Itron and Cisco—world leaders in smart metering and networking communications, respectively—will collaborate on solutions that will transition smart metering technology into an open and interoperable, enterprise-class network for utilities. Specifically, the two companies will develop a standards-based, highly secure technology for full IPv6 implementation of field area communications to support smart metering, intelligent distribution automation and interfaces to the customer premise. Such an approach will help ensure consistent and interoperable wired and wireless communications among the various components of the smart grid, enabling utilities to scale to meet the demands of increasingly empowered customers and highly distributed generation portfolios.

“The alliance between Cisco and Itron represents a major step forward in the realization of a modern, more intelligent energy infrastructure. Together, we aim to enable standardization of the smart-grid architecture and help create an end-to-end communications platform. As a result, utilities will benefit from an energy grid that is more secure, scalable and reliable, as well as solutions that are easier to maintain and able to support future needs,” said Laura Ipsen, Cisco senior vice president and general manager for the Smart Grid business unit.

When asked about the value of the alliance, Philip Mezey, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Itron North America, stated, “Our customers have reiterated that security, interoperability and open standards are critical to the success of their smart grid initiatives. We are creating the first enterprise-class utility networking solution to utilize the scalable, reliable, highly secure technology synonymous with the Cisco name around the world. At Itron, we are enthusiastic about this effort and its potential to enhance utility communication networks around the globe.”

Terms of the Agreement
Under terms of the agreement, Itron and Cisco will jointly develop the reference design that defines a standard for smart grid field area and smart metering network communications, utilizing the latest version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6). A key standard identified by the National Institute of Technology, IPv6 integrates network security into its framework; allows for simplified processing of data by routers and other network devices; and offers a wealth of extensibility options over the current and widely-used IPv4 implementation.

Itron will license and embed Cisco IP technology within its OpenWay^® meters as well as distribute Cisco networking equipment and software as part of its smart meter deployments. Itron will continue to provide the complete solution and maintain its customer relationships.

“We want to respect the legacy systems that have been deployed thus far within smart grids while innovating for the future. Cisco believes that Itron’s current-generation OpenWay solution is an excellent candidate for future upgrades to a full IPv6 implementation,” said Paul De Martini, chief technology officer and vice president of strategy for the Smart Grid business unit at Cisco. “With a true smart meter platform providing full software upgradability, OpenWay will be a catalyst for launching this next-generation architecture.”

“Itron designed OpenWay to be able to adapt to evolving market needs. The move to embed Cisco IP communications continues to deliver on our promise of interoperability and open standards for OpenWay,” said Philip Mezey, of Itron North America. “This enables an expanding set of smart grid applications into the future.””

Read more: Itron Press Release

The contracts by European and Asian companies for land to grow sugar cane, jatropha and palm oil to be turned into fuel will involve clearing forests and vegetation, taking land that could be used for food and creating conflicts with local communities, Friends of the Earth said in the study.

Proponents of biofuels argue they are renewable and can help fight climate change because the growing plants ingest as much carbon dioxide from the air as the fuels made from them emit when burned.

Critics say there is a risk of the crops infringing on land that could be used for growing food and that destruction of rainforests to make way for palm oil and sugar outweighs any carbon benefits gained from the use of such fuels.

“The expansion of biofuels … is transforming forests and natural vegetation into fuel crops, taking away food-growing farmland from communities, and creating conflicts with local people over land ownership,” Mariann Bassey, a Friends of the Earth Nigeria activist, said in a statement.

The report said Kenya and Angola each had received proposals for the use of 500,000 hectares for biofuels and there was a similar plan to use 400,000 hectares in Benin for palm oil.

Rice farmers had been forced off their land for a sugar cane project in Tanzania, it added.

“The competition for land and the competition for staple food crops such as cassava and sweet sorghum for agrofuels is likely to push up food and land prices,” the study said.

Other studies have suggested biofuel expansion would not be harmful and could even be beneficial for African agriculture.

Last month, researchers from Britain’s Imperial College, carbon trader CAMCO, and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) said biofuels would boost investment in land and infrastructure.

They said this could have a positive effect on food production, and if properly managed would not mean destroying natural forests.”

Source: Reuters

“The role of phosphor innovation in the LED race to higher efficiency is, in large part, what attracted me to Intematix,” said Mark Swoboda, CEO of Intematix. “For years, Intematix has been expanding its expertise to include nitrides, silicates, TAG, YAG and other key platforms. While other players have historically invested little in R&D innovation of LED phosphors, these materials—and resulting light generation recipes—are one of the most critical and immediate paths to achieving high-quality, energy efficient lighting.”

Known within the industry for its deep expertise in materials development, Intematix has patented a proprietary process, C-Mat Synthesis™, which serves as the platform for customized phosphors that enable high-quality lighting. The company will maintain and deepen its foothold in phosphors, while simultaneously deploying innovative materials that serve as enabling technology behind innovative systems-level LED products.

“With more than a decade of materials development expertise and over 200 patents for materials and device technologies, Intematix is clearly a technology leader in the lighting space,” said Alain Harrus, partner at Crosslink Capital and Intematix board member. “We are glad to have Mark on board as we continue to leverage the company’s technical expertise to bring our products into new markets.”

After close to a decade of leading sales, marketing, applications, and custom product development teams at Philips Lumileds, which pioneered the power LED product class and established clear market share in high growth markets and applications in solid-state lighting, Swoboda joined LED start-up, Bridgelux in 2007. There, Swoboda took the company from an R&D business into fully commercialized general lighting products provider with a core focus in vertically integrated lighting design.

“From semiconductors to LEDs, Mark has a proven track record of identifying and executing in under-served markets,” said Jennifer Fonstad, managing director with Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Intematix board member. “Mark’s move underscores the pivotal role of sophisticated materials development in creating high quality solid state lighting and signals a shift in the dynamics of value creation in the LED industry.”

Source: Press Release

The proposed joint venture, which still requires regulatory approval, will produce and commercialize ethanol and power from sugar cane and distribute a variety of industrial and transportation fuels through a combined distribution and retail network in Brazil. It will also explore business opportunities to produce and sell ethanol and sugar globally.

“The proposed joint venture is set to pool our complementary businesses, enhance our growth prospects in ethanol production globally and support our growth platform for our retail and commercial fuels businesses in Brazil,” said Mark Williams, Shell Downstream Director. “Over the next 20 years, sustainable biofuels are one of the most realistic commercial solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from transport”.

“While there is still plenty of integration planning to do before we launch the proposed joint venture, this is an important milestone in our effort to create one of the world’s most competitive sustainable biofuels companies,” said Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello, Cosan’s Chairman of the Board and non-executive Chairman-elect of the proposed joint venture.

With annual production capacity of over 2 billion litres, the proposed joint venture will be one of the world’s largest ethanol producers. The inclusion of Shell’s interests in Iogen Energy and Codexis would enable the joint venture to deploy next generation biofuels technologies in the future.

The company will also generate electricity from sugar cane bagasse in cogeneration plants at all sites. Ten cogeneration plants are already operational. With total annual sales of about 18 billion litres of fuels, the proposed joint venture will have a competitive position in the Brazilian fuels distribution market built upon a network of about 4,500 retail sites.

Today’s agreement follows the signing in February of a non-binding memorandum of understanding. With the transaction terms agreed, Shell and Cosan, which remain as competitors, will now focus on securing regulatory approvals and starting integration planning before launching the new company.”

Source: Press Release

Chief Executive Helge Lund said his company, which has invested in offshore wind and carbon capture storage (CCS) technology in recent years, was committed to renewables but only up to a point.

“We are committed toward developing renewables but the industry has to show it is going to be profitable,” he told reporters. “Over time, it has to develop into a profitable industry.”

“This is the responsibility of any company,” he said. “Like any other activity, (renewables) have to be tested against profitability and other dimensions over time.”

Over the weekend Lund told the regional daily Stavanger Aftenblad that Statoil should consider within three to four years whether it was right to invest in renewables as well as in oil and gas.

The comments by Statoil come amid concerns that political action to tackle global climate change could drift for years in the wake of the financial crisis, hurting the prospects for coordinated renewable energy subsidies.

Norway’s largest company — two-thirds owned by the state — is a participating in several offshore wind projects, including the Sheringham Shoal wind farm off the coast of eastern England.

It is also aiming to build a full-scale CCS facility at the Mongstad oil refinery in western Norway — a project that has seen several setbacks.

Lund said Statoil remained committed toward developing CCS at Mongstad.

“We stay committed to Mongstad project, however difficult,” he said.”

Source: Reuters

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with Silver Spring,” said Bryan Olnick, Vice President Customer Service, Smart Grid Solutions, FPL. “Over the past three years, Silver Spring has been an effective and valued strategic partner in our AMI Smart Grid implementation.”

Silver Spring’s managed-services offerings support a utility’s critical IT and operations by providing round-the-clock performance monitoring, system optimization and upgrades. Silver Spring reduces risk to the utility by including a fixed scope of services for a fixed price with performance guarantees.

“We are proud that Florida Power & Light Company has extended its trust in Silver Spring to continue to provide this vital service,” said Scott Lang, Chairman, President and CEO of Silver Spring Networks. “Our commitment is to provide our clients not only with best-in-class hardware and software, but also the services that are essential to build and operate the Smart Grid. We look forward to our continued work with one of the most respected utilities in the country.”"

Source: Press Release

The agreement, which is a combination of a firm order and significant options, will enable enXco to execute on its growing portfolio of utility-scale solar PV projects in the United States and Canada.

“We are very pleased to have struck this strategic partnership with Solaria, as we believe they have developed a superior low concentration solar technology ideal for large solar tracking systems,” said David Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Solar Development for enXco.

“We have immense respect for enXco’s sophistication and EDF EN’s worldwide base of operations. As one of the most sophisticated developers of solar power plants and purchasers of solar PV modules, we are thrilled to be working with enXco,” noted Solaria CEO Daniel Shugar. “This investment by enXco further validates Solaria as a technology leader.”

Solaria modules are designed specifically for ground-mounted tracking systems and certified to UL1703 and IEC61215 standards.  Based on patented low-cost technology, Solaria’s modules provide reliable performance while matching form, fit and performance of conventional PV modules.”

Source: Press Release

A strong yen is putting additional pressure on Japan’s fragile economy, which is already seeing slowing growth and mired in grinding deflation, forcing the government to consider drafting a package of stimulus measures.

In a draft version of the stimulus package, the government plans to subsidize investment in domestic plants manufacturing goods such as lithium battery cells for electric vehicles, the Nikkei said on Friday.

Another proposal is to extend the deadline for subsidies aimed at encouraging households to purchase energy-efficient consumer electronics, the paper said.

It will also extend a housing loan program, which was scheduled to end this year, that reduces annual interest on 35-year fixed-rate loans for energy-efficient and quake-resistant homes.

Economics Minister Satoshi Arai will submit the draft stimulus plan to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday, it said.”

Read more: Reuters

In today’s transaction, Magma Sweden acquired 38.03% of HS Orka’s outstanding shares from Geysir Green Energy ehf in consideration for:

• payment today of 3,871,195,513 Icelandic Króner (“ISK”) (approximately US $32.3 million);
• issuance today of 24,808,569 subscription receipts of Magma Energy Corp.; and
• payment on November 30, 2010 of approximately 3,062,612,586 ISK (approximately US $25.6 million), subject to certain interest adjustments.

Each subscription receipt will convert into one common share of Magma Energy Corp. on December 18, 2010 for payment of no additional consideration. Magma Energy Corp. has the right at its sole option to repurchase the subscription receipts, in whole or in part, at prices ranging from 135.90 ISK to 142.24 ISK per subscription receipt at certain times between September 4, and December 11, 2010. The maximum aggregate cost to repurchase all of the subscription receipts will be approximately US $29.5 million.

Magma Sweden’s previously announced agreement to acquire Geysir’s remaining 14.32% interest in HS Orka has not yet closed and remains subject to certain outstanding closing conditions, which are expected to be met in the near term.”

Source: Press Release

This acquisition will provide Direct Energy with 241 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) of additional natural gas reserves, an increase of approximately 60%, and an incremental 80 million cubic feet per day (mmcfe) of natural gas production.  This will enable Direct Energy to achieve significant economies of scale and operational efficiencies, resulting in lower unit costs of production and greater returns across its combined gas portfolio.

The transaction will enable Direct Energy to meet around 35 per cent of its customers’ gas demand through its own sources of production.  This is in line with Centrica’s strategy to build a more integrated North American business with leading positions in deregulated markets.

The assets are located 35 km northwest of Calgary, adding to Direct Energy’s existing acreage positions in central and southern Alberta and consist of 97 producing wells, associated infrastructure and 42,000 net acres of undeveloped land.   Further gas development opportunities may also exist by leveraging the unconventional reservoir gas exploitation expertise Centrica has in both Canada, and in the UK following the acquisition of Venture.

Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica, said: “This transaction represents a further step in the delivery of Centrica’s strategy for North America to build a larger, more vertically integrated energy business through acquiring assets with attractive returns. We will continue to explore opportunities to secure further strategic gas and power assets in North America to enhance the scale of the business, and support Direct Energy’s expanding retail energy businesses.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and pre-emption rights on some of the assets.  The deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2010.”

Source: Centrica Press Release