Clean Energy Renewables and Sustainables Making it on the Macro and Local Scale

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). The acceptance of new, clean sources of energy among potential users across all sectors and sizes of business is in sync with the development and availability of new 'off-the-line' products, which can be applied in user defined packages.

Participation in high visibility projects by the oil and automobile majors in product development and applications is giving the market drive weight and long-term credibility and is seeing the growth of once small renewable hitech entrepreneurships into significant manufacturing concerns.

At the big end of these developments is the 'initial understanding' between the Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) (Midland, Michigan), the world's largest chemical manufacturer and General Motors (NYSE:GM) (Detroit, Michigan) the world's largest automobile manufacturer. GM is looking to commercialize its hydrogen fuel cell technology by generating electrical power from the hydrogen generated as a co-product at Dow's largest (30 square miles) manufacturing facility in Freeport, Texas.

The project envisages Dow using up to 35 MW of power generated by 500 GM fuel units. This would make the proposed deal 15 times bigger than any known fuel cell transaction. The final agreement is expected to be signed between the two companies for testing to begin in the fourth quarter of 2003 and run through to 2005, with commercialization starting in 2006. Currently, teams from both companies are working towards the placement of fuel cells in Dow's chemical manufacturing facility.

Covering the commercial and industrial motivations behind the project Dow's business vice president Bill Jewell said that if the tests are successful, Dow could become the largest user of fuel cell generated electricity in the world and it could prove the feasibility of manufacturing and using fuel cells in significant quantities.

Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development and planning said that the venture pointed to a growing interests among businesses in using fuel cells to power factories and buildings and that the most compelling reason for GM to collaborate with Dow was to ultimately reduce the cost of fuel cells and improve their durability so that GM can put them in cars by the end of the decade.

In California's San Joaquin Valley, what is claimed to be the largest array of flexible, amorphous-silicon solar technology in the world, has been commissioned by Chevron Texaco's (NYSE:CVX) (San Ramon, California) energy services subsidiary Chevron Energy Solutions.

Rated at 500 kW the demonstration project comprises of 4,800 flexible, current producing solar panels, each about 1.3 feet wide by 18 feet long mounted on metal frames. In contrast to glass based photovoltaic systems, the amorphous-silicon technology based panels can withstand direct impact and puncture without compromising their ability to generate power. As a result, the panels can be specified for commercial roofing and large applications that require flexibility and resilience. Chevron is demonstrating the new solar technology to show its viability for commercial and industrial applications, including oil field operations systems.

The Solarmine facility is the result of collaboration between Chevron and United Solar Systems (Unisolar) which is a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices (NASDAQ:ENER) (Rochester Hills, Michigan). A year ago ECD announced a joint venture with N.V Bekaert ( EURONEXT:BEKB) (Kortrijk, Belgium) which created Bekaert ECD Solar Systems, to run the world's largest thin-film solar cell manufacturing machine and related assembly equipment at their facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. In May 2003, Bekaert sold out its solar interests in the venture to ECD. Chevron holds a 20% equity interest in ECD and maintains three joint 50/50 ventures with ECD, where two advanced hydrogen systems and regenerative fuel cells are being developed with a view to commercialization.

At the middle end of the project scale (the lower end might be single home solar systems and a farmer's wind turbine) the owners of the Croton on Hudson, Exxon Gas Station, and Tiger Mart Convenience store harnessed their own enthusiasms and the support New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and contracted with New York Solar Authority (NYSA) to engineer, design and install a 15 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) electric power system in their premises. This is claimed to be the first time an Exxon gas station and Tiger Mart have utilized solar electric power in the US. The installation comprises 80 Sharp Solar 185 watt solar modules.

NYSA is an authorized 'eligible installer' for NYSERDA's solar rebate fund incentive program from which around $75,000 came in support for the project. A good investment for James Folley and Jose Suaza the owners of the business, becomes an excellent investment when the PV rebates and IRS business tax incentives for investment in solar technology, render a return (ROI) of about eight years. The federal IRS 10% Solar Investment Tax Credit and five year Accelerated Depreciation shines even more sun on the project finances.

Shine on, as Con Edison is applying a preferential new 'SC-10' time-of-day electric rate to Croton Exxon, since solar electric power is considered as a cogeneration parallel power source, reports Solarbuzz.

Croton Exxon is a 24/7 operation and much of their power consumed under the SC-10 rate structure will now be charged at the reduced off-peak rate, resulting in even further electric expense savings and further reducing the ROI period, the report says. Foley and Souza, who champion solar and renewable got still a little more help from their friend at NYSA, Michael Oberstein, NYSA COO, master-minded the project and provided Nyssa's Sunmation Energy Monitoring System and Management System at NYSA's cost (what else?) so that accurate solar performance and weather data can be monitored. The automated facility controls for Exxon's energy consuming loads can be added and controlled with Sunmation in the future, said Oberstein, who is a veteran of solar power and energy conservation industries in New York.

What will Oberstein do for the boys if it rains non-stop for a year...put in a hydro system?

It may be worth looking at the ROI on renewables and sustainables before you pretend that the getaway beach cottage (away from wind zones) is a good investment in addition to giving you environmental pleasure three weeks a year, maybe not.