KONČAR – INŽENJERING ZA ENERGETIKU I TRANSPORT D.D.

 

Danas je u organizaciji Hrvatskog Centra Obnovljivih Izvora Energije (HCOIE) započelo predstavljanje hrvatskih visokotehnoloških tvrtki na europskim i svjetskim portalima kojima je zajednički predznak energetika, obnovljivi izvori energije i očuvanje okoliša.


  „Želim naglasiti da će hrvatske tvrtke ovdje biti promovirane ne samo da bi prodavale svoje proizvode nego i da bi svoje znanje razvoja informacijskih i energetskih tehnologija podijelile s sličnim svjetskim tvrtkama, s razvijenim nacijama kojima se Republika Hrvatska prilagođava i politički i gospodarski. Nadam se da će naše prezentacije hrvatskih tvrtki dovesti do suradnje između država i kompanija do razine koja nije samo prijateljstvo nego i partnerstvo", istaknuo je Željko Serdar , predsjednik Hrvatskog Centra Obnovljivih Izvora Energije.


Končar je primjer tvrtke koja izvozi, koja je inovativna, uspješna na tržištu, koja je dobar uzor. Končar je izvrstan pokazatelj kako se znanjem, upornošću, vizijom, može učiniti dobro za sve zaposlenike i za promociju cijele Republike Hrvatske. Tvrtka Končar prepoznaje da je ulaganje u ljude, u mlade znanstvenike budućnost tvrtke. Vjerujemo da će Končar ostati trajna vrijednost ne samo hrvatskog već europskog i svjetskog gospodarstva.

 KONČAR – INŽENJERING ZA ENERGETIKU I TRANSPORT D.D.

 skraćeno KONČAR - KET, vodeće je nastupno poduzeće i nositelj inženjering djelatnosti u grupi KONČAR – Elektroindustrija d.d.

PROIZVODNJA ELEKTRIČNE ENERGIJE
 

Jedno od važnijih poslovnih područje KONČARA je inženjering ,djelatnost u izgradnji objekata i postrojenja za proizvodnju električne energije.
Vlastitim razvojem te različitim višim oblicima gospodarske suradnje s domaćim i inozemnim partnerima KONČAR je ovladao najmodernijim tehnologijama za proizvodnju primarne i sekundarne elektroopreme te potrebnim znanjima neophodnima za opremanje i gradnju:
-hidroelektrana,
-termoelektrana i
-drugih vrsta elektrana (vjertroelektrane, diesel elektrane itd.)
KONČAR KET nudi i oprema gore navedene objekte po načelu «ključ u ruke».
KONČAR-KET svoju inženjering djelatnost naslanja na proizvode primarne (generatori, transformatori, sklopni aparati) i sekundarne elektroopreme (uzbudni sustavi, mjerni, zaštitni i regulacijski uređaji, komandne ploče, sustavi automatskog upravljanja) iz proizvodnog programa grupe KONČAR, ali i drugih poznatih svjetskih proizvođača.













Hidroelektrane

izgradnja novih i obnova postojećih, jedno su od Končarevih ključnih poslovnih područja («core business-a») te glavna izvozna djelatnost. Od 1948. godine i prve HE Mariborski otok, snage 1 x 24MVA, u Sloveniji, preko prve hidroelektrane realizirane za izvoz 1957. – HE Chichoki Mallian, 3 x 5,5MVA, u Pakistanu, HE Đerdap 1, 3 x 190MVA, u Srbiji, i HE Haditha, 6 x 128MVA, u Iraku, nedavno završene HE Messochore, 2 x 90MVA, u Grčkoj, do danas je opremljeno više od 150 hidroelektrana u zemlji i svijetu, s ukupno više od 350 generatora, ukupne snage preko 15.000MVA).
U suradnji s poznatim domaćim i stranim proizvođačima hidromehaničke i turbinske opreme te izvoditeljima građevinskih radova KONČAR –KET je tehnološki potpuno osposobljen za realizaciju najkompleksnijih projekata ove vrste.
Neke od realiziranih hidroelektrana po svojoj tehničkoj kompleksnosti afirmirale su KONČAR-KET i na svjetskom tržištu i svrstale ga uz bok poznatih svjetskih inženjering tvrtki.


KONČAR-KET
nudi kompletna rješenja za automatizaciju hidroelektrana koja uključuju automatiku agregata, upravljanje branom i rasklopištem, nadzor i nadređeno vođenje na nivou hidroelektrane/sliva te uklapanje u elektroenergetski sustav. Vladanje ovakvim znanjima smatramo posebno značajnim za kvalitetno bavljenje inženjeringom hidroelektrana te garantiranje njene ugovorene funkcionalnosti.





















Končar slijedi svjetski trend povećanja poslovnih aktivnosti na obnovi, modernizaciji i revitalizaciji, uključujući i povećanje snage postojećih hidroelektrana. Primjenjujući nove tehnologije te bogato dugogodišnje iskustvo i na ovom polju Končar postiže zapažene rezultate.









(«KONČAR u revitalizaciji hidroelektrana») [pdf]


















Termoelektrane
 
 izgradnja novih i obnova postojećih, sljedeće je važno područje aktivnosti KONČAR-a u opremanju objekata za proizvodnju električne energije.
Dosad je KONČAR isporučio više od 160 turbogeneratora ukupne snage 5600MVA, te raspolaže znanjem i tehnologijom za proizvodnju turbogeneratora jedinične snage do 600MVA.
KONČAR-KET posjeduje znanja i iskustva za samostalno izvođenje inženjering radova na kompletnoj elektroopremi termoelektrane, uključujući generator i njemu pripadajuće električne podsustave.
KONČAR-KET je puzdani partner proizviđačima primarne opreme i korisnicima koji detaljno poznaju tehnološki proces termoelektrane, i to za realizaciju specifične elektroopreme, kao što su elektromotorni pogoni, izvori i razvod pomoćne elektroenergije, sustavi upravljanja i zaštite i sl.

(«KONČAR - Termoelektrana Plomin 2») [pdf]

Druge vrste elektrana

 (vjetar, diesel, sunce, gorivne ćelije itd.) također su predmet poslovnog interesa KONČARA.
Na temelju rezultata vlastitiog razvoja KONČAR-KET je zakoračio u poslovno područje izgradnje vjetroelektrana kao još jednog obnovljivog izvora elektrčne energije.
Izgradnja prvog vjetroparka snage 14 x 1MW je u tijeku.

(«KONČAR - Vjetroelektrane») [pdf] 

 OBNOVLJIVI IZVORI

U primjeni novih tehnologija distribuirane proizvodnje električne energije posebno mjesto pripada obnovljivim izvorima energije. Njihova primjena postala je imperativ održivog razvoja i energetske neovisnosti. Upravo zbog toga je u KONČAR – Inženjeringu za energetiku i transport 2005. godine osnovana poslovna jedinica Vjetroelektrane.

Poslovna jedinica Vjetroelektrane je, u suradnji s drugim društvima sustava Končar, razvila vjetroagregat snage 1 MW. Vjetroagregat je u cijelosti rezultat vlastitog razvoja sustava Končar, a u njegovoj izradi sudjeluje čak četrnaest društava. Uspješno je izrađen prototip agregata koji je ispitan u tvornici, te krajem 2008. godine na lokaciji Pometeno brdo kod Splita pušten u pogon. Na istoj lokaciji planira se izgradnja vjetroelektrane sa šesnaest vjetroagregata (od kojih će petnaest biti snage 1MW, a jedan snage 2,5 MW).Trenutno se organizira serijska proizvodnja vjetroagregata snage 1 MW, a planirana proizvodnja je pedeset jedinica na godinu. Istovremeno je u tijeku razvoj prototipa vjetroagregata snage 2,5 MW, čije je instaliranje na Pometenom brdu planirano krajem 2011. godine.

Sve informacije o ovoj uspješnoj hrvatskoj tvrtci možete dobiti na :

 KONČAR – INŽENJERING ZA ENERGETIKU I TRANSPORT D.D.
10000 ZAGREB, Fallerovo šetalište 22
e-mail: info@koncar-ket.hr
Fax: 01/3667-515
Matični broj: 3654354
OIB: 29898970552

  

Poslovna jedinica:
PROIZVODNJA ELEKTRIČNE ENERGIJE	01/3667-511
PRIJENOS ELEKTRIČNE ENERGIJE	01/3667-521
ELEKTRIČNA VUČA I POMORSTVO	01/3666-380
SUSTAVI UPRAVLJANJA I ZAŠTITE	01/3667-509
DISTRIBUCIJA ENERGENATA I INDUSTRIJA	01/3667-502
VJETROELEKTRANE	01/3655-814

URED UPRAVE	01/3667-512; 01/3667-518
Financijski i opći poslovi	01/3666-534
Računovodstvo	01/3655-852
Nabava HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE (HCOIE)	01/3655-855

CCRES Low Carbon Fuels in Aviation

 photo by CCRES

Biofuels are key to industry’s future

 In a bid to reduce its dependency on imported oil and tackle global warming, the EU has committed to raising the share of fuels from renewable sources in transport to 10% by 2020 – including biofuels, hydrogen and green electricity.

For the growing aviation industry, the switch to plant-based fuel is seen as not only environmentally smart, but a sensible financial move in an era or rising conventional fuel prices and worries about supply security.

Biofuel use in passenger aircraft is still a novelty, and industry officials are urging governments to help lift supplies, much as policies in the EU and United States have created a flourishing market in plant-based oils for motor vehicles.

The industry contends that sustainable fuels will reduce emissions even as passenger traffic grows. The airline sector has committed to meet 10% of its overall fuel consumption with biofuels by 2017 – though the goal is ambitious given that it is to account for just 1% by 2015...

Meanwhile, more doubts are being raised about the environmental benefits of biofuels.

The United Nations Environment Programme has warned that even though burning plant-based fuels can produce significantly lower levels of carbon emissions, production and land clearing to make way for new crops “may reduce carbon-savings or even lead to an increase.”

European conservation groups say the EU and European governments should wait to embrace aviation biofuels until there is proof of their environmental benefits.

 ”Given the right conditions, algae can double its volume overnight. Microalgae are the earth’s most productive plants –– 10 to 15 times more prolific in biomass than the fastest growing land plant exploited for biofuel production. While soy produces some 50 gallons of oil per acre per year; canola, 150 gallons; and palm, 650 gallons, algae can produce up to 15,000 gallons per acre per year. In addition, up to 50 percent (or more) of algae biomass (dry weight) is comprised of oil, whereas oil-palm trees—currently the most efficient large-scale source of feedstock oil to make biofuels—yield approximately 20 percent of their weight in oil,” says Zeljko Serdar, President of CCRES

 Airlines have committed to ramping up their use of biofuels in the belief that they can contribute to achieving the sector's pledges on carbon-neutral growth. For 2050, the EU foresees 40% use of "sustainable low carbon fuels" in aviation.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES September 27, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources  News and Events September 27, 2012

One of World's Largest Wind Farms Starts Up in Oregon   The Shepherds Flat wind farm, one of the largest in the world, is now operating in Oregon. Credit: Energy Department Caithness Energy announced on September 22 that its Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon—one of the largest in the world—is now operational and generating up to 845 megawatts of electricity. The Energy Department supported the project with a $1.3 billion partial loan guarantee through the Recovery Act in 2010. The company said the project in the northeastern part of the state will generate enough electricity to power 235,000 U.S. homes. Sponsored by Caithness and General Electric (GE) Energy Financial Services, the project consists of 338 GE 2.5xl turbines, which are being deployed for the first time in North America. The project's output is contracted through 20-year power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison. The project will eliminate nearly1,216,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, an amount equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 212,000 passenger vehicles. See the Caithness press release and the October 13, 2010 edition of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy newsletter.   USDA Announces $10 Million in Rural Smart Grid Funds   The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on September 20 the latest in a series of funding steps to modernize and improve the efficiency of rural electric generation and transmission systems. The agency will offer loan guarantees to support nearly $10 million in smart grid technologies. One of the loan recipients is Nobles Cooperative Electric, which serves counties in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa. Their loan includes $850,000 in smart grid projects. The Gundy Electric Cooperative, Inc., which serves customers in Iowa and Missouri, has also been selected for a loan guarantee that includes over $700,000 in smart grid projects. Earlier this month, the USDA announced it had met its goal to finance $250 million in smart grid technologies in fiscal year 2012. See the USDA press release. In 2009, the Energy Department released the first Smart Grid System Report, which examined smart grid deployment nationwide. The report noted that smart grids have the potential to dramatically change how we experience electricity in the country. See the July 22, 2009 edition of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network News newsletter.   New York Brings Energy Efficient Technologies to Market   New York announced on September 17 the launch of a $30 million initiative to accelerate the commercialization of emerging, cutting-edge energy efficiency technologies. The Energy Efficiency Market Acceleration Program (EE-MAP) is being implemented by the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The new initiative will fund research, market development activities, and demonstration projects to help leverage investments and promote business development opportunities for emerging energy efficiency technologies. The program will focus on accelerating the market development of energy efficiency technologies by speeding their deployment and training engineers, contractors, and maintenance service providers in designing and installing energy efficiency products, among other efforts. To support the initiative, NYPA has teamed with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit collaborative research organization, to catalog state-of-the-art energy efficiency products and services, identify commercial trends, and screen and track emerging technologies. See the New York press release.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)   special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov

Clean Energy in Our Community: Allegheny College and Meadville, Pennsylvania   In the third edition of DOE's "Clean Energy in Our Community" video series, Allegheny College shows us that size doesn't matter. Even with only 2,100 undergraduate students, Allegheny is successfully incorporating sustainability into its culture, operations, and curriculum—helping to grow the local green energy economy both on and off its Meadville, Pennsylvania, campus. By working with students, faculty, staff, and local partners, the campus has created a composting facility that processes between 800-900 pounds of food, compostable paper, and plastic each day. The result is a soil-like, nutrient-rich material that helps to replenish the campus’s lawns, gardens, and flowerbeds without using chemical fertilizers. The campus is well on its way to achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2020. Earlier this year, Allegheny committed to purchasing 100% of its electricity from wind generated sources, a change that immediately eliminated over 50% of the institution’s carbon footprint. Through investments in energy audits and campus-wide energy retrofits, the campus is using Energy Star appliances and EPEAT certified computers to increase energy efficiency. In addition, all new construction on campus buildings will be LEED certified Silver, and historic buildings are in the process of becoming LEED certified. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog.   5 Questions about the SunShot Prize for Minh Le   Recently, we announced the launch of the SunShot Prize—a new competition aimed at making it faster, easier, and cheaper to install rooftop solar energy systems. Participating teams must demonstrate that solar energy is an affordable solution for American families and businesses. To learn more about the competition, we caught up with Minh Le, Acting Solar Program Manager at the Energy Department. In the Q&A exchange below, Le shares important details about the impetus driving this innovative competition. Why did the Department launch the SunShot Prize? The global clean energy race is moving forward at lightning speed, and it’s time for the United States to regain its competitive edge. The SunShot Prize is meant to inspire organizations across the nation to dramatically reduce the costs of going solar. As part of the SunShot Initiative’s larger effort to make solar cost-competitive by 2020, this new program takes aim at soft costs, which are essentially what we think of as "the price to plug in." For the complete story, see the Energy Blog. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Top Commercial Solar Customers in the U.S.

 photo by CCRES

Solar Means Business: Top Commercial Solar Customers in the U.S.

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES) special thanks to Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

As the national trade association in the U.S., the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is the power behind solar energy. 

 

Link

Download the report

Topics

• Renewable Energy Deployment, Solar Technology, State Solar Policy

Solar energy is being deployed on a massive scale by the most iconic brands and best-managed companies in the U.S. in order to help lower operating costs and increase profits. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar) have unveiled a report naming the companies using solar on their facilities in the U.S., ranked by cumulative solar energy capacity.

• View our Press Release
• See the infographic

U.S. Companies Deploy Solar Energy from Coast to Coast

See the locations of the on-site PV systems identified by this research on our interactive map.

 

Introduction

What do Walmart, Costco, IKEA, McGraw Hill, Johnson & Johnson and FedEx have in common? They know a smart investment when they see one, and are all adopting solar energy in a big way. From the largest corporations to small businesses, U.S. companies are installing solar energy to take control of their energy costs and improve their bottom line. As of mid-­‐2012, businesses as well as non-­‐profit organizations and governments across the United States have deployed more than 2,300 megawatts (MW)1 of solar electric (photovoltaic or PV) systems on more than 24,000 individual facilities—and this number is growing rapidly; during the first half of 2012, over 3,600 non-­‐residential PV systems came online, an average of one every 72 minutes. ²
The rapidly falling cost of solar energy has made solar an increasingly appealing investment for American businesses. Between the second quarter of 2011 and the second quarter of 2012, the average price of a completed commercial PV system fell by nearly 14 percent.3 The economics of PV have become so attractive that many of the best managed corporations, which are synonymous with low cost and efficiency, are adopting solar energy on a massive scale across the U.S.
This report, prepared by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar), highlights those companies that have deployed the most solar energy capacity at their facilities for onsite consumption. In total, the 42 companies analyzed for this report have deployed at least 321MW of PV capacity at more than 750 locations in at least 26 states and Puerto Rico. The 20 companies with the highest installed capacity have deployed at least 279 MW, enough to supply all the electricity needs of 46,500 American households. These solar leaders include some of America’s most iconic brands and biggest businesses.
In addition to installed capacity, this report also ranks companies by the number of operating installations as well as the geographic diversity of their solar deployment.

Solar rooftops 

See photos from the report's top solar installers in our photo gallery.

 

Solar Value Proposition

Energy can make up a significant portion of a business’s operating costs. Companies are installing solar at record rates because it reduces operation expenses, improves their bottom line, and allows them to focus resources on their core business strategies.
The price of solar energy systems has dropped rapidly over the past 5 years. In some places, it is more cost-­‐effective  to  deploy  solar  than  buy  electricity  from  the  local  utility.  And no matter where the company is located, solar provides predictably priced electricity for 20 to 30 years. This hedge against utility price volatility is highly valuable to businesses that are focused on managing long-­‐term budgets. Combined with innovative financing options that further reduce upfront costs, solar has a new value proposition that makes business sense for major companies nationwide.

Companies across the country have made enormous investments in solar to manage their operating costs. The list above ranks the top 20 of these companies by the installed capacity, or the maximum power potential measured in kilowatts (kW, 1,000 kW = 1 MW), of all of their on‐site solar installations.

Some companies have high energy demand at a single facility and build one or two large systems to meet that need. Others have dozens or hundreds of stores and facilities that could benefit from solar. The rankings above list the Top 20 companies by the number of solar installations at company locations. Those at the top of this list have made repeated decisions to go solar, building off of earlier successes.

Solar Leaders by Percent of Stores

 

The data at left demonstrates the percentage of U.S. company stores with solar for a few notable companies. It is not a full ranking, rather a comparison between some of the top solar users that were already part of this report’s analysis. It should be noted that smaller companies could well have solar at all of their company locations or could even be net exporters to the grid, meaning companies generate more solar energy onsite than is consumed by their facility.

 

Top Companies by Geographic Diversity

While companies with facilities in California and the Southwest have certainly taken advantage of the ample solar resources and effective solar policies, corporations have gone beyond those well-­‐ known solar markets with installations all across the country. Many corporations have solar energy systems in diverse states including Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, which is a strong indication that solar energy can make business sense in all U.S. climates. This list ranks the top companies by the number of states in which they have deployed PV at their facilities.

Big Plans

The companies ranked here and many more continue to expand their investments in solar energy at a rapid pace. Companies such as Apple, which has a 20 MW system under construction at a datacenter in North Carolina, have announced plans for major solar deployment. Others such as General Motors have decided to enter the solar business themselves.
Businesses as well as other large energy consumers like non‐profits, schools and public agencies are expected to add 7,000 megawatts of additional PV systems over the next five years. That’s enough to replace seven retiring coal power plants.

Methodology

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar) set out to rank the top corporate users of solar energy in the U.S. To do this, SEIA and Vote Solar combed public databases and contacted company representatives to collect data on their use of PV systems.4 While researchers made every effort to collect detailed, complete and accurate data, not every company responded to surveys, and public databases do not capture all installations. Furthermore, new systems are installed every day. In the first half of 2012 alone, over 3,600 individual non-­‐residential systems came online in the U.S. Ultimately, SEIA and Vote Solar believe this is an accurate portrayal of the leading corporate users of solar energy in the U.S., but reserve the right to make adjustments as new data becomes available.
SEIA and Vote Solar only counted on-­‐site PV systems that supplied power directly to company facilities. This does not include utility PV power plants that sell wholesale electricity. While some companies buy solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) from solar power generated off-­‐site, this report does not consider such transactions due to limitations in data collection and verification. Likewise, SRECs produced by many onsite PV systems are sold to utilities or other buyers; while companies that sell their SRECs do not retain the environmental attributes of the system, such systems are still counted for the purposes of this report as the decision to deploy an onsite solar system is an essential step in solar energy development.
Many important companies have made massive investments in helping others go solar. Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Google and others have provided billions of dollars in financing for solar energy systems in the U.S. While these investments are big business and central to the development of the solar energy industry, they are not the focus of this report.
These rankings only include PV systems that were operational as of mid-­‐August 2012.
If you see an error or omission or would simply like to add new data, please email research@seia.org. Please direct all press questions to Monique Hanis (mhanis@seia.org), Rosalind Jackson (rosalind@votesolar.org) or Jamie Nolan (jnolan@seia.org).

1 A megawatt of solar capacity is enough to supply all the electricity needs for 75-­‐218 homes depending on the region of the country. For more info see What's in a Megawatt?

2 SEIA and GTM Research, “U.S. Solar Market Insight Q2 2012”

3 Ibid.

4 This report only considers the use of photovoltaic systems, which produce electricity. It does not represent the use of solar heating and cooling (SHC: water heating, space heating, space cooling or process heat) due to lack of public databases.

More info about Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) :

 http://www.seia.org/

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

1st International Environmental Conference: Waste Management

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES) promotes 20-21 November 2012, King Fahd Civic Centre, Yanbu Al Sinayah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Delegates who attend both days of the conference are rewarded with 13.5 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Click here to read more 1st International Environmental Conference: Waste Management Held under the patronage of HH Prince Saud Bin Thunayyan Al Saud, Chairman of the RCJY, 1st IEC takes place from 20-21 November 2012 and is the first event of its kind to gain accreditation from the CIWM. Combining a two day strategic conference and technical exhibition, by attending you will not only meet senior level delegations from the Royal Commission, discuss business opportunities from global waste management suppliers but also gain 13.5 hours CPD for your professional development. >Register here Hear from influential speakers discuss waste management issues including: HH Prince Saud Bin Thunayyan, Chairman, RCJY HE Dr Alaa Nassif, President, Yanbu, RCJY HE Dr. Abdullah Al-Shehri, Governor, ECRA Dr Ahmed Al Hazmi, Manager of Environmental Affiairs, SABIC Click here for a full list of speakers Facebook Google+ LinkedIn Twitter

Proudly presented by CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

News and Events by CCRES September 21, 2012

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources  News and Events September 21, 2012

Energy Department Launches SunShot Prize Competition   The SunShot Prize aims to decrease in the soft costs associated with small-scale solar energy systems by more than 65%. Credit: MREA As part of the Energy Department's SunShot Initiative, the Department on September 12 announced the start of a new competition to make it faster, easier, and cheaper to install rooftop solar energy systems. The SunShot Prize makes a total of $10 million in cash awards available to the first three teams that consistently demonstrate that the non-hardware costs, or price to plug in, can be as low as $1 per watt (W) for small-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on American homes and businesses. This target represents a decrease in the "soft costs" of solar energy systems—including permitting, licensing, connecting to the grid, and other non-hardware costs—by more than 65%. The winning teams will demonstrate that solar energy is an affordable solution for families and businesses in the United States. The SunShot Prize is meant to inspire innovative, sustainable, and verifiable business practices that reduce soft costs to $1/W. Achieving this target will bring the SunShot goal of $0.60/W for residential system soft costs within reach by the end of the decade. During Phase I of the competition, winning teams will successfully deploy 5,000 small-scale (2–15 kilowatt) rooftop PV systems with non-hardware costs averaging $1/W. Phase II, which is intended to assess the business sustainability of the winning teams, calls for the installation of an additional 1,000 qualifying systems. The competition will run through 2015.The first-place winner will receive $7 million, second place will receive $2 million, and third place will receive $1 million for successfully achieving the competition's goals. In addition to the cash award, the first-place team will officially become "The Winner of America’s Most Affordable Rooftop Solar" prize. The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade. See the Energy Department press release and SunShot Prize website.   First Ocean Energy Delivered to the U.S. Grid   ORPC’s TidGen power system, shown in this rendering, has begun delivering power to the grid from Cobscook Bay, Maine. Credit: ORPC The first grid-connected tidal power project in the United States project is now delivering electricity to the utility grid from an underwater power system in Cobscook Bay, Maine. Bangor Hydro Electric Company verified on September 13 that electricity generated by an underwater turbine generator is flowing to their power grid from Ocean Renewable Power Company's (ORPC) Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project. The project is funded by a $10 million investment from the Energy Department, as well as the Maine Technology Institute and private investors. The device, called a TidGen, is designed to operate in shallow tidal or deep river sites at depths of 50 to 100 feet , and has a peak output of 180 kilowatts. That amount is enough electricity to power 25 to 30 homes annually. In April, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved a 20-year power purchase agreement for ORPC's Maine Tidal Energy Project (which includes the Cobscook Bay Project) with three utilities: Central Maine Power, Bangor Hydro Electric, and Maine Public Service. Two additional TidGen devices will be installed at ORPC’s Cobscook Bay Project site in the fall of 2013, and together, the three-device power system will generate enough energy to power 75 to 100 homes. The devices connect directly to an onshore substation through a single underwater transmission line. See the ORPC press release Web page, the May 9 edition of EERE Network News, and the Energy Department Water Power Program website.   EPA Sets Biobased Diesel Volumes for 2013   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 14 set the amount of bio-diesel products required to be included in diesel fuel markets in 2013 at 1.28 billion gallons. Biobased diesel products are advanced bio-fuels that are derived from sources such as vegetable oils and wastes oils from renewable sources. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 established the second phase of the Renewable Fuel Standards program that specifies a one billion-gallon minimum volume requirement for the biomass-based diesel category for 2012 and beyond. The law also calls on EPA to increase the volume requirements after consideration of environmental, market, and energy-related factors. See the EPA press release and the Renewable Fuels Standard Web page.   Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 is Underway   The Solar Decathlon Europe 2012, a complementary competition to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operatre solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive, began on September 14 in Madrid, Spain. Teams from 14 countries will participate in this year's competition, coming from Brazil, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In 2007, the Spanish Ministry of Housing signed an agreement to organize the event, and the first European gathering was in Madrid in 2010. A combination of task completion, measurement, and jury scoring determined Solar Decathlon Europe's first champion, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The event ends on September 30. See the Solar Decathlon Europe website.   Report Names Top 20 U.S. Corporate Solar Users   Walmart Stores Inc., Costco Wholesale, and Kohl's Department Stores lead the top 20 U.S. companies in terms of on-site solar energy capacity, according to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Initiative. Combined, the top 20 corporate solar users' photovoltaic (PV) installations, which total at least 279 megawatts, generate an estimated $47.3 million worth of electricity each year. SEIA and Vote Solar released the findings on September 12. The amount of solar installed by the top 20 solar-powered companies could power more than 46,500 average U.S. homes. Altogether, U.S. commercial solar installations could power more than 390,000 American homes. The companies analyzed for this report have deployed more than 700 individual PV systems on their facilities in at least 25 states and Puerto Rico. Rounding out the list, in order, are IKEA, Macy's, McGraw-Hill, Johnson & Johnson, Staples, Inc., Campbell's Soup, Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond, Toys 'R' Us, General Motors, FedEx, White Rose Foods, Dow Jones, Snyder’s of Hanover, ProLogis, Hartz Mountain Industries, and Crayola. See the SEIA press release and the full report Web page.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)   special thanks to U.S. Department of Energy | USA.gov

Environmental Management Introduces the First LEED Gold Industrial Facility   Even though the Olympics have ended, the Office of Environmental Management is still setting its sights on gold. The Energy Department and contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company achieved the first Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "gold" certification for sustainable design at the 200 West Pump and Treat system. This new groundwater treatment plant at Hanford Site in southeast Washington state is setting a new standard for environmental sustainability. Established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that rates buildings on criteria such as energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, and indoor air quality. Gold Certification is the second highest benchmark set by the USGBC for high-performance green buildings. The building's efficient design is expected to result in an energy cost savings of more than 70% over the life of the facility. Electric energy savings should amount to 317,470 kilowatt hours per year. That's enough energy to power nearly 28 American households, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates. For the complete story, see the Energy Blog. Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)