Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than CoalCreates Renewable Energy R&D Group and Supports Breakthrough Technologies

Google's Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper Than CoalCreates Renewable Energy R&D Group and Supports Breakthrough Technologies

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.---November 27,2007 Google (NASDAQ:GOOG )- today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal, will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal is hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part of its capital planning process, the company also anticipates investing hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects which generate positive returns. "We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centers," said Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products. "We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at globally significant scale, and produce it cheaper than from coal."

Page added, "There has been tremendous work already on renewable energy. Technologies have been developed that can mature into industries capable of providing electricity cheaper than coal. Solar thermal technology, for example, provides a very plausible path to providing renewable energy cheaper than coal. We are also very interested in further developing other technologies that have potential to be cost-competitive and green. We are aware of several promising technologies, and believe there are many more out there."

Page continued, "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades." (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)

"If we meet this goal," said Page, "and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well."

Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world's electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.

"Cheap renewable energy is not only critical for the environment but also vital for economic development in many places where there is limited affordable energy of any kind," added Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder and President of Technology.

Strategic Investments and Grants

"Lots of groups are doing great work trying to produce inexpensive renewable energy. We want to add something that moves these efforts toward even cheaper technologies a bit more quickly. Usual investment criteria may not deliver the super low-cost, clean, renewable energy soon enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change," said Dr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director of Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm. "Google.org's hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies, and doing a lot of R&D ourselves, we may help spark a green electricity revolution that will deliver breakthrough technologies priced lower than coal."

Working with Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal, Google.org will make strategic investments and grants that demonstrate a path toward producing energy at an unsubsidized cost below that of coal-fired power plants. Google will work with a variety of organizations in the renewable energy field, including companies, R&D laboratories, and universities. For example, Google.org is working with two companies that have promising scalable energy technologies:

eSolar Inc., a Pasadena, CA-based company specializing in solar thermal power which replaces the fuel in a traditional power plant with heat produced from solar energy. eSolar's technology has great potential to produce utility-scale power cheaper than coal. For more information, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/esolar.pdf. Makani Power Inc., an Alameda, CA-based company developing high-altitude wind energy extraction technologies aimed at harnessing the most powerful wind resources. High-altitude wind energy has the potential to satisfy a significant portion of current global electricity needs. For more information on Makani Power, please visit http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/makani.pdf. Ongoing Commitments

Today's announcement represents just the latest steps in Google's commitment to a clean and green energy future.

Google has been working hard on energy efficiency and making its business environmentally sustainable. Last spring the company announced its intention to be carbon neutral for 2007, and is on track to meet that goal. To this end, the company has taken concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint and accelerate improvements in green technology, including:

Developing cutting-edge energy efficiency technology to power and cool its data centers in the U.S. and around the world. Generating electricity for its Mountain View campus from a 1.6 Megawatt corporate solar panel installation, one of the largest in the U.S. Accelerating development and adoption of plug-in vehicles through the RechargeIT initiative, including a $10 million request for investment proposals (http://www.google.org/recharge/) Joining with other industry leaders in 2007 to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the design and use of more energy-efficient computers and servers (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/). Working on policies that encourage renewable energy development and deployment, such as a U.S. Renewable Energy Standard, through Google.org. For more information on Google's commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewable-energy

For broadcast-standard video and other multimedia files for the announcement, see http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/index.html

For more information on recruitment for Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal, see http://www.google.com/jobs/energy/

WEBCAST AND CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

Google's renewable energy initiative call begins today at 9:00 AM (PT) / 12:00 PM (ET). A replay of the call will be available beginning at 11:30 PM (ET) today through midnight Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 by calling 888-203-1112 in the United States or 719-457-0820 for calls from outside the United States. The required confirmation code for the replay is 2205214.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to our ability to develop cheaper electricity from renewable energy sources, our expected investments and capital expenditures, and our ability to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, risks related to our ability to hire the appropriate people and our ability to identify and pursue the technologies necessary to achieve these goals, as well as those risks and uncertainties included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2007, which is on file with the SEC and is available on our investor relations website at http://investor.google.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All information provided in this release is as of November 27, 2007, and Google undertakes no duty to update this information.

About Google Inc.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.google.com.

About Google.org

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, uses the power of information to help people better their lives. We develop and invest in tools and partnerships that can help bring shared knowledge to bear on the world's most pressing challenges in the areas of climate change, economic development and global health. For more information, visit http://www.google.org.


Contact:GoogleJacquelline Fuller, +1-650-930-3555press@google.com

Source: Google

Friday, November 23, 2007

Renewable Energy Stocks Financial Columnist Reports on Recent Performance of Solar Stocks

Renewable Energy Stocks Financial Columnist Reports on Recent Performance of Solar Stocks

POINT ROBERTS, WA and DELTA, BC – November 23, 2007, www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com, a leading investor news and research portal for the renewable energy sector, presents market commentary on the performance of solar stocks in “Renewable and Solar Energy Perspectives”.

J. Peter Lynch has worked, for 30 years as a Wall Street analyst, an independent equity analyst and private investor, and a merchant banker in small emerging technology companies. He has been actively involved in following developments in the renewable energy sector since 1977and is regarded as an expert in this area. He is currently a financial and technology consultant to a number of companies.

Report Excerpt
By J. Peter Lynch, ‘Renewable and Solar Energy Perspectives’ www.renewableenergystocks.com/PL/

Solar Stocks Start Slide amidst Market Turmoil
Exclusively for InvestorIdeas.com
November 23, 2007
As an old saying goes, “A rising tide raises ALL boats” unfortunately, the reverse is also true. Over the past two to three months, the increasing tide of market volatility as been increasing with dramatic speed and the vast majority of stocks, as well as, solar stocks are being swept down with the flow. Although, solar stocks were among the last to succumb they have recently begun to break down.

To Read the Column in Full Click Here: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/PL/news/112307a.asp

About Our Green Investor Portals:
www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com®, www.FuelCellCarNews.com®, www.EnvironmentStocks.com and www.water-stocks.com are global investor and industry research portals that look at the renewable energy, water and Greentech sectors. Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer investors stock news, exclusive articles and financial columnists, audio interviews, investor conferences, Blogs, and a directory of stocks within the renewable energy, clean tech and fuel cell sectors.

We provide a variety of renewable and green content through: the Driving Green Podcast, Investing in Water Podcast, Clean Energy News Blog, Renewable Energy Blog, articles by solar expert, J. Peter Lynch, and a regular ‘green’ column: ‘The New Power Fund,’ by Samuel F. Jones, President of All Season Financial Advisors, all available on RenewableEnergyStocks.com®.

This InvestorIdeas.com portal also includes one of the most comprehensive stock lists in the renewable energy industry: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp

Additionally, InvestorIdeas.com offers a service for renewable energy and cleantech news and press release submissions at: http://investorideas.com/NewsUploader/ as well as research and article submissions. News is featured in the Investor Ideas Newswire and up to 3 industry portals selected.

About InvestorIdeas.com:

InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing covering over thirty industry sectors and global markets including China, India, the Middle East and Australia.

Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising. www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

For more information contact:

Dawn Van Zant 800.665.0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com,
Source: RenewableEnergyStocks.com

Friday, November 16, 2007

OPEC- Energy for Sustainable Development

Energy for Sustainable Development, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

Intervention by OPEC Secretary General to the Pre-Summit Ministerial Symposium
Delivered by HE Abdalla Salem El-Badri, OPEC Secretary General, to the Third OPEC Summit Ministerial Symposium, Session III

15 November 2007 , The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
http://www.opec.org/opecna/Speeches/2007/SGSummitSpeech.htm"Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,I should like to thank Ms JoAnne DiSano for her excellent background paper.I fully agree with your conclusion, Ms DiSano, that there must be an integrated approach to energy for sustainable development, accommodating the three mutually-supportive pillars of economic development, social progress and environmental protection.Energy is crucial for sustainable development. Indeed, increased use of energy, in particular fossil fuels, has allowed billions of people to see their living conditions improve, prosperity grow and life-expectancy increase.But this has been mostly in developed countries. The story is very different elsewhere.As you rightly emphasize, more than two billion people have no access to modern energy services.


Instead, people living in the rural areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America, must rely on firewood, dung and plant residue. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.5 million people die each year from inhaling biomass smoke.As was made clear in Johannesburg five years ago, poverty alleviation should remain an overriding priority.And this means ensuring continuous access by the poor to affordable modern energy services.This is a challenging target. And it is an achievable one, through: adopting balanced economic and social policies tailored to the needs of poorer nations; providing adequate financial support; developing and transferring affordable and environmentally-sound technologies; sharing knowledge and best practices; and, in general, ensuring that the eight UN Millennium Development Goals are met by the international community.It is well known that energy use will grow by almost 50 per cent by 2030, due to rising populations, growing economies and improved living conditions.To help meet this growing demand, all energy sources are welcome.The contribution of renewables will remain modest in the foreseeable future,\ because of the competition, by some of them, for water and land otherwise required for food production.In short, the world will continue to rely on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future, to satisfy the energy needs of the growing populations and give them a better life.But how can this be done in an environmentally friendly way?There is no silver bullet. However, it is clear that a key element of the response is the development, deployment and transfer of cleaner fossil fuel technologies.And how is OPEC handling such challenges?First of all, let me stress that, just like anyone else, the citizens of our Member Countries wish to live in a cleaner, safer world, and, moreover, to pass this on to our future generations. We are, therefore, acting on numerous fronts in this complex arena.We aim to reduce our environmental footprint as much as possible.Significant progress has been made with gas-flaring in recent years. Our Member Countries have ambitious programmes aimed at stopping this in the near future. Several Members are actively engaged in the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership.Much has been done already to reduce tailpipe emissions from vehicles and to phase-out the use of lead.Our Member Countries have been investing billions of US dollars in upgrading refineries to meet the most stringent product specifications.OPEC has recently joined the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, whose purpose is to cover a wide range of technology options aimed at reducing such emissions.More importantly, one of the three worldwide Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) demonstration projects is in an OPEC Member Country, Algeria. Other countries are exploring the possibility to widely use CO2 for enhanced oil recovery. However, we believe that, over and above our own efforts, industrialized countries should take the lead in the funding and execution of large CCS demonstration projects, under the accepted principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,Let me conclude by reminding you of OPEC’s most important role in sustainable development. This is to provide the fuel of choice, petroleum, to satisfy the world needs, in a reliable, secure, efficient and environmentally-sound manner. This, by itself, is already a great achievement — and it is repeated, without fail, every day.Thank you. "


Source : The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Gov. Schwarzenegger Promotes Alternative Fuel Vehicles at the Annual L.A. Auto Show

Gov. Schwarzenegger Promotes Alternative Fuel Vehicles at the Annual L.A. Auto Show

Today at the annual L.A. Auto Show, Governor Schwarzenegger highlighted the important role the newest alternate fuel and hybrid vehicles play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in California and throughout the world. The Governor also highlighted the need for more fuel alternatives and greater fuel efficiency to help drive down high gasoline prices.

“It is fantastic to see that the world’s automakers are developing the technology to help us meet our goals in California. These cars come in every size and shape and they prove that we can give consumers the choices they want and still protect the environment,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This is exactly the kind of innovation we need. Working together, we will ensure that California remains a leader in clean and alternative fuel vehicles and we will ensure a healthy and prosperous future for our nation.

“Imagine what we can accomplish if we improve efficiency and put more alternatives on the road, whether it is biofuels, electric cars, hydrogen or hybrids. This will also help our families with fuel prices because it’s all about supply and demand. By providing more alternatives, we can drive down oil prices from the $100 a barrel everyone is expecting.”

The L.A. Auto Show is an international auto show showcasing 1,000 of the newest vehicles from 47 of the world’s automobile manufacturers. The L.A. Auto Show has become the main stage for unveiling alternative fuel vehicles as manufacturers look to California, which drives the market for hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles, to establish trends for environmentally-friendly cars and trucks. This is the second year in a row the Governor has appeared at the show to highlight such vehicles.

Governor Schwarzenegger has made it a priority to put California at the forefront of the booming clean tech industry and to develop a robust infrastructure to support the wide use of clean energy and hydrogen power in California.

In January, Governor Schwarzenegger announced the world’s first Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels that requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California. This first-of-its kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower-carbon fuels but without favoring one fuel over another.

The LCFS is projected to initially displace 20% of California's gasoline consumption by 2020 and increasingly more after that. It's also projected to fuel more than 7 million low carbon vehicles by 2020 in California alone - and millions more after that. It is harnessing market forces to jump-start California's and the world's transformation to a low-carbon economy.
Allowing the market to do the work ensures the lowest cost and most consumer-friendly environment. Like AB 32, the LCFS will use market-based mechanisms that allow providers to choose how they reduce emissions while responding to consumer demand. For example, providers may purchase and blend more low-carbon ethanol into gasoline products, purchase credits from electric utilities supplying low-carbon electrons to electric passenger vehicles, diversify into low-carbon hydrogen and other to-be-developed strategies.

This year, Governor Schwarzenegger launched the effort that led to California filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to act on California’s tailpipe emissions waiver request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for cars and light trucks sold in the state. The Governor lobbied both President Bush and EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to approve the request so that California can implement the nation’s cleanest standards for vehicle emissions.

In April 2004, the Governor signed an executive order creating a public and private partnership to build the Hydrogen Highway in California by 2010. The Governor opened California’s first public hydrogen fueling station in October 2004, located at Los Angeles International Airport. Currently, there are twenty-five hydrogen-fueling stations in the state. Eventually, a network of hydrogen-fueling stations will be opened throughout California making hydrogen fuel accessible to the increased number of vehicles in California.

Last year, the Governor signed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, California’s landmark bill that established a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases. The law will reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Dubai Group Purchases US$5 Million in ZAP Shares

Dubai Group Purchases US$5 Million in ZAP Shares


DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES and SANTA ROSA, CA., Nov 12, 2007 - Al Yousuf Group and electric car pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) announced today that the Dubai-based manufacturing and distribution company has invested US$5 million ($5,000,000) in ZAP shares.
The Al Yousuf Group, along with its subsidiary Al Yousuf Motors, is one of Dubai's leading distributors of automobiles, off-road vehicles and boats. Founded in 1952, Al Yousuf Group has 18 subsidiaries with branch offices in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Cairo, Fujairah, Jeddah, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh, and Sharjah, according to the Middle East information resource Zawya (http://zawya.com/cm/profile.cfm/cid489977/).
ZAP has been a pioneer in electric transportation since 1994, delivering more than 100,000 electric cars, trucks, scooters, bicycles and other vehicles to consumers in 75 different countries. Over the past few years ZAP has accelerated its plans to market electric cars and trucks using the latest in advanced technologies. ZAP is manufacturing a full-line of electric vehicles and has plans to develop full-performance models using the latest advances in automotive technologies.
"I really like ZAP's approach to the electric vehicle market," said Eqbal Al Yousuf, President of Al Yousuf Group. "I am impressed with the technology ZAP is developing -- like wheel motors -- as well as its management team and we look forward to building a broader business relationship with them."
The Al Yousuf Group has developed partnerships with many of the world's renowned brand names in Asia, Europe and the USA. A number of these ventures have grown into long-term business relationships. Al Yousuf Motors' portfolio includes General Motors and Daihatsu vehicles, Daewoo buses, Suzuki motorcycles and outboard engines, Yamaha motorcycles, outboard and marine engines, water vehicles, generators, boats etc.
"We believe there is a big demand for clean transportation in The Middle East and we see ZAP in a position to deliver on that demand," said Hossein Asrar Haghighi, Chief Finance Officer of Al Yousuf Group. "We are long-term investors in this endeavor and will focus our efforts with ZAP on this important work to contribute to a green community worldwide through different units of our Group."
"Forming a relationship with Mr. Al Yousuf over the past several months has opened new horizons for ZAP and its business plans," said ZAP CEO Steve Schneider. "Al Yousuf has been one of Dubai's leading business innovators for more than half century. I believe this is the right relationship for ZAP to expand on its global marketing strategy."
About the Al Yousuf Group
With more than 50 years in business, Al Yousuf Group has diversified into a multitude of industries under various subsidiaries, with dealings in Automotive, Information Technology and Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics, Boat Manufacturing, Air Conditioning, Imperbit Membrane manufacturing, Real Estate, Transportation and more.
The Group has grown remarkably through a combination of aggressive marketing and the continuous addition of new agencies and businesses -- a mark of confidence that the community has in the future of Al Yousuf. It now has a network of subsidiaries and associate companies having staff strength close to 3,000.
Al Yousuf is constantly seeking new opportunities to partner with regional and world brands that are themselves looking to expand to new markets. Increasingly, these companies are recognizing the advantages of partnering with Al Yousuf -- a global organisation that has strengthened immeasurably over the past half century.
With its enviable record of strong continuous growth, the solid support of its business partners, dedicated and loyal workforce behind it, and the Royal Family's vision as its guide, Al Yousuf is well placed to realize its ambitions for the next centuries to come.
About ZAP
ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. At the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, hybrid and other innovative power systems, ZAP is developing a high-performance crossover SUV electric car concept called ZAP-X engineered by Lotus Engineering. ZAP is also developing a new generation of vehicles using advanced nanotech batteries with Advanced Battery Technologies. The Company recently launched a new portable energy technology that manages power for mobile electronics from cell phones to laptops. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ZAP is a featured Company on RenewableEnergyStocks.com, TechSectorStocks.com and EnvironmentStocks.com
For full details, click here: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/CO/ZAAP/Default.asp
Contact: Alex Campbell707-525-8658 x 241acampbell@zapworld.com
Al Yousuf GroupMansoor Ali97150-4578130mansoorali@alyousuf.com
Source: ZAP

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Recent Podcast with Christina Page, Yahoo!’s Director of Climate and Energy Strategy

Interview with Christina Page, Yahoo!’s Director of Climate and Energy Strategy

For those of you following Green efforts from Corporate leaders and what they are doing to make a difference- take a moment to listen to our recent Driving Green Podcast .

-This Podcast features an interview with Christina Page, Yahoo!’s (YHOO) Director of Climate and Energy Strategy discussing their mandate and progress on becoming "carbon neutral”.

Christina speaks passionately about their projects in India and Brazil equivalent to taking 35,000 cars off the road or turning off the lights on the Vegas strip for two months.
To listen to Christina discuss their projects in India and Brazil click here: http://investorideas.com/Podcasts/audio/102607.mp3

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

IBM PIONEERS PROCESS TO TURN WASTE INTO SOLAR ENERGY

IBM PIONEERS PROCESS TO TURN WASTE INTO SOLAR ENERGY

Helps reduce and repurpose estimated three million discarded silicon wafers yearly; Provides new supply to constrained solar energy manufacturers

BURLINGTON, VT – October 30, 2007 – IBM today announced an innovative new semiconductor wafer reclamation process pioneered at its Burlington, Vermont manufacturing facility. The new process uses a specialized pattern removal technique to repurpose scrap semiconductor wafers -- thin discs of silicon material used to imprint patterns that make finished semiconductor chips for computers, mobile phones, video games, and other consumer electronics -- to a form used to manufacture silicon-based solar panels. The new process was recently awarded the “2007 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award” from The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR).

Through this new reclamation process IBM is now able to more efficiently remove the intellectual property from the wafer surface, making these wafers available either for reuse in internal manufacturing calibration as "monitor wafers" or for sale to the solar cell industry, which must meet a growing demand for the same silicon material to produce photovoltaic cells for solar panels. IBM intends to provide details of the new process to the broader semiconductor manufacturing industry. It is currently in use the Burlington, VT facility and in the process of being implemented at IBM's East Fishkill, NY, semiconductor fabrication plant.

"One of the challenges facing the solar industry is a severe shortage of silicon, which threatens to stall its rapid growth,” said Charles Bai, chief financial officer of ReneSola, one of China's fastest growing solar energy companies. "This is why we have turned to reclaimed silicon materials sourced primarily from the semiconductor industry to supply the raw material our company needs to manufacture solar panels."

IBM and others in the industry use silicon wafers both as the starting material for manufacturing microelectronic products -- from cell phones to computers to consumer electronics -- and to monitor and control the myriad of steps in the manufacturing process. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, worldwide 250,000 wafers are started per day across the industry. IBM estimates that up to 3.3% of these started wafers are scrapped. In the course of the year, this amounts to approximately three million discarded wafers.* Because the wafers contain intellectual property, most can not be sent to outside vendors to reclaim so are crushed and sent to landfills, or melted down and resold.

“IBM’s commitment to environmental conservation spans its business, from the re-purposing of materials used in semiconductor manufacturing to enabling customers to manage, measure, and run the most power efficient datacenters on the planet,” said Mike Cadigan, general manager, IBM Semiconductor Solutions. “The engineering ingenuity that IBM has demonstrated in pioneering the wafer-to-solar panel program has generated countless other conservation initiatives in our manufacturing operations."

The new wafer reclamation process produces monitor wafers from scrap product wafers - generating an overall energy savings of up to 90% because repurposing scrap means that IBM no longer has to procure the usual volume of net new wafers to meet manufacturing needs. When monitors wafers reach end of life they are sold to the solar industry. Depending on how a specific solar cell manufacturer chooses to process a batch of reclaimed wafers - they could save between 30 - 90% of the energy that they would have needed if they'd used a new silicon material source. These estimated energy savings translate into an overall reduction of the carbon footprint -- the measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service -- for both the Semiconductor and Solar industries.

The program resulted in reduced spending on monitor wafers and increased efficiency in IBM’s wafer reclaim program. For the IBM Burlington site, the annual savings in 2006 were more than half-a-million dollars. The projected ongoing annual savings for 2007 is nearly $1.5 million and the one-time savings for reclaiming stockpiled wafers is estimated to be more than $1.5 million. Located ten miles from Burlington in Essex Junction, Vermont, the campus employs some 5,600 people on 750 acres in more than 20 major buildings – with a primary focus on the development, manufacture and testing of semiconductors.

The NPPR also recognized Burlington's water conservation and energy management programs with an honorable mention. As the largest membership organization in the United States devoted solely to Pollution Prevention (P2), the NPPR acts as a window on the P2 community.

IBM innovations in microelectronics and the company's groundbreaking system-on-a- chip designs have transformed the world of semiconductors. IBM breakthroughs include High-k, which enhances the transistor’s function while allowing it to be shrunk beyond today's limits, dual-core and multi-core microprocessors, copper on-chip wiring, silicon-on-insulator and silicon germanium transistors, strained silicon, and eFUSE, a technology that enables computer chips to automatically respond to changing conditions. The White House has awarded IBM the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest technical honor, for 40 years of innovation in semiconductors.
###
For further information about IBM Microelectronics, visit http://www.ibm.com/chips/
IBM VIRTUAL PRESS KIT: http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/22505.wss
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video, including a video news release and b-roll, is available to registered journalists at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ibm Bloggers: Web-quality streaming video, including a video news release and b-roll, is available to registered bloggers at www.thenewsmarket.com/videocafe

PRESS CONTACT:
IBM
Bruce McConnel
914-766-4427
wmcconn@us.ibm.com

* The SIA calculates that worldwide 250,000 wafers are started per day. With a 3.3% scrap rate (based on IBM semiconductor manufacturing data) applied to all started wafers worldwide annually, IBM estimates that at least 3 million are scrapped per year. Actual scrap rates might vary based on operational efficiency and manufacturing expertise.

Friday, October 26, 2007

The Growing Global Water Crisis and Investment Opportunity

Investorideas.com “Investing in Water” Podcast with Bill Brennan; Update on the Performance of the New Kinetics Water Infrastructure Fund and Insight into the Global Water Industry

The Growing Global Water Crisis and Investment Opportunity; Perspectives and Insight into the U.S., China and Middle East’s Water Infrastructure Problems and Solutions

POINT ROBERTS, WA and DELTA, BC – October 26, 2007, Investorideas.com and its Water-stocks.com Podcast series “Investing in Water” present an in-depth interview with Mr. Bill Brennan, President & Managing Partner of Aqua Terra Asset Management and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Praetor Global Water Fund. Mr. Brennan discusses the performance of the Kinetics Water Infrastructure Fund and provides insight into the global water infrastructure crisis and investment opportunity.

According to Mr. Brennan the Kinetics Water Infrastructure Fund has done well compared to the overall market performance, relative to the Indices, since the July 2nd launch and is currently up 3%.

In the Podcast Mr. Brennan discusses water infrastructure spending in the next 20 years in the US, China and Middle East and provides insight into short tem and long-term investing opportunities. “ An investment of $1- $2 Trillion will be needed to fully modernize the global water systems within the next 20 years. In China alone, in the next 18 months we expect China to double its spending on water infrastructure.”

Some additional alarming comments from Mr. Brennan to take note of as both investors and consumers:
“ There is 1.5 million miles of pipe for drinking water and waste water that exists in the US and at least half if not more has passed its useful life.”
“ We expect water bills to go up by a factor of 5-10 times over the next 10 years just to meet the needs of the rebuilding of the water infrastructure in the United States. So that $50 water utility bill you are now paying could grow to $250 to $500 based on where you live geographically.”

On the upside to potential investors, he sees a great investment theme that is sustainable on a long-term basis. To sum it up- “ You can go without cable, survive without a land line coming into your home but if water does not come into your facility your property value goes to zero as it becomes uninhabitable” .

To listen to the Podcast discussing the Kinetics Water Infrastructure Fund and the global water industry, as well as other water Podcasts click here: http://www.investorideas.com/ws/

www.Water-Stocks.com, a portal within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, offers investors research tools, news, Blogs, online conferences, Podcasts , interviews and a directory of public companies within the water sector .The water-stocks content hub has created a global marketplace and meeting place for investors, public companies, industry buyers and sellers of water technology, services and water assets.

Additionally, InvestorIdeas.com Newswire offers a service for water news and press release submissions at: http://investorideas.com/NewsUploader/.

InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing covering over thirty industry sectors and global markets including China, India, the Middle East and Australia.

InvestorIdeas.com Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. The site is compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising.

For More Information Contact:

Dawn Van Zant 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com


Web Site: www.InvestorIdeas.com

Source: Water-Stocks.com, Investorideas.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

RenewableEnergyStocks.com Updates its Directory of Renewable Energy and Green Stocks

RenewableEnergyStocks.com Updates its Directory of Renewable Energy and Green Stocks

Global Investor Interest in Renewable Energy Expands List to Include Stocks listed on TSX, OTC, NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, ASX, AIM Exchanges

POINT ROBERTS, WA and DELTA, BC –October 10, 2007 - www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com, a leading global investor and industry portal for the renewable energy sector within Investorideas.com, has updated its directory of publicly traded stocks in the sector. Renewableenergysstocks.com was one of the first online investor resources providing in-depth information on renewable energy and the public companies in the sector.

The directory features stocks listed on the TSX, OTC, NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, ASX, AIM markets and other leading exchanges reflecting the global participation and growth in renewable energy and green stocks.

The renewable energy portal provides a valuable resource for investors and alternative energy public companies and industry participants. RenewableEnergyStocks.com® features industry and stock news, exclusive articles and financial columnists, audio interviews and Podcasts, investor conferences, Blogs, and a directory of stocks in the sector.

The RenewableEnergyStocks.com portal currently features a directory with info and links on Alternative Energy Funds, Biogas and Ethanol Stocks, Energy Efficiency Stocks, Flywheel Stocks, Fuel Cell Stocks, Geothermal Stocks, Hydrogen Production, Micro Turbine Stocks, Solar Stocks, Green Transportation, Wind Power and Wind Energy Stocks.

About Our Green Investor Portals:
www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com®, www.FuelCellCarNews.com®, www.EnvironmentStocks.com and www.GreentechInvestor.com are global investor and industry research portals in the renewable energy and Greentech sectors within InvestorIdeas.com. RenewableEnergyStocks.com provides a variety of renewable and clean energy content including the Clean Energy News Blog, Renewable Energy Blog, Driving Green Podcast articles by solar expert, J. Peter Lynch, and a regular ‘green’ column: ‘The New Power Fund,’ by Samuel F. Jones, President of All Season Financial Advisors.
To hear the Driving Green Podcast visit: http://www.investorideas.com/dg/


Green Ads: Companies in the sector can share their green philosophy and gain brand awareness with Green Ads. The Green Ads target the growing number of ethical and green investors as well as consumers, and create instant visual identification as a green company!

Additionally, the InvestorIdeas.com Newswire is a service for renewable energy and cleantech news and press release submissions at: /NewsUploader/ as well as research and article submissions .News is distributed by RSS feeds to multiple financial news and industry sites.

About InvestorIdeas.com

InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing covering over thirty industry sectors and global markets including China, India, Middle East and Australia. Renewableenergystocks.com is a registered Trade Mark of Investorideas.com.

Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising. www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

For more information or companies that would like to be added to directory contact:

Dawn Van Zant
Phone: 800.665.0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com

Source: RenewableEnergyStocks.com®

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Green stocks: great day in the market for renewable energy investors

For investors going green- there was a lot of green to take off the table for some of the stocks in the sector .

Take a look at the performance and volume today of a few stocks of note:

Westport Innovations (WPT:TSX) was last at $2.67 up .26 on 240,932 a 10.79% gain on the day .

AKEENA SOLAR INC (NasdaqCM:AKNS) was last at $8.80 up.28

JER ENVIROTECH INTERNATIONAL CO (CDNX:JER.V) was last at .68, up .04

ZAP (OTC BB:ZAAP.OB) traded at $1.03 to close up .03

CLEAN ENERGY FUELS (NasdaqGM:CLNE) was up .25 trading over $16 , now well over the IPO price

Well known solar stock - SUNPOWER CORPORATION (NasdaqGM:SPWR) was also up closing up .38

For our complete list of green stocks - visit our renewable energy stocks directory at
http://www.investorideas.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Interesting clean energy- natural gas stocks

Not making a recommendation- but here are a couple of interesting plays in the clean energy - natural gas space.

When T Boone speaks- everyone listens... Clean Energy (Nasdaq:CLNE) - was co founded by legendary co-founder T. Boone Pickens , builds natural gas fueling stations for fleet customers . In recent interviews where he correctly has predicted crude prices - he has said he sees upside for the natural gas space as a clean energy source in transportation .

Clean Energy, based in Seal Beach, CA, is the leading provider of natural gas (CNG and LNG) for transportation in North America. It has a broad customer base in the refuse, transit, shuttle, taxi, intrastate and interstate trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets, fueling more than 14,000 vehicles daily at strategic locations across the United States and Canada. Information at: www.cleanenergyfuels.com


Tieing into the clean energy - natural gas theme for transportation is a Canadian stock trading in the $2 range - Westport Innovations Inc. (TSX:WPT) or on Yahoo finance (WPT.TO)

Westport Innovations Inc. is a leading global supplier of proprietary solutions that allow engines to operate on clean-burning fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen and biofuels such as landfill gas. Cummins Westport Inc., Westport's joint venture with Cummins Inc., manufactures and sells the world's broadest range of low-emissions alternative fuel engines for commercial transportation applications such as trucks and buses. BTIC Westport Inc., Westport's joint venture with Beijing Tianhai Industry Co. Ltd., manufactures and sells LNG fuel tanks for vehicles.

About Our Green Investor Portals within the InvestorIdeas.com Content Umbrella:

www.RenewableEnergyStocks.com ®, www.FuelCellCarNews.com ®, www.EnvironmentStocks.com, www.Water-Stocks.com and www.GreentechInvestor.com are global investor and industry research portals in the renewable energy, water and greentech sectors.
RenewableEnergyStocks.com also includes one of the most comprehensive free renewable energy stock lists in the investment industry. http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Significant Demand over Supply of Water, Need for Infrastructure Investment and M&A activity Generates Growing Interest in Water Sector and Re-Valuati

Significant Demand over Supply of Water, Need for Infrastructure Investment and M&A activity Generates Growing Interest in Water Sector and Re-Valuation of Water Stocks

Water Stocks Audio Podcast with Craig McIntosh, Investment Manager of the MFS Water Fund Discusses Challenges and Investment Opportunities within Australia and Globally

POINT ROBERTS, WA and DELTA, BC – September 20, 2007, http://www.water-stocks.com/, an investor and industry portal for the water sector, presents an audio investor podcast with Mr. Craig McIntosh, Investment Manager of the MFS Water Fund, a dynamically managed Australian dollar denominated fund focused on growth prospects and investment opportunities related to the Global Water Sector. The MFS Water Fund focuses on publicly traded water companies of all sizes from around the world, following more than 250 companies.

Investing in the water business has proven to be a successful strategy for many investors and with issues of water scarcity, quality and infrastructure repair or replacement continuing to escalate, the upside potential of this sector is very compelling.

McIntosh identifies three key factors that underpin the growing interest in the water sector. “The first factor is a very significant demand over supply for water, coupled with a very large demand for investment in infrastructure. What we observe is the price of water going up generally around the world and as a result of that there is a lot of money in the sector being invested in infrastructure and new technology. Secondly, we believe that water stocks are being re-valued as the sector is discovered and thirdly, there is quite a lot of mergers and acquisition activity due to the globalization of the industry which creates good opportunities for investors to sell out of very successful companies.”

Australia is in the midst of a very prolonged drought, in particular within its rural areas, which according to Mr. McIntosh has generated enormous mainstream interest in the water industry and as a result there has been considerable investments made in the water sector, a trend that is expected to continue for the next decade.

“We are seeing significant investment activity in areas such as the creation of desalination plants for most of the large cities in Australia. A second area of very significant investment is in the upgrade of the irrigation networks in Australia which are very inefficient from a water evaporation point of view, and thirdly, a lot of the water networks are now being re-engineered to optimize the ability to recycle water with the introduction of pipelines and interconnectivity of all the different components of the water systems, something that has never been done until now,” describes McIntosh.

To listen to the interview and other audios from sector experts visit the water podcast: http://www.investorideas.com/ws/

http://www.water-stocks.com/, a portal within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, does not make recommendations but offers investors research, news, blogs, RSS Feeds, online conferences, interviews and links to public companies within the water sector.

The site also features a growing directory of Water Stocks for independent investor research at: http://www.water-stocks.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp

Additionally, InvestorIdeas.com offers a service for water stocks news and press release submissions at: http://investorideas.com/NewsUploader/ as well as research and article submissions at: http://investorideas.com/NewsUploader/Submit_Article/

InvestorIdeas.com Disclaimer: http://investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. The site is compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising.

For More Information Contact:

Dawn Van Zant 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com

Ann-Marie Fleming 866-725-2554
Email: afleming@investorideas.com

Web Site: http://water-stocks.com/

Source: Water-Stocks.com

Monday, August 27, 2007

The Future of the Solar Energy Industry

The Future of the Solar Energy Industry

Renewable Energy Stocks (Renewableenergystocks.com) Interview with Solar and Renewable Energy Expert, J. Peter Lynch

POINT ROBERTS, Wash., Delta B.C., August 27, 2007 - www.InvestorIdeas.com, a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing news, stock directories and research links, presents an interview on the future of the solar energy industry with solar expert and regular columnist at Investor Ideas, J. Peter Lynch.

Since the renewable sector of the market has been so “hot” this year, as well as volatile, InvestorIdeas.com speaks with resident solar expert, Peter Lynch for insight into the industry, where it is and where it is headed. Dawn Van Zant (DVZ), on behalf of InvestorIdeas.com discusses Photovoltaics with Mr. Lynch.

Interview Excerpt:

DVZ: What are your thoughts on the growth of the Photovoltaics (PV) market over the next few years?

J. Peter Lynch: The PV industry finished 2005 with a capacity of 1.7 gigawatts (GW) (a gigawatt = a billion) and 2006 numbers came in at 2.5GW. This is amazing growth (45%+) for any industry, let alone one that is in the midst of a worldwide shortage, in its primary feedstock, silicon.

To Read the Full Interview: click here

About InvestorIdeas.com:

InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing news, stock directories and research covering over thirty industry sectors and global markets.

Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. The site is compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising.

For more information contact:

Dawn Van Zant: 800-665-0411 - dvanzant@investorideas.com
Ann-Marie Fleming: 866-725-2554 - afleming@investorideas.com

Source: InvestorIdeas.com

Friday, August 17, 2007

article on electric cars and vehicles worth noting

article on electric cars and vehicles worth noting:
Treehugger
Green Basics: Electric Vehicles and Carsby Collin Dunn, Seattle on 08.16.07Cars & Transportation
article link:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/green-basics-electric-cars.php
For more information, check out Wikipedia's entry on EVs, and hit up the manufacturers websites: ZAP, Phoenix Motorcars, Tesla Motors, Commuter Cars and Miles Automotive Group. For further reading in TreeHugger, read the Tesla tag or type it in to the TreeHugger search box, if you've got some time to kill. Try a similar maneuver if you really want to dig in to TreeHugger's archives of electric cars, but beware: you might fall in and not be able to dig out for an hour or two. For more on greening your personal transportation, check out our How to Green Your Car guide.
TreeHugger's Green Basics column appears every Thursday here at TreeHugger

also check out our Driving Green Podcast at
http://www.investorideas.com/dg/

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Environment Stocks.com, Investor and Industry Online Destination for Environment , Invites News Release, Article and Research Submissions

Environment Stocks.com, Investor and Industry Online Destination for Environmental and Cleantech Sector, Invites News Release, Article and Research Submissions

POINT ROBERTS, Wash., DELTA, B.C., August 12, 2007 - http://www.environmentstocks.com/, a leading investor and industry portal for the environmental and cleantech sector, announces services for public and private companies to submit news and press releases to online investors and visitors following developments in clean or green technology. In addition, EnvironmentStocks.com offers submission services for freelance journalists, industry experts and analysts to contribute articles and research on the subject.

Submitted Research is profiled on the Environment portal as well as the primary InvestorIdeas.com Research page at /Research/.

The additional content builds upon the highly visited portal articles, audio interviews, stock news, stock directory, online investor conferences, Blogs, RSS feeds and links.

Public and Private Environmental Company News and Article Submission:

To Submit News to EnvironmentStocks.com: /NewsUploader/

To Submit Articles or Research to EnvironmentStocks.com: /Submit_Article/

EnvironmentStocks.com and RenewableEnergyStocks.com®, investor and industry news portals within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, feature news, research, exclusive articles and columns, audio interviews, blogs and investor conferences for the environmental and clean energy sector.

Visit our growing list of participating public companies in the environmental sector: Click Here and the renewable energy industry: Click Here

Learn more about new technology, fuels and trends in the green transportation shift in the new "Driving Green" environmental podcast at InvestorIdeas.com: http://www.investorideas.com/dg/

Green Ads: Companies in the sector can share their green philosophy and gain brand awareness with Green Ads. The Green Ads target the growing number of ethical and green investors as well as consumers and create instant visual identification as a green company! http://investorideas.com/Advertise/

About InvestorIdeas.com
INVESTORS: Gain Free Access to stock & industry news, financial columnists & Blogs; investor research tools , stock directories, trading center, audio interviews, educational Podcasts & online investor conferences.
COMPANIES: Gain Investor & Industry Awareness: Submit News Releases, Featured Company Showcase, Participate in Articles, Podcasts & Online Conferences.


InvestorIdeas.com Disclaimer: http://www.miningsectorstocks.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. These sites are currently compensated by its "featured companies."

Friday, August 10, 2007

Driving Green in China Towards a New Generation of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Driving Green in China Towards a New Generation of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Toyota, ZAP and Honda Bring Environmentally Friendly Cars to China

POINT ROBERTS, Wash., Delta B.C., August 10, 2007 - www.China-AsiaStocks.com, an investor and industry portal focused on the China-Asia sector, spotlights China as it plays a key role in the future success of electric and hybrid vehicles. As the number of cars is expected to grow significantly in China, eco-friendly choices are a must as China battles massive environmental and air quality concerns.

Capitalizing on the nation’s need for cleaner alternative transportation are several car manufacturers that are turning China’s challenges into lucrative business opportunities. Among the companies with their eyes on China as a key expansion market are Japan's Honda Motor Co., who recently announced they will start selling hybrid cars in China later this year; and Toyota, the first foreign car manufacturer to bring hybrid cars to market in China in late 2005 with its branded Prius model.

Electric car pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) has also set its sights on this rapidly developing region, entering into a supply agreement to acquire $5.168 Million in lithium-polymer and nanotech batteries from China-based developer Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. A joint development office in Beijing has been announced to focus on R&D, manufacturing and marketing of these advanced batteries for use in various electric cars, utilizing innovative nanotechnology to improve overall performance and radically shorten the charging time.

After a comprehensive feasibility study, ZAP has found that the only place to manufacture a commercially viable electric car is in China.

“We've compared the bill of materials to manufacture an automobile in the Western Hemisphere versus China, and nothing comes close. Not only is this the business opportunity of a lifetime, it's an opportunity to do the right thing. China has the potential to make the dream of electric cars a reality for the world, and in turn they can benefit from this new technology. So, it's a win-win,” describes ZAP CEO Steve Schneider.

Learn more about new technology, fuels and trends in the green transportation shift in the new "Driving Green" environmental podcast at InvestorIdeas.com: http://www.investorideas.com/dg/

Showcase Green Car Sponsor: ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) – Ride the Future!

ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. At the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, hybrid and other innovative power systems, ZAP is developing a high-performance crossover SUV electric car concept called ZAP-X engineered by Lotus Engineering. Zap has also announced an affordable High Performance Electric Vehicle with a target price of $30,000 using many of the technologies of the ZAP-X. In addition, the Company recently launched a new portable energy technology that manages power for mobile electronics, like cell phones and laptops. For more product, dealer and investor information visit: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/CO/ZAAP or http://www.zapworld.com

ZAP is a Showcase Advertising Company on InvestorIdeas.com. Compensation is disclosed in disclaimer below.

About InvestorIdeas.com: Investor Research made easy
www.InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing.

INVESTORS: Gain Free Access to stock & industry news, financial columnists & Blogs; investor research tools , stock directories, trading center, audio interviews, educational podcasts & online investor conferences.
COMPANIES: Gain Investor & Industry Awareness: Submit News Releases, Featured Company Showcase, Participate in Articles, Podcasts & Online Conferences.

InvestorIdeas.com Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. These sites are currently compensated by its "featured companies." ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) pays Two thousand five hundred per month equivalent in shares for one year commencing Nov 2006, discounted as a courtesy to previous sponsorship of the InvestorIdeas Greentech contest.
For More Information Contact:

Dawn Van Zant 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com

Ann-Marie Fleming 866-725-2554
Email: afleming@investorideas.com,

Web Site: www.InvestorIdeas.com

Source: China-AsiaStocks.com, ZAP

Monday, August 06, 2007

Global Investment in Renewable Energy

Global Investment in Renewable Energy to Hit $750bn by 2016


London, 6 August 2007 — Global investment in renewable energy could reach US$750 billion within the next 10 years, according to the latest Ernst & Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, which tracks and scores investment in renewable energy.
Demand for renewable energy is growing at unprecedented rates, driven by competing government incentives. In 2006 investment reached US$100 billion and Jonathan Johns, Head of Renewable Energy at Ernst & Young, says he sees no signs of these levels cooling off despite the uncertainties in some global markets.
Johns says, "Competition for assets is intense and trade players are increasingly battling for supply chain presence. Further takeover speculation has fueled share price rises this year and while global trading markets have been tumbling, energy stocks appear to have escaped relatively unscathed for the time being."
He adds, "Given the industry's current growth rates of 20% to 30%, the drive from manufacturers for greater profitability, and new entrants coming into the market from the tiger economies, possibly even Japan, M&A activity is likely to filter down the supply chain adding a premium for key assets such as gearbox and bearing manufacturers."
The All Renewables Index, which scores investment for all forms of renewable energy, from solar to wind and biomass, shows that the US continues to be the global leader — a position it has comfortably held since last autumn.
Over the quarter the Index remained fairly static. The biggest change was the three point rise up the table for the UK from fifth to second position (which it shares with India and Spain) as investors received a boost from the UK Government's Energy White Paper, which put renewables firmly at the center of future energy policy.
Overall Johns says that the outlook for the sector is very positive, although critical mass is becoming imperative for those companies that are serious about being real players in the market. "The ability to acquire and commercialize new technologies, enter new markets and diversify across the industry requires a strong balance sheet, a track record of raising finance for new acquisitions and a dynamic approach — it's not for the faint hearted."
Ends
About the IndexThe Ernst & Young Country Attractiveness Indices provide scores for national renewable energy markets, renewable energy infrastructures and their suitability for individual technologies. The indices provide scores out of 100 and are updated on a regular basis.
The main indices are referred to as the 'Long-Term Index'. The Near-Term Index takes a two-year view with slightly different parameters and weightings. The Country Attractiveness Indices take a generic view and different sponsor/financier requirements will clearly effect how countries are rated. Twenty-five countries are monitored in the indices.
About Ernst & YoungErnst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 114,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centered on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited does not provide services to clients.
This press release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global Ernst & Young organization.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Our New investing in water Podcast series

Investment perspectives on the global water sector by leading water industry experts is now a new Podcast series at Investorideas.com as water and greentech are very much interlinked. Water shortages and desertification impacted by global warming and water contamination caused by growing industry in China and other countries remind us - without water we have nothing !
The investing in water podcasts examine problems and solutions and investment opportunities that have been created
http://www.investorideas.com/podcasts/water.xml
Hear from some of the best in the water sector- Neil Berlant , Steve Hoffman and Bill Brennan ...

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

InvestorIdeas.com Sector Close Up – Renewable Energy Stocks: Innovation Drives Investment in Electric Automotive Stocks

InvestorIdeas.com Sector Close Up – Renewable Energy Stocks: Innovation Drives Investment in Electric Automotive Stocks

Electric Car Market Continues to Move Forward through Efforts from ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP), Advanced Battery Technologies (OTCBB: ABAT), Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD & LSE: ADC) and DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX)

POINT ROBERTS, Wash., Delta B.C., July 25, 2007 - InvestorIdeas.com, a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing, issues the Sector Close Up – Electric Automotive Stocks, a review of electric automotive stocks as innovation drives investment. Investors are taking notice as they are realizing that what is good for the environment can also be very good for the wallet. Leading the way to a ‘green’ future is the electric vehicle market that offers consumers cost savings through efficiency, while at the same time giving investors following the sector, strong upside potential. Stocks in this segment have also received a boost as oil prices remain above $70 per barrel, and global warming has become a top priority among politicians and consumers.

Overcoming some of the historical challenges found within the electric car market are companies that have placed their focus on research and development to introduce next generation transportation systems to the market. Recent announcements within this market have added a sense of confidence in electric vehicles as a viable transportation alternative.
Market milestones include:
ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) a leader in advanced transportation technologies, has entered into a supply agreement with Advanced Battery Technologies (OTCBB: ABAT) for polymer lithium and nano batteries. The contract, valued at more than $5 million, will provide ZAP with high performance batteries to be used in their various lines of electric vehicles.



Lithium ion battery manufacturer Advanced Battery Technologies (OTCBB: ABAT) signed an agreement with electric car company ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP). ZAP CEO Steve Schneider, and ABAT Chairman Mr. Fu signed the agreement in Beijing. They are joined by Head of CCT John Honey.






Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD & LSE: ADC), a leading developer of hybrid-electric and electric powertrains for commercial vehicles, recently announced an agreement with FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), for the development of gasoline parallel hybrid-electric powertrains for their delivery fleet.

Global Electric Motorcars, a DaimlerChrysler company (NYSE: DCX), manufactures Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) and has been working to meet the growing demand from island resort communities, areas that can benefit from the range, speed and versatility of NEVs. Global Electric Motorcars vehicles were the first multipurpose NEVs available for sale from a major automaker.

Sector Close Up – Electric Automotive Stocks Sparked:
ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) has seen its share price increase over 16% this month to its recent close of $1.07
Advanced Battery Technologies (OTCBB: ABAT) was up 4.3% on news of its agreement with ZAP to $2.90
Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ: ALTI) most recently saw their shares climb on news of a joint development deal with AES Corp for energy storage products. AES is also a strategic investor in the Company. Altair shares are up 15% this month.
Global Electric Motorcars, a DaimlerChrysler company (NYSE: DCX), has realized a steady climb moving up $27.42 or 44% year-to-date.
Azure Dynamics (TSX: AZD) has been trading in the $0.65-$0.70 range this summer.

About Our Green Investor Portals:
RenewableEnergyStocks.com®, FuelCellCarNews.com® and EnvironmentStocks.com are global investor and industry research portals in the renewable energy and Greentech sectors within InvestorIdeas.com. RenewableEnergyStocks.com provides a variety of renewable and clean energy content including the Clean Energy News Blog, Renewable Energy Blog, articles by solar expert, J. Peter Lynch, and a regular ‘green’ column: ‘The New Power Fund,’ by Samuel F. Jones, President of All Season Financial Advisors.

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Analysis Cites Curb in Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Potential for Improved Air Quality

news worth reading for green car followers


EPRI-NRDC Report Finds Environmental Benefits of Deploying PHEVs

Analysis Cites Curb in Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Potential for Improved Air Quality

PALO ALTO, Calif. – July 19, 2007 – The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) today released a comprehensive assessment that finds that widespread use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential for improved ambient air quality.
The research measures the impact of increasing numbers of PHEVs between 2010 and 2050, including the nationwide environmental impact of potentially large fleets that would use electricity from the grid as their primary fuel source.
Among study’s key findings were:
Widespread adoption of PHEVs can reduce GHG emissions from vehicles by more than 450 million metric tons annually in 2050 -- equivalent to removing 82.5 million passenger cars from the road
There is an abundant supply of electricity for transportation; a 60 percent U.S. market share for PHEVs would use 7 percent to 8 percent of grid-supplied electricity in 2050
PHEVs can improve nationwide air quality and reduce petroleum consumption by 3 million to 4 million barrels per day in 2050
The analysis is the first to combine detailed models of the U.S. electric system and transportation sector with sophisticated atmospheric air quality models — accounting for the future evolution of both sectors in technological advances, electricity load growth and capacity expansion.
"This research accelerates our understanding of the interplay of emissions from various sources," said Steve Specker, EPRI President and Chief Executive Officer. "We now see that widespread use of PHEVs could expand the fuel options in our transportation sector and at the same time yield net benefits to our environment."
The EPRI-NRDC study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the potential reductions of global warming and other emissions from wide-scale introduction of PHEVs over time. The study addresses the impact that lower-emitting electricity generation can have for increasing these benefits.
"NRDC believes that a combination of more efficient vehicles, improved battery technology, and a lower-emitting electric power plant fleet can produce substantial reduction in global warming pollution from both the electric power and the transportation sectors, said David Hawkins, Director of NRDC’s Climate Center. "Our results show that PHEVs recharged from low- and non-emitting electricity sources can decrease the carbon footprint in the nation’s transportation sector."
Several benefits result from the use of grid electricity as a transportation fuel. PHEVs can reduce direct emissions at the vehicle tailpipe and indirect emissions at the fuel source when they recharge by electricity produced by a portfolio of efficient combustion, non-emitting or renewable generation. It is this linkage to a cleaner grid that could enable PHEVs to produce less GHG emissions than conventional or hybrid vehicles.
Using electricity produced from diverse domestic resources, PHEVs can reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. The scale of the greenhouse gas benefit from PHEVs will depend on the efficiency of the vehicles, their range on a battery charge and the greenhouse gas emissions from the electric generation fleet.
"The EPRI-NRDC study demonstrates that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles can contribute significantly to the national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said John E. Bryson, chairman and CEO of Edison International. "With public support, it is likely that someday millions of Americans will fill up their vehicles at the plug instead of the pump, saving money and protecting the environment."
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles combine operational aspects of both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and power assist hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). A PHEV, like a BEV, can be recharged from the electric grid, stores energy in an onboard battery and uses the energy while depleting the battery during daily driving.
Unlike a BEV, a PHEV can use its internal combustion engine for propulsion in highway driving or when the battery is depleted. Because of this versatility, a PHEV can serve as a direct replacement for a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle or HEV.
A joint EPRI-NRDC press conference will be held today at 10:30 a.m. in the Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club. Reporters may also dial into the conference by calling 1.800.926.9174. The entire PHEV environmental assessment will be posted online at www.epri-reports.org at 12 noon EDT, July 19, 2007.
About EPRI
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), with major locations in Palo Alto, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., and Knoxville, Tenn., was established in 1973 as an independent, nonprofit center for public interest energy and environmental research. EPRI brings together member organizations, the Institute's scientists and engineers, and other leading experts to work collaboratively on solutions to the challenges of electric power. These solutions span nearly every area of power generation, delivery, and use, including health, safety, and environment. EPRI's members represent over 90% of the electricity generated in the United States. International participation represents nearly 15% of EPRI's total R&D program.
About NRDC
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. More information on NRDC is available at its Web site: www.nrdc.org.