Solyndra II: Energy Company Busts on Eve of Climate Summit

As President Barack Obama departed for the climate summit in Paris, he faces a new “Solyndra” scandal as Spain’s Abengoa SA, which received $3 billion in administration sustainable energy loans and Export-Import Bank guarantees, announced that it has started bankruptcy proceeding and may soon default on its debt.

Solyndra II: Energy Company Busts on Eve of Climate Summit

Bill Gates launches multi-billion dollar clean energy fund - Nov. 29, 2015

Bill Gates has pulled together a multinational band of investors to put billions into clean energy.



The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist announced his latest endeavor, the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, at the climate change summit in Paris alongside President Obama and French President Francois Hollande.



Bill Gates launches multi-billion dollar clean energy fund - Nov. 29, 2015

Importance of Weatherization Professionals

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

We’re less than 4 weeks from the first day of #winter. Thanks to #weatherization professionals, some of whom are pictured here, many Americans won’t see a surge in their utility bills because their home is winterized. Our Weatherization Assistance Program provides grants to improve home #energy efficiency for low-income families. We joined groups across the #USrecently in recognizing National Weatherization Day. The EERE Blog has a recap of the celebratory activities in #Missouri and Washington D.C.:http://go.usa.gov/cDCrz.

PNNL: News - Three new technologies to make energy cleaner, more efficient

PNNL leads one ARPA-E project, collaborates on two others



PNNL: News - Three new technologies to make energy cleaner, more efficient

Home Energy Squad® now making house calls in Colorado

We’re now making energy-saving house calls in Colorado. Learn how our new Home Energy Squad® can make you a little cozier and help you save money with energy efficiency.



Home Energy Squad® now making house calls in Colorado

From GE:

GE Expands Wind Portfolio with Introduction of New Renewable Energy Business

November 17, 2015

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• Acquisition of Alstom’s renewable energy unit expands GE’s global wind footprint to more than 30,000 turbines worldwide and grows European presence by 50 percent
• Company welcomes new offshore wind business and Haliade* technology into portfolio
• Deal expected to help customers by extending GE’s wind services, increasing digital & analytics capabilities across the combined fleet

PARIS—November 17, 2015—GE (NYSE: GE) today introduced its new Renewable Energy business at the European Wind Energy Association’s 2015 Annual Event in Paris. The new unit significantly expands GE’s wind portfolio in the wake of its recent acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid businesses.

“Today is an exciting day for the future of the wind industry,” said Jérôme Pécresse, President & CEO of GE Renewable Energy. “With the creation of our new business, GE now has one of the world’s largest renewable energy footprints, and our goal is to help drive the wind industry forward by drawing on the shared expertise of two innovative companies.”

The new business expands GE’s global wind footprint to more than 30,000 turbines worldwide and significantly increases its presence in regions like Europe and Latin America. In Europe alone, GE’s installed base will grow by approximately 50 percent as a result of the deal.

“Over the past few years, we have really focused on making our wind business more global,” explained Anne McEntee, President & CEO of GE’s onshore wind unit. “The Alstom deal helps us gain local experience in key growth regions, and we will be extending our services capabilities to a broader group of customers across the newly combined fleet.”

In addition, GE Renewable Energy is welcoming a new offshore wind unit into the portfolio. Featuring new Haliade turbine technology, the offshore business has built a significant backlog of orders with EDF in France and has been selected for the Merkur offshore project in Germany. The Haliade technology will also be featured in the historic Block Island project, which is set to become the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Construction is underway, and the project will begin operation next year.

“Offshore wind is a challenging industry, but we believe the market has real potential,” said Anders Soe-Jensen, President & CEO of GE’s offshore wind unit. “Our goal is to work closely with customers to continue validating our technology as we begin to scale and grow the business.”

Customers can also expect to see service-related benefits resulting from the acquisition. GE Renewable Energy plans to extend its services capabilities across both existing fleets, with an emphasis on using cutting-edge digital and analytics capabilities to help customers improve productivity and increase power output. Earlier this year, GE launched its Digital Wind Farm, which aims to create a digital infrastructure for the wind industry. The Digital Wind Farm harnesses the analytics power of the GE Store and is powered by Predix, the secure software platform for the Industrial Internet.

*a trademark of General Electric Company

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About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

From GE:

GE Renewable Energy Unveils New 3 MW Wind Turbine Platform at EWEA

November 16, 2015

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·         New 3.4-130 and 3.4-137 models join recently announced 3.2-130 to form GE’s most powerful family of onshore wind turbines to date
 

·         Extends modular capabilities of GE’s Digital Wind Farm to 3 MW machines, with options including two rotor diameters, three generator ratings and five tower heights to fit pad-specific conditions

·         Configurations available for IEC class II and III conditions, with GE’s most powerful 3.4-137 model providing up to 24 percent higher output1 over existing technology

PARIS—November 17, 2015—GE Renewable Energy (NYSE: GE) today unveiled its new family of 3 MW wind turbines at the European Wind Energy Association’s 2015 Annual Event in Paris. Joining GE’s recently launched 3.2-130, today’s announcement introduced two new models in the 3.4-130 and 3.4-137, making the platform GE’s most powerful family of onshore wind turbines offered to date.

“Our new 3 MW machines are built to address the complexities of European wind conditions,” said Anne McEntee, President & CEO of GE’s onshore wind business. “Working closely with our customers, this new family of smart, modular turbines will allow us to configure the right technology for a wide variety of site-specific wind conditions.”

The new platform is built on the proven performance of GE’s 2.5 and 2.75 MW machines, and in addition to larger rotor diameters, the new models offer improved load management systems, enhanced control features and more efficient drive-train technology. Plus, they represent GE’s most powerful onshore machines offered to date, with the 3.4-137 model capable of providing up to 24 percent higher output1than existing technology.    

In addition, the new 3 MW platform features the modular hardware and software analytics capabilities ofGE’s Digital Wind Farm. The hardware platform uses the same machine head throughout all configurations, but offers flexible rotor diameters of 130 or 137 meters, multiple generator ratings of 3.2-3.4 MW and five possible tower height combinations ranging from 85-155 meters. The Digital Wind Farm also uses a virtual modeling system that aims to optimize individual turbine configuration and site layout to get the maximum energy production from each site’s unique wind conditions. It is powered by Predix*, the secure software platform for the Industrial Internet.

GE’s modular 3 MW turbine platform is configurable to meet IEC class 3A, 2B and 3B wind conditions.

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1Compared to GE’s 2.75-120 model

*Trademark of General Electric Company

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2015 Recap

New DuPont Biorefinery

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

This new DuPont biorefinery in #Iowa is the largest in the world, equipped to produce 30 million gallons of#ethanol each year from leftover corn stalks and leaves (corn stover) and is the fourth cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in the United States. It recently opened and is using technology resulting from years of Energy Department research. The ethanol that it will produce can be blended with gasoline for use as motor fuel and can help #America reduce #energy imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Jonathan Male, who heads up our Bioenergy Technologies Office, details the importance of this new biorefinery in an EERE Blog:http://go.usa.gov/cTHSk.

Layer of Nanocrystals

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

This looks like a work of #art to many. But in reality, it’s a thin layer of nanocrystals evaporated on a silicon surface that has the potential to generate #solar#energy. It’s an example of nanotechnology research conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in #Illinoisthat could revolutionize renewable energy generation. This Energy Department laboratory recently announced two new collaborative centers. One will advance nanotechnology, while the other is expected to play a major role in improving battery storage so renewable energy such as solar and wind can contribute to the power grid when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/cT9JR.

ORNL microscopy captures real-time view of evolving fuel cell catalysts | ORNL

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 19, 2015—Atomic-level imaging of catalysts by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help manufacturers lower the cost and improve the performance of emission-free fuel cell technologies.

Fuel cells rely on costly platinum catalysts to enable the reactions that convert chemical energy into electricity. Alloying platinum with noble metals such as cobalt reduces the overall cost, but such alloyed catalysts vary in performance based on their atomic structure and processing history.

ORNL microscopy captures real-time view of evolving fuel cell catalysts | ORNL

From GE:

GE’s Enhanced Input/Output Device Packs Industry-Leading Features into Smallest Footprint Available Today

November 12, 2015

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• Combination of Reduced Size, Improved Performance and Diagnostic Capabilities Makes New RSTi-EP I/O Device Compatible with Industrial Internet-Enabled Applications
• Device’s Hot-Swappable Design and Single Row of Connections Simplify Installation and Maintenance

DALLAS — November 12, 2015 — GE’s Automation & Controls solutions (NYSE: GE) today launched its new, enhanced RSTi-EP input/output (I/O) device, providing a new combination of performance and maintainability in a minimal footprint. The modular, flexible, high-density solution offers industry-leading I/O connectivity and usability in a footprint smaller than any other I/O device available today.

The RSTi-EP device features I/O slices that are just 11.5 millimeters wide, the narrowest available in the industry today, enabling it to fit into the most compact layouts while remaining easy to access and use. The device features improved performance and response time with its high-speed system bus reading up to 256 discrete I/O points in 20 microseconds. It also features an increased capacity of up to 1024 I/O points per drop.

In addition, the modular RSTi-EP unit provides performance and diagnostics capabilities akin to GE’s popular VersaMax Modular product line. The RSTi-EP I/O device allows a connected controller to know and affect the current state of the process or application being controlled by providing a networked interface for control systems to connect to the real world via sensors and actuators. With it, failures in systems can be identified at the control center as opposed to the operator having to go out to the factory floor for problem diagnosis. Its built-in Web server enables the operator to look at diagnostic faults, test I/O points and upgrade firmware over the Web. This simplifies start up, streamlines maintenance processes and increases uptime.

LEDs on the module and on each channel enable operators to quickly see where and when an error in the system has occurred, helping them to easily determine statuses and diagnoses. These LEDs also help to show clearly when the problem or error has been resolved.

Combining this diagnostics functionality with the unit’s reduced footprint creates a device that is easily usable for Industrial Internet-enabled applications and for applications where I/O can be difficult to reach — for example, in a wind turbine, where I/O can be located hundreds of feet off the ground.

“Sending someone to diagnose a problem in an application like a wind turbine can be dangerous, expensive and time consuming,” said Vibhoosh Gupta, product management leader, GE’s Automation & Controls solutions. “With our modular RSTi-EP I/O’s advanced diagnostics, operators can detect when there is an issue remotely and in real time, eliminating the need to send someone up the tower to check. Because of this, operators can quickly and cost-effectively determine if a problem needs to be fixed immediately or if it can wait until the next scheduled maintenance takes place.”

GE’s RSTi-EP I/O device has been designed for easy installation and maintenance. Its featured single-row connection level facilitates faster wiring, installation and service and its hot-swappable design enables operators to replace failed electronic components quickly and conveniently while the system continues to operate. The RSTi-EP I/O device also features an extended operating temperature range and high channel density to simplify machine design and maintenance.

The unit utilizes separate power supplies for inputs and outputs, reducing the number of power-feed modules needed while also saving space. With this design and due to the independence of the inputs and outputs, specific sections can be activated or deactivated without affecting production.

The new RSTi-EP I/O device can be used as part of stand-alone or networked unit controls, for control applications that require a higher performance capability and for those that operate in stringent environmental conditions. Examples include process and discrete manufacturing operations — both OEM and end users — such as skid-mounted equipment control, basic machine safety systems, pump and compressor control, conveyance and material handling systems.

About GE’s Automation & Controls solutions

GE is a leading provider of automation and controls technology and services for power generation, distribution and adjacent applications across industry. Our differentiated Industrial Internet solutions enable customers to optimize equipment performance and ensure reliable and efficient operations by connecting their machines, data, insights and people. Our dedicated team includes some of the best minds in automation capable of solving our customers’ toughest challenges.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com