CleanTech OC Daily - 3/1/12

Former President Bill Clinton Highlights Methane Potential in ARPA-E Speech
Submitted by FlexEnergy: FlexEnergy was proud to attend the third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit this week in Washington, DC.  During the event, former President Bill Clinton provided a keynote that highlighted several policy areas, including the importance of methane-to-energy projects, such as those offered by FlexEnergy.  As explained in GreenTech Media’s summary of the speech:

[Clinton] noted that there was no reason the U.S. shouldn’t have a federal finance model for capturing GHG from landfills and agricultural waste. A successful model could also be an example for the rest of the world. Unlike transmission, Clinton did not offer an example of what that might look like, especially with low natural gas prices. One firm that was at ARPA-E, FlexEnergy, can work with low-quality methane making the payback potentially achievable for municipalities with landfill gas that is currently being flared. The technology, however, is still young and is in pilots.

In Orange County, the FlexEnergy system of eight powerstations is expected to pay for itself in five to six years based on the revenue from the gas, and how much will be saved in fees to monitor and maintain the flare that currently burns the methane at the landfill. Theoretically, a federal policy that regulated the treatment of landfill gas could help scale methane capture and processing technologies.

Review Of “2012 Global Cleantech Directory: 100 Cleantech Lists That Matter”
Shawn Lesser provides a resource guide that highlights cleantech facts, initiatives, and industry influencers from around the world.

Attractive Options for Modular Energy Architecture: the Bloom Energy Server

Bloom Energy Corporation of Sunnyvale, CA introduced the Bloom Energy Server, a solid oxide fuel cell technology which promises to offer “a cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable alternative to both today’s electric grid as well as traditional renewable energy sources.” The server uses lower cost materials, efficiently converts fuel to electricity, runs on renewable or traditional fuels, and is more easily deployed and maintained.