FOXNews.com  - May 04, 2010

101 years ago, physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla predicted a device that would let a businessman in New York wirelessly communicate with his office in London or elsewhere — a gizmo just like the Blackberry

The physicist’s comments were from an interview with the New York Times, printed in the October 1909 issue of Popular Mechanics and referenced by the magazine’s current technology editor, Seth Porges. 

Porges, at a presentation for futurism enthusiasts in New York City, brought up the prediction for a presentation titled “108 Years of Futurism,” made by Seth Porges. At the time, Tesla had spoken about the “primitive” wireless telegraph technology. Noting that only electric waves were being used, he described the potential of instead transmitting electric currents. 

Watch the presentation

“It will soon be possible to transmit wireless messages all over the world so simply that any individual can carry and operate his own apparatus,” Tesla had told the Times, describing a “an inexpensive instrument not bigger than a watch, which will enable its bearer to hear anywhere on sea or land for distances of thousands of miles. One may listen or transmit speech or song to the uttermost parts of the world,” he wrote.

By George Pyle – BUFFALO NEWS - May 05, 2010

 Two Western New York companies are among those receiving 25 grants from a state agency to help develop and bring to market products that promise to improve the clean generation and storage of energy.

Graphene Devices of Amherst and Precision Electro Minerals of Niagara Falls have been notified that they are to receive awards from a pool totaling $11.3 million from the state’s Regional Greenhouse Gas cap and trade auction and the Systems Benefit Charge funds.

Graphene Devices is to receive funding for developing a process that will manufacture films consisting of a one-atom-thick layer of carbon that should be able to replace higher-cost materials in the manufacture of solar power cells. It and six other companies will divide up a total of $4.1 million in product development funds.

Precision Electro Minerals is one of 13 firms and colleges that are to split $2.6 million allocated for feasibility studies. The company is studying the practicality of a new process for making solar-grade silicon. The grants are allocated by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and in each case are to be matched by private investment, for a total of $22.6 million in project investment. They were selected from 71 proposals received.

“The products that emerge from these initiatives will help create jobs and develop the tools needed to help us mitigate our impact on the environment for the next generation,” Gov. David A. Paterson said in a statement.

The exact amount to be received by each developer is not made public at this stage of the process, officials said, because contract talks are ongoing. In many cases, authority officials said, contracts will include a requirement that the grants be repaid once the products involved become profitable.

gpyle@buffnews.com

By George Pyle – Buffalo News - January 19, 2010

An industrial park under development in the Town of Tonawanda has been rebranded as New York’s first “solar ready” commercial development, as its owners Monday celebrated the signing of a deal expected to bring Chinese know-how and investment to the site.

Leaders of TM Montante Development, the owners of the newly renamed Riverview Solar Technology Park, and the Shanghai New Energy Industry Association held a ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding Monday morning at the offices of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership in downtown Buffalo.

The text of the memo was not made public, but it was described by leaders of both parties as a promise and plan to link the renewable energy industries of China, where 35 percent of the world’s solar energy modules are made, and Western New York, where solar and other renewable energy sources are seen as an environmentally responsible route to economic renewal.

In addition to its previous designation as a “shovel ready” development site by state officials, meaning that it has already received its environmental and development permits, Montante Development President Thomas M. Montante said the project will be “solar ready.”

Fifty of the park’s 180 acres, which sit along River Road northeast of the South Grand Island Bridge, will be set aside for solar energy collectors that will generate 10 megawatts of power for use on site.

That power, together with the area’s availability of pollution- free hydropower from the New York Power Authority, means park businesses not only can make products that do not create greenhouse gas emissions but also can make them in an environment that is pollution- free.

“We intend to be New York’s leader in solar development,” Montante said. “Energy and the environment are at the forefront of the battle for attracting and retaining business throughout the country. We decided to address this reality with a strategy of integrating solar as an enhancement of our core business.”

The Shanghai organization is a consortium of about 300 member companies from the Shanghai area’s renewable energy sector, which also maintains an office in San Jose, Calif. Its executive vice chairwoman, Yeu Mi, signed the document Monday on behalf of the association.

“I am 100 percent confident in this new era of energy development in New York State,” Mi said through a translator. “We are going to develop our products not only in the United States but in the whole world.”

A link between the two parties was provided by Daniel Montante, son of the company president and a director of Montante Development, who is a veteran of four years of business experience in Shanghai as an acquisitions and mergers representative for DuPont.

The younger Montante said the Riverview development plan allows a form of commerce that does not demand so much of a sacrifice from nature and forms a cooperative rather than a competitive relationship with growing Chinese businesses.

“We look forward to progressive and productive relations that will benefit both parties,” he said.

Also on hand to praise the agreement were State Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, D-Town of Tonawanda.

“You have picked the right partners,” Maziarz said to the Shanghai delegation, “and you have picked the right location.”

State economic development officials announced recently that the state had awarded a $1 million grant to the Town of Tonawanda for its Riverwalk East Park Connector project to build roads and utility services for the Montante project and for the town-owned North Youngmann Commerce Center nearby.

gpyle@buffnews.com

May 7, 2009

BUFFALO—In its effort to promote renewable energy technologies throughout New York State and in response to Governor Paterson’s call to expand New York’s renewable energy portfolio, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) today joined with the University at Buffalo (UB) to announce a major, multi-million dollar award to the university to construct a 1.1 megawatt solar energy array on UB’s North (Amherst) Campus. The solar array, consisting of approximately 5,000 photovoltaic panels, will generate clean energy directly from the sun for students living in UB’s apartment complexes.

NYPA will work with UB to provide site design, engineering and construction services for this project.

The award to UB will serve as a cornerstone of NYPA’s $21 million statewide renewable energy program and will advance the UB 2020 strategic plan’s focus on making the university’s three campuses great places to live, work and learn, in part by improving their environmental sustainability. 

It will be the largest solar installation on any college or university campus in New York State and one of the largest on any campus in the United States, according to the American Solar Energy Society.

“This partnership between NYPA and UB exemplifies how New York State is poised to become the leader in this new energy economy,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “This project also demonstrates my Administration’s commitment to achieving the clean energy goals of the ambitious ’45 by 15’ program, which will create clean energy jobs throughout New York State, and result in greater energy independence and a cleaner environment.”

Richard M. Kessel, NYPA president and chief executive officer, said, “NYPA is committed to investing in Western New York, and the University at Buffalo is the perfect partner for promoting, developing, educating and training in photovoltaic technologies for a cleaner environment, energy independence and green-collar jobs.

“Through this project, NYPA is making great strides in advancing Governor Paterson’s ‘45 by 15’ initiative, which sets a date of 2015 by which New York State is to meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean renewable energy.” 

According to NYPA, UB’s North Campus solar array will reduce carbon emissions at UB by more than 500 metric tons per year.

Designed to produce 1.1 megawatts (1.1 million watts) of electricity, the UB solar array is expected to be operating by fall 2010.  It will provide power to UB’s Flint, Hadley, South Lake and Creekside Village apartments, a total of 735 apartments, housing nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate UB students.

According to NYPA, the UB solar array will be specially designed to operate in a cold weather environment and to withstand heavy snowfall, serving as a benchmark for future systems in similar climates. In doing so, the UB/NYPA project will promote the development of innovative solar technologies.

As a result of this project, Western New York could become a new center for green-collar jobs, as the UB/NYPA partnership includes collaborations with the university and area colleges to start training and certifying personnel in the installation of solar panels.

UB President John B. Simpson said UB “takes great pleasure in accepting this exciting award from the New York Power Authority.”

“This award not only recognizes UB’s long record of environmental leadership, but it commits us to a greener, more sustainable future that is exactly in keeping with the goals of UB 2020 and Building UB,” he said.

“By helping us generate our own power on campus, this solar array helps us take a significant step toward meeting one of the primary goals of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, in which the university has pledged to go ‘climate-neutral,’” Simpson added.

Combined with existing clean energy purchases, this project puts UB well past the 15 percent interim renewable energy target set for signatories of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

Simpson noted that the project also will foster UB education and research with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the area of renewable energy. It will provide students and researchers with the opportunity to study and track the real-time functioning of an on-site clean energy system. The system will include a data acquisition feature that will be especially useful in research and education.

New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer, said, “As a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo, I am very supportive of the solar panel project which will be one of the largest solar projects in New York State.”

New York State Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak, said, “This joint project between NYPA and UB will prove to be a blueprint for other campuses across the nation.  UB once again is spearheading a new era in WNY as we look to conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions and generate green collar jobs.”

Contrary to the conventional wisdom about Buffalo’s weather, data from the National Weather Service shows that from May through November, Buffalo is the sunniest and driest city in the Northeast, making it an ideal candidate for generating solar power.

The project will give many UB students the unique experience of living in apartments where their electricity is provided not by the burning of fossil fuels hundreds of miles away but by the clean, renewable power of the sun here on campus with virtually no greenhouse gas emissions, Simpson noted. 

UB student Emily Bauer, member of the UB Environmental Stewardship Committee and a delegate to the State University of New York Student Assembly, said she and her fellow students look forward to construction of the solar array on UB’s campus.

“Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the next generation and is of great concern to UB students,” she said. “By stepping up as a leader in solar energy, UB has shown it is committed to a bright future for our environment.”

State Senator Antoine Thompson said the NYPA/Buffalo partnership is a step forward for green energy in Western New York. “As Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, I have been focused on making Buffalo an epicenter for green initiatives,” Thompson noted. “An institution of the size of UB making the decision to run on solar panels instead of electricity is a step in the right direction.  Conserving energy and resources in this way benefits the environment greatly.”

The new solar installation at UB will be the largest ground-mounted PV system in New York State.

Its 5,000 panels will be installed on or adjacent to the North Campus grounds of the Melvin H. Baker Chilled Water Plant on Flint Road, which delivers utility services to the 1,200- acre suburban campus.

This will be UB’s second solar electric system; in 2006, UB installed a 73.5 kilowatt demonstration solar system on top of Norton Hall, which provides at least 6 percent of that building’s power.

By Aaron Besecker - NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER – Bflo News - March 19, 2010

Students, administrators and staff at Catholic schools across the region are warming to their shiny new rooftops.

Crews already have installed solar panels at elementary schools in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Amherst, Hamburg, Lancaster and Lockport, and the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo hopes to have 43 solar projects installed during the next several years.

A state authority, a private company and the diocese have teamed up on the project.

“This isn’t someday in the future, or someplace down south or some rich company. This is us,” said Viki Ingersoll, energy manager for the diocese.

The new solar energy projects are being implemented with dual goals in mind, Ingersoll said. In addition to lowering energy costs, students will learn firsthand about the environmental benefits of solar power.

The effort is being funded through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and a donation from Solar Liberty Energy Systems of Williamsville.

When all school projects are completed, they will produce about one and a half megawatts of solar electricity, enough to power 186 homes.

The latest panels were installed last week at Catholic Academy of Niagara Falls, the former Prince of Peace School.

Panels at the school have the capacity to generate 49,000 watts of electricity. Once up and running, they will save the school an estimated $5,000 to $7,000 a year in energy costs. That’s equivalent to about 22 percent of the school’s annual electric costs, said Solar Liberty marketing manager Jim Walters.

Over 25 years, the solar panels will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by about 849 tons, Walters said. They also will save about $322,000 in electrical costs over their warrantied lifetime, the company predicts.

The system at the Catholic Academy, which took four days to install but has not yet been hooked up to the power grid, also will allow the school to benefit from all the electricity they produce, even if they don’t use it right away.

The electric meters run backwards, generating a credit, when power is sent out to the grid. When the school starts to draw power, the meter moves forward again, Ingersoll said.

“The school is a working model for homeowners and businesses in the community,” Adam Rizzo, president of Solar Liberty, said in a written statement. “It’s important to demonstrate that solar energy is a viable way to power a building, while reducing its environmental impact.”

Six solar projects were installed last year at parishes across the Buffalo Diocese and are now generating electricity: St. Andrew, Town of Tonawanda; St. Gregory the Great, Amherst; Our Lady of Pompeii, Lancaster; St. Mary of the Lake, Hamburg; Notre Dame Academy, Buffalo; and Immaculate Conception, East Aurora.

Several other projects have also been installed this year, including at DeSales Catholic School, Lockport; St. Christopher, Town of Tonawanda; Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Depew; Queen of Heaven, West Seneca; and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Williamsville.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Niagara Falls also has been approved for a solar project.

The local effort to increase solar-generating capacity mirrors a statewide initiative. The New York Power Authority is in the process of developing 100 megawatts of solar electricity capacity at public buildings statewide, under an initiative announced in January.

abesecker@buffnews.com

By Nancy Gish – - SOUTHTOWNS CORRESPONDENT- BFLO NEWS – Jan 16, 2010

The Elma Town Board on Wednesday heard a presentation from a solar panel consulting company seeking the town’s business to install solar panels on property behind Town Hall on Bowen Road.

Supervisor Michael Nolan initially asked the board to consider solar panels on the roof of Town Hall but TVGA, a local engineering company, suggested the panels be installed on the ground behind Town Hall.

Grant money is available for the project through stimulus aid and no town funds would be required. However, TVGA, which would build the infrastructure to contain the panels, suggested the town pay for 10 percent of the project to speed up the grant process.

The consulting company, NYSOL, would procure the products, do the grant writing and hire the installers.

The goal is to reduce Town Hall electrical use by 15 percent by 2015 while increasing renewable energy, promote climate protection and support green innovation and the economy. Excess power generated by the panels would go back into the grid, officials said during the board’s workshop session.

The town would see a $6,000 saving in its electric bill and reap renewable energy credits. The project would employ about 100 16-square-foot solar panels.

Nolan, long a proponent of the panels, said, “We need to be proactive with energy efficiency. It is a lot to gain for the local taxpayer. It’s an investment in the future.”

However, Councilman Dean Puleo is not so sure.

“The whole idea is very distasteful to me,” he said. “It is clearly not cost-effective and is a horrible investment. . . .”

He said the $120,000 cost would take the town 20 years to recoup at the estimated electrical savings of $6,000 a year.

The issue will be on the agenda when the board meets on Wednesday.

Can This Object Save the World?

By Jeremy A. Kaplan - Fox News  - February 24, 2010

At a press conference Wednesday, Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy showed off its new, heavily hyped technology, which harnesses chemical reactions to create energy. The company’s mission: to revolutionize the world’s fuel sources.

• Bloom Energy’s fuel cells are flat, solid ceramic squares made from a common sand-like “powder” and are painted with patented inks to create anode (green) and cathode (black) sides. Each fuel cell represents 25 watts of power or enough for one lightbulb.

At a press conference Wednesday, Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy showed off its new, heavily hyped technology, which harnesses chemical reactions to create energy. The company’s mission: to revolutionize the world’s fuel sources. 

Bloom’s main product is the Bloom Energy Server, a generator based around a smart new fuel cell technology. Fuel cells rely upon chemical reactions to generate energy rather than fossil fuels, and as such are considered cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable than the traditional energy sources.

Fuel cell technology has been under development for decades, primarily concentrating on chemical reactions using hydrogen — an element that can be volatile and difficult to store. Bloom’s fuel cell technology is fundamentally different, running on a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels.

The technology has roots in NASA’s Mars space program, where Dr. KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, was charged with building technology to help sustain life on Mars. His mandate: Use solar energy and water to produce air to breathe and fuel for transportation. 

Sridhar’s invention converts air and nearly any fuel source — ranging from natural gas to a wide range of biogases — into electricity via a clean electrochemical process, rather than dirty combustion. Even running on a fossil fuel, the systems are approximately 67% cleaner than a typical coal-fired power plant, explains Bloom. When powered by a renewable fuel, the company’s Energy Server can be 100% cleaner. Each Energy Server consists of thousands of Bloom’s fuel cells, flat, solid ceramic squares made from a common sand-like “powder.”

Silicon Valley startup Bloom Energy just unveiled its new, heavily hyped technology, which harnesses chemical reactions to create energy. Here’s how it works

Bloom Energy Fuel Servers are shown installed at eBay’s headquarters.

SLIDESHOW: How the Bloom Box Works

Bloom Energy states that to date, Bloom Energy Servers, currently in deployment for several Fortune 500 companies, have produced more than 11 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, with CO2 reductions estimated at 14 million pounds.

The technology industry breathlessly watched and waited for Wednesday’s unveiling. John Doerr, a partner at investment firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Bloom Energy board member, shared in the hype.

“For years, there have been promises of new energy solutions that are clean, distributed, affordable, and reliable; today we learn that Bloom, formerly in stealth, has actually delivered,” he said. “Americans want clean, affordable, energy, 24×7 — and all the jobs that go with it. Bloom’s boxes are a breakthrough, serving energy, serving demanding customers, and serving our country.”

The company’s customers seem to echo Doerr’s enthusiasm, many of which are leading businesses. Coca-Cola, Cox, eBay, FedEx, Google, Staples, and more have been running the Energy Servers. 

Coke’s 500kW installation at its Odwalla plant in Dinuba, CA, will run on re-directed biogas and is expected to provide 30% of the plant’s power needs while reducing its carbon footprint by an estimated 35%.

“This new fuel cell technology has great promise and represents an important step for Coca-Cola in continuing to grow our business without growing the carbon footprint,” said Brian Kelley, President and General Manager, Coca-Cola North America. He noted that the Bloom Servers can help the company reduce carbon emissions while improving efficiency and using cleaner forms of energy.”

In a video shown at the event, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, Cypress Semiconductor CEO T.J. Rogers, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others raved about the new innovation. 

Mayor Bloomberg said he was excited from the first time he saw the technology in action: “My first reaction was this was a company guaranteed for greatness.” 

“When we look at Bloom Energy,” he added, “we are looking at the future of business, at the future of the economy, at the future of America.”

WASHINGTON (AP) 02/03/09 — Ford Motor Co. said Johnson Controls-Saft will supply the battery system for the automaker’s first production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle beginning in 2012.

The lithium-ion battery system being designed by Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls will include cells along with mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components.

Ford is also expanding its test program to include several utilities around the nation to speed up the commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The partnerships, being announced today at the Washington Auto Show, are part of Ford’s strategy to bring a battery-electric vehicle van to market in 2010 for commercial use, a small battery-electric sedan by 2011 and a plug-in electric vehicle by 2012.

In the tests, Ford said the utilities were joining its partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute to conduct tests on a fleet of Ford Escape plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The utilities include the New York Power Authority, Consolidated Edison of New York and the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority.

By David Robinson – BUFFALO NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER - 6/11/09

National Grid plans to spend an additional $1 billion over the next five years to upgrade its electricity transmission system in upstate New York, the utility said Wednesday.

The improvements, which are in addition to another five-year $1.5 billion transmission system upgrade project that began in 2006, said Patrick Stella, a National Grid spokesman.

The system upgrade announced Wednesday is expected to create as many as 500 new jobs across upstate New York, from engineers to the workers installing the new power lines and equipment.

Some of that work will be done in Western New York, Stella said. But just how much of that work, and how many of those jobs, will be located in Western New York isn’t known yet because the specific project list and its timetable has not been completed. Work on the first projects is expected to begin within a few weeks.

National Grid has signed a contract with the NorthEast Power Alliance to do part of the upgrade work. The alliance is a joint venture between consulting and engineering services firm AMEC, R. G. Vanderweil Engineers and contractor Michaels Corp. National Grid also will hire additional workers on a per-project basis, Stella said.

National Grid owns more than 8,600 miles of electricity transmission lines and about 1,000 substations across upstate New York and New England. Much of that infrastructure is aging and in need of replacement to improve the system’s reliability. Other portions of the transmission system need upgrades to handle additional electricity demands, Stella said.

National Grid has been fined repeatedly by the state Public Service Commission in the mid- 2000s for having too many power outages that lasted too long.

drobinson@buffnews.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 9,2009 - PRNewswire-FirstCall - Provided by ProQuest LLC

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today announced it will join forces with Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s largest network communications company, to fast- track development of Duke Energy’s state-of-the-art electric “smart grid.”

“Our goal is to rapidly transform the way electricity is delivered to, and used by, the 11 million people we serve in five states,” said Todd Arnold, senior vice president for smart grid and customer systems at Duke Energy, America’s third-largest electric utility.

The three-year partnership is the latest development in Duke Energy’s effort to rapidly convert its existing electricity delivery infrastructure into an advanced smart grid that uses two-way digital communication to reduce energy usage, improve efficiency, bolster system reliability, detect power outages, and integrate solar and other renewable energy sources into the electric grid.

Cisco, working closely with Duke Energy, will develop a highly refined, end-to-end, smart grid communications architecture - one that both companies believe will be among the most comprehensive and interoperable in the electric utility industry.

The newly created architecture will be based on what the industry calls “internet protocol-based open standards” - an approach that permits easy accommodation of new and emerging communications technology as it becomes available in future years.

“Internet protocol-based open standards are key to creating a smart, highly-secure backbone for the nation’s modern electrical grid,” said Marthin De Beer, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Group.

The two companies will jointly evaluate a variety of smart grid communications hardware and software, and oversee installation and testing of selected equipment and software throughout Duke Energy’s electric grid.

In addition, Cisco will work with Duke Energy to develop and install home energy management devices to help customers control and reduce their electricity consumption.

The two companies also will test a new generation of durable, weather-proof communications equipment designed for use at Duke Energy’s electric substations.

“Replacing our analog electric grid with advanced digital technology to create a 21st century electricity delivery system largely involves data, networks and communications - all of it Cisco’s expertise,” Arnold said.

“Partnering with Cisco is central to Duke Energy’s plan to build an ‘energy internet’ that will improve electricity delivery, strengthen grid security, lessen our company’s environmental impact, and help customers reduce their electricity usage,” he said.

In Ohio, Duke Energy later this year will launch a five-year mass deployment of smart grid technology, including more than 700,000 electric smart meters and 450,000 natural gas smart meters.

In Indiana, Duke Energy is seeking approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to install extensive smart grid technology, including approximately 800,000 smart meters.

Duke Energy yesterday announced it had reached a settlement agreement with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and key consumer and business groups regarding the company’s Indiana smart grid proposal.

In addition to smart meters, Duke Energy plans to install a large amount of distribution automation - both hardware and software - to improve system efficiency and reliability on its electric grid in both Indiana and Ohio.

The company also is laying the groundwork to bring large-scale smart grid technology to three other states it serves - North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky.

“Working with innovative industry leaders like Duke Energy, Cisco will deliver an end-to-end network infrastructure from power plant to customer in order to manage electricity supply and consumption both efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Cisco’s De Beer.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. The company’s web address is www.duke-energy.com. San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco is a Fortune 500 company traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol CSCO. Its web address is www.cisco.com.