QUICK NEWS, 1-11: VOLT EV IS CAR-OF-THE-YEAR; BUY WIND LIKE BUFFET; KAISER HOSPITALS SHINE SUN; THE FORTUNE IN SERVICING WIND

VOLT EV IS CAR-OF-THE-YEAR
Chevrolet Volt wins coveted North American Car of the Year
January 10, 2011 (USA Today)

"…[A]uto writers have chosen the breakthrough Chevrolet Volt as the North American Car of the Year. It beat out the Hyundai Sonata and the electric Nissan Leaf.

"…[T]he voting: 233 points for Volt, 163 for Sonata and 94 for Leaf. (Poor little Leaf deserves more respect)."

The Chevrolet Volt, the 2011 North American Car-of-the-Year (click to enlarge)

"…[T]his year, the industry's most prestigious award was driven by technology. General Motors' Volt is the first plug-in car from a major automaker -- with a backup engine to give it unlimited range. Nissan's Leaf is a pure electric car. Both went on sale in December."

click to enlarge

"But Volt has a list price of $41,000, putting it out of reach of most buyers. And Leaf has limited range, about 80 to 100 miles per charge, dissuading many buyers. That made it look like the Sonata might swoop in for a win -- a conventional car that dramatically cut weight and added to gas mileage that sold almost 200,000 last year.

"In the end, though…the auto writers…[were probably] lured by the compelling back story of General Motor's resurrection from bankrutpcy on the heels of its wondercar…"


BUY WIND LIKE BUFFET
Following Buffett's Lead in Wind Energy
Don Dion, January 7, 2011 (The Street)

"Warren Buffett's recent exposure to the wind energy industry has taken center stage and stolen headlines. Using ETFs, investors can follow Buffett's lead and gain exposure to companies which work to harness and profit from the power of wind.

"Energy is not a new venture for Buffett…[T]hrough a number of his investments and subsidiaries, Warren Buffett has expanded his investment reach into various corners of the energy industry…Well known components of the Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway(BRK.A) portfolio, including General Electric(GE) and BYD have been major players in the growth of clean tech and energy industries such as wind, solar, and battery power in recent years."

Iowa's wind capacity has grown along with Mid-American's investments. (click to enlarge)

"MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a notable subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, has also been steadily increasing its stake in the alternative energy picture. Recently, the firm unveiled its massive plan to further step up its wind presence by installing nearly 600 megawatts of wind power in Iowa.

"The energy created by the more 250 turbines will be enough to power 190,000 homes…[W]hen the installation of the turbines is complete, the percentage of the company's capacity that comes from wind will stand at 25%."

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"…[I]nvestors looking for concentrated exposure to the wind energy industry can turn to a fund such as the First Trust ISE Global Wind Energy ETF(FAN)…[C]onservative investors may find a product like the PowerShares Wilderhill Clean Energy Portfolio(PBW) more to their liking…[I]t is not uncommon to see heavily concentrated alternative energy funds such as FAN and Guggenheim (TAN) to see dramatic day-to-day swings…

"…PBW's assets are spread across…wind-related firms such as China Wind Energy(CWS), China Ming Yang Wind Power Group(MY) and Broadwind Energy(BWEN)…[as well as] the solar, battery and rare earth elements industries…Over the past 90-day period, the fund's broad approach has allowed it to handedly outperform both FAN and TAN, returning 25%…"


KAISER HOSPITALS SHINE SUN
Kaiser Permanente Hospital Goes Live With Solar Power
10 January 2011 (PR-USA)

"Kaiser Permanente's Santa Clara Medical Center has gone live with solar power, becoming one of the country's first major medical centers to receive a significant amount of its energy from the sun…

"Kaiser Permanente agreed in March [through power purchase agreements with Recurrent Energy] to install solar power systems at 15 of its California facilities — deploying a total 15 megawatts of solar energy — by the end of 2011…[Recurrent Energy, a solar project developer and generating company, will own and operate all of the solar power systems. Kaiser Permanente will retain the Renewable Energy Credits]…"

Artist's rendering of the Santa Clara installation. (click to enlarge)

"Solar panels at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara will produce 8.5 percent of the power used at the medical center — or enough to provide electricity for 136 homes for one year…[They represent] the first step in a comprehensive plan to use onsite renewable energy sources to power Kaiser Permanente's buildings nationwide…

"…The 15 megawatts of solar power will produce an average of 10 percent of the electricity at each of the facilities, which also include the Vallejo Medical Center in Northern California, and medical offices in Lancaster and La Mesa in Southern California…This is enough to provide electricity for about 1,900 homes a year…"

Healthcare lags other sectors in use of New Energy and Kaiser wants to change that. (click to enlarge)

"Through its green building efforts, Kaiser Permanente…[saves] more than $10 million per year through energy conservation strategies…[by] reducing its use of fossil fuels and slowing energy growth over the next 10 years…[It will also] use sustainable design and construction practices to complete roughly 6.7 million square feet of new construction in the next seven years…[and it has eliminated] the purchase and disposal of 40 tons of harmful chemicals.

"Kaiser Permanente first used solar power when it opened one of the country's "greenest" hospitals in Modesto, Calif., in 2008. That hospital's solar-panel array generates enough electricity to power 25 homes annually."


THE FORTUNE IN SERVICING WIND
O&M Segment of Wind Industry Evolving Fast: Report
Carl Levesque, January 7, 2011 (Wind Energy Weekly)

"According to a new report…the operation and maintenance (O&M) segment of the wind industry will evolve at a rapid pace in the next few years.

"…Growth Opportunities in Wind Operation and Maintenance Service Market: 2011-2016 analyzes global and regional O&M market trends…[It indicates] the key opportunities for wind energy O&M market growth will be in the U.S. and China, where installation capacity is expected to continue to grow at a strong pace over the next five years…[and in Europe where] aging turbines…will require additional upkeep…"

Lonely at the top, doing maintenance, getting ready for big paydays (click to enlarge)

"…[T]he global wind O&M market is estimated to reach $10.6 billion in 2016, growing 16.6% each of the next five years. Today, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) typically dominate this market segment…[but] as the O&M market matures and the demand for services outpaces supply, a strong shift towards third-party contracting will occur along with the growth of the Independent Service Providers (ISP) market.

"As the report illustrates, the O&M market is not only important to the continued growth of the wind energy industry, but it also is a profitable and expanding sector…[The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Wind Project Performance & Reliability Workshop in San Deigo, Calif., on January 12 and 13, will have offer insight on best practices in O&M]…"