U.S. nuclear plant says shielded against Japan emergency

A U.S. nuclear plant in Alabama similar in design to the earthquake-hit Fukushima facility in Japan has multiple defenses to prevent and tackle the same kind of emergency, its operator said. Safety features at the Browns Ferry plant in northern Alabama are so superior to those at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant that even in the event of massive... 

Japan tsunami grazes Americas but impact light

Tsunamis triggered by Japan’s devastating earthquake that prompted thousands to flee the Pacific coast of North and South America caused flooding as far away as Chile on Saturday, but damage was limited. The tsunami lost much of its energy as it moved thousands of miles (km) across the Pacific Ocean, although governments took no chances and ordered... 

CLEAResult Partners with General Catalyst to Power Growth

CLEAResult, a national energy optimization firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, today announced a significant capital investment from General Catalyst, a venture capital and private equity firm based in Cambridge, Mass. CLEAResult, which ranked 144th on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing companies in 2010, designs and implements... 

U.S. Leads Ranking of Top 25 Countries for Global Biofuels Production Capacity

The U.S. concluded 2010 as the top renewable ethanol producing country, according to the Global Biofuels Outlook to 2020, recently released from Hart Energy Consulting’s Global Biofuels Center (GBC). With more than 51 billion liters (13.47 billion gallons) of ethanol production capacity in operation, the U.S. is by far the leader, with South America’s... 

Wall Street set to open higher on earnings, M&A

U.S. stocks were set for a higher open on Monday as merger activity and solid earnings, including Exxon Mobil, overshadowed concerns about the possible spread of unrest in Egypt to other parts of the Middle East. Alpha Natural Resources said on Saturday it agreed to a $7.1 billion deal to buy Massey Energy Co, which would create the second largest... 

Tendril Teams with Whirlpool Corporation to Usher in New Era of Smart Appliances

Tendril, a leading energy platform company, and Whirlpool Corporation , the world’s leading appliance maker, unveiled a relationship that sets the stage for the rollout of smart home appliances in the U.S. The Tendril platform has the capability to support millions of smart appliances in homes across America. Tendril will provide the back-end... 

Savage to Construct, Own and Operate a Multi-User Railport at Trenton, North Dakota

Savage Companies (Savage) announced its plans to construct, own and operate a large multi-user rail terminal in Trenton, North Dakota. The terminal, to be known as Trenton Railport, will be served by the BNSF Railway, and will be designed to bring large-scale rail service to the Bakken Formation (the Bakken) with oil-field related materials such as... 

Ecotech Institute Opens Its Doors to New, Progressive Facility in Aurora

Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design, today announced that students are now taking classes in its brand new facility. Located at 1400 South Abilene Street in Aurora, the school has transformed a vacant, large-footprint building into... 

Teams Prepare for Round Two in the 2010-2011 Clean Energy Prize Competition

Ideas for new green-energy businesses ranging from a credit card bonus points program to fund renewable energy projects to a speed bump that generates electricity for roadside electronics will go head to head Jan. 21 in Round-2 competition for the 2010-2011 Clean Energy Prize. The competition, presented by DTE Energy and the University of Michigan... 

PAA Natural Gas Storage Announces Agreement to Acquire Southern Pines Storage Facility

PAA Natural Gas Storage today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SG Resources Mississippi, LLC, (“SG Resources”). The primary asset of SG Resources is the Southern Pines Energy Center natural gas storage facility (“Southern Pines”). Total consideration is approximately $750 million. Subject to regulatory approval,...