According to the Israeli business news publication, “Globes”, Primus Green Energy Ltd., a US subsidiary of the Israel Corporation’s (TASE: ILCO) renewable energy unit IC Green Energy Ltd., recently reported that it has developed a process to convert agricultural biomass into standard automotive fuels at a competitive production cost relative to the price of oil.  Primus GE uses agricultural residues that do not compete with food crops.

The final product is 93 octane gasoline, with the energy capabilities and characteristics of regular gasoline for vehicles and industry.  Primus GE in its pursuit to commercialize its breakthrough product initiated an engineering services agreement with Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LWT).  Lockheed Martin is seeking biofuel solutions, especially for jet fuel, for the US Department of Defense.

For details, click here.

November 24, 2009

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a milestone in U.S.-Israel cooperation on clean energy technology. With financial support of DOE and the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures, the bilateral BIRD Foundation Energy Executive Committee has competitively selected four cooperative clean energy projects in the United States and Israel. This initiative will award up to $3.3 million in U.S.-Israel funding for these four projects.

The four projects selected for award help address critical shared bilateral energy-related goals, while focusing on commercializing DOE technologies. The BIRD Foundation will assist by attracting and incorporating private sector cost-sharing.

The four projects will leverage private sector cost-share for a total project value of $11.6 million:

• HelioFocus Ltd., Ness Ziona, Israel and Capstone Turbine Corporation, Chatsworth, California have been selected for an award of up to $800,000. HelioFocus and Capstone Turbine Corporation will develop and commercialize a micro-turbine to produce electric power from concentrated solar energy. This project includes $2.1 million in private sector cost-share.
• Motorola Israel Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel and SmartSynch, Inc., Jackson, Mississippi have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. Motorola Israel and SmartSynch will collaborate in the development and commercialization of a platform to enable implementation of a Smart Grid energy management system. This project will integrate Home Area Network and Smart Grid network management software applications to give utilities greater control while allowing end-users the ability to monitor and control consumption. This project includes $2.8 million in private sector cost-share.
• Tigo Energy, Kfar Saba, Israel and U.S. Architectural Glass and Aluminum Co., Inc., Alameda, California have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. This project will support the development and integration of a complete Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system. The partnership will seek to overcome the cost, standardization, generation performance, visibility, and safety challenges that currently hinder large scale adoption of BIPV. This project includes $2.3 million in private sector cost-share.
• TransBiodiesel Ltd., Shfar-Am, Israel and The Purolite Company, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania have been selected for an award of up to $700,000. This project seeks to design a biocatalyst comprised of methanol-resistant lipase immobilized on a cost-effective resin for the production of biodiesel at commercial scales. Lipase biocatalysts offer significant advantages over traditional catalysts used for biodiesel production including lifecycle efficiency gains and consistent product quality, but are currently high-cost and suffer from short operation life-time as they are degraded during the biodiesel production process. This project includes $1.2 million in private sector cost-share.

The projects are expected to begin in 2010.

About the U.S. Department of Energy/Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (www.eere.energy.gov)

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) works to strengthen the United States’ energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships. It supports this goal through enhancing energy efficiency and productivity; bringing clean, reliable, and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace; and making a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life.

About the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure (www.mni.gov.il)

The Ministry of National Infrastructures is responsible for a broad range of issues in the fields of energy, water, electricity, fuel and soil. The Ministry supervises the Israeli energy sector, including licensing and R&D activities, as well ensuring the effective use of natural resources and protection of the environment for the benefit of all citizens.

About the BIRD Foundation (www.birdf.com)

The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation works to encourage cooperation between Israeli and American companies in the various areas of technology, and provides assistance in locating strategic partners from both countries for developing joint products.

During its 32 years, the BIRD Foundation has invested in more than 800 projects, which have yielded direct and indirect revenues of about $8 billion.

The BIRD Foundation supports projects without receiving any rights in the participating companies or in the project itself. The financial assistance is repaid as royalties from sales. The Foundation provides support of up to 50% of a project’s budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not demand that the investment be repaid if the project fails to reach the sales stage.

Technology Review

6/10/09

A startup based in Tel Aviv, Israel, called HCL-Cleantech has reinvented a century-old process called the Bergius process as a much cheaper method to produce ethanol from biomass.  The process uses concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCL) to breakdown biomass into sugars but has been too expensive for commercial use. The company, however, says that it has developed a way to recycle 42 percent of the HCL, pumping it back into the system and significantly reducing the cost of making ethanol.

Read entire story

Great news, Stanford Ovshinsky gave the morning keynote. As he agreed to an on camera interview, I found him very approachable and open to discussing his work with non-scientists, especially his plans for a one gigawatt solar plant that’s produce electricity cheaper than coal.

My original post is on TheEnergyRoadMap.com. Click here to read it. I go into more detail and provide a transcript there. Or, view the interview here: