MORE NEWS, 1-8 (PHEV VOLT ON TRACK; FLYING ON ALGAE; SOLAR GOES TO THE MALL; GOOD ODDS ON BIG WIND—T. BOONE)

PHEV VOLT ON TRACK
GM's Chevrolet Volt on the right track; Electric car could brighten ailing company's future
Peter Szilagyi, January 3, 2009 (Austin American Statesman)

“…GM is rarely recognized for its considerable investment in hybrid and ethanol alternative fuel vehicles…GM applied the new technologies to the wrong types of products: pickups and SUVs…Fortunately, a potential hero lurks in the wings to give GM the green credentials it needs, and perhaps, deserves: the Chevrolet Volt.

“The Volt electric car is such a good idea that even a fumbling marketing department could sell it if the execution is successful. And even a GM bankruptcy probably wouldn't kill the Volt…

“…GM has promised, unrealistically I think, a production-ready Volt for the end of 2010. We're just two years out, and important technical and production issues apparently still await resolution…GM will need every second until the deadline it has set…But it should be worth the wait…”


FLYING ON ALGAE
Algae-Based Fule Powers Test Flight by Continental
Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Mary Jane Credeur, January 7, 2009 (Bloomberg News)

“ Continental Airlines Inc. conducted a demonstration flight today using biofuel, the first such test in the U.S. with a commercial jet…A fuel blend made from algae and jatropha scrub plants powered the unmodified twin-engine Boeing Co. 737-800…

click to enlarge

“ The test…is a step toward the International Air Transport Association’s goal of having member carriers use 10 percent alternative fuels by 2017 to reduce global warming. The European Union will cap airline carbon-dioxide emissions beginning in 2012…Aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global CO2 emissions…

“U.S. carriers are testing alternative fuels after prices for traditional jet kerosene, which is derived from crude oil, surged to a record $4.36 a gallon in July…

“Airline trials with biofuels began in February…Continental is the first to use the jatropha-algae mix. The plants are attractive as a fuel source because they don’t reduce stocks of food crops or contribute to deforestation…They were essentially getting more thrust from the biofuel-powered engine using a lower amount of fuel than from the regular engine…”


SOLAR GOES TO THE MALL
Developers Diversified Announces Income-Producing Solar Energy Program to Benefit Tenants and Environment
January 7, 2009 (CNNMoney)

“Developers Diversified Realty (NYSE: DDR) today announced an income-producing solar energy program in partnership with SunEdison, North America's largest solar energy services provider.

“The program will enable Developers Diversified to incorporate solar photovoltaic (PV) systems through a multi-phase deployment at the company's shopping centers…As part of the long-term partnership, SunEdison has the option to develop solar energy systems at hundreds of Developers Diversified's shopping centers…

“Once a system is operational, Developers Diversified will be able to purchase energy for common area uses. In addition, shopping center tenants can benefit and realize energy savings by opting to purchase the power generated by the solar systems at rates less than retail energy rates. Developers Diversified will receive significant rental stream from the program by converting unused rooftop space into a revenue-generating asset…”


GOOD ODDS ON BIG WIND—T. BOONE
T. Boone Pickens likes odds for his energy plan
Tom Fowler, January 6, 2009 (Houston Chronicle)

“'Every president since Richard Nixon has pledged to move the country toward energy independence, and they’ve all failed,' oilman and investor T. Boone Pickens told a crowd at Rice University…'But we have a better chance now with President-elect Obama than we would have with McCain…'

“…Obama also seems to be favoring energy sources that Pickens has made central to his own campaign to reduce U.S. oil dependence — wind power and natural gas…Pickens’ talk at Rice was his part of the road show for The Pickens Plan, a campaign he launched last August to get the country to cut its foreign oil dependence by one-third.

"The plan, which he has spent $50 million to promote, calls for meeting more than 20 percent of the country’s electric needs through wind power and redirecting the nation’s abundant natural gas reserves away from power generation and into fueling cars and truck."

click to enlarge

“This would require spending about $1 trillion on building thousands of wind power turbines from the Texas Panhandle to North Dakota and another $200 billion to run transmission lines to major cities. Billions more would be spent helping owners of large vehicle fleets buy natural gas-fueled vehicles.

“Pickens has much to gain from his proposal. He’s planning a huge wind farm in North Texas and has large holdings in natural gas as well as investments in firms that convert large vehicles to run on the fuel. But at 80 years old, he says it’s not just about the money…

“New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has called him a cross between J.R. Ewing of Dallas and Sierra Club head Carl Pope…But there’s no shortage of critics of the plan…”