News

In the US, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has released a request for statements of interest (RSOI) in the development of a biomass gasification project for combined heat and power (CHP) application in Sacramento, California. SMUD says it is seeking an experienced project developer with a commercial technology that has a track record of successful implementation and…
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KiOR has announced that, as part of its refocus on R&D, it has accepted a bid for substantially all of its assets from certain affiliates of Vinod Khosla that have been providing and will continue to provide it with senior secured financing. KiOR has also filed for relief under Chapter 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Under the Bankruptcy Code, the bid is subject to…
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Microsoft and the University of Wyoming (UW) have officially opened their zero emission green data centre that is fuelled by methane biogas and allows the university to run computing and modelling applications from the Laramie campus. A cable-cutting ceremony for the Cheyenne Biogas Power Plant, which is located at the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility, was scheduled for 6 November. The data…
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PHI Group, a US public company engaged in energy and natural resources, has filed a form D with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a $60 million (€55 million) private placement under the auspices of Rule 506(c) of Regulation D for accredited and institutional investors. The placement has been structured by offering 40 million investment units at the price of $1.50 per unit, each…
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Viaspace has been engaged by Clean Energy Solutions Pacific (CES), an independent power producer focused on developing power for energy markets, to provide engineering and design work for a 2MW biogas power plant fuelled by Giant King Grass. The CES project located in Papua New Guinea is to own and operate a biogas power plant and Giant King Grass plantation that delivers reliable electricity to…
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State-run agricultural research firm Embrapa states Brazil can increase planted areas for bioenergy sixfold without removing rainforest. Manoel Texeira Souza, general manager, Embrapa, said at BNamericas' 11th Southern Cone Energy Summit that as much as 50 million hectares were available for future growth. 'If we can transfer 20% or 30% of that land into new [plantations] we will exceed our…
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Renewable energy accounted for 9.8% of total domestic energy consumption in 2014, report the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). This marks the highest renewable energy share since the 1930s, when wood was a much larger contributor to domestic energy supply. Renewable energy use grew an average of 5% per year over 2001-2014 from its most recent low in 2001. The increase over the past 14…
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The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has selected E4tech to lead a consortium that will deliver the latest project in its bioenergy programme – a techno-economic assessment of biomass pre-processing. This 11 month project will provide an assessment of the economic and performance trade-offs associated with pre-processing options, and the value they provide compared with more conventional…
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Air Liquide, a producer of high value-added gases, has signed an agreement for the acquisition of FordonsGas, a company that distributes compressed biogas (CBG) for the Swedish transportation market. FordonsGas owns and operates more than 40 CBG stations in Sweden, making it one of the largest distribution networks for this alternative fuel in the country. These filling stations enable owners and…
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Pellet manufacturer German Pellets and ZG Raiffeisen Energie, a trading and service company, have created a 50/50 joint venture for the sale of wood pellets. The name of the joint subsidiary company will be 'best:Pellets Handelsgemeinschaft'. It will begin pellet sales on 1 January 2015. 'We are now taking the next logical step in our cooperation, so as to gain further market shares,' explains…
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In the UK, AmeyCespa, North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council, have signed a contract to design, build and operate a new integrated waste management facility – Allerton Waste Recovery Park. The facility will include a recycling plant, an anaerobic digestion plant and a waste-to-energy plant for the treatment of residual household waste. Anaerobic digestion company OWS…
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Harvest Power, a North American-based company dedicated to converting organic waste into clean energy, has announced a $20 million (€15.8 million) financing round. The lead investors were True North Venture Partners, Industry Ventures, and Generation Investment Management. This financing will allow Harvest to accelerate development of new opportunities in the clean energy space with its…
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Ireland's electricity utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a loan facility for €100 million. The funds will be used for continued investment in the electricity network in the south west region of Ireland to connect renewable energy to the national transmission network. This is the second part of a total loan facility of €200 million…
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The Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC), a 102.5MW biomass-fired power plant in Florida, US has received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The certification affirms that GREC's purchase procedures for its waste wood fuels conform to the FSC Chain of Custody standard. It is the first power generation facility ever to receive this certification. The certification assessment was…
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