Energy

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.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture broke ground on the second phase of construction at the ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) in August of 2010 in Hilo, Hawaii. Phase 2 will support research on exotic tropical crops, alternative energy sources, and sustainable agriculture with additional offices, screen houses, and head houses.

The University of New South Wales broke ground in August of 2010 on the $125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building in Sydney, Australia. The facility will support research in photovoltaics, carbon capture and storage, oil and gas reserves, nanomaterials, energy policy, and market analysis. Accommodating 300 engineering students and 100 staff members, the sustainably-designed building will include a roof-mounted solar panel array and a gas-fired tri-generation plant for power, heating, and cooling.

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Ameren Energy Resources Company, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Air Liquide to negotiate the installation of the world's first full-scale oxy-coal-fired power plant near Jacksonville, Ill. Featuring permanent carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), the FutureGen 2.0 project includes construction and operation of a 200-megawatt, near-zero emissions generating facility at Ameren's Meredosia campus.

Solexant Corp. will develop a $108 million photovoltaic manufacturing plant in Gresham, Ore. The facility will be housed in an existing 125,000-sf building and will produce ultra-thin film with nanocrystal technology. Production will begin in 2011.