Knowledge Center
Sustainability News
October 2009
10-day ride boosts electric motorcycles, AP via Toledo Blade, October 30, 2009
Washington—Brammo Inc., an Oregon-based company that makes electric motorcycles, sent two riders on a 10-day odyssey from Detroit to Washington to attract media and government attention. The company's chief engineer rode more than 700 miles from Michigan in 45-mile increments—the distance the motorcycle can travel on one charge.
Obama EPA adviser on Great Lakes says climate change will dictate restoration efforts, by Michael Scott, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 29, 2009
Cleveland—Cameron Davis, Great Lakes 'czar' for the Obama administration, was in town at the Great Lakes Science Center for a final public hearing of the federal task force on oceans and the Great Lakes.
Chinese banks to fund $1.5 billion Texas wind farm, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 29, 2009
New York—The announcement Thursday shows how much China's own wind industry has burgeoned and comes two days after U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told lawmakers that the U.S. was falling behind China and others in alternative energy investment.
- Chinese-made turbines to fill U.S. wind farm, by Rebecca Smith, Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2009 (Subscription)
- Lone Star, Meet Red Star: China's $1.5-billion wind-power deal in Texas, by Keith Johnson, Environmental Capital blog, Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2009 (Subscription)
DOE grants jump-start the Smart Grid toward a still undefined future, by Peter Behr, ClimateWire via New York Times, October 28, 2009
New York—There seemed to be no quarrel that yesterday's Energy Department grants will accelerate revolutionary changes in the ways electricity is generated and managed by utilities and their consumers.
Great Lakes shippers say proposed EPA clean air rule would hurt them, midwest economy, by Patrick O'Donnell, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 27, 2009
Cleveland—Shipping companies across the Great Lakes are fighting a proposed rule designed to fight air pollution by limiting the type of fuel they can use on their vessels.
- Negotiators reach deal on air-pollution exemption for 13 lake freighters, by Peter Zicari, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 28, 2009
Traverse City, Mich.—Congressional negotiators reached a deal Tuesday that would effectively exempt 13 ships that haul iron ore, coal and other freight on the Great Lakes from a proposed federal rule meant to reduce air pollution.
Fisker to build hybrid cars at idled GM plant in Delaware, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 27, 2009
Wilmington, Del.—California-based luxury automaker Fisker Automotive is buying a shuttered General Motors assembly plant in Delaware for $18 million to produce plug-in hybrid electric cars. Fisker recently won approval for $528.7 million in government loans to develop plug-ins.
Department of Energy to strengthen enforcement of energy efficiency standards, by David Greenfield,
Control Engineering, October 27, 2009
Washington—The U.S. DoE has announced three new steps to strengthen its ability to enforce energy efficiency standards, including a program to randomly review manufacturers' compliance with DOE certification requirements.
Climate Primer: What to expect as the Senate tackles the energy bill, by Keith Johnson, Wall Street Journal, Environmental Capital blog, October 26, 2009 (Subscription)
Washington—The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works kicks off three days of hearings on the energy and climate bill tomorrow. The broad shape of the debate over the next few weeks will likely hinge on a couple of big issues.
Clean-energy technology might establish fortunes; Obama budget holding $150 billion for research, by Jordan Robertson, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, October 25, 2009
San Francisco—Silicon Valley investors are pointing to ''cleantech'' — alternative energy, more efficient power distribution and new ways to store electricity, all with minimal impact to the environment — as a candidate for the next boom.
Akron company wins mercury research grant, Akron Beacon Journal, October 23, 2009
Akron—E3 Materials LLC in Akron is getting a $149,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to research and develop how to reduce levels of mercury and other harmful heavy-metal discharges.
IBC Solar to leave Cleveland for San Francisco, by John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 22, 2009
Cleveland—IBC Solar, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's oldest solar vendor, is relocating from Cleveland to San Francisco. The company has maintained its one-person U.S. headquarters here since February 2008.
Wind power fuels debate in 2 counties, by Erik Shilling, Mansfield News Journal, October 22, 2009
Shelby, Ohio—Gary Energetics, a Colorado alternative energy firm, has signed contracts for wind turbines with 112 property owners in rural Shelby and northern Crawford County. Construction is expected to begin in 2010, but some neighbors are not happy about it.
Electric cars find power in governments, by Sebastian Moffett and Norihiko Shirouzu, Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2009 (Subscription)
New York—Auto makers, trying to turn electric vehicles into a mass-market product, are still being held back by the vehicles' high cost and the difficulty of keeping them charged. They are increasingly getting help from governments, including the Chinese, U.S. and French administrations.
- Technology jump-starts future fuels, by Christina Rogers, Detroit News via Akron Beacon Journal, October 19, 2009
Detroit—Some alternative fuel technologies are further along than others — but breakthroughs are afoot, especially with the federal government pouring billions of dollars into advancing biofuel and electric battery technology.
HVAC manufacturers agree to new efficiency standards, by David Greenfield, Control Engineering, October 21, 2009
Washington—The nation's leading manufacturers of residential central air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps have signed a voluntary agreement with the nation's leading energy-efficiency advocacy organizations supporting new federal standards for their products.
Toyota unveils new hybrid-only model, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 20, 2009
Tokyo—The "Sai" sedan is Toyota's second hybrid-only model after the Prius. Toyota offers hybrid versions of other car models. The Sai gets 23 kilometers per liter, or about 54 miles per gallon, double the mileage of a comparable regular gas-engine model, according to Toyota.
Parker Hannifin gets ARRA grant, Willoughby News Herald, October 17, 2009
Mayfield Heights, Ohio—Parker Hannifin Corp. announced it received a U.S. Dept. of Energy grant to implement a new hydraulic hybrid system into commercial delivery trucks for companies like United Parcel Service. Parker said field testing showed that it can increase mileage per gallon by 50 to 70 percent in stop-and- go applications, compared to traditional diesel powered vehicles with automatic transmissions.