MER - Monday, September 29, 2008

Renewable power standard passes, but some say it's too weak
After months of being "90 percent there," the alternative energy package that kept most of the Lansing lobbyist corps gainfully employed since last fall finally passed the Legislature this month. Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who had long championed the package and led a town hall on energy at the Democratic National Convention, was already touting it on her trade mission in Japan. She and Democrats claim it will create 30,000 new jobs, although Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, who ultimately supported it, was skeptical. The standard mandates utilities get 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015, and also guarantees them 90 percent of the state's electricity markets. Some environmental groups say the 10 percent target is too timid, and alternative power providers don't like the 90 percent guarantee.

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Azure Dynamics gets hybrid truck order from bakery company
Oak Park-based Azure Dynamics Corp. (OTCQX: AZDDF) said it had received an order from an unnamed large baking company for two of its Balance Hybrid Electric Ford E-450 walk-in vans. The new orders represent the 145th and 146th Balance Hybrid Electric sales since their launch in May 2008. Azure says its medium duty hybrid trucks offer a 40 percent improvement in fuel economy and a 30 percent reduction in carbon footprint and vehicle maintenance costs. More at www.azuredynamics.com.

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Michigan's URC fuels new industries, creates 69,285 jobs
Michigan's University Research Corridor partners -- Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University -- generated 69,285 jobs, educated more students than any of the nation's best comparable R&D clusters, and produced $13.3 billion in economic impact in 2007, according to a new report. The report highlights a major URC priority, alternative energy research. The report was released Wednesday, the same day the three URC presidents met with New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman, whose new book, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why we Need a Green Revolution -- and How it Can Renew America," issues an urgent call for renewable energy.

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Friedman urges massive push for renewable energy
The bestselling author of "The World Is Flat" and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman spoke this month in Ypsilanti to an enthusiastic crowd of more than 1,000 at a meeting of the Washtenaw Economic Club. The session was sponsored by the University Research Corridor, the consortium of Michigan's three major research universities, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. The event also featured a renewable energy business exhibition by several companies involved in the nascent industry. Friedman said he'd do in Michigan what President George W. Bush did when he was governor of Texas -- insist on heavy development of wind power. "I'd have the highest renewable power standard in the country," he said. "I'd tell my utilities they had to be generating 30 percent of their power from renewable power by 2020 and 50 percent by 2050. They would all scream and moan, but all those innovators I've met here today would have a domestic market. Think it won't work? Go visit Denmark," where most power comes from wind, and where the unemployment rate is 1.6 percent because renewable energy is a major employer. Friedman spent his speech going through the arguments in his new book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution -- And How It Can Renew America."

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DTE, University of Michigan launch clean energy prize
To help move clean energy technologies from the laboratory to commercial production, DTE Energy and the University of Michigan are challenging teams from Michigan colleges and universities to develop the best business plans for bringing new clean energy technologies to market. The teams with winning ideas will share $100,000 in prize money, to be awarded in the spring of 2009. Applications and details of the competition are available at www.dtecleanenergyprize.com.

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Ricardo creates hybrid business group
Ricardo Inc., the British engineering firm with its United States headquarters in Van Buren Township, announced the formation of a dedicated global strategic business in hybrid and electric vehicle development. The new organization will encompass advanced skills and expertise in system architecture definition, power electronics design and advanced energy management and control technologies, to the implementation of the numerous hybrid vehicle sub-systems and electrical ancillaries. It also will leverage the company's expertise in intelligent by-wire technologies for systems such as steering, braking and chassis control. Ricardo president Dean Harlow said the company's Battery Systems Development Center in Van Buren Township will play an important role in hybrid projects developed by the Global Hybrid Product Group.

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Atlas Oil acquires Northwest Indiana sites from BP
Atlas Oil Co. of Taylor said it closed on 23 BP-branded retail assets acquired from BP in Northwest Indiana, including retail locations owned by BP, several dealer-supplied sites and an agreement for Atlas to operate sites on the Indiana toll road. Atlas operates the sites from its South Bend, Ind., office. Atlas clients include seven brands and supplies more than 300 retail locations in Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. Atlas announced its strategic relationship with BP in December 2007 when it began branding multiple locations to the BP brand following its acquisition of R&J Oil Co. For more information, visit www.atlasoil.com.

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UM energy saving effort, Planet Blue, aims to cut utility bills 10 percent
The University of Michigan aims to cut utility costs by 10 percent over the next three years at its Ann Arbor campuses by reaching out to faculty, staff and students in an energy-conservation program called Planet Blue. The University spent $111 million on utilities in Ann Arbor during fiscal year 2007. Planet Blue is a three-year education and outreach campaign that will target 90 large buildings on the three Ann Arbor campuses. The project will be funded by UM Plant Operations at the rate of about $5 million a year. Planet Blue's goal is to reduce those costs by combining energy-saving technologies and building upgrades with behavioral changes from building occupants. More at http://planetblue.umich.edu/home.php.

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Kansas firm to commercialize MSU biofuels technology
A Kansas company has licensed Michigan State University technology that uses enzymes from a microbe in a cow’s stomach to create plants that can be more efficiently turned into biofuel. Breaking down cellulose and hemicellulose (the fiber that makes plant leaves and stems rigid) into simple sugars that can be fermented into ethanol has been a key challenge for biofuel producers. Enzymes must be added to chopped plant material. This makes the process and the final biofuel product more costly. The fact that the breakdown process also is difficult to do efficiently also increases costs. Sticklen’s corn variety for biofuel production, Spartan Corn III, contains all three enzymes necessary to convert the cellulose in plant fiber into sugars that can be made into biofuel.

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Ecology Coatings to get investment of up to $5 million
Bloomfield Hills-based Ecology Coatings Inc. announced an investment of up to $5 million in convertible preferred stock in the company from Equity 11 Ltd., an Auburn Hills-based private equity firm. Ecology Coatings develops patented coatings that use nanotechnology so that they are curable in ultraviolet light rather than heat, resulting in huge energy savings to users. The company said funds received from the stock will be used to retire short-term debt and to develop and expand its sales, marketing, product development and materials production activities. More than www.ecologycoatings.com or www.equity11.com.

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Energy efficient plug-in hybrid bus gets first test drive
Troy-based Fisher Coachworks LLC announced that its GTB-40 plug-in hybrid transit bus took its inaugural drive at 4:35 p.m. on Aug. 15. Behind the wheel was Bruce Emmons, Fisher Coachworks' co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. This important milestone caps several years of development, funded in part by grants from the Department of Energy, and sets the wheels in motion for rapid commercialization of the bus by Fisher Coachworks. Fisher officials say the GTB-40 bus is half the weight of current hybrid buses in the market, and as a result of its energy optimized architecture, it also achieves twice the fuel economy. More at www.fishercoachworks.com.

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New Dow Corning technology to cut the cost of solar power
Midland-based Dow Corning Corp. has demonstrated a manufacturing process featuring new developmental silicone materials that significantly increases the production rate of solar panels, effectively lowering the cost per watt of solar power. "This technology represents a real step-change in the industry, and will help make solar power a viable and sustainable energy option globally," said Gaetan Borgers, global industry director, Dow Corning Solar Market Business Unit. The process works in conjunction with developmental Dow Corning PV-6100 Encapsulant series, which provides a clear laminate to protect each solar cell in a panel and can replace commonly used ethyl vinyl acetate resin. The silicone-based material provides higher watt efficiency, longer module life, and optimum UV resistance. Equipment for the new process requires less capital and less factory space. The process and encapsulant series are being piloted by select solar partners in the new Dow Corning Solar Application Center in Freeland and are expected to be commercially available in mid-2009.

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Clean Transportation Expo draws big crowd for awards
A big crowd of 250 gathered last week for the initial Michigan Clean Transportation Expo and Awards Gala, a new event sponsored by NextEnergy, the Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coalition and the Clean Energy Coalition to encourage more development of environmentally friendly auto and truck transport. What fun -- a huge exhibit of high-tech clean diesel, hybrid, hydraulic and fuel cell cars (which you can see above), and a bunch of folks who really care about the environment and the future, and a sold-out dinner with terrific speeches. More.