quads) and typically accounts for almost half of a building’s operating costs. Air conditioning is also a significant cause of grid instability with cycling compressor motors turning on and off, and causing load issues on hot summer days. Conventional air conditioners improve efficiency only marginally every year and retrofitting older rooftop units does not result in significant energy savings.
Conventional AC units use a lot of power for dehumidification rather than sensible cooling. 7AC’s Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioner (LDAC) systems lower the operating costs of commercial buildings for heating and cooling by 50 to 75 percent by using a strong saline solution (a desiccant) for moisture removal. A waste heat source can then be used to re-concentrate the desiccant. The LDAC unit seamlessly replaces existing rooftop HVAC systems and has less than a 1 year payback period when powered with natural gas or with a small conventional chiller. When waste heat is used (e.g. from Solar Thermal, Industrial processes or the rear of PV modules), heating and cooling costs reduce to essentially zero with a payback period of much less than one year, excluding the cost of the thermal delivery system.
The initial costs for the 7AC LDAC are very similar to a conventional HVAC system. Replacing an HVAC unit happens every 15 years on average and first costs are very important in the decision process. The 7AC LDAC has however a much lower energy consumption and since an HVAC unit’s annual energy costs are almost the same as the cost of a new unit, the payback period of the LDAC system is usually measured in months. This will help building owners to pro-actively replace their older HVAC units, rather than waiting for them to fail. It also enables Energy Service’s Companies (ESCOs) to carry LDAC products as part of an energy retrofit.
The 7AC liquid desiccant technology works by simultaneously dehumidifying and cooling incoming air. In a conventional HVC system, air is cooled to the saturation point and overcooled so that the moisture is removed to the desired humidity level. The air is then often reheated so that it enters the space at a comfortable temperature. Liquid desiccant systems have been installed for many years, but suffer from two disadvantages: they heat the air as it is being dried since it is usually an adiabatic process, and they have risk of desiccant getting airborne and transported into the building, which can lead to corrosion issues. The 7AC membrane plates simultaneously cool and dry the air and the membrane (licensed from NREL) prevents any of the desiccant from becoming airborne. Simultaneous cooling and dehumidification is a significantly more efficient process. This approach saves between 50 and 75 percent of energy as compared to a conventional HVAC.
7AC’s 10-ton LDAC removes the annual Green House Gas (GHG) equivalent to that of 2 cars, and double that if supplemented with a waste heat system. If 10% of the global market used LDAC technology, this would remove 22 million metric tons of GHG or 3.7 million cars annually.

Borla Performance Industries, Inc.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Borla Performance Industries is a 35-year technology leader, manufacturer and marketer of exhaust for the automotive industry, delivering innovative, patented exhaust systems that enhance the performance of internal combustion engines.
Borla has an option to license a novel, nano-pore membrane technology from OakRidge National Laboratory. Combining this innovation with Borla’s diesel exhaust technology will lead to a low cost, unique exhaust system that will double as a neutral energy device to recover and reclaim potable water from diesel and other internal combustion exhaust.
Using capillary condensation — which contrasts to thermodynamic condensation that cools the air to produce water – Oak Ridge engineers have developed a material of tiny capillaries in porous, tubular inorganic membranes whereby water condenses by capillary action in the pores.
This water is constantly drawn off from the outside of the tube, allowing more water to be condensed from the exhaust passing through the center of the tube at a given temperature.
In addition, capturing water vapor via this continual displacement method leads to an approximate 100-fold reduction in contaminants. As a result, the contact time between water-soluble gases such as nitrogen dioxide and the condensed water is eliminated.
Borla’s approach is unique in that we perform the water conversion process through the exhaust system. This concept creates potable water sources where no water is available, which is a common danger in many parts of the world.
Borla’s muffler/membrane reclamation unit installed on troop vehicles as part of the exhaust system will generate water at the point of use. It will supply a steady stream of water to slake thirst, prepare meals and maintain healthy hygiene — up to nearly 7 gallons a day per person — reducing vulnerability to military personnel while maximizing the tactical use of field troops.
This revolutionary technology is powered by the fuel that the military already burns to run its tanks, Humvees, generators and other field operation machines. For example, a Humvee, which has about a 25-gallon fuel tank, could provide enough water for roughly three soldiers per tank of fuel burned.
Besides reclaiming drinkable water from fuel to hydrate combat troops, the military could also benefit from Borla’s device for any power plant platform. Borla will use its advanced marketing capabilities to commercialize the device to a wide scope of potential military and commercial target markets including transport and stationary power plants such as generators, water pumps as well as marine, cars and trucks.
Borla’s greatest asset is our ability to produce as well as commercialize this device. Borla’s advanced marketing capabilities complete the triangle of technology, manufacturing, and marketing. This is a true partnership of an environmentally forward thinking, commercially viable product.
This free water reclamation system is neutral energy and designed to simplify water management operations. It permits a greater quantity of water to be removed at a given temperature compared to traditional direct condensation methods. It also limits water – gas contact time, reducing dissolution of gas-phase contaminates present in diesel exhaust and further enhancing this method's use in obtaining high-purity water fit for human consumption.
Borla is committed to deliver this revolutionary device at a commercially available low price. Together, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Borla are committed to solving one of today’s greatest challenges to the health and survival of our Armed Forces, and to the earth itself.

California Lithium Battery, Inc.

Argonne National Laboratory

California Lithium Battery (“CALBattery”) is a start-up California company established in 2011 to develop and manufacture a breakthrough high energy density and long cycle life lithium battery for utility energy storage, transportation, and defense industries. The company is a joint venture between California-based Ionex Energy Storage Systems and CALiB Power. US production of this advanced Very Large Format (400Ah+) si-graphene LI-ion battery is scheduled to start in California in 2014. Plans are to produce the initial batteries for CALBattery JV partner Ionex Energy Storage Systems for use in 1-100MW grid scale energy storage applications essential for wide-scale renewable energy integration in California and throughout the world.

Iowa Powder Atomization Technologies, Inc.

Ames Laboratory

Iowa Powder Atomization Technologies, Inc. (IPAT) aims to become a leading domestic titanium powder producer allowing for a paradigm shift in the cost of titanium powders for metal injection molding (MIM) feedstock. Decreasing this cost will create vast opportunities for aerospace, military, biomedical, and consumer applications. Titanium and its fabrication by MIM can become one of the United States’ most advanced processing technologies and help jump-start many corresponding manufacturing sectors, spurring job creation and economic growth throughout the United States.
Titanium is viewed as one of the most strategic metals of our future. Its high-strength, lightweight, and good corrosion resistance makes it superior in many demanding applications, such as aerospace components. Dr. Randall German reported in 2009 that saving 2.2 pounds of weight on an aircraft is valued at $500 dollars in annual fuel savings, so the implementation of titanium into many of its components could contribute to significant fuel savings over time. Titanium is also the material of choice due to its bio-inertness for biomedical implants allowing them to be useful for a much longer period of time than the current standard, stainless steel, thus preventing multiple invasive replacement surgeries.
However, titanium’s extreme reactivity with casting mold materials and machining cutting tools makes fabrication of components with a complex final-shape rather expensive and inefficient. Generally, the “buy-to-fly” ratio for titanium aerospace parts is at least 10:1, with 90 percent of the original weight being converted to machining chips and scrap. An attractive solution to these inefficient fabrication methods is to use a powder metallurgy processing route, which has many advantages over other manufacturing methods and is much more energy and material efficient. One of the greenest manufacturing technologies within powder metallurgy is metal injection molding (MIM).
MIM is a series of steps of making large numbers of relatively small, but geometrically complex parts very efficiently. Metal powders are mixed with a low melting plastic and injected into reusable molds, the plastic is then removed and the remaining metallic parts are exposed to high temperatures to densify the parts. Typically the number of parts made by MIM can be from the thousands to millions per year. Since this is a near-net-shape process, very little scrap is generated (nearly a 1:1 “buy-to-fly” ratio). Reducing waste and energy costs have allowed the global MIM market to grow approximately 14 percent annually since 2002. Significant research has been conducted on titanium MIM (Ti-MIM) within the last five years and the technology for production of high quality Ti-MIM products exists in industry. The main hurdle to Ti-MIM is quality MIM powder at an affordable price.
As companies have seen the need for Ti-MIM powder, many technologies have been utilized to produce titanium powder. However, to date all powders are either too expensive or the properties of the powder are not suitable to Ti-MIM. One of the main ways powders of stainless steel are produced for MIM is by close-coupled gas atomization (CCGA). IPAT will utilize the economically viable method of CCGA with advanced processing technologies, unlocking CCGA’s potential for titanium powder production. This processing route allows for a tenfold increase in the yields of fine powder suitable for Ti-MIM compared to other atomization routes. Costs are not only reduced by increasing yields of suitable powder, but CCGA also utilizes the most cost-effective starting material.

SH Coatings LP

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

SH Coating protects power lines from inclement weather as well as contamination from salt deposits that often cause flashovers in coastal environments. The coating can be applied to existing power lines and equipment in any field condition.
The most important application is coating power lines in ice storm threatened areas. Power lines coated with SHC prevent the ice build-up that come with ice storms by repelling the rain that ordinarily falls on power lines and freezes there forming a wing on the leeward side of the line and causing the lines to gallop during wind events. This action destroys the poles carrying the lines as well as cause lines to short out. Damage caused by these events causes severe economic damage to communities, and blacks out large areas of a region’s power grid when they hit - sometimes for extended times.
The most extreme damage example was an ice storm that almost completely shut down the grid around Montreal, Canada, in 1998. That storm caused $5 Billion in damage to the network, not including collateral damage to commercial, industrial and residential interests. There are many examples of similar here in the United States.
The Ice Belt here in the United States ranges from Montana to New Mexico and then east through the plains such as Kansas, Nebraska and Arkansas, where upper level low-pressure areas met high-pressure artic weather. Much of the Midwest and New England have also experienced ice storms that cause deaths as well as significant economic damage due to power outages. There has been no technology available until now to protect these systems. The SHC technology is now available and will help protect these important systems from problems created by these ice storms.
Costs to repair networks are great. The average cost of replacing one wooden power pole is approximately $2,000.00. With approximately 20 to 25 poles per mile, the cost can easily exceed $30,000 per mile. It is not unheard of for a single ice storm to pull down thousands of poles, which can cost a municipality from $20 to $40 million. Ask a rural electric coop what his biggest nightmare is and he will tell you an ice storm. That is what keeps their attention to the weather during the winter months. SHC will protect our power networks and defend against this catastrophe.
While our focus is upon damages caused by ice on power lines, we also believe that the SHC coating can be applied safely and effectively to adjoining trees and greenery that may threaten power lines by collapsing onto them. The SHC coating is toxicologically safe for the environment and could be sprayed onto dormant trees and greenery to prevent ice built up. While this treatment has yet to be tested, we believe that it is a viable possibility that will not harm the environment.
A reliable working and protected power network during winter events is important to the wellbeing of local, as well as large, networks and economies.

SynchroPET LLC

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Two of our devices have pre-clinical applications that can be very useful for drug development and research
The RatCAP is a miniature PET scanner allows whole brain imaging in fully conscious rats for the first time. By far the world's smallest and lightest PET scanner, it is the only PET system able to be mounted on the head of a lab rat, allowing for the first-time functional images of the whole brain during the rat's typical behavior. Research PET centers will be eager to acquire this unique tool, and pharmaceutical companies will be interested in using it in drug development, especially for neurological applications in which anesthesia can interfere with the results. Even universities without access to the full infrastructure of PET will see this as a low-cost entry into the growing field of PET imaging.
The small-animal PET insert for MRI is an accessory for commercial small animal MRI systems to provide simultaneous PET and MRI imaging. An ultra compact and MRI-compatible PET scanner, designed to fit inside existing commercial small-animal MRI systems to provide simultaneous functional and structural imaging with PET and MRI.
Our other two devices provide great opportunities in the clinical human diagnostic and treatment markets
The wrist scanner is a practical non-invasive way to bring quantitative PET to the bedside. It’s an imaging instrument that measures radioactivity levels in the blood, potentially eliminating the need for invasive arterial blood sampling in human PET research, and thus facilitating the use of enhanced quantitative procedures in the clinic. The wrist scanner will enable personalized protocols in medical treatment, like for chemotherapy. Your physician will know during your first treatment whether it is working or not, and if it needs to be adjusted. This will save time, and lives.
The Breast PET-MRI is a compact MRI-compatible PET system able to retrofit clinical MRI systems to simultaneously image breast tumors with PET and MRI, thereby adding to the clinical confidence of MRI findings (which have a high false positive rate), and reducing unnecessary biopsy by directing attention to the most suspicious lesions.
These products will enhance pharmaceutical development of new cancer drugs, and drugs for neurological disorders like Alzheimers or Parkinsons. Furthermore, our devices for the clinical market will help us detect cancer more accurately and treat it more effectively.
The founders of SynchroPET are interested in a profitable company, but almost as important, we are interested in making a difference.

Teknikem, A Division of RockinBoat LLC

Y12 National Security Complex

Teknikem, a Division of RockinBoat LLC, is commercializing RonJohn, a safer more environmentally friendly paint and adhesive licensed from the Y12 National Security Complex. Unlike conventional strippers, RonJohn products are not classified as hazardous air pollutants, carcinogens, or hazardous wastes. RonJohn blends were developed by the scientists at Y12 to meet their need to replace flammable and toxic chemistry that was being phased out at the complex. The same forces that led the DOE to migrate away from flammable and toxic chemistry for removing coatings are also motivating other governmental organizations and private sector companies to make safer and more environmentally responsible decisions in their chemical usage. Until now, the choice has been between dangerous, toxic strippers or green strippers that were in effective; RonJohn is a game changer in this regard offering both good stewardship and effectiveness.

TrakLok Corporation

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

TrakLok developed the GeoLok solution to realize the vision of both an efficient and secure supply chain.
TrakLok’s approach is to deter, detect, and defend our clients’ cargo. An authorization code tied to predefined locations and time windows allows or denies access to a shipping container or trailer with the GeoLok® device. Only the right person at the right place at the right time can access a shipping container protected by the GeoLok device. TrakLok utilizes a case-hardened locking mechanism coupled with global wireless communications package to ensure our clients always know the location, status, and condition of their cargo.
In addition to preventing unauthorized and unannounced entry through the doors of a container, it delivers critical intelligence regarding location, condition, and security of cargo. The device provides real-time information about the condition and location of high-value cargo and shipping containers. Using cellular, satellite, GPS, accelerometery, and next-generation local area network technology, the location of a container is continuously monitored as well as the mechanism for controlling access.
TrakLok directly provides potential solutions to the global supply chain. TrakLok’s value is stopping loss and increasing asset velocity providing the tools for reducing inspections, reducing inventory and overhead, and sets the stage for insurance incentives. This product alters the playing field for homeland security, reduces commercial losses, and enables better resource allocation. The product suite protects our clients’ brands and customers by ensuring product integrity and expediting commerce, thereby making increased homeland security a cost-free proposition.

US e-Chromic

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

US e-Chromic, based in Boulder, Colorado, was formed in March 2011, for the purpose of developing and commercializing reflective electrochromic (EC) thin film based on options to patents exclusively licensed from NREL. The company has exclusive rights to 3 issued and 1 pending NREL patents and non-exclusive rights to 3 issued and 7 pending NREL patents. Our EC thin film will be applied to existing windows, transforming them into highly energy efficient 'smart windows.' Our EC technology can reduce building air conditioning usage by 25 to 40 percent. We intend to be the industry standard for the window retrofit market.
Competing EC technologies on the market today turn dark (and therefore absorb heat) when activated. Because they absorb heat, these EC technologies must be built into the interior of new window units (IGUs), making them very expensive to acquire (often priced at more than $100 per square foot). Existing windows must be replaced by these new window units, so installation costs, including potentially vacating space and/or requiring rigging, can dramatically increase the total cost of acquisition. Additionally, disposing of the existing windows can add costs and create unnecessary landfill.
US e-Chromic's EC thin film reflects sunlight and its heat when activated. Reflecting (not absorbing) heat enables our technology to be applied from inside an office or home onto existing windows, thus eliminating the costs, dislocation and landfill associated with purchasing and installing expensive replacement EC windows. Unlike our competitors’ EC windows that are wired into the building infrastructure for both power and control, our EC thin film will be powered with a very small PV cell and battery and will include a control module that wirelessly interfaces with the customer’s building management system. We anticipate end-user pricing at approximately $20 per square foot.
Thermal transfer through windows accounts for about 4 percent (approximately 4.1 quadrillion BTUs per year) of the total annual US energy consumption, according to the Energy Department. Additionally, windows account for more than 30 percent of building air conditioning costs. HVAC accounts for 39 percent of building energy usage according to the 2008 Buildings Energy Data Book. This problem becomes much larger when considering Europe, Asia and Australia. Our EC thin film for windows addresses the tremendous electrical energy usage and GHG emissions that are caused by inefficient windows in commercial and residential structures.
We are currently continuing research, development and testing under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NREL. In addition to the prototype anticipated to be delivered in February 2012, additional refinement of the technical recipe and testing will occur until the completion of the CRADA in Septempter 2012. We plan to develop a pilot production line in 2013, which will become operational by mid- to late 2013.
We intend to build our production facilities in an economically disadvantaged location that suffers from chronic above-average unemployment. By doing so, we will employ significant numbers of otherwise unemployed workers. We believe that this has the added benefit of creating an extremely loyal and stable workforce. The company also anticipates the benefit of state and municipal economic incentives associated with this decision.

Umpqua Energy, Inc.

Argonne National Laboratory

Umpqua Energy, Inc. is an Oregon-based corporation dedicated to introducing clean technologies into the marketplace. Over the past eight years, Umpqua Energy founder Dan Wells has avidly engaged in the research and development of hydrogen-injection technologies. Mr. Wells has eagerly championed the adoption of these technologies for use in the daily operation of businesses that rely heavily upon combustion engines.
Umpqua Energy is managed by a team of experts in energy conservation, transportation technologies, patent law, economic development, manufacturing and production, and the commercialization of evolving technologies. This unique depth and breadth of experience positions Umpqua Energy to successfully introduce innovative products to the market focused on energy conservation, environmental enhancement, and the stimulation of economic growth.
The EVOPAC™: Evolutionizing Motion is company’s latest breakthrough product offering revolutionary advances in energy conservation, pollution control, and automotive power delivery. Umpqua Energy’s EVOPAC™ system unites two cutting-edge technologies to dramatically improve gas mileage, while reducing the dangerous emission of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and nitrous oxide by 85 to 95 percent. Combining an advanced hydrogen-injection system with a DeNOx Catalyst, the EVOPAC™ dramatically increases a vehicle’s fuel economy while reducing its noxious emissions.
Pre-treatment: fuel economy and a cleaner burn
The EVOPAC™ system allows an internal combustion engine to burn fuel more completely, wasting less fuel in the form of harmful emissions. A plasma reformer gets installed into the engine compartment and converts fuel into hydrogen. The plasma reformer breaks apart gasoline or diesel fuel and extracts hydrogen from the fuel. The hydrogen, then, gets injected into the combustion chambers and ignites the fuel earlier in the engine’s process, causing more power in the downward stroke. The hydrogen causes the fuel to burn more completely, resulting in greater fuel efficiency, less emissions, and more power. Tests have demonstrated reductions in fuel usage in hydrogen-injection systems compared with conventional combustion engines. And the introduction of hydrogen into the engine virtually eliminates fuel emissions while greatly reducing the emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
After-treatment – for emissions control
There is one negative effect of many lean-burning hydrogen-injection systems: harmful nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions increase. This is where the second technological component of the EVOPAC™ comes in: Umpqua Energy’s DeNOx Catalyst is a newer technology that attaches to the tailpipe and has been proven to reduce NOx emissions by 85 percent. Combined with hydrogen injection, the complete EVOPAC™ system provides the most complete emission reduction system known in the marketplace.
Compliance with new regulations, and economic stimulation
In May 2009, the federal government mandated mileage increases and emission decreases for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. The State of California and major automakers showed their support and the market is now poised for breakthrough technologies to increase fuel savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EVOPAC™ is the most complete emission reduction system available for internal combustion engines, and is uniquely poised as the only system that can already exceed both of these new demands.
The introduction of the EVOPAC™ into production vehicles nationwide would immediately reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign oil while shrinking fuel budgets and dramatically cleaning up our air, and we can only imagine the economic stimulus enabled by radically diminishing the cost of fuel usage nationwide.

Vorbeck Materials Corp.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Vorbeck Materials was founded in 2006 to bring to market products using graphene, a sheet of carbon that is only a single atom thick. Graphene is the strongest material ever tested and is electrically and thermally conductive. In recent years, there has been significant interest and activity on graphene research and its potential applications. The Aksay Labs at Princeton University produced a patented method for manufacturing graphene at commercial scale. Vorbeck signed a worldwide license for the Princeton technology and commissioned a ton-scale graphene manufacturing plant in 2007.
The partnership between Vorbeck, PNNL and Princeton ultilizes graphene’s unique properties to enable major improvements in the performance of lithium ion batteries, which are widely used in laptops and smartphones and to power electric vehicles. Graphene offers unique advantages as an electrode material in lithium ion batteries because it is strong, thin and highly conductive.   Even small quantities of high-quality, single-sheet graphene can lead to batteries that both store large amounts of energy and recharge quickly – breaking traditional trade-offs in battery design between capacity, power and recharge rate. Whereas today’s cell phone batteries typically take between two and five hours to recharge, batteries with graphene-based anodes could recharge in less than 10 minutes.
The unique performance properties of graphene combined with specifically designed chemical modification of the graphene and a novel porous structure has advanced the limit on in what is feasible for lithium battery energy storage. Developments by PNNL and Princeton of lithium air batteries incorporating graphene as a cathode material set the highest energy storage capacity ever recorded, 15,000 milliamp hours per gram.   The impact for consumer products will be dramatic.   Electric cars with a current range of 100 miles after 10 to 12 hours of recharge will have a range of 400 miles.
Vorbeck, in collaboration with PNNL and Princeton, is working to rapidly bring this new technology to market.   Vorbeck is partnering with Hardwire LLC to integrate the new batteries into hybrid military vehicles and is collaborating with companies to incorporate the new technology in toys, tools, and commercial vehicles.
Vorbeck is the only company in the world with commercial graphene-based products on the market today. Products using Vorbeck’s graphene-based circuits have already been sold in major retail chains.

Woodmont Enterprises LLC

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Woodmont Enterprises LLC has historically developed a polymer-based solution to protect other companies’ coatings that are topcoat solutions placed onto oriented strand board (OSB) – a construction material made of wooden strips compressed and bonded together with wax and resin.
Our validation partner with topcoat solutions has strong active channelized sales today with needs of protecting their product during transport. Our primary focus has been to identify a price that would allow immediate client adoption of our waterproofing coating solution.
Woodmont has been working with other polymer-based coatings that were costly. We were introduced to the technology transfer initiative out of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and immediately knew there were possibilities for OSB coating with our optioned technology. We have been testing this optioned technology "superhydrophobic diatomaceous earth" with a validation partner and seen significant net benefits in real-world scenarios. Our focus has been to create positive cash flow immediately on conversion from "option" to "license." Applications for the product include mold-resistant coatings on OSB for residential wood products.
Mold has created health issues in residential placements, and remediation processes for flood damage could coat OSB in those settings. We see both retail and channelized industrial sales opportunities with our final product.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Hrvatske Tvrtke koje se bave Obnovljivim Izvorima Energije

2012-01-30T12:30:00.000+01:00