(EnergyAsia, December 13, Thursday) — JATROPHAWORLD 2008, to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 23 and 24, will focus on the outlook, science and economics of the jatropha crop as a biodiesel feedstock. Industry experts, researchers and financiers will gather at Hotel Mulia Senayan to discuss issues related to jatropha, agriculture, biodiesel and the...

said it has committed US$1.5 million in funding for a three-year biofuels research project led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). IFAD said it is first among development investors under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to commit support for a biofuels project. The project will facilitate farmers...

heavy equipment manufacturer Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd (XEMC) to establish a joint venture in China to manufacture ultra-large-bore bearings for main rotor shafts of multi-megawatt wind turbines for the Chinese wind energy market. Construction of the $38 million facility in Xiangtan in Hunan province is due to begin in 2008. The project is expected...

Photovoltaics Development Center’ within its plant in Anpachi town in Gifu prefecture. The company is currently advancing the development of its solar technology, primarily focused on its proprietary rojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer (HIT) solar cells, at the Advanced Energy Research Center of its R&D headquarters and at its solar division. The Advanced Photovoltaics Development Center...

Representatives to pass its energy bill aimed at improving vehicle fuel economy and energy savings in homes, phasing out inefficient lighting products and encouraging the development of zero-emission commercial buildings. The bill will also encourage consumers to purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles, and extend valuable federal income tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements. “The nation urgently needs...

teamed up with India’s Synergy Renewable Energy to build a US$400 million solar wafer plant in West Bengal state. The West Bengal state government will take a 10% in the new export-oriented company, Kits Solar. The Asian consortium, led by South Korea’s Komex, includes Green Energy Technology of Taiwan, Glosil and Smart Applications of South...

invest a total of 34 billion pesos in biofuel feedstock and processing plants in the Philippines. (US$1=41 peso). The plants would use sugarcane, cassava, jatropha, corn, oil palm and coconut, said the Department of Agriculture. It declined to name the companies, citing confidentiality while negotiations continue. The companies are exploring opportunities in the regions of...

NT$2.4 billion solar wafer plant in Taoyuan, Taiwan. (US$1=NT32). The plant is expected to start up next year with a capacity of 7,000 wafer modules per month, equivalent to 30 megawatts (MW). The company is planning to raise production to 50 MW by 2009. Green Energy is Taiwan’s leading maker of multi-crystalline solar wafers....

begun using used cooking oil to power its fleet of patrol cars. By the end of 2007, the force is hoping to have 80 of its 1,500 stations nationwide use biodiesel. The 80 stations will each have a boiler capable of making 150 litres per day of biodiesel. A police spokesman said the force will...

(EnergyAsia, December 13, Thursday) — Royal Dutch Shell plc and Hawaii-based HR Petroleum will jointly build a pilot facility on the US island to grow marine algae and produce vegetable oil for conversion into biofuel. The announcement is a further step in the energy major’s ongoing effort to develop a new generation of biofuels using...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Oil & Gas Project Finance Asia, to be held in Singapore from February 25 to 27, will include two excellent post-conference workshops. The workshops will be conducted on the last day of the event and will cover Islamic project finance, and risk and insurance in oil and gas projects The...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Taiwan’s solar energy industry is on a strong growth path and could supply some seven percent of the world solar-power equipment market by 2015, up from last year’s 2%.Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said the sector’s output will reach NT$403.1 billion by 2015. (US$1=NT$32).Designating solar equipment production a strategic...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Electricity from renewable energy will account for 10% of Taiwan’s total power generation capacity under a new government plan to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.Wind power will be emphasised as the island republic has a power generation potential of 4,800 megawatts (MW) that could be tapped relatively quickly.Planners are seeking...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Singapore is working on new standards for various products to help boost energy savings and reduce climate change.The country’s Standards Council is working with the International Standards Organisation to target a wide range of products including communications equipment and building design.The country already has energy standards for many products –...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — A US and a European firm are planning to jointly build India’s largest solar power plant in West Bengal state.Geneva-based Astonfield Management and Sun Edison, North America’s largest solar energy service provider, will begin work on the five MW project at Bankura this month. The plant is expected to be...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — China is preparing new legislation to improve energy use and cut emissions in the construction and transportation sectors. Government buildings will also be targeted.The measures are part of Beijing’s overall strategy to cut energy use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20% over the five-year period to 2010.It...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Australia’s Queensland state is looking to invest A$7million in a 10MW solar thermal station to power a small town of 428 residents. (US$1 = A$1.14).Cloncurry, a former copper mining town, is an isolated community where access to the national electricity grid is difficult or expensive – making it an ideal...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — Woongjin Energy Corp (WJE), a joint venture between SunPower Corporation and Korea’s Woongjin Holdings Company Ltd, has launched its new 46,200-sq-m solar silicon ingot pulling factory in Daejeon city in South Korea’s Chungnam Province.The new factory in the DaeDeok Techno Valley business park produces silicon ingots exclusively for solar cell...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — China’s LDK Solar Co Ltd, a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers, said it has signed a 10-year ‘take or pay’ contract to supply multicrystalline wafers and polysilicon to Germany-based Q-Cells AG.LDK Solar will deliver more than six giga watts of multicrystalline solar wafers to Q-Cells over a 10-year period...

(EnergyAsia, December 12, Wednesday) — The provinces of China’s Guangdong and Canada’s British Columbia last week signed four agreements to build advanced clean-energy partnerships, pursue investment and trade opportunities, and share expertise on emergency management.The agreements, announced by BC Premier Gordon Campbell on a recent 12-day business mission to China and India, include– Two MOUs on...

 a 660 MW coal-fired power plant in Thailand’s Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. Glow Energy owns 65% of the plant while Hemaraj – Thailand’s leading industrial estates developer – will hold a 35% stake. Suez said the plant will be among the cleanest coal-fired plants in the world. It will meet statutory emission limits of...

Power Station expansion on Torrens Island located 25km north of the Adelaide city in South Australia state.  The state’s Energy Minister Pat Conlon launched the ground breaking ceremony last week marking the start of construction work.  Origin’s executive general manager for major development projects Andrew Stock said: “The A$80 million power station expansion more than...

development agreement with Pioneer Materials Inc (PMI) with automatic six-month renewal periods. PMI will build, equip, operate and manage for the benefit of China Nuvo a product development, testing and prototype manufacturing facility in Chengdu, Sichuan province in China. The plant will develop, test and manufacture prototypes of solar energy products and equipment utilising China...

terminal located in the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park (NCIP) in Nanjing city in China. The company is a joint venture between Oiltanking, NCIP Administration and the Port Authority of Nanjing. The  terminal  will  be  renamed Oiltanking Nanjing and will be managed and operated by Oiltanking. The first phase of the terminal is under construction and...

Yemen previously held by China’s Sinopec and the Yemeni government. The deal has been approved by the Yemeni government. Block 69, which covers an area of 1,333 sq km, is located in central Yemen’s Marib Basin, which is home to the reserves that feed the Yemen LNG liquefied natural gas project. Block 71, which extends...