Energy

National Cheng Kung University inaugurated the Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center in January of 2011 on the Lis-Hsing campus in Tainan, Taiwan. Housing the Magic School of Green Technology, the zero-carbon facility is expected to attain LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and receive the highest rating from Taiwan's Ecology, Energy Saving, and Waste Reduction initiative. The 4,800-sm building includes three levels above ground and one underground floor.

Tonopah Solar Energy, a subsidiary of SolarReserve, will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $850 million solar power plant in Nye County, Nevada. Sited on 2,250 acres of public land, the 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will use fields of mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight on a receiver tower, heating a transfer fluid used to generate steam. The facility will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 households. SolarReserve is based in Santa Monica, Calif.

Texas A&M University will begin construction in late 2011 on the Urban Living Laboratory in Dallas. The mixed-use development will provide a living laboratory for sustainable design with residential, retail, office, and hotel space. The $127 million project will utilize sensors to collect data on building systems and technologies. The public-private development will be built by Realty Appreciation. The first phase of construction includes 300 apartment units. Subsequent construction phases will create a 1.1 million-sf sustainable community. 

The University of Wisconsin broke ground on the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison in November of 2010. The 200,000-sf facility was designed by HOK and Potter Lawson with M.A. Mortenson as general contractor. The sustainably designed building will house labs, offices, high bay space, and conference rooms for clean energy research and development. A second phase of construction will provide classrooms, a demonstration lab, and offices.

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has launched a €1.2 billion initiative to develop wind, solar, and nuclear power in the European Union. The WindScanner research facility in Denmark will cost between €45 million and €60 million to build. The €960 million MYRRHA nuclear research reactor will be sited in Belgium. The €80 million EU-SOLARIS facility will be built at the Advanced Technological Centre for Renewable Energy in Spain.

The first phase of the Biorenewables Complex was recently constructed at Iowa State University, further establishing ISU’s reputation as a leader in agricultural and engineering research. The 72,000-sf building for the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering has 24,000 sf of large, open/flexible research and teaching laboratory space for biochemistry and microbiology. The facility has been nominated for LEED Gold certification.

New Earth Solutions initiated construction in November of 2010 on a £25 million mechanical biological treatment facility in Avonmouth in the United Kingdom. The general contractor for the project is Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering (DDCE), a division of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering. The plant will utilize pyrolysis and gasification technology to treat up to 200,000 tons of waste annually and create biomass-rich fuel as a renewable energy resource.

Neste Oil opened a €550 million renewable diesel plant in Singapore in November of 2010. The facility has a capacity of 800,000 tons annually and is the largest of its kind worldwide. The plant produces NExBTL biological diesel from animal fats and palm oil. Neste Oil is headquartered in Finland.

GE International will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $100 million energy research center on the Ilha do Bom Jesus peninsula in Brazil. The 140,000-sf facility will provide R&D labs for the creation of wind and renewable energy products and solutions. Completion is expected in late 2012.

The University of Kentucky broke ground in November of 2010 on a 36,000-sf expansion of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) in Lexington. The $19.8 million facility is located in the Spindletop Research Park and is supported by $11.8 million in federal stimulus funding. The expansion will support research into biofuels, biomass, wind, and solar energy. The adjacent Kentucky Argonne Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Center will also conduct research at the center. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the expansion.

Clemson University broke ground on a $98 million wind turbine research facility in November of 2010. Located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, S.C., the project involves renovation of a former Navy warehouse facility to support accelerated testing of advanced drive-train systems for wind turbines. The project is supported by a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $53 million in matching funds. Occupancy is expected by 2012.

BASF broke ground in October of 2010 on a $50 million manufacturing plant in Elyria, Ohio. The facility will produce advanced cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The plant is expected to be fully operational in 2012. The project is supported by $24.6 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

FM:Systems, a leading provider of integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) and facility management software, announced in October of 2010 the availability of FM:Interact’s direct integration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® energy performance rating system. The direct integration allows FM:Interact to seamlessly deliver ENERGY STAR performance ratings, the most widely used benchmark for energy use in commercial buildings.

Oregon Freeze Dry broke ground on a manufacturing facility in Albany, Ore., in September of 2010. Supported by $21.3 million in federal stimulus funding, the $29 million project will support production of materials for ultracapacitors. Completion is expected in spring of 2012.

Enerkem broke ground on a cellulosic ethanol waste-to-fuel facility on August 31, 2010. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, the $80 million facility is created in partnership with the City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta. The plant will produce 10 MMgy of cellulosic ethanol, enough to fuel more than 400,000 vehicles annually with E5. The project will also include a research facility for the study of biomass, biofuels, and biochemicals. Completion is expected in 2011.