Energy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Kimberly-Clark Corporation as a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For the second consecutive year, K-C will be recognized for its energy management practices and commitment to sustainable operations, resulting in significant energy and financial savings. Kimberly-Clark is being honored for its continued focus on achieving its energy efficiency targets for its manufacturing processes as well as its energy conservation goals for all of its facilities.

The largest carbon capture pilot plant in Europe will be constructed in the United Kingdom. The £20 million project will be developed by Scottish and Southern Energy, Vattenfall, and Doosan Babcock in collaboration with university partners. Located in Ferrybridge, the project will support the development of post-combustion carbon capture technologies for implementation at coal- and gas-fired power plants.

Applied Materials opened its expanded Tainan Manufacturing Center in Taiwan in March of 2010. The 15,000-sm facility will produce flat-panel and thin-film solar products. Applied Materials is based in Santa Clara, Calif., and is expanding its footprint in Asia with additional facilities in Singapore and Xi’an, China.

SunEdison will construct a 72 megawatt photovoltaic solar power plant near Rovigo, Italy. The facility will be the largest of its kind in Europe and will begin generation in the second half of 2010. The plant will produce enough electricity to power 17,150 homes and avoid 41,000 tons of carbon dioxide output. The facility will be built by Isolux Corsán.

The University of Alaska Anchorage is planning to construct the $20 million Girdwood Renewable Energy Research and Discovery Center. Supporting research on renewable energy technologies such as small-scale hydropower systems, the project will include field sites for instream hydrokinetic, tidal, and micro-hydropower turbine testing. The center will also house education, training, and testing facilities.

The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah began construction in March of 2010 on the Centre for Advanced Materials (RAK-CAM). The research facility will provide over 10,000 sm of laboratory and office space and will house electron microscopes, x-ray diffractometers, and optical spectrometers. RAK-CAM will support research on solar energy, environmental catalysis, advanced ceramic materials, and renewable energy. Completion is slated for early 2011.

A former Ford assembly plant will be renovated by Clairvoyant Energy of Santa Barbara, Calif., to house production facilities for high-efficiency solar panels. The renovation is part of a $1.2 billion project to transform the 320-acre site into the nation’s largest renewable energy business park. Xtreme Power of Austin, Texas, will renovate over 1 million sf at the Wixom campus to create manufacturing space for turnkey power systems. The creation of the renewable energy park is supported by state and federal funding.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will invest £100 million to construct an offshore wind power research facility in the United Kingdom. The U.K. government will contribute an additional £30 to the project. The facility will support the development of turbines capable of producing more than 5 megawatts utilizing blades 100 meters long.

Johnson Controls is partnering with IBM to create a Smart Building Solution that can improve operations and reduce energy and water consumption in facilities worldwide. Johnson Controls will combine its prowess in energy efficiency and sustainable technologies with IBM’s software, hardware, and services. The result will help clients improve energy and asset management performance across their enterprises.

The University of North Carolina broke ground in February of 2010 on the $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center in Charlotte. Designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architects, the 200,000-sf collaborative teaching and research facility will house the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering. EPIC will support research in energy production and infrastructure development with advanced laboratories, classrooms, and offices. Completion is expected in November of 2011.

The University of British Columbia is constructing the $37 million Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins + Will, the facility is designed to transcend carbon neutrality by acting as a net energy producer and a greenhouse gas-positive building. Slated for completion in summer of 2011, the project will function as a living laboratory for sustainable design, construction, and operation.

Wind turbine manufacturer Clipper will break ground in spring of 2010 on a wind turbine blade factory in Newcastle in the United Kingdom. The facility will house up to 500 employees and is slated for completion in the third quarter of 2010. Clipper is based in Carpinteria, Calif.

REpower has completed construction of a test wind farm in Gaspé, Quebec. Created in partnership with Renewable Energy Systems Canada, the Site Nordique Experimental en EolienCORUS (SNEEC) features two 2.05 megawatt cold climate turbines specially designed for the Canadian 60-hertz network. The wind farm will support research, development, and testing of turbines that can function in extreme temperature conditions. The developer and owner of the project is the Wind Energy TechnoCentre.

Proterra will begin construction in spring of 2010 on a $68 million research, development, and manufacturing facility in Greenville, S.C.  Located at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), the 240,000-sf building will be sited on five acres. Proterra is based in Golden, Colo., and is a manufacturer of electric and hybrid drive trains for buses, trucks, and other vehicles.

Singapore Emulsion Fuel opened the first clear nano-emulsion diesel plant in Asia in February of 2010. The 40,000-sf facility is located in the Tuas district in Singapore. The plant produces an emulsion diesel fuel that can be utilized without any retrofitting or modification of engines and releases fewer harmful gas emissions.