“The award proves that innovations for climate protection and sustainability are the right approach,” said Barbara Kux, member of Siemens’ Managing Board and the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Technological leadership is helping us continue our success in these difficult economic times. Our Environmental Portfolio grew 11 percent in 2009 and is, thus, a key stabilizing factor in our business. At some €23 billion, the Portfolio accounts for nearly a third of our total revenue, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of green products and solutions.”

“Our new gas turbine shows that climate protection and fossil power generation are not mutually exclusive,” said Michael Süß, CEO of the Fossil Power Generation Division of Siemens’ Energy Sector. “This innovation will make it possible to continue supplying electrical energy at an affordable price in the future.” The gas turbine is the centerpiece of a combined-cycle power plant (CCCP) operated by E.ON in Irsching, near Ingolstadt, Germany. The turbine of superlatives is more than 13 meters long, five meters high and, at 444 tons, weighs more than the world’s largest passenger airplane. On its own, the gas turbine generates 370 megawatts of electricity. Once it is connected with a steam turbine, output will rise to roughly 570 megawatts, an amount sufficient to meet the electricity needs of some 3.4 million people – roughly the entire population of Berlin. The plant will achieve a world record efficiency level of more than 60 percent, which will benefit both the environment and the climate: annual CO2 emissions from each new plant of this type will be about 700,000 tons below the average emission level for power generation worldwide – a reduction equal to the total emissions of 350,000 cars driven 15,000 kilometers a year.

The speedMatic dishwasher proves that consumers, too, can contribute to climate protection. “In the last 20 years, we’ve cut our dishwashers’ energy consumption in half. The new zeolite technology provides an enormous increase in efficiency, using a further 20 percent less electricity than the most economical dishwashers on the market today,” said Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet, head of BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte. “In 2008, we were designated the most sustainable company in Germany. This is just the next step.” The dishwasher’s unique technology utilizes zeolites – aluminum silicate minerals with a very large surface area and hollow pores – which can absorb water and become hot in the process. As a result, the drying cycle is considerably faster and more efficient. Even the puddles of residual water that accumulate in the indentations of cups and plastic containers that are otherwise always covered with water are dried up in seconds by the warm air released from the zeolite pellets. In the next washing cycle, the minerals are regenerated when moisture is removed from them as the dishwasher heats up. Plans now call for using the technology not only in top-of-the-range dishwashers but also in medium-priced models.

Semprius is developing concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules for large-scale solar power generation. Semprius’ proprietary micro-transfer printing technology enables CPV modules constructed from a large array of very small gallium arsenide-based, multi-junction solar cells. Module cost is minimized by using high concentration ratio. Inexpensive optics concentrate 1,000 suns onto the high-efficiency solar cells, which only cover 0.1% of the module area.

Semprius Solar Module Arrays offer the benefits of low installed cost and high capacity factor which combined enable very low energy costs in sunny, dry climates. Their high efficiency, scalable design makes them applicable to a wide range of projects from distributed commercial and industrial to large scale utility installations. The company was selected this month by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive support through a $3 million subcontract from DOE’s PV Technology Incubator, which aims to accelerate commercialization of its solar photovoltaic systems.

Siemens is a global leader in automation systems, power conversion and control systems. As part of its environmental portfolio, which generated revenue of $31 billion (EUR 23 billion) in fiscal 2009, Siemens provides technology to the photovoltaic industry. In an effort to make PV module arrays more efficient, Siemens will integrate its components with Semprius PV module arrays, and together the companies will implement the test systems to validate performance of the combined technologies.

“Our PV module arrays will make the generation of solar power economically viable in clear, sunny climates found in many parts of the world,” said Joe Carr, Semprius President and CEO. “We are excited about teaming with Siemens to demonstrate the value of this technology.”

“Competitive project deployment cost for CPV will be the key for the success of this technology. Combining Siemens’ advanced automation and control equipment with

Semprius Module Arrays has the potential to deliver electricity at grid level prices to both industrial and utility scale customers,” said Peter Krause, Business Segment Manager, Siemens Industry, Inc.

About Semprius

Semprius, Inc., is commercializing Solar Module Arrays based on patented micro-transfer printing, a highly efficient process for depositing high performance semiconductors onto any substrate, including glass, plastic and other materials. In addition to Solar Arrays, Semprius is licensing the technology for use in other applications such as LCD and OLED displays, MEMS and advanced disk drives. For more information, please visit www.semprius.com.

The VERs will be sourced from NextEra Energy’s Capricorn Ridge Wind Energy Center located in West Texas. The Capricorn Ridge Wind Energy Center is the first wind project in the U.S. to create VERs under the Voluntary Carbon Standard protocol. The Capricorn Ridge project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil-fueled power plants that emit carbon dioxide. It is estimated that the project will generate approximately 212,000 metric tons of offset credits per year beginning in 2010.

Mark Maisto, president, Commodities and Retail Markets for NextEra Energy Resources said;

“We’re pleased to be the first in the industry to offer verified emission reductions. These new carbon offset credits give our customers a new tool to help them in meeting their sustainability goals.”

First Environment, voted in 2009 as the Best Verification Company in North American Mandatory Markets for greenhouse gas emissions, validates and verifies the carbon offset credits.

NextEra Energy Resources plans to sell the VERs from the Capricorn Ridge project into the voluntary carbon credit market.

About NextEra Energy Resources

NextEra Energy Resources is a clean energy leader and one of the largest competitive energy suppliers in North America. A subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), NextEra Energy Resources is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun. It operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the FPL Group nuclear fleet, which is the third largest in the U.S. FPL Group had 2008 revenues of more than $16 billion, approximately 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and more than 15,000 employees in 27 states and Canada. For more information, visit these Web sites: www.NextEraEnergyResources.com, www.FPLGroup.com.

As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to restarting America’s nuclear industry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has recently announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future to provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. The Commission is being co-chaired by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft.

In light of the Administration’s decision not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, President Obama has directed Secretary Chu to establish the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Commission will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

“Nuclear energy provides clean, safe, reliable power and has an important role to play as we build a low-carbon future. The Administration is committed to promoting nuclear power in the United States and developing a safe, long-term solution for the management of used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. The work of the Blue Ribbon Commission will be invaluable to this process. I want to thank Congressman Hamilton and General Scowcroft for leading the Commission and I look forward to receiving their recommendations,” said Secretary Chu.

“As the world moves to tackle climate change and diversify our national energy portfolio, nuclear energy will play a vital role,” said Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change. “Today, the Obama Administration has taken an important step. With the creation of the Blue Ribbon Commission, we are bringing together leading experts from around the country to ensure a safe and sustainable nuclear energy future.”

“Finding an acceptable long-term solution to our used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste storage needs is vital to the economic, environmental and security interests of the United States,” said Congressman Hamilton. “This will be a thorough, comprehensive review based on the best available science. I’m looking forward to working with the many distinguished experts on this panel to achieve a consensus on the best path forward.”

“As the United States responds to climate change and moves forward with a long overdue expansion of nuclear energy, we also need to work together to find a responsible, long-term strategy to deal with the leftover fuel and nuclear waste,” said General Scowcroft. “I’m pleased to be part of that effort along with Congressman Hamilton and such an impressive group of scientific and industry experts.”

The Commission is made up of 15 members who have a range of expertise and experience in nuclear issues, including scientists, industry representatives, and respected former elected officials. The Commission’s co-chairs have a record of tackling tough challenges in a thoughtful, comprehensive manner and building consensus among an array of interests.

The Commission will produce an interim report within 18 months and a final report within 24 months.

The members of the Blue Ribbon Commission are:

•Lee Hamilton, Co-Chair

Lee Hamilton represented Indiana’s 9th congressional district from January 1965-January 1999. During his time in Congress, Hamilton served as the ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and chaired the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is currently president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and director of The Center on Congress at Indiana University.

He is a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. Previously, Hamilton served as Vice Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission).

•Brent Scowcroft, Co-Chair

Brent Scowcroft is President of The Scowcroft Group, an international business advisory firm. He has served as the National Security Advisor to both Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. From 1982 to 1989, he was Vice Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm.

Scowcroft served in the military for 29 years, and concluded at the rank of Lieutenant General following service as the Deputy National Security Advisor. Out of uniform, he continued in a public policy capacity by serving on the President’s Advisory Committee on Arms Control, the Commission on Strategic Forces, and the President’s Special Review Board, also known as the Tower Commission.

•Mark Ayers, President, Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO

•Vicky Bailey, Former Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Former IN PUC Commissioner; Former Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs

•Albert Carnesale, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor, UCLA

•Pete V. Domenici, Senior Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center; former U.S. Senator (R-NM)

•Susan Eisenhower, President, Eisenhower Group, Inc.

•Chuck Hagel, Former U.S. Senator (R-NE)

•Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute

•Allison Macfarlane, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

•Richard A. Meserve, President, Carnegie Institution for Science, and former Chairman, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

•Ernie Moniz, Professor of Physics and Cecil & Ida Green Distinguished Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

•Per Peterson, Professor and Chair, Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California – Berkeley

•John Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation

•Phil Sharp, President, Resources for the Future

The work of physicists at the University of Maryland’s Joint Quantum Institute requires such precise environmental controls that some of the more sensitive experiments have to be run in the middle of the night, when there is less traffic and fewer vibrations outside. Soon, sleepy grad students will get some relief.

The facility, projected to open in spring 2013, will be designed with ‘xquisite environmental controls to eliminate even minute vibrations or changes in temperature,’the university said in a news release. Researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute, a partnership between the university and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have been working in laboratories without cutting-edge environmental controls.

Steven Rolston, co-director of the institute, commented;

 ’We have laser beams bouncing all over place, ‘If anything moves the width of a tiny, tiny hair, that’s enough to throw everything off. You don’t want the building to shake when a truck drives by. “

Source : Washington Post, Associated Press

“Expanding the solar power industry in the United States can create new jobs, reduce carbon pollution, and save consumers money,” said Secretary Chu. “By partnering with NREL, these companies will be able to gain from their expertise, accelerate the pace of innovation and help get technologies to market faster.”

Companies awarded under DOE’s Photovoltaic Incubator Program will work with NREL to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacturing. The anticipated subcontracts, up to $3 million each, will be awarded as 18-month phased subcontracts with payment made upon completion of project milestones.

Through the Recovery Act, the DOE is investing more than $117 million in developing and deploying solar energy technologies. While supporting cutting edge research and development on photovoltaics and concentrated solar power at the national laboratories, the Department is also making significant investments in training solar systems installers, supporting the growth of grid-tied solar photovoltaic systems, and the use of solar energy in U.S. cities.

The partnership projects announced today include:

California

Alta Devices, Inc. (Santa Clara, California) up to $3 million

Alta Devices will focus efforts on developing an innovative high-efficiency (>20%), low-cost compound-semiconductor photovoltaic module, with market entry expected in 2011.

Solar Junction Corp. (San Jose, California) up to $3 million

Solar Junction will develop a manufacturing process to produce a very high efficiency multi-junction cell. These high performing cells will be utilized by concentrating PV (CPV) manufacturers to produce lower cost CPV systems.

Tetra Sun (Saratoga, California) up to $3 million

Tetra Sun will focus efforts on a back surface passivation for high efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells. This effort will result in a high efficiency low-cost C-Si solar cell.

North Carolina

Semprius, Inc. (Durham, North Carolina) up to $3 million

Semprius will focus efforts towards a massively parallel, microcell-based CPV receiver. This approach combines the benefits of unique-to-solar manufacturing techniques with the performance and operational benefits of microcell concentrating photovoltaics.

Under the terms of this five-month, phase one program, Protonex will develop the next-generation of its existing M250-CX platform by increasing its power output, integrating additional battery management and charging capabilities, reducing overall size and weight, and further ruggedizing the system for field use. At the conclusion of the phase one program, Protonex is expected to deliver multiple portable battery charger/APU systems to the U.S. Army for further testing and field use.

Development of a next-generation system based on the existing 250-watt platform will provide the military with lightweight, extremely quiet and fuel efficient power systems that can be used as portable field battery chargers or auxiliary power units (APUs). Use of the M250-CX could enable new mission scenarios and allow a switch to rechargeable batteries in the field, thereby reducing overall weight and saving significantly on the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on non-rechargeable batteries in the field by the US Department of Defense.