Abu Dhabi to Build US$350m Solar Power Plant

The government of Abu Dhabi will build a US$350m solar power plant, the first of its kind in the world’s biggest oil exporting region, an investor in the project has said.

The 500 megawatt plant, expected to begin operations in 2009, is part of Abu Dhabi’s drive to cut dependence on hydrocarbon power generation, said Sultan al-Jaber, chief executive of state-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.

Future Energy, a subsidiary of government-owned Mubadala Development Company, and the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority will fund the plant with other investors.

Abu Dhabi holds more than 90% of the oil reserves of the United Arab Emirates, the seven-member federation.

“The emirate eventually hopes to provide solar power to 10,000 homes and is setting up a special economic zone for the alternative energy industry,” the CEO Al-Jaber said.

“We... do not want to be 100% dependent on [hydrocarbon power],” Jaber continued. “We have an economic development programme dedicated to establishing an entirely new economic sector focused on alternative energy and sustainable technologies.

“The plant will be the first of its kind in the Gulf, home to oil and gas producers who supply a fifth of the world’s energy needs,” Al Jaber continued. “Abu Dhabi is truly leveraging its financial and human resources effectively into the high-tech, highly-skilled industries of the future.”

“Abu Dhabi knows the energy business rather well. It also enjoys competitive advantages allowing it to successfully establish these new industries, while simultaneously diversifying its economy and providing high-quality job opportunities,” he added.

The world’s leading experts, innovators, scientists, and venture capitalists in the field of future energy will converge on Abu Dhabi in January 2008 for the First World Future Energy Summit (WFES) to be held at the new Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

WFES will host over 150 of the world’s most renowned speakers, innovators, and experts in clean energy, alongside a 14,000 sq m exhibition showcasing the present and future state of alternative energy technology.

Air Force Goes Green

The sun lights the way for walkers and joggers on a footpath through Peterson Air Force Base east of Colorado Springs even at night.

Solar power also is at work warming a hangar on the flight line.

In fact, Peterson and Schriever Air Force Base, farther east, use an amount of renewable energy that equates to 29 million pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change, not being produced. It�s equal to taking 270 cars off the road or planting 417 trees.

"We view renewable energy as the right thing to do, frankly, from an environmental and energy security perspective," Air Force Space Command civil engineer Col. Carlos Cruz-Gonzalez said.

Those local efforts helped the Air Force win recognition recently for its use of "green power."

For the third consecutive year, the Air Force led the Environmental Protection Agency's list of the top 10 federal government green-power purchasers.

Green power is electricity partially or entirely generated from clean resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro...read more

First Solar Sees First Profit in 20 Years

Toledo-born First Solar Inc. was in the black for the first time in its two-decade history last year, with profits of $4 million, or 7 cents a share.

The Phoenix solar panel manufacturer, which has its sole factory in Perrysburg Township, had sales of $135 million last year. That was an increase of 181 percent from 2005, when sales were $48.1 million and the firm had a loss of $6.5 million. The company was able to make a profit last year as it sold its first public stock and began constructing a smaller plant in Germany. The European factory will open in the second half of this year. "In 2007, we're building on those successes," Michael Ahearn, chief executive, told analysts and investors during a conference call yesterday. First Solar expects to have $310 million to $340 million in sales this year, but profitability will depend on start-up costs in Germany, the company warned. A Malaysian factory also is under way and will be open by mid-2008 to produce solar panels used to generate electricity. Stock in the rapidly expanding company closed at $34.28 a share on the Nasdaq market yesterday, up $1.18 a share. Germany has been a market for the firm since 2003, and Spain emerged last year as another possibility, Mr. Ahearn said. Other countries where First Solar could sell its solar panels include Italy, Greece, France, Canada, and South Korea, and potential U.S. customers include utility, commercial, and industrial operations, he said...read more

Costco Wholesale Installs Solar-Power Energy System

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., Feb 05, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corp., the leader in high volume, high quality products, has announced the installation of its second solar-powered energy system at its Lake Elsinore, California warehouse (29315 Central Ave., Lake Elsinore, CA). SunEdison, North America's largest solar services provider, simplified the implementation by delivering the turnkey solar system, which will produce 595 kW (DC) 496kW (AC) through the 45,000 square foot system.

As part of Costco's long-term commitment to energy conservation and reduction of energy costs, the new system is expected to supply in excess of 725,000 kWh (AC) annually over an expected lifespan of 25 years. The solar system is expected to save more than $3.8 million in energy expenditures over the 25-year period. The clean energy produced by the solar system will eliminate an estimated 1,009,611 pounds of CO2 annually, which is the equivalent of planting 2,800 acres of trees over the 25 year life of the system.

By delivering a turn-key system, SunEdison simplified the implementation process, which includes engineering, permitting, metering and meeting other regulatory requirements. SunEdison built the system using Kyocera 200 Watt Modules, and a SatCon 500 KW inverter. Each manufacturer met stringent specifications set by solar services provider SunEdison.

Craig Peal, Assistant Vice President for Energy/Building Controls at Costco Wholesale Corp. said, "This solar roof gives us an important addition to the list of technologies available to us to reduce our purchases of electricity and reduce our impact on the environment." Costco continually searches for new ways to improve their performance in the energy area. This improved performance not only benefits their members and shareholders but the communities in which Costco operates and the environment as a whole.

According to Jigar Shah, CEO of SunEdison, "Costco has a true commitment to offering consumers the highest quality products at low cost. Key to that is controlling and managing every cost to assure the ultimate value is delivered to its customers. This solar power plant will enable Costco to realize the immediate benefits of reduced energy prices and long-term predictable energy pricing."

About SunEdison

SunEdison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services provider. The company simplifies solar for utilities, government agencies and commercial enterprises. SunEdison is based in Baltimore, Md. For more information, visit www.sunedison.com.

About Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco currently operates 504 warehouses, including 371 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 70 in Canada, 19 in the United Kingdom, five in Korea, four in Taiwan, five in Japan and 30 in Mexico. The Company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce web site, at www.costco.com and at www.costco.ca in Canada.

SOURCE: SunEdison LLC

For Costco Wholesale: Craig Peal, 425-313-8520 cpeal@costco.com or For SunEdison: Rob Wyse, 212-920-1470 rob@m1pr.com Copyright Business Wire 2007

Sustainable Energy Technologies Release 2006 Financials

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(CCNMatthews - Feb. 6, 2007) - Sustainable Energy Technologies Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:STG), www.sustainableenergy.com has reported its financial and operating results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006.

The Financial Statements, Management Discussion and Analysis and Corporate update containing a more fulsome discussion can be found with the Company's public documents on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and at the Company's website (www.sustainableenergy.com) under Investor/Financials/Fiscal 2006.

Following are some highlights of the Management Discussion and Analysis. If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact Michael Carten President & CEO at Michael.carten@sustainableenergy.com

2006 Overview

- 2006 saw Sustainable Energy establish a significant beachhead in the world's fastest growing solar PV power market, partnering with one of Europe's leading solar module manufacturers to jointly market the SUNERGY inverter in Spain. In Q3, the Company signed its first multi-megawatt agreement to deliver more than 5 MW of SUNERGY inverters to Solaer SA, one of Spain's largest solar power project developers.

The Company has already delivered more than 25% of the order since November 2006, and expects to complete deliveries in the current fiscal period providing a base $2.5 million in product sales revenues for the 2007 fiscal year.

- Anticipated product sales for 2006 did not materialize for two reasons:

First, there were significant delays in production startup by our manufacturing partner. We have since restructured that relationship and we are manufacturing inverters in Canada and China, with final assembly and testing in Spain. We have established local partnerships after sales services and we are in discussions with a large Spanish company to manufacture the electronics module in Spain.

Second, the surprising emergence of multi-megawatt projects in Spain, and a global shortage of solar modules left conventional distributor channels short of product for smaller projects. This also impacted Free Power SL which did not place any of the previously forecast orders. Although we successfully responded to these developments with the negotiation of our marketing partnership, first deliveries did not occur until Q1 of 2007.

- Notwithstanding disappointing sales results in 2006, we are satisfied with our decision to focus on Spain and the Southern European market. Early estimates are that between 50 MW and 60 MW of solar PV were installed in Spain during calendar 2006. This is expected to double in 2007 making it larger than the entire North American market and to reach as much as 400 MW per year by 2010.

The Spanish market is characterized by large investor owned projects which use solar trackers to increase power output. According to Solar Plaza this is by far the most important segment of the market. In this application, the ability of the inverter to operate at full power all day long is a key competitive criterion. Unlike most inverters in the market, which must reduce power as ambient temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius, the SUNERGY inverter operates at full power all day in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.

We are confident that this feature will lead to additional orders in Spain and other southern European markets for other solar tracker applications.

- With the change in our manufacturing strategy, the Company was required to invest more capital in component inventory than would otherwise have been the case under our previous manufacturing partnership. To meet the need for additional liquidity, we raised $2.19 million, issuing limited partnership units exchangeable into common shares of the Company. The limited partnership units have been exchanged into 14,837,607 common shares (average $0.15 per share) effective January 31, 2007. The Company also established an export financing credit for $500,000 with a Canadian Chartered Bank and Export Development Canada.

- With combined funding from the US Air Force and Canada's National Research Council, Sustainable Energy we completed planned development of proprietary (patent pending) software algorithms which make the SUNERGY inverter interchangeable between grid-interactive and grid-independent applications.

The upgraded SUNERGY inverter will be the only product in its class which (i) can operated in a grid-interactive or grid-independent mode, (ii) is impervious to the elements, and (iii) which operates at full power with very high efficiencies in temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Celsius to more than 50 degrees Celsius.

Potential markets include (i) grid-interactive back up-power systems where solar and wind power can be used to charge batteries during grid outages but which can also generate revenues from sales to the power grid, as well as (ii) the emerging micro-grid market where solar and wind power is used in combination to reduce diesel fuel consumption and provide more stable, lower cost power for forward military and paramilitary installations, remote communities and long term disaster relief.

- Following year end, we reached an agreement with Belliss India Limited under which Belliss will build a commercial version the Chinook 250 vertical axis wind turbine for the Indian market. Bellis has been manufacturing steam turbines for the power industry in India for more than 40 years, and is an ideal partner to commercialize the Chinook design.

The Indian government has made a significant commitment to rural electrification, and there is a very sizable market across India for turbines in this power rating, as a diesel fuel saver. With an estimated cost of energy of about $0.06 per kWh, and a rugged, and very serviceable design, the Chinook 250 is ideal for the rural electrification market.

The project is underway and Belliss anticipates being in the market by year end. Sustainable has a right to back in to 25% of the business in India.

About Sustainable Energy

Based in Calgary Alberta, Sustainable Energy (www.sustainableenergy.com) develops manufactures and markets advanced power inverters for the renewable energy industry. Power inverters are strategic to the integration of new renewable energy technologies - solar and wind power, fuel cells, and energy storage systems - into the high quality power demands of the modern electrical grid.

JA Solar IPO Soars 30% in First Day Trading

By Yung Kim

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock of China's JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. , a maker of solar cells, rose as much as 30 percent in its U.S. market debut on Wednesday, boosted by a sunny outlook for alternative energy, analysts said.

The American Depository shares of JA Solar opened up 27 percent at $19.06 and rose as much as 30 percent to $19.50 on Nasdaq. Share prices slipped in late trading, closing at $17.80, a rise of 18.7 percent.

Each ADS represents three common shares, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company joins a burst of alternative energy offerings, still in the early stages of their development, said Argus Research analyst Kevin Calabrese.

Aided by improved technology, costs for manufacturing and use are subsiding as pressure mounts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Calabrese said.

"All of the solar cell manufacturers have been very hot," Calabrese said. "This is one that came out at a good price and at the right time."

Chinese solar companies in particular have capitalized on the trend with listings in the United States, analysts said...read more

China Shuns Solar Power Support

Solar power has the potential to be a growth industry in China but the nation's government does not seem keen on providing the support the sector needs, according to observers.

"Manufacturers are expanding their capacity, but I don't see a major drive to install solar power domestically," said Wang Xing, a senior program officer at the Energy Foundation's China Sustainable Energy Program.

"Right now there is not a very strong incentive program for solar power," he said.

The central government wants renewable energy sources to provide 10 percent of all energy consumed by the year 2010, up from about seven percent now. Its aim is for the figure to rise to 16 percent by 2020.

An industry source said hydro-electric capacity would likely by the top priority, followed by wind and solar power.

But experts said it was one thing to set lofty targets, and quite another to implement them, with few signs of a major government-funded push.

This was a problem, they said, because China's domestic solar power sector would continue to need government help in the near term since high installation costs and low returns deter entrants to the market.

Instead, most domestic manufacturers are gearing production towards the export market while looking to tap public investment in projects such as electrification programs in the countryside.

"It's a rural market ... at the moment," said William Wallace, a senior technical advisor at the project management office for the United Nations Development Program and Global Environmental Facility.

Industry analysts said that one of solar energy's largest obstacles was an inability to link small scale power production units to a larger power grid...read more

China Shuns Solar Power Support

Solar power has the potential to be a growth industry in China but the nation's government does not seem keen on providing the support the sector needs, according to observers.

"Manufacturers are expanding their capacity, but I don't see a major drive to install solar power domestically," said Wang Xing, a senior program officer at the Energy Foundation's China Sustainable Energy Program.

"Right now there is not a very strong incentive program for solar power," he said.

The central government wants renewable energy sources to provide 10 percent of all energy consumed by the year 2010, up from about seven percent now. Its aim is for the figure to rise to 16 percent by 2020.

An industry source said hydro-electric capacity would likely by the top priority, followed by wind and solar power.

But experts said it was one thing to set lofty targets, and quite another to implement them, with few signs of a major government-funded push.

This was a problem, they said, because China's domestic solar power sector would continue to need government help in the near term since high installation costs and low returns deter entrants to the market.

Instead, most domestic manufacturers are gearing production towards the export market while looking to tap public investment in projects such as electrification programs in the countryside.

"It's a rural market ... at the moment," said William Wallace, a senior technical advisor at the project management office for the United Nations Development Program and Global Environmental Facility.

Industry analysts said that one of solar energy's largest obstacles was an inability to link small scale power production units to a larger power grid...read more

MMA Renewable Funds $39 Million in Solar Projects Q4 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC ("MuniMae") (NYSE:MMA) today announced that it financed $39 million worth of new solar energy projects in the last quarter of 2006. MMA Renewable Ventures completed the year having financed six projects nationwide from its pipeline of more than eight MW of new renewable energy systems. "The six solar projects financed in 2006 illustrate our ability to manage sophisticated renewable energy deals to successful completion," said Matt Cheney, Chief Executive Officer of MMA Renewable Ventures. "Theprojects are diverse in terms of geographic location, regional incentives, technology deployment and end user requirements. One thing they have in common is an effective third-party finance solution tailored by MMA Renewable Ventures to fit their specific developer and customer needs." Located throughout California and New Jersey, the six mid- to
large-scale photovoltaic systems financed in 2006 will deliver predictably priced electricity to three corporate and three municipal energy customers. MMA Renewable Ventures tailored both power purchase agreements (PPA) and lease arrangements to streamline financing for the projects. The third-party finance solutions removed the upfront cost to the customers, in
turn accelerating business for MMA Renewable Ventures' solar developer and installer partners.
"With $39 million worth of solar projects financed within the past three months, 2006 marked a milestone year for MuniMae's growing renewable energy business line," said Michael L. Falcone, Chief Executive Officer of MuniMae. "As the industry embarks on what is projected to be another significant growth year for renewable energy, MMA Renewable Ventures is
well-positioned to increase the pace of its debt and equity financing." About MMA Renewable Ventures A wholly-owned subsidiary of MuniMae, MMA Renewable Ventures manages,
operates and finances renewable energy assets in the United States. The Company provides customized financial solutions through leases and Power Purchase Agreements to build distributed clean energy generation plants. MMA Renewable Ventures is dedicated to delivering competitively priced, clean energy for customers, strong partnership options for project
developers, and exceptional opportunities for institutional investment in the renewable energy sector. For more information about MMA Renewable Ventures, visithttp://www.mmarenewableventures.com Statements in this press release that are not historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Examples of such statements in this press release include our expectations of future investment sponsorships. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance
that our expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include completion of the audit of our financial statements, completion of pending investments, continued ability to originate new investments, the mix of business between tax-exempt and taxable activities, the availability and cost of capital for future investments, competition within the finance and real estate industries, economic conditions, loss experience and other risks detailedfrom time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell any securities of
MuniMae or any other entity.

Ted Turner Turns to Solar Energy

ATLANTA, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Ted Turner today announced the launch of a new business venture to provide clean power solutions. Turner will partner with Dome-Tech Solar, a leading solar energy developer, based in Branchburg, New Jersey to create DT Solar, a Turner renewable energy company. DT Solar will initially focus on providing on-site solar electric power systems for commercial and industrial clients, as well as developing larger, utility-scale solar power plants in the southwestern United States. "Our future depends on changing the way we use energy," said Turner."We've got to move away from fossil fuels and develop long-term energy solutions that work. Using clean energy technologies, such as solar power, is the right thing to do, and it represents a tremendous business opportunity." The new Turner renewable energy company, DT Solar, will build off ofthe recent success of Dome-Tech Solar, a fast-growing top-tier provider ofcommercial and industrial solar power systems. The company plans for
immediate expansion into several U.S. markets, including California, whichhas recently launched a $3 billion, ten-year program to increase the use of solar power in the state. "We are delighted to partner with a business leader of Ted Turner's caliber,'' said Tom Kuster, DT Solar's CEO. "Ted has a passion for protecting the environment, an incredible vision and a proven ability to
build a successful business enterprise. We look forward to working with him to bring clean and renewable energy solutions to a broad spectrum of energy users in the U.S. as well as globally."
Ted Turner is chairman of the United Nations Foundation, the Turner Foundation, and co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (co-chaired with Senator Sam Nunn). He is also chairman of Turner Enterprises Inc., which oversees Turner's two million acres of private landholdings in 14 western states, as well as his 40,000-head bison herd. In addition, Turner

co-founded the restaurant chain Ted's Montana Grill. Turner is most known as the visionary behind such cable networks as CNN, TBS, TNT and the Cartoon Network. Turner is the recipient of numerous civic and industry awards and honors, including being named Time Magazine's 1991 Man of theYear. Dome-Tech Solar develops and builds large-scale solar energy systemsfor commercial, industrial and institutional clients. It was founded in 2003 and has rapidly grown into one of the nation's largest developers of on-site solar power generation. To learn more about the company, visit http://dtsolar.com.

Solar Power Provider CEEG Plans U.S. IPO

CEEG Nanjing PV-Tech, a Nanjing-based solar power equipment builder, plans to raise up to US$200 million from an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) this year.The company, which started production in 2005, joins other six Mainland solar power companies to raise funds via IPOs overseas. Trina Solar raised US$98 million in December last year on the NYSE.

Homeowners Free to Sell Solar Power In Hudson Valley

The solar power industry in the mid-Hudson has been rebooted. A state cap on the amount of home solar power that can be generated has been lifted a notch in the territory of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.

That means homeowners interested in adding photovoltaic systems can get back in the game. They may not have known they were out of it, but one local installer says the limit was being encountered last year.

“It’s wonderful news for us,” said Jeff Irish, president of Hudson Valley Clean Energy in Rhinebeck. “Without it, solar installations in the Central Hudson territory would have ground to a sudden halt.”

Central Hudson said Friday it had received an OK from the state Public Service Commission to boost the limits of how much power can be generated in its net-metering program. That’s where home-generated excess power is fed back into the grid, running the meter backward and saving the homeowner money...read more