Department of Defense to Turn Landfill Gases into Sustainable Renewable Clean Energy with FlexEnergy Powerstation™

Technology slated for Fort Benning, Ga., will be showcased at today's ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

 /PRNewswire/ -- FlexEnergy (www.flexenergy.com), a cleantech company that creates clean energy with near-zero emissions from harmful greenhouse gases, announced its Powerstation™ technology will allow the Department of Defense's (DoD) Fort Benning, Ga. base to convert its landfill gas, an unconventional energy source, into renewable energy. FlexEnergy will deliver two powerstations in collaboration with Southern Research Institute (SRI) through the DoD's ESTCP (Environmental Security Technology Certification Program).
"The Department of Defense is at the forefront of deploying breakthrough technologies. The installation of the Flex Powerstation at Fort Benning, GA enables the Army to generate its own continuous, clean, renewable energy from an on base landfill," said Joseph Perry, CEO of FlexEnergy.

Currently, a successful Powerstation™ pilot program operates at the Lamb Canyon Landfill in Riverside County, Calif. The smaller, 10-ton test unit has the capability to produce enough electricity to power 30 homes in the community. Once installed at Fort Benning, the 250 kW Powerstation™ can potentially provide electricity for 250 homes.

FlexEnergy will showcase its Powerstation™ February 28-March 2 at the second annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. The Summit, co-hosted by the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI), features cutting-edge cleantech organizations that are helping to determine the future of energy. FlexEnergy's plug-and-play system was selected for its ability to oxidize gases as low as 1.5 percent methane, a greenhouse gas with 20-25 times the environmental impact of carbon dioxide.

"Exhibiting among the key players in the energy community at ARPA-E is a great opportunity to reach more potential customers who want to control pollution, generate clean sustainable energy and help save the U.S. up to 60 million barrels of oil imports annually," Perry said.

FlexEnergy will exhibit to nearly 2,000 researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and government officials at the Gaylord Convention Center just outside of Washington, D.C. The ARPA-E Summit's high-profile speakers include U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, ARPA-E Director Arun Majumdar and U.S. Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus.

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Cap-and-tax slams economy without affecting ‘climate change’

Westmoreland: ‘I have never seen a more economically destructive piece of legislation’

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today voted against the “cap-and-tax” bill called the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The bill, which passed 219-212, essentially implements a national energy tax in an effort to limit greenhouse emissions.

“In all my years in elected office, I’ve never seen the people’s representatives pass a more economically destructive piece of legislation than this,” Westmoreland said. “This cap-and-tax system will dramatically raise the cost of business, raise the costs of products, raise the cost of transportation; it will cost many good-paying jobs while at the same time causing the cost of living to soar for American families – about $3,000 a year more in energy costs for the average family of four.

“The numbers just don’t add up. This is liberal fantasy. We can cut our standard of living to the bone and it’s not going to make a difference when China is building six new coal-fired plants a week and when there’s similar growth in India. In case the leaders in Congress and at the White House haven’t noticed, it’s darn hard to find employment right now and this legislation makes it worse by costing the nation well over a million jobs over the next 35 years. And for what? To cut the global temperature by 1 degree by 2050?

“The businesses that provide jobs to Americans are simply going to relocate to other countries with less stringent standards. This won’t lower global temperature. It’ll simply lower our standard of living and make it harder to find work.”

The plan proposed by House Democrats would cost $864 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a price tag the nation couldn’t afford even it hadn’t spent trillions on a stimulus package, a bloated budget and corporate bailouts.

Georgia would have 82,000 fewer jobs than would be expected and would see a loss of $15 billion in GDP by 2035, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation.

“When we talk about the costs of these laws, we talk about billions and trillions,” Westmoreland said. “Those numbers are impossible for people to understand. But Georgians understand what an extra $300 to $400 a month in energy costs will do to their family budgets – it’ll be devastating for many families.”

“Every Democratic ‘energy bill’ increases taxes, increases regulation, hurts businesses, raises the cost of living and increases our dependence on foreign oil,” Westmoreland said. “Our best hope is an ‘all of the above’ energy policy, that increases clean sources such as nuclear, and an investment in continued research into energy alternatives.”

Westmoreland points that even leading Democrats admit this bill will hit American families hard.

President Obama has said, “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket.” Obama went on to admit that retrofitting power plants “would cost money and they will pass that money on to consumers.”

Michigan Democrat Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving House member in history, said during an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing: “Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax, and it’s a great big one.”

Obama Struggles to Explain Drop of Windfall Profits Tax for Oil and Gas Industry

Barack Obama may already be losing credibility over his explanation as to why he dropped the windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry from his administration's agenda. During his campaign, President-elect Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry, which would help finance a $1,000 emergency energy rebate for American families.....More

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The Brattle Group Projects $1.5 to $2.0 Trillion Investment Needed in the U.S. Electric Utility Industry by 2030

PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. utility industry will have to invest between $1.5 and $2.0 trillion between 2010 and 2030 to maintain current levels of reliable energy service for customers throughout the country, according to a new report issued today by The Brattle Group. The findings are detailed in "Transforming America's Power Industry: The Investment Challenge 2010-2030," presented today by Peter Fox-Penner, a principal of The Brattle Group, at the Edison Electric Institute's 43rd Financial Conference. The report was sponsored by the Edison Foundation.

"This study highlights the investment challenges confronting the power industry in the coming decades," said Dr. Fox-Penner. "The industry is facing enormous investment needs during a period of modest growth, high costs, and very substantial policy shifts," he explained.

All types of new generation capacity will be needed, including natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables. Nearly 40 gigawatts of new renewable capacity will be needed just to meet state requirements. Significantly, capital spending to upgrade distribution and transmission facilities nationwide may surpass investment in new generation, the study found. Spending on "smart grid" technologies to ramp up efficiency -- along with new power lines to integrate renewable electricity sources -- will account for much of that spending.

"The good news is that as a result of this very significant investment, our economy and utility customers will get more efficiency and control over their electricity use, lower-carbon generation, and a higher-technology, more resilient and reliable electric grid," Dr. Fox-Penner said.

The report, which follows highly publicized preliminary results introduced in April 2008 at an Edison Foundation conference, analyzes four possible scenarios that measure the impact of energy efficiency and demand response program implementation on investment needs and new plant construction. In the base case scenario, which does not account for new climate policies, the total investment needs are projected to reach $1.5 trillion. Implementation of a federal carbon policy would significantly increase the capital cost and change the mix of new generation capacity; for instance, a simplified model of one scenario with carbon controls would require an increase in total capital spending to $2 trillion.

Another key finding in the study is a large potential reduction in the need for new generation capacity, due to the faster than previously estimated implementation of energy efficiency and demand response programs. In the preliminary results, energy efficiency was estimated to potentially reduce new capacity by 17%. In the final results, the potential reduction in new capacity is projected to be approximately 38%. However, reductions in new required capacity will not correlate to an equal reduction in total investment due to the offsetting costs of implementing the efficiency programs.

"It is important to emphasize that while energy efficiency and demand response programs can significantly reduce the need for new generation capacity, they cannot eliminate the need for new power plants," Dr. Fox-Penner observed.

Marc Chupka and Robert Earle, principals of The Brattle Group, directed the study which is available at www.brattle.com and www.edisonfoundation.net.

The Brattle Group provides consulting services and expert testimony in economics and finance to corporations, law firms, and public agencies worldwide. Areas of expertise include antitrust and competition; electric power, natural gas, and petroleum; valuation and damages; and regulation and planning in network industries. For more information, visit www.brattle.com.

The Washington-based Edison Foundation is dedicated to bringing the benefits of electricity to families, businesses, and industries worldwide.

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Infinity Insurance Aims for 10,000 Gallons of Gas in Atlanta

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the third time this Summer, some Atlanta drivers will enjoy $1.99/gallon gas thanks to Infinity Insurance.

Infinity will again host $1.99 gas on August 28th, from 11am-2pm in Smyrna, GA. As before, the location will be announced on, www.RefuelingSummer.com, just prior to the event. Area drivers lucky enough to make it to the event may pump up to 10 gallons of gas at the $1.99/gallon price subsidized by Infinity Insurance.

Infinity has already pumped over 6,200 gallons of discounted gas, and plans to top-off Summer with a combined total of 10,000 gallons for Atlanta-area customers. "We're serious about serving customers better and finding new ways to benefit local neighborhoods. No other auto insurer responds to the needs of consumers the way Infinity does," says Dan Davis, a manager with Infinity. The third gas event comes just in time for Holiday travel.
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