September 10, 2007

Lobbyists are amassing on Capitol Hill. Energy legislation is pending. It's not just any bill. It's one that will touch every dimension of the sector from the greenies to the fossil fuel factions to the nuclear power sector.

High stakes are involved and the people - including utilities -- have the constitutional right to petition their government. But, politics is the art of compromise and the crafting of public policy should therefore be an inclusive effort. Republicans hold the Executive Branch while the Democrats control the Legislative Brach - a situation that necessitates the two sides meet in the middle if any comprehensive package is going to pass.

Posted on 9/10/2007 7:42:15 AM

The latest version of Ford Motor Co.'s "fumes-to-fuel" process to convert volatile organic compounds from production paint lines into electricity will be teamed with a 300kW molten carbonate fuel cell at the company's Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, AutoTech Daily reported Monday.

Danbury, Conn.-based FuelCell Energy Inc. will supply its DFC300MA stationary fuel cell pack for the program.

The traditional way to combat paint emissions is to concentrate them via rotary carbonwheels. The resulting concentrate is thermally oxidized at 1400 degrees Fahreneheit, which requires copious amounts of electricity and natural gas. With the fuel-to-fumes method co-developed by Detroit Edison, carbon beads are used to separate VOCs from the paint emissions. Ford says the fluidized bed used in the process improves concentration levels by 250 percent.

Posted on 9/10/2007 10:17:52 AM

Waste reduction is the most important environmental issue facing manufacturing businesses today, according to an international study on sustainability and environmental trends conducted by Harris Interactive for Midland-based Dow Corning Corp.

Eight out of ten managers and professionals in the United States, Brazil, Italy and Germany rank it as a higher priority than other environmental factors such as increasing energy efficiency or developing environmentally friendly products.

Posted on 9/9/2007 12:43:05 PM

Brighton-based Encore Energy Systems Inc. (OTC: ENCS) said Friday it had formed a strategic alliance with Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Ray Engineering, a company that specializes in mechanical and geothermal engineering to commercial, institutional, and industrial clients.

Under the agreement, Ray will provide geothermal design and engineering services to meet Encore Energy's growing sales.

As announced previously, Encore is experiencing unprecedented demand with a current aggregate sales pipeline value of more than $255 million.

Posted on 9/6/2007 8:20:08 AM

Southfield will get an E85 ethanol pump in a grand opening scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.

The city of Southfield, Sunoco's Group Center Inc., the state of Michigan and NextEnergy, the state's alternative energy industry accelerator, will celebrate the opening at 24848 Southfield Road.

Posted on 9/6/2007 9:10:55 AM

The Ann Arbor-based Cleantech Network LLC reported Thursday that North American and European investments in clean technology industries were nearly $1 billion in the second quarter, up 10 percent from $903 million in the first quarter.

For the first half, total investment was $1.9 billion, up 10 percent from $1.73 billion in the first half of 2006.

The consulting firm also said there were 17 clean technology initial public stock offerings in the second quarter, raising nearly $1.7 billion for clean tech companies. That's up a strong 88 percent from nine IPOs in the first quarter.