Green Investing News

April 2011 News Archives

Total to tender for majority stake in SunPower - 2011-04-29
French energy company Total SA offered to pay up to $1.37 billion for a majority stake in U.S. solar company SunPower Corp, one of the biggest moves ever by an oil and gas giant into the market for renewable energy.

BYD reports plug-in fleet test results; rapid charging not diminishing capacity - 2011-04-29
In conjunction with the one-year anniversary of its all-electric vehicle Taxi fleet test, BYD announced high-level results of several pilots of its plug-in electric vehicles—the F3DM, e6 and eBUS-12—in fleet testing across the world.

Fracking to face more scrutiny and rules: MIT's Moniz - 2011-04-28
Huge reserves of natural gas can help the United States cut its dependence on coal but environmental issues over its extraction loom large, the head of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Energy Initiative said on Wednesday.

Italy offers extension to solar incentives to end of August - 2011-04-28
Italy will extend solar industry incentives until the end of August to meet demands from regional leaders, despite their rejection of Rome's new support plan for the sector, ministers said on Thursday.

Better Place, China Southern Grid sign strategic agreement on battery switching - 2011-04-27
Better Place and China Southern Power Grid Co. (CSG)signed a strategic agreement calling for the companies to open a battery switch station and joint education center in Guangzhou before the end of the year, while working to formalize a joint-venture partnership.

German Greens coalition to lead state for first time - 2011-04-27
Germany's Greens party will lead a state for the first time in the country's history after signing a coalition agreement with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in prosperous Baden-Wuerttemberg on Wednesday.

Report: Increasing fuel prices drive hybrid, diesel and small car sales in US to outpace market in 1Q 2011 - 2011-04-26
US Sales of hybrid, diesel, and very small cars outpaced overall growth in the market, according to a new report by auto analyst firm Baum and Associates.

GM's Volt, Nissan Leaf get top marks in crash test - 2011-04-26
The plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt, made by General Motors Co, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf save on fuel , but the size and weight of their battery packs add significant crash protection as well.

Areva, GDF Suez to partner in wind energy: report - 2011-04-26
French nuclear reactor maker Areva and utility GDF Suez are set to announce a partnership in wind energy in the next few weeks, newspaper Les Echos reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

Kremlin chief wants new nuclear rules post-Chernobyl - 2011-04-26
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called on the world community to tighten safety rules at nuclear plants and tell the truth when there were accidents like those at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Polaris to buy Global Electric Motorcars LLC (GEM) from Chrysler; Chrysler to focus on full-function EVs - 2011-04-26
Polaris Industries Inc. will acquire low-speed electric vehicle manufacturer Global Electric Motorcars LLC (GEM), a wholly-owned Fargo, N.D.-based subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC. Chrysler Group and Polaris have signed the negotiated Asset Purchase Agreement.

Chesapeake halts fracking until Penn. well sealed - 2011-04-25
Chesapeake Energy will not resume a controversial natural gas production process in Pennsylvania until a well which blew out last week is permanently sealed and inspected, a company spokesman said Monday.

Swiss economy minister against new Swiss nuclear plants - 2011-04-25
Switzerland's economy minister said on Sunday it would be decades before the country could give up nuclear power completely but that in the meantime no new nuclear power plants should be built.

Swiss economy minister against new Swiss nuclear plants - 2011-04-25
Switzerland's economy minister said on Sunday it would be decades before the country could give up nuclear power completely but that in the meantime no new nuclear power plants should be built.

Google's energy unit to buy more wind power from NextEra - 2011-04-22
A NextEra Energy Inc unit will sell 100.8 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to Google Inc's energy subsidiary, the companies' second such agreement that would help the Internet search giant power its data centers using renewable sources of energy.

U.S. natgas well blowout raises safety concerns - 2011-04-21
A blowout at a Pennsylvania natural gas well late Tuesday could heighten concerns about the safety of a controversial process to extract gas from shale rock.

Japan says 12-mile Fukushima evacuation ring will be no-go zone - 2011-04-21
Japan will ban people entering the 20 km (12 miles) evacuation zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as of midnight on Thursday.

New-energy vehicles take spotlight at Shanghai show - 2011-04-19
Japan's Honda Motor Co plans to start producing electric cars in China as early as next year, the boldest step so far by a global automaker to tap as yet unproven demand for green cars in the world's largest auto market.

TPG bets on solar with $150 million China Comtec investment - 2011-04-19
Private equity firm TPG Capital said on Tuesday it is investing up to $150 million in China's Comtec Solar, betting on rising demand for renewable-energy technology.

Honda to produce electric vehicles in China: report - 2011-04-19
Honda Motor Co said it will produce electric vehicles at two Chinese units, and will launch sales in that country as early as next year, the Nikkei said, citing company sources.

GE sells stakes in huge Oregon wind farm - 2011-04-19
Google Inc and two Japanese partners will pay General Electric Co about $500 million for a majority equity stake in the world's largest wind farm under construction in Oregon, the partners said on Monday.

GM introduces Buick Envision plug-in hybrid SUV concept - 2011-04-19
GM introduced the Buick Envision plug-in hybrid SUV concept vehicle in China.

Nissan unveiling LEAF NISMO RC (Racing Competition) electric demonstrator - 2011-04-18
Nissan will unveil the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC (Racing Competition) battery-electric racer at the 2011 New York International Auto Show on 20 April.

Analysis: Western solar firms feel heat of rising China threat - 2011-04-18
Chinese companies are attacking the last stronghold of Western dominance in solar power, undercutting bigger rivals and winning orders in the booming $12 billion photovoltaic power equipment industry.

Governments pick U.N. green fund delegates - 2011-04-15
Governments have agreed on a list of 40 delegates to design a "Green Climate Fund" to channel billions of dollars to poor nations, the United Nations said on Friday, ending disputes that delayed the first talks by a month.

A year on, Gulf still grapples with BP oil spill - 2011-04-15
When a BP oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico last April, killing 11 workers, authorities first reported that no crude was leaking into the ocean.

U.S. on track to meet 1 million plug-in autos goal: DOE - 2011-04-13
President Barack Obama's goal of having 1 million plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015 is on its way to being met, a Department of Energy official said on Wednesday.

New energy crisis; new investment choices - 2011-04-13
"Green" investing was once dismissed as a hobby of the granola and sandals set. But it's gone pinstripes in recent years as the rise of a sustainable goods consumer sector has broadened the sector.

Greece's PPC, China's Sinovel sign wind power deal - 2011-04-13
Dominant Greek power producer PPC said on Wednesday it signed an agreement to develop renewable energy projects with Sinovel Wind, China's top wind turbine maker.

Huaneng to raise clean energy share to 25 percent in 2015 - 2011-04-12
Huaneng Group, China's largest power producer, aims to add more clean energy capacity over the next five years and will boost the share of clean energy in its total power installed capacity to 25 percent in 2015, a company official said on Tuesday.

Poland eyes nearly 17 percent in renewables in 2019 - 2011-04-12
Poland plans to produce 8.85 percent of its energy from renewable sources this year, up to 13 percent in 2015 and 16.78 percent in 2019, the center-right government said in a statement on Tuesday.

Daimler and Bosch to develop electric motors: paper - 2011-04-11
Daimler AG has chosen automotive supplier Bosch as a partner for developing electric motors, German daily Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports.

China planning emissions trading in 6 regions: Point Carbon - 2011-04-11
China will launch pilot emissions trading schemes in six provinces before 2013 and set up a nationwide trading platform by 2015, Thomson Reuters Point Carbon said on Monday, citing a senior government official.

EPRI Analysis estimates costs of fully developing US smart grid could reach $476B; benefits up to $2T - 2011-04-08
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has released a broad assessment of the costs and benefits to modernize the US electricity system and deploy the smart grid.

EDF to buy out renewables unit minority shareholders - 2011-04-08
France's EDF offered to buy out minority shareholders in its solar and wind power unit for about 1.5 billion euros, aiming to capitalize on growing utility industry nerves about Japan's nuclear crisis.

Siemens developing inductive charging system for plug-in vehicles with BMW; testing in Berlin in June 2011 - 2011-04-08
At Hannover Messe 2011, Siemens presented a development project for inductive charging (“Contactless Charging of Battery-Electric Vehicles”), developed in cooperation with BMW. In June 2011, the capabilities of this non-contact charging system will be tested in a project funded by the German Environment Ministry and involving several vehicles in Berlin.

Global wind power grows 24 percent on China boost - 2011-04-06
Global wind power capacity grew 24 percent to 197 gigawatts in 2010, due to revised figures for new installed capacity in China, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said on Wednesday.

Shift fossil fuel subsidies to back clean tech: IEA - 2011-04-06
Fossil fuel subsidies worth $312 billion should be realigned to ensure the growth of renewable energy and curb the world's reliance on carbon-intensive fuels, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report.

NREL and partners to investigate secondary uses for electric drive vehicle batteries - 2011-04-06
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will partner with an industry-academia team led by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) to investigate secondary applications for aged battery packs from electric drive vehicles.

Cleantech venture funding hits $2.6 billion in quarter: study - 2011-04-05
Venture capitalists invested $2.57 billion in the clean technology sector in the first quarter, up 13 percent from a year earlier, with most of the money going to companies involved in solar power.

Germany to phase out nuclear power: deputy minister - 2011-04-04
A German deputy environment minister said the government would phase out all nuclear power in the country before 2020, taking a hard line stance that may not be reflective of the center-right coalition.

Hyundai Motor plans roll out of plug-in hybrid in 2013: report - 2011-04-04
Hyundai Motor Co, the world's fifth-biggest automaker along with affiliate Kia Motors Corp, plans to mass produce a plug-in hybrid version of its Sonata sedan in 2013, a media report said on Monday.

Volkswagen showcases “Think blue. Factory.” sustainable production concepts at Hannover Messe - 2011-04-04
At Hannover Messe 2011, Volkswagen is focusing on the link between ecologically sustainable mobility and resource-efficient production processes, and is presenting its “Think Blue. Factory.” concept to make production more efficient and conserve resources more effectively.

NREL study concludes aggressive action on vehicle miles travelled, fuel economy and fuel carbon intensity will all be required to meet US GHG reduction goals - 2011-04-04
Aggressive near-term actions are necessary in three areas—vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle fuel economy (FE), and fuel carbon intensity (FCI)—in order to achieve a “fair share” reduction within the light-duty-vehicle sector toward meeting US goals of an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2050, according to a new study by a team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Dominion unit says 3 power plants to switch to biomass - 2011-04-01
Major power producer Dominion Resources Inc's Virginia unit said it plans to convert three power stations from using coal to biomass.

FedEx, UPS fleet upgrades support Obama energy push - 2011-04-01
President Barack Obama will announce on Friday a fresh commitment from five major companies, including FedEx and United Parcel Service, to reduce oil consumption by upgrading their fleets.