Volkswagen’s «Think Blue. Factory.» environmental program well on the way to success

• More than 2,700 environmental projects successfully completed at Volkswagen plants within three years
• Production already 17 percent more environmentally
• Annual experts’ meeting in Wolfsburg

The Volkswagen brand’s «Think Blue. Factory» environmental program remains on track for success. The objective is to reduce energy and water consumption as well as the share in waste, CO2 and solvent emissions at all Volkswagen plants throughout the world by 25 percent. In all, some 5,000 individual measures are to be taken by 2018. Volkswagen has already successfully implemented more than 2,700 projects and made its production processes 17 percent more environmentally compatible over the past three years. This was the interim assessment made by more than 250 environmental experts from 27 plants of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, the Components business area and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at today’s «Think Blue. Factory.» day in Wolfsburg.

«‘Think Blue. Factory.ʼ is and remains the approach we have adopted to achieve the sustainability targets we have set ourselves for production and logistics at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand by 2018. I am very pleased to see how effectively the methods and processes we have developed together are now being put into practice at our locations,» said Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Production and Logistics.

«Our employees have breathed life into the ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ Program and implemented it with considerable commitment right from the outset. This explains the successes that we have already achieved,» said Prof. Werner Neubauer, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Components.

«The Works Council sees itself in the role of a driver of this environmental program not only towards the Board of Management but also on site in factory halls and offices. For example, we have already trained about 250 works council members in this area. We are shouldering our responsibility and have given a clear commitment to the environmental goals of Volkswagen,» said Works Council Coordinator Jürgen Hildebrandt.

Innovative ideas and successful measures to reduce resource use around the globe were presented. For example, water used to test the firefighting system at the Curitiba plant in Brazil is recycled as cooling water following the tests. The Zwickau and Pamplona plants have significantly reduced water consumption for vehicle tightness tests. In vehicle production, this is the stage that requires most water following the paintshop. The Chemnitz engine plant is saving water, energy and lubricants by filtering cooling emulsion after use in an innovative process.

This year, Volkswagen also honored employees who had demonstrated special commitment in connection with the program. The award-winners are Jörg Kessler from the Hanover plant, Peter Solárik from Bratislava (Slovakia), and Peter Splitt, Udo Guenther and Karsten Folchmann from the Salzgitter plant. Awards for saving water at the plant level went to the Pamplona (Spain), Curitiba (Brazil), Zwickau and Chemnitz plants.

Ford and SunPower Welcome Sierra Club as Newest Partner of National Drive Green for Life Program

Sierra Club Receives $500 Donation for Each Residential SunPower Solar System Installed Through the Program

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 19, 2014 – TheSierra Club is joining Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and SunPower’s (NASDAQ: SPWR) Drive Green for Life program to help more Americans move toward emissions-free driving.

Drive Green for Life offers Ford customers who own electrified plug-in vehicles, including Focus Electric, C-MAX Energi Plug-In Hybrid and Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid, a $750 rebate on a SunPower residential solar system to generate clean, solar energy for the home and for electric vehicle charging. Also eligible are the C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid. As Drive Green for Life’s newest partner, the Sierra Club will receive a $500 donation from SunPower for each rooftop solar system installed through the program.

«As an electric vehicle owner with solar panels on my home, I can personally attest to the incredible freedom and financial savings that come from being able to power our family’s car while lessening our carbon footprint,» said Jesse Simons, Sierra Club Chief of Staff. «At the Sierra Club, we want to bring clean energy prosperity to all Americans, and our new collaboration with Ford and SunPower on Drive Green for Life will help many more individuals benefit from a switch to clean, healthy solutions.»

In 2011, the Sierra Club launched its electric vehicle initiative advocating ways to reduce oil use and greenhouse gas emissions. The Sierra Club also conducts public education to promote electric vehicles, including through the annual National Drive Electric Week and its interactive online EV Guide. Through the Drive Green for Life program, electric vehicles that are charged with SunPower systems become forms of mobility with reduced emissions. Participation in the program will help accomplish the Sierra Club’s goal of rapid, wide-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies in lieu of fossil fuel-powered electricity. Donations from Drive Green for Life will help support the Sierra Club’s programs, such as its advocacy for clean energy solutions, including federal and state programs and policies to get more drivers into plug-in electric vehicles.

New owners or lessees of Ford electrified vehicles will be given information about the Drive Green for Life program by Ford dealers. A SunPower dealer will work with interested customers to design a solar power system for their home and discuss flexible financing options. Each Drive Green for Life customer will receive their rebate and a donation will be made to the Sierra Club once the solar system is installed.

«SunPower is pleased to welcome the Sierra Club, with its rich history of environmental advocacy and conservation successes, to the Drive Green for Life program,» said Erin Nelson, SunPower executive vice president and chief marketing officer. «Drive Green for Life continues to help Ford electric vehicle customers generate reliable solar energy from their rooftop with SunPower systems, for use at home and on the road.»

SunPower and Ford launched the Drive Green for Life program in 2011 and it is currently open to homeowners in all 50 states. Ford plug-in electric vehicles are available at certified dealerships across the country, and SunPower solar panels can be installed by more than 400 solar installers nationwide.

«Our plug-in customers have taken a big step towards sustainability by driving on electricity and now we are offering them the ability to go further by powering their homes and vehicles with clean, renewable energy,» said Mike Tinskey, global director, Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure for Ford. «We are thrilled to be working with SunPower and the Sierra Club on this forward-thinking program.»

For more information on Drive Green for Life and the benefits of powering electric vehicles with solar energy, visit www.sunpower.com/drivegreen.

About SunPower Corp.

SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) designs, manufactures and delivers the highest efficiency, highest reliability solar panels and systems available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company’s quarter century of experience and guaranteed performance to provide maximum return on investment throughout the life of the solar system. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpower.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 189,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

THORNTON, CO —(eSolarEnergyNews)—Ascent Solar, a manufacturer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, integrated into the Company’s new EnerPlex™ series of consumer products, announced today the closing of its previously announced $35 million financing.

At closing, the Company issued (i) $32 million principal amount of senior secured convertible notes, (ii) $3 million of Series D convertible preferred stock and (iii) warrants to purchase shares of its common stock. At closing, Ascent received unrestricted access to $4.5 million, while the remaining $30.5 million of gross proceeds have been deposited into a restricted control account of the Company. Once stockholder approval for the share issuances relating to the financing is obtained and the Company’s resale registration statement is declared effective, the Company will receive an additional $2.5 million of unrestricted gross proceeds from the control account. The Company will receive an additional $6.0 million of unrestricted gross proceeds from the control account 75 days after receiving the installment of $2.5 million. Thereafter, the remaining gross proceeds of $22 million will be released for the Company’s use in $6.0 million installments every 90 days.

Ascent intends to use the proceeds of the offering to fund the continued operations and expansion of its retail channels for its EnerPlex products in the US, Europe and Asia, brand building, as well as the launch of additional EnerPlex products.

Southern California Edison (SCE) set a precedent for California and the U.S. power industry on November 5, awarding local capacity procurement contracts for 2.221 gigawatts (GW) of energy resources across the Los Angeles Basin. For the first time in U.S. power industry history, SCE intends to make strategic use of advanced energy storage systems — both in front of and behind the meter — to meet local long-term electricity needs.

SCE’s contract awards marked at least a few industry firsts. It was the first time a U.S. electric utility evaluated a diverse range of conventional and preferred “green” energy resources — natural gas-fired power plants, solar PV, advanced energy storage, energy efficiency and demand response — in “head-to-head competition.” It was also the first time a U.S. utility solicited proposals from advanced energy storage solution providers to meet projected long-term electric power needs.

SCE awarded more than five-times the 50-megawatts (MW) of energy storage capacity it was required to by state power authorities, California Energy Storage Association (CESA) co-founder and Executive Director Janice Lin pointed out. Contracts to deploy 260.6 MW of advanced energy storage capacity were awarded to AES (100 MW), Stem (85 MW), Advanced Microgrid Solutions (50 MW) and Ice Energy Holdings (25.6 MW).

SCE’s Customer-sited Advanced Energy Storage Contract Awards

In addition to helping meet the energy storage capacity targets set out in California’s historic AB2514 energy storage mandate, SCE’s contract awards make a strong statement about the advantages and benefits it sees in deploying energy storage capacity both on its own and customer sides of the grid.

One of the key reasons supporting that, Advanced Microgrid Solutions’ (AMS) Chief Commercial Office Katherine Ryzhaya explained in an interview, “is that this not only checks the box on [California’s] energy storage mandate, we provide firm, dispatchable local capacity in places where you can’t site a huge generator. I really think this is the key value that we bring.”

“Demand response, energy efficiency, and energy storage are becoming part of contingency plans for closures of existing fossil fuel and nuclear power plants,” Cedric Christensen, Strategen Consulting director of market development, pointed out. “The benefits of running a highly ‘dispatchable’ resource on both sides of the electric meter are currently being tested throughout the country.”

Though it may take as much as 12 months until California’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approves them, the impact of this initial crop of advanced energy storage contract awards is going to ripple across California’s and the entire U.S. power sector as the state’s investor-owned utilities (IoUs) over the course of the decade acquire the 1.325 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage capacity stipulated in AB2514.

Grid Storage: A ‘Eureka’ Moment

Years of empirical research and investigation has revealed that intelligent, distributed energy storage systems can enable grid operators and utilities to strengthen and enhance the reliability and resiliency of the power grid more efficiently and cost-effectively than conventional grid assets, Lin told REW.

Following 1-1/2 years of research and analysis, California’s PUC found that advanced energy storage solutions are highly efficient, cost-effective multipurpose grid assets. They can provide flexible capacity in the from of spinning or non-spinning reserves, fast ramping (up and down), peak load shaving and demand shifting, frequency regulation and voltage support, black start, renewable energy integration and capture to avoid curtailment, emergency back-up, EV (electric vehicle) charging, Lin highlighted.

“The really cool thing about storage is that it can do so many things — all from the same asset,” she continued. “That was the real ‘Eureka’ moment. It can be used instead of a ‘peaker’ (typically natural gas-fired power plant), and when it’s not doing that it can be used for frequency regulation, voltage support — it’s an incredibly valuable asset.”

Moreover, Lin added, intelligent, distributed energy storage systems “are modular and easy to install down to the house level. “They can be put anywhere,” avoiding the costs of having to upgrade or build new transmission lines and other supporting grid infrastructure.

California’s power industry regulators are the first to institute policies and restructure market pricing to recognize the value advanced energy storage can provide, and that’s giving innovative, young U.S. power electronics companies a big boost.

Under the leadership of Governor Deval Patrick, who leaves office in early January, Massachusetts has become a national leader in the deployment of solar energy.

From about 3 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity in 2007, Governor Patrick set a very ambitious target of installing 400 MW of solar – and, amazingly, reached that goal four years early.  In 2013, he announced another ambitious target – quadrupling his initial goal – and guess what?  The state is on pace to accomplish that, as well.  Massachusetts now has over 580 MW installed, ranking the state 5^th in the nation.  Simply put, that means jobs, enhanced economic activity and new tax revenues for the state. 

Today, there are hundreds of solar companies at work throughout the value chain in Massachusetts, employing more than 12,000 people. To make certain this vibrant growth continues, the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC), Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE), SEIA and Vote Solar banded together this week to form a new coalition to work with the Massachusetts Legislature, the new administration and other stakeholders to ensure the Commonwealth’s continued success in advancing solar energy.

The Mass Solar Coalition is an alliance of solar and clean energy industry organizations, businesses and solar and environmental advocates committed to working with stakeholders to ensure the Commonwealth’s continued solar success. NECEC, SEBANE, SEIA and Vote Solar serve as co-coordinators of the Mass Solar Coalition, which aims to advance fair, long-term, sustainable, and cost effective solar programs and policies that support strong solar deployment and that deliver the many benefits of solar to all Massachusetts consumers.

Solar energy is already paying big dividends for Massachusetts, but we’re just scratching the surface of the state’s enormous potential.  We look forward to working with Governor-elect Baker, the legislature and other stakeholders on ways to create new jobs, enhance the state’s economy and protect the environment through increased solar development.

Mass Solar Coalition stands ready to work with members of the recently formed Net Metering and Solar Task Force to arrive at a set of recommendations for the Commonwealth that will ensure:

• A vibrant solar market that benefits all citizens, businesses and industries
• The continued development of a robust, growing solar industry and market
• Achievement of the Commonwealth’s economic, energy, and environmental policy objectives.

“Solar development has seen tremendous growth in Massachusetts in recent years due in large part to nation-leading policies such as the SREC program and net metering, which have been instrumental in homegrown growth and to attracting new developers and investors that have brought projects, jobs and customer savings to the state,” said NECEC President Peter Rothstein. “We look forward to working with the Net Metering and Solar Task Force and stakeholders from a variety of communities to ensure that growth continues.”

Mass Solar Coalition includes a growing number of organizations and companies, including: Ameresco, Bluewave Capital, Borrego Solar, Boston Community Capital, E2SOL LLC, Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., Heartwood Group, Kearsarge Energy LP, Klavens Law Group, New England Clean Energy, Nexamp, PowerOptions, PV Squared, Rodman Rodman, P.C. SolarFlair Energy, SunEdison, and Sustainable Strategies 2050.

«Strong state policy coupled with a hefty dose of Massachusetts innovation and entrepreneurship is successfully transforming our state’s energy landscape for the better. Local investment in solar power is improving the reliability of our utility grid, the health of our communities and the strength of our new energy economy. We look forward to working with state leaders and all solar advocates through the Mass Solar Coalition in order to keep solar shining in the Commonwealth,» said Nathan Phelps, Program Manager of DG Regulatory Policy at Vote Solar.

The coalition supports the advancement of policies and programs which will continue the rapid growth of renewable energy throughout the Commonwealth, offer fair and equitable access to the benefits of solar for all Massachusetts electricity customers and recognize the grid, economic and environmental value that solar and distributed energy resources bring to all electricity customers in Massachusetts.

Mass Solar Coalition is inviting other organizations to join as well by contacting Kate Plourd at NECEC. Think of it as investment in your future!

The Offshore and Consulting Section of the independent service provider Deutsche Windtechnik is now also responsible for the maintenance and servicing of the substation at the Butendiek Offshore Wind Farm. The contract, which came into effect on 01.06.2014, includes extensive maintenance, inspection, monitoring and service work for the entire construction.

ACCIONA Windpower (AWP), a subsidiary of the ACCIONA group that designs, manufactures and commercializes wind turbines, has signed a turbine supply contract in Brazil with the renewable energy generation holding company Atlantic Energias Renováveis for a total of 54 MW.

Theoretically, iron pyrite — a cheap compound that makes a common mineral known as fool’s gold — could do the job, but when it works at all, the conversion efficiency remains frustratingly low. Now, a University of Wisconsin-Madison research team explains why that is, in a discovery that suggests how improvements in this promising material could lead to inexpensive yet efficient solar cells.

«We think we now understand why pyrite hasn’t worked,» says chemistry Professor Song Jin, «and that provides the hope, based on our understanding, for figuring out how to make it work. This could be even more difficult, but exciting and rewarding.»

Although most commercial photovoltaic cells nowadays are based on silicon, the light-collecting film must be relatively thick and pure, which makes the production process costly and energy-intensive, says Jin.

A film of iron pyrite — a compound built of iron and sulfur atoms — could be 1,000 times thinner than silicon and still efficiently absorb sunlight.

Like silicon, iron and sulfur are common elements in Earth’s crust, so solar cells made of iron pyrite could have a significant material cost advantage in large scale deployment. In fact, previous research that balanced factors like theoretical efficiency, materials availability, and extraction cost put iron pyrite at the top of the list of candidates for low-cost and large-scale photovoltaic materials.

In the current online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Jin and first author Miguel Cabán-Acevedo, a chemistry Ph.D. student, together with other scientists at UW-Madison, explain how they identified defects in the body of the iron pyrite material as the source of inefficiency. The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

In a photovoltaic material, absorption of sunlight creates oppositely charged carriers, called electrons and holes, that must be separated in order for sunlight to be converted to electricity. The efficiency of a photovoltaic solar cell can be judged by three parameters, Jin says, and the solar cells made of pyrite were almost totally deficient in one: voltage. Without a voltage, a cell cannot produce any power, he points out. Yet based on its essential parameters, iron pyrite should be a reasonably good solar material. «We wanted to know, why is the photovoltage so low,» Jin says.

«We did a lot of different measurements and studies to look comprehensively at the problem,» says Cabán-Acevedo, «and we think we have fully and definitively shown why pyrite, as a solar material, has not been efficient.»

In exploring why pyrite was practically unable to make photovoltaic electricity, many researchers have looked at the surface of the crystals, but Cabán-Acevedo and Jin also looked inside. «If you think of this as a body, many have focused on the skin, but we also looked at the heart,» says Cabán-Acevedo, «and we think the major problems lie inside, although there are also problems on the skin.»

The internal problems, called «bulk defects,» occur when a sulfur atom is missing from its expected place in the crystal structure. These defects are intrinsic to the material properties of iron pyrite and are present even in ultra-pure crystals. Their presence in large numbers eventually leads to the lack of photovoltage for solar cells based on iron pyrite crystals.

Science advances by comprehending causes, Jin says. «Our message is that now we understand why pyrite does not work. If you don’t understand something, you must try to solve it by trial and error. Once you understand it, you can use rational design to overcome the obstacle. You don’t have to stumble around in the dark.»