Industry headlines

A company developing a "recycled" energy project from breaking trains in Philadelphia has been awarded a major grant by the state of Pennsylvania. Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-area smart grid company, announced last week it had received a $900,000 grant for a pilot project with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the nation’s sixth largest public transit organization. As part of the project, Viridity Energy will deploy its software optimization system to allow SEPTA to recycle the energy created from the regenerative braking ability of trains and trolleys at a high-use propulsion substation in Philadelphia, which will in turn improve power quality, produce energy savings and generate revenues. Click here for full story

Green cars are going to be bigger than renewable energy, we heard yesterday. HSBC reckons 8.65m electric vehicles and 9.23m plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles will be sold globally in 2020, up from around 5,000 and 657,000 respectively last year. But what are these cars actually like to live with? Recently I borrowed Toyota's latest Prius, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), to find out. Click here for full story

Low-carbon vehicles, such as electric cars, will be a bigger global market by 2020 than renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, according to a report by HSBC bank. The report predicts that 8.65m electric vehicles and 9.23m plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles will be sold globally in 2020, up from around 5,000 and 657,000 respectively in 2009.
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The soaring price of wheat has raised questions about the UK's commitment to biofuels as it attempts to wean itself from its dependence on oil. A network of biorefineries that convert wheat and other crops into bioethanol that can then be blended with petrol are being developed as the UK looks to meet its EU renewable transport fuels obligations. Click here for full story

Swiss boffins have mounted an investigation into the largely unknown environmental burdens of electric cars using lithium-ion batteries, and say that the manufacturing and disposal of batteries presents no insurmountable barriers to electric motoring. However, their analysis reveals that modern diesel cars are actually better for the environment than battery ones. Click here for full story

Shell and Cosan, one of the world’s largest sugarcane ethanol companies based in Brazil, signed binding agreements to form a $12 billion joint venture for the production and commercialization of ethanol and power from sugar cane. The resulting joint venture, if completed, will be the third largest ethanol producer in the world with 4,500 retail stations and annual production capacity of 2 billion liters (440 million gallons). Click here for full story

European Union countries must drop their biofuels targets or else risk plunging more Africans into hunger and raising carbon emissions, according to Friends of the Earth (FoE). In a campaign launching today, the charity accuses European companies of land-grabbing throughout Africa to grow biofuel crops that directly compete with food crops. Biofuel companies counter that they consult with local governments, bring investment and jobs, and often produce fuels for the local market. Click here for full story

An innovative business specialising in the design and manufacture of power electronics and electrical equipment has won over £6m in funding to look at charging electric cars via solar power. Turbo Power Systems (TPS), which employs 85 people at its power electronics division in Gateshead and has 30 staff at its electric motors site at Heathrow, has received a raft of research and development (R&D) investment. Click here for full story

With petrol prices sky-high and the Government offering inducements to go green, electric cars are being championed as the future of motoring. But as David Rose reveals, their real cost could give us a nasty shock...
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The Japan Post Service will soon be delivering mail in converted electric vehicles. Japan Post Service Co. has secured an order to purchase 1,030 electric vehicles from Japan-based Zerosports Co., Ltd. for its mail delivery and collection service. The Zero EVs are actually converted from gas-driven Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. commercial vehicles. Click here for full story

Most biofuels used by motorists in the UK are imported and meet no environmental standards, it has been revealed. Latest figures from the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), which is charged by the Government to regulate the British biofuels industry, found around 80 per cent of feedstock used to produce biofuel for British vehicles had been produced abroad. It added more than three quarters of biofuels used on UK forecourts met no environmental standards whatsoever. Click here for full story

Edinburgh Napier University has developed a new biofuel made from whisky by-products. It is the result of two years work by the universities biofuel research centre. The £260,000 project was funded by Scottish Enterprise's Proof of Concept programme. It has been welcomed by WWF Scotland's director Dr Richard Dixon who said it would help a "clean environment" industry to reduce transport emissions. Click here for full story

Teams from three continents have set off from the Place des Nations in Geneva with their electric cars on the longest and greenest race of all time, called the Zero Race. The cars will cross to Moscow and Shanghai and then travel by ship to Vancouver. From there they will continue along the west coast of North America all the way to Cancun, Mexico. In December, the vehicles will be shipped again to Portugal, and travel over southwest Europe to complete the final leg of the global journey. After 80 days, 30,000 kilometres through 16 countries and 150 city stopovers the race will be completed at the end of January 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland. Click here for full story

With a grass roof on the petrol station and a vegetable patch beside the coach park, the concept for Britain's greenest motorway services may seem beset by contradictions. But planners have approved designs for the £35m Gloucester Gateway project which aims to reinvent the motorway pitstop for the carbon-conscious generation….. The car parks have been designed to allow for charging points for electric vehicles and the filling station can be adapted to bio-fuel pumps in the future. Click here for full story

Bio-oil could become a more efficient source of renewable energy with a potential of replacing fossil fuels such as diesel, according to a £1.4 million project. The Bio-oil Refinery Project, part funded by the Research Council of Norway, aims to develop integrated bio-oil technology to transform biomass more efficiently into biofuels through fast pyrolysis. Click here for full story

Honda is working with the European Youth Parliament to support its 64th International Session, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany between 30th July and 8th August. On Tuesday, a representative from Honda Motor Europe took part in an “expert hearing”, giving members of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) a chance to learn about Honda’s environmental technology and to discuss the subject of sustainable mobility. Members of TRAN were also offered the unique opportunity to ride in the FCX Clarity, Honda’s zero emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. Click here for full story

The production and use of biofuels for transport has increased dramatically in recent years and is set to continue, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and meeting growing consumer demand. As most biofuels will be transported by sea, the industry needs to take stock of its growing experience of what can go wrong aboard ship and develop safe and efficient shipping, loading, handling and storage practices. Click here for full story

The sound of squeaking plastic parts is a minor irritant as the black cab surges into a sharp corner, its body leaning heavily. Normally, at high speed, the rattling would have been drowned out by a rumbling, whining diesel engine. But this taxi is different. This is the first hydrogen-powered London cab, developed to showcase zero exhaust emission vehicles during the 2012 London Olympics. Click here for full story

Six successful bidders will share £660,000 match funding from the Department of Business for gas refuelling or electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects. A private business in Essex, three councils across Yorkshire and the West Midlands, a public body co-ordinating transport in Merseyside and a community group on the Isle of Lewis are all winners in the latest round of support from the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme. Click here for full story

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed that motorists will receive up to £5,000 towards purchase of an ultra-low carbon car from January 2011. Exceptionally, the Government has agreed the announcement of this incentive ahead of the completion of the spending review to support the early market for ultra-low carbon cars. The Government remains committed to reducing the UK’s budget deficit, but understands the need for certainty for investors who are taking long term decisions now on where to launch ultra low carbon vehicles and where to locate future production. Click here for full story

Korean renewable energy developer, Eco-Frontier has signed a non-binding offtake agreement to purchase biocrude produced through Florida-based PetroAlgae's micro-crop technology. The agreement that the two companies signed means that Eco-Frontier is willing to establish a market in Korea and other areas for biocrude produced by the PetroAlgae system (used in co-firing energy applications. Click here for full story

A catamaran made out of 12,500 plastic bottles and other recycled plastic and waste products has sailed into Sydney harbour, completing a journey which started in San Francisco. The Plastiki left the US with a six-man crew and sailed for four months on renewable energy. Click here for full story

Driving over potholes could in the future cut fuel consumption thanks to a revolutionary new shock absorber. Known as GenShocks, the contraptions will mean that motorists will no longer just worry about their suspension, but regard every jolt as potentially cutting the cost of a visit to the filling station. This is because the devices not only absorb the impact from driving over rough surfaces but convert it into electricity as well. Click here for full story

The UK Government needs to speed up investment in renewables so the push for electric vehicles does not simply shift CO2 emissions from cars to power stations, according to a senior BMW boss. Ian Robertson, also chairman of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and a former managing director of Land Rover Vehicles, said there were a number of pressing issues for national governments to resolve before electric cars could become a mass-market way of reducing CO2 from transport. Click here for full story

Battery-powered cars may be on the cusp of the mainstream auto market, but scientists and car makers still have high hopes for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which should refuel faster and travel longer distances between fill-ups. Hydrogen fuel cells have their own Achilles' heel, however: They are easily poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO). Now, researchers report that they've created novel catalysts for fuel cell cars that strongly resist carbon monoxide contamination, potentially solving a problem that has vexed the industry for years. Click here for full story

Crop and food industries will benefit from a new $31 million biotechnology Center of Excellence to be headquartered at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus. The University has been awarded $19.25 million in federal funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), with an additional $12 million of support from partner institutions…… The Center of Excellence will be led by the University of Adelaide and involves collaboration with the universities of Melbourne and Queensland, and with major research institutions and industry partners in Australia, Scotland, Sweden, Germany and the United States…. "Plant cell walls contain components that are of major interest for renewable energy production, for the food industry, and for the pulp and paper industries," Professor Fincher says. Click here for full story

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and U.K. utility Scottish and Southern Energy PLC have agreed to work together on low-carbon energy developments that could lead to joint projects, investments and supply arrangements on technologies such as offshore wind, SSE said Friday. The agreement will also enable the companies to work together on smart grids and low-carbon vehicles, carbon capture and storage and high-efficiency power generation. "This agreement represents one of the most significant industrial partnerships to be established in Scotland since the heyday of North Sea oil--and low carbon energy represents Scotland's biggest economic opportunity since then," said SSE Chief Operating Officer of Colin Hood. Click here for full story

The RFA released provisional data compiled during the second year of the RTFO. You can access the complete data here. This was presented by Nick Goodall at this years annual LOW CVP conference. Almost 1.6 billion litres of biofuels has been reported, accounting for 3.33% of the total of the UK’s road transport fuel. This exceeds the Government’s target of 3.25%. This has resulted in significant carbon savings of 51% compared to petrol and diesel, making an important contribution to reducing climate change inducing emissions in the transport sector. Click here for full story

It is likely to take decades for BP to be regarded as anything other than the bête noire of US environmentalists, but the company took one small step towards rebuilding its battered green credentials, stumping up $98m (£64m) to acquire assets from biofuels specialist Verenium Corp. Click here for full story

The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) has reported provisionally for the second year on the volumes and sustainability of biofuel supplied to the UK. Almost 1.6 billion litres of biofuels has been reported, accounting for 3.33% of the total of the UK's road transport fuel. This exceeds the Government's target of 3.25%. This has resulted in significant carbon savings of 51% compared to petrol and diesel, making an important contribution to reducing climate change. Click here for full story

Provider of power solutions for the marine and energy industries Wärtsilä has installed a Wärtsilä Fuel Cell (WFC) 20 unit on board the Undine, a car carrier owned by Swedish maritime transport company Wallenius Lines and managed by Wallenius Marine, with the aim of testing a fuel cell in a marine environment. Click here for full story

The U.K. government Monday cleared a GBP360 million loan guarantee for Ford Motor Co.'s GBP450 million European Investment Bank loan, as part of the company's GBP1.5 billion U.K. investment plan over the next five years to develop a new generation of greener engines and cars. The Dunton site in Essex, eastern England is one of four sites that will benefit from the investment, which will also safeguard around 2,800 skilled jobs. The others are Ford's manufacturing plants in Dagenham, Southampton and Bridgend, south Wales.
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An experimental solar-powered plane has landed in Switzerland after a successful test flight. It took to the air and landed twenty six hours later without using a drop of fuel. The plane carried just a single pilot, but its inventors say they hope the combination of renewable energy and light materials could transform the transport industry. Click here for full story



Siemens, one of the world's leading suppliers of offshore wind turbines, will spend DKr860m ($140.8m) buying a 49% stake in offshore installation specialist A2SEA from Danish utility Dong.
The deal represents something of a windfall for Dong, which in July 2009 bought the whole of A2SEA for DKr700m from its three previous principal shareholders: Clipper Project Shipping; and Danish investment groups Dansk Kapitalanlaeg and LD Invest Equity.

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Converting the contents of dustbins into carbon-neutral biofuel for cars and renewable energy is the kind of 21st century alchemy that tackles several environmental challenges simultaneously. Ineos Bio, part of the world’s third-largest chemicals company, has this month taken a step closer to making this concept a reality by securing £7.3m ($10.9m) of grants towards its development of Europe’s first waste to bioethanol plant. Click here for full story

Visitors to this year’s UK Royal Society Summer Exhibition will have a chance to discover how scientists from the University of Cambridge are studying ways to harness algae as a renewable energy source. Visitors to this year’s UK Royal Society Summer Exhibition will have a chance to discover how scientists from the University of Cambridge are studying ways to harness algae as a renewable energy source. Click here for full story

Can a biofuel investment project be sustainable, ethical and profitable, whilst not displacing much-needed food crops? Sceptre Group Limited believes it can, with the launch of a major new biofuel investment project, in Cairns, Australia. Its partner Green Oil Plantations have 30 years of real world experience in the development of genetically superior planting material, best management practices in plantations and biofuel production in over 100 countries. As part of the global race to find a sustainable alternative fuel, the Gibraltar based ethical investment broker Sceptre are inviting UK-based investors into their latest biofuels project in Australia. Click here for full story

The Nissan LEAF is a game-changing car. It brings all the style and comfort of a standard compact car bundled with the wizardry of Japanese electric technology. Quite simply, it’s an amazing piece of engineering and, if it sells as a product, could encourage the mass rollout of electric vehicles worldwide. And that’s not all. If the battery technology works well, it could be seen in more than just cars – buildings of all sizes could be powered by Nissan’s technology. Nissan is attempting to summit an incredibly high mountain. And if it succeeds, its business will move from being one that makes cars to a company that revolutionised the electricity grid. Click here for full story

A collaboration between a Tyneside college and a pioneering North East company has led to the launch of the country's first apprenticeship dedicated to electric vehicles. The three-year course will see young people train at Smith Electric Vehicles, a leading manufacturer of electric vans and trucks, alongside studying at Gateshead College. The scheme combines hands-on work experience at Smith's headquarters in Washington, with classroom-based theory work at the FE college. (Scroll down to find it) Click here for full story

On BBC Radio 4 Peter Curran sets off on a bold 4500 mile trans-European journey in an electric car. Visiting more than a dozen countries from Norway to Portugal, he meets major European motor manufacturers, gauges political will across the continent, attempts to drive over the alps and becomes multi-lingual in the phrase "Where can I plug this in please?" Click here for full story