ReliOn Secures “C” Round Financing
ReliOn has secured an additional $23 million in equity financing as a result of Series C funding activities. ReliOn welcomed two new investors into the C round, the PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund, LLC and Robeco Clean Tech Private Equity II (Robeco).
With the completion of this Series C financing, Jasandra Nyker, Vice President of the PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund, will join ReliOn’s Board of Directors. Nyker manages the co-investment activities of the PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund. She will bring extensive investment experience, particularly in the international markets, and her contribution to ReliOn’s board will be further bolstered by the strong investment platform of PCG Asset Management who oversees private equity commitments of approximately $15 billion through a combination of fund-of-funds, separate accounts and advisory relationships.
“ReliOn represents a unique opportunity to invest in an alternative energy enterprise with substantial current market opportunities in worldwide backup power markets that are seeking new and superior technologies,” said Nyker.
Rhea Hamilton, senior investment manager of Robeco will be an observer to ReliOn’s board of directors. Her strength in international growth will provide valuable guidance, as well as Robeco’s global fund management leadership, with assets exceeding $213 billion.
“We are very pleased with the completion of this Series C financing, and look forward to the added skills that the PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund and Robeco will bring to an already strong ReliOn board of directors, said ReliOn president and CEO, Gary Flood. “Jasandra Nyker and Rhea Hamilton are excellent additions to our team, bringing significant international contacts and understanding of our global market focus.”
The Series C funding will be used to accelerate the sales and marketing of its fuel cells, and continued technology innovation and development for future product technologies and applications.
Pentadyne Ships 500th Flywheel System
Pentadyne Power Corp. has shipped its 500th flywheel energy storage system. In addition, the company released that the installed fleet of Pentadyne flywheel energy storage systems, primarily used with large-scale UPS systems instead of lead-acid batteries, has amassed a total of two million hours of operation. The company's first commercial installation, at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cincinnati, has amassed more than 35,000 hours of operation since commissioning in March 2004.
"These two significant milestones occurring within a few days of each other underscores the rapid and growing acceptance of our product in the marketplace,” said Pentadyne president and CEO Mark McGough. “UPS users are looking for the most energy efficient reliable alternative to lead-acid batteries, and they are clearly finding it in our product. Considering that we've shipped nearly 90 percent of those 500 units in the last 24 months, the growth rate is astounding.”
Fibernet, a colocation center based in Orem, Utah, took delivery of Pentadyne's 500th flywheel system, which they purchased through Emerson Network Power/Liebert.
"We were skeptical about flywheels,” said Fibernet CFO J. Lee Livingston. “But the ability to rid ourselves of the hazards, maintenance and poor reliability of lead-acid batteries, coupled with the reliability and lower operating costs of the flywheel were convincing. We now have a year's worth of battery-free and fault-free operation under our belt. So when our growth demanded expansion of our power protection capabilities, it was an easy decision to address that with another flywheel-based UPS.”
Hear Pentadyne Speak at the Remote 2008 Conference and Expo!
Session Title: Flywheel Technology Provides Energy Efficient and Sustainable Back-up Power
www.RemoteExpo.com
Schott Solar Establishes Independent Limited Liability Company for Thin Film Technology
Schott Solar has founded an independent company for its thin film module business sector. The corporation now bundles its sector activities and expertise in the new Schott Solar Thin Film GmbH, setting the tracks for further growth. At its two locations in Jena and Putzbrunn near Munich, Germany, the new company will produce framed premium and standard modules, as well as OEM raw modules.
"The market for thin film modules is experiencing above-average growth. Bundling our activities in this sector into a separate company is a reaction to this development that prepares us for further growth, while allowing us to operate more flexibly,” said Dr. Martin Heming, managing director of Schott Solar.
Roughly 250 employees are currently employed in research and production for the new company. Schott Solar has been active on the market for thin film modules from its early days, starting as early as 1986. The first façade modules produced by Schott Solar have been in use since 1993. They consist of ASI glass with a photovoltaic output of 8 Kilowatts that were integrated into the southern façade of the Münchener Umweltamt (Munich Environmental Agency).
At the Jena location, SCHOTT Solar has invested EUR 75 million in thin film technology and recently inaugurated the new production facilities with 180 new workplaces. Delivery of the first modules has already begun in January.
ElectraTherm Powers into a Renewable Revolution
ElectraTherm, Inc. has successfully installed its first commercial waste heat generator. The ElectraTherm Green Machine makes electricity from residual industrial heat that would normally go to waste. Using patented heat and pressure recovery technology, ElectraTherm employs minimal heat of 200°F liquid to generate fuel-free, emissions-free electricity at a very low cost of three to four cents per kW/hr during payback period, under a penny/kW hour thereafter.
Testing of the 50 kW ElectraTherm Green Machine, installed at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, has exceeded expectations and reached output well beyond its 50 kW rating. Recycling the largest source of renewable energy in the US, waste heat, ElectraTherm feels they have helped unlocked the next door to a renewable energy future.
“This technology has the power to increase electrical output at every fossil fuel burning power plant without burning oil, gas or coal, and without further pollution or damage to the environment,” said Richard Langson, CEO of ElectraTherm.
The US Department of Energy reports that the available seven quadrillion Btu of waste heat sources exceeds the current production of all other US renewable power sources combined. This includes hydroelectric, wood, biofuels, geothermal, wind and solar photovoltaic. With a subsidy-free payback period of three years or less, the implications on the world stage of a modular, scalable (50 to 500 kW output) unit making electricity from unused, accessible heat are huge.
The company’s patented Twin Screw Expander enables the ElectraTherm Green Machine. The expander is 1/10th the cost of a turbine as the energy block. Because the energy block generally constitutes 30 to 40 percent of the Organic ElectraTherm 50 kW Green Machine at SMU Rankine Cycle (ORC) system cost, the ElectraTherm Green Machine is approximately 30 percent less than any turbine ORC system.
The unit operates without gearboxes or high end electronics required to synchronize a turbine to a generator. Inline process lubrication eliminates oil pumps, filters, separator tanks, parasitic loads and maintenance issues heretofore associated with lubrication. Hence, this technology reduces maintenance and extends the life of the ElectraTherm Green Machine.
Active Power Receives Certification from China Ministry of Information Industry for Flywheel System
Multiple products in Active Power, Inc.’s CleanSource UPS 300 series line has been certified by China’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII). This industrial certification is the result of an in-depth review of Active Power products and its manufacturing facility by MII inspectors.
“MII certification validates our product integrity as we execute our growth strategy of native geographic expansion,” said Jim Clishem, president and CEO, Active Power. “According to a September 2007 report from IMS Research, China’s growth will generate a large demand for IT related equipment and in turn UPS systems. As electricity costs and demand on power grids in China increase, Active Power is well positioned to offer an efficient, reliable and green battery free alternative for critical backup power protection.”
The flywheel based CleanSource UPS system is a proven technology with more than 40 million hours of runtime in field installations across 42 countries. Active Power has shipped more than 1,800 flywheels in systems which are a reliable, predictable source of energy, providing consistent backup power for mission critical applications. CleanSource is well suited to operate in environments with challenges presented by power grid fluctuations, with no degradation in service over the systems’ 20 year design life.
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Solarcraft, Inc. has developed a new state of the art mobile power generator. This portable system can travel to any location and provides temporary power where grid power isn’t available. 
GE Digital Energy has released its 750 kVA SG series digital energy UPS, which offers energy-conscious electrical managers of mission critical facilities maximum efficiency greater than 94 percent , a 2.5 percent increase from previous 750kVA designs and a 30 percent smaller footprint.
Power Distribution Inc. (PDI) has added the Wavestar mission critical 500 KVA power distribution unit (PDU) to its PowerPak line. This new design represents an industry first with the ability, through the Wavestar monitoring system, to locally display both PDU critical functions and PDI's branch circuit monitoring system (BCMS) in a single device. The Wavestar monitoring system can provide these points to the building management system remotely via Modbus or SNMP.
