Environmental News, Articles & Information | Global Warming News | EcoWorld

Last month one of the leaders in providing enabling technology for the smart grid, GridPoint, Inc., conducted a public demonstration of their “smart charging” software. This took place at an EV conference sponsored by the Electric Drive Transportation Association. As we reported in an earlier feature “Smart Grid Enablers – GridPoint,” the move to a more electricity centric automotive fleet depends on transformative innovation and massive investment occurring not only in the automotive industry, but in the utility sector. Moreover, these developments have to occur in a closely coordinated manner, in order to yield a new paradigm where a smart grid interacts virtually continuously with smart cars.

David Kaplan, VP of Electric Vehicle Management at GridPoint, described some of the features of their product, which might be described as enterprise software for the smart utility, which in order to function needs to be implemented not only at the utility, but requires modules that operate on client platforms such as large home appliances, home electricity meters, and electric vehicles.

For example, the owner of an electric vehicle will recharge the battery when the car is parked at their home, but they may also use remote charging stations. But because wherever the car gets recharged, both the car and the charging station are in direct communication with the utility, as Kaplan puts it, “our goal is for the owner to get one bill regardless of where they charge their vehicle, because the charge points in public spaces will use our system to provide a roaming charge, appearing on a single bill.”

When asked how much GridPoint’s software may add to the price of the car, Kaplan said “we think the amount is small, the ultimate aim is eventually to have the technology footprint on the car be 100% software.”

Kaplan also noted “there could be incentive programs to the owner where if they do smart charging they get better electricity rates.”

The notion of “smart charging” is an area where vehicles can actively participate in load balancing on the power grid, eliminating the need for new investment in “peaking” electric power plants that only operate during times of high electricity demand. Using cars to store electricity and return this power to the grid – almost as a personal energy arbitrage agent for every vehicle owner – is not necessarily practical, primarily because the differential between peak rates and off-peak rates for a consumer will not translate into enough arbitrage profits to justify the wear caused by cycling the automobile battery between charged and discharged states.

Even if cars are only charged and discharged for the exclusive purpose of driving, however, controlling when these cars are charged can greatly reduce loads on the grid. Instead of arriving home every evening and plugging the EV in to begin charging for the next morning’s commute – precisely during peak demand – a smart car will wait until after prime time, after the millions of electricity guzzling flat screen TVs are off for the night, for example, and then begin its charge cycle. Smart discharging into the grid may not make sense for the owner of an EV, but smart recharging helps everyone – the EV owner pays off-peak rates, and the utility avoids having to build a peaking power plant.
post resumes below image

Example of a remotely accessed report of an individual EV’s charging and energy consumption profile. (Image: GridPoint, Inc.)

To make this possible, EVs require power management systems that include IP addressable devices that can communicate with charging stations, and in-turn, with the electricity utility. GridPoint is at the forefront of this effort. Kaplan noted they are working closely with several around the U.S., including Seattle City Light, Austin Energy, Duke Energy, and several others to be announced later this year. Gridpoint is also working with automakers, including General Motors, whose Chevy Volt is probably the closest vehicle with an all-electric drivetrain to mass production.

To view an actual demonstration of the ability of GridPoint’s software to allow a utility to remotely control the rate of charging of an individual EV battery pack, view this GM/GridPoint Smart Charging Demo video.

When innovative buildings pop up in the news, no one is ever surprised to hear that the next architectural wonder will be built in the UAE. Dubai, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi all seem to be competing in the green building department.

The eventual goal is for buildings to generate much of their own energy. Burj-al-Taqa (translated to mean energy tower), which will hopefully break ground in Dubai soon, follows this principle and will supposedly be completely self-sufficient.

Plans for its creation began in 2007 when the German architect Eckhard Gerber, dreamt up the design. Virtual images of the building popped up in hundreds of articles and we all wondered if this candle-shaped building would revolutionize the green building industry.
post resumes below image

The proposed Burj-al-Taqa zero-energy skyscraper.

A couple of interesting differences between this burj and all the rest, is its cyclindrical shape and the building materials used-both meant to help dissipate the heat. The tubular design is meant to minimize the surface area exposed to the sun while the special vacuum glazing used on the glass covering the entire structure will also help keep the heat out. This type of glass was only recently made available.

Burj-al-Taqa’s architects are also learning from history: Ancient Arabian houses used energy efficient technologies at a time when there were no other alternatives. (It is ironic how many buildings are reverting back to older technologies these days.) These old homes used a natural air conditioning system that sucked cold air into the living space via lateral vents which in turn forced the hot air out into the 120 degree summer heat.

The Spiegel describes how Burj al-Taqa hopes to use a similar process with their in-depth article: “The negative pressure created by winds breaking along the tower will suck the spent air from the rooms out of the building via air slits in the façade. The plan is for fresh air to be pumped into the interior of the building by means of a duct system at the same time.”

It doesn’t stop there. Seawater running through the cellar and under each floor will cool the air, while a large wind turbine on the roof of the 322 meter building will help generate enough electricity to power the skyscraper. Massive photovoltaic facilities will help charge the rest of the power grid.

After construction, burj-al-Taqa will be the 22^nd tallest building in the world, but if all goes well, it will tower above the rest when it comes to energy efficiency.

Editor’s Note: For more on buildings like the burj-al-Taqa, a very interesting website we have uncovered is the skyscraper category of “Jetson Green,” dedicated reporting on innovative green building design.

TWP is a non-profit organization based in Fort Collins, Colorado with a mission to improve people’s lives by helping communities to protect, conserve, and manage the natural resources upon which their long-term well-being depends. Trees Water & People was founded in 1998 by Stuart Conway and Richard Fox in order to establish reforestation, watershed protection, appropriate technology, and environmental education programs in Central America, the Caribbean, and the American West. Since its inception, TWP has achieved notable successes in its programs that have been recognized in many ways, including receiving the prestigious Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2005. Additionally, TWP has received media coverage by the BBC, CNN International, National Geographic, Worldwatch Magazine, and National Public Radio, among others. The organization’s efforts are guided by the principles that natural resources are best protected when local people play a substantial role in their care and management, and that preserving local trees, wetlands, and watersheds is essential for the ongoing social, economic, and environmental health of communities everywhere.

Using this approach, TWP has established local tree nurseries and reforestation projects across Central America, which help to combat the area’s severe deforestation. Also in this region, TWP has introduced fuel-efficient stoves into numerous communities. TWP’s improved stoves are an alternative to traditional 3-stone open fire cookstoves. Traditional cooking methods threaten the health of families due to toxic smoke that is trapped inside the kitchen. Furthermore, traditional stoves use more firewood than necessary. The stoves that TWP has developed with Aprovecho Research Center use 50% – 70% less firewood. To date, TWP has built approximately 27,000 stoves and planted 2.5 million trees in Central America.

TWP also works in the American West. An important project currently expanding across North American reservations is the Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program. This program involves local residents in the production, installation and maintenance of solar heating systems in order to reduce exorbitantly high utility bills common in reservation communities. Additionally, TWP volunteers and community members plant shade and windbreak trees at homes on the reservations. The benefits of this program are extensive. In particular, the program reduces the reliance of native peoples on harmful fuel sources, frees up limited family income to be used on other necessities, and provides a link between the people and their traditional beliefs of harmony with nature and responsible stewardship of Mother Earth.

In following their guiding principles for conservation and protection efforts, TWP has developed programs specific to each participating country that promote active local participation in projects.

Tree Nurseries in Nicaragua

An innovative example of one of TWP’s community partnerships in Nicaragua is the Forest Replacement Association (FRA). Currently, TWP is working with a partner NGO in Nicaragua, PROLEÑA, to assist in the establishment of these cooperatives. The emergence of FRAs has been significant in their ability to provide a sustainable local source of wood instead of relying on the destruction of forests for wood resources FRAs operate as partnerships between farmers and fuelwood consumers such as local industry and domestic stove users. In running an FRA, the first step is the establishment of a local nursery to raise tree seedlings. Farmers participating in the FRA partnership are then given seedlings from the local nursery to grow on their own land. The farmers are motivated to participate by a guarantee that once the seedlings have matured, the local fuelwood consumers will provide a market for the resource at a fair-market price. By providing fuelwood to consumers on a local level, FRAs supply an alternative so that the devastating environmental effects of deforestation can be avoided. Additionally, they create an opportunity for income generation for local farmers. So far the FRAs have sold over 1,750,000 tree seedlings to farmers to be grown for sustainable firewood.

Improved Woodstoves in Honduras

In Honduras, TWP’s Micro-Enterprise Stove Project was designed to address the adverse effects of traditional open cookstoves in the homes of Hondurans. The traditional cooking methods produce significant toxic smoke, which is trapped inside the kitchen, leading to severe Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), which can lead to respiratory disease, cataracts, low birthweight babies, and miscarriage. In addition, traditional cookstoves consume large amounts of fuelwood and this contributes to the rapid depletion of native forests. TWP, Aprovecho Reseach Center, and the Honduran Association for Development (AHDESA), have jointly developed several fuel-efficient, healthy stove designs, ranging in price from $10 to $120, that address these problems across Honduras.

Besides offering concrete solutions to the problems of deforestation and IAP, TWP’s Micro-Enterprise Stove Project in Honduras involves community members in stove production, installation, and advocacy to increase opportunity and gain local involvement. Together with a local community, TWP is implementing plans that are making a difference in the lives of many Hondurans. To date, TWP and AHDESA have built more than 13,000 Justa and EcoStoves in Honduras.

Improved Charcoal Stoves in Haiti

In recent news, TWP has initiated a similar stove program in Haiti. Less than 2% of Haiti’s native forests remain today. A cycle of perpetual political and economic instability has led to severe depletion of the country’s resources and has left the vast majority of the population living in extreme poverty. TWP is addressing the situation with an affordable version of the Rocket stove. In Haiti, the traditional cooking method utilizes charcoal. With an understanding that it is best to develop a solution that is locally appropriate, TWP has modified their designs and come up with a clay version of the Rocket stove to use this traditional fuel. The charcoal is burned more efficiently in these stoves and the pressure on natural resources is reduced.

Renewable Energy for Tribal Lands

Within the U.S., TWP has established the Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program to serve Native American families on reservations. The program began when we learned of the extremely high utility bills on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Many residents of the reservation often spend more than 70% of their cash income on electricity or propane to heat their homes – expensive and environmentally damaging choices inconsistent with traditional Native American beliefs about responsible stewardship of the Earth. This channeling of their income towards utilities limits their ability to provide other family necessities such as food, medicine and clothing.

In response, TWP collaborated with local community members at Pine Ridge to implement a comprehensive conservation project. One part of the program is the strategic planting of trees to save families up to 20% in utility costs by sheltering homes from the winter wind and summer sun. Another component of the Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program is the installation of supplemental solar heating systems. By harnessing the sun’s natural power through solar energy, these heaters are an important sustainable part of the TWP program. The heating systems provide relief from high utility bills, supply an environmentally-friendly heating alternative, and contribute to the well-being of families on the reservation by providing warmth.

TWP’s partnership with one community leader in particular, Henry Red Cloud, has led to the creation of one of America’s first and only 100% Native American-owned renewable energy company – Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE). LSE has taken the initiative to begin manufacturing and installing solar heating systems. Local heating system production is important because it keeps the revenue from these units on the reservation, and jobs are created in a location where unemployment exceeds 80%.

TWP’s Tribal Lands Renewable Energy Program has already had considerable success and is gaining momentum in Native American communities all across the Great Plains. In 2006, TWP joined the Clean Energy Education Project of the nearby Rosebud Reservation – a demonstration of the potential for harnessing solar and wind energy through small-scale applications. As part of this pilot project, TWP and LSE helped install a residential-sized wind turbine and solar electric system for a Rosebud family in 2007. Through a partnership with Winona LaDuke and her Honor the Earth organization, TWP has now conducted solar heat workshops and installations in ten reservation communities in seven states across the Great Plains. To meet the increasing demand for practical knowledge and training in renewable energy applications among Native Americans, TWP and Henry Red Cloud established the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center at Pine Ridge in 2007. The Center will serve as a residential training facility, resource center and information clearinghouse where tribal leaders can come to learn about renewable energy developments from other Native Americans.

As we quite rightfully expose and attempt to rid our society of corruption in the corporate and financial sectors, and as we support legislation to root out the excessive influence they have exercised in politics, it is a mistake to allow such efforts to blind us to the reality of corruption in other areas. Over the past 25 years, and especially in the last 10 years, the public sector of the United States has been increasingly controlled by labor unions. At the local and state level, in many cases the power of public employee unions has become near absolute, as they use often mandatory dues from their members to decisively influence political campaigns.

The idea that workers in the public sector should control the public sector, and make or break the careers of politicians who are determining their compensation, is something most people would agree is a conflict of interests. But that is exactly what has happened. The result is government workers receiving pay and benefits far greater than what they ever made historically. In turn this is leading to severe government budget deficits across the United States, resulting in calls for more taxes at a time when small businesses are already struggling.

There is a website called www.pensiontsunami.com that has been tracking one of the most eggregious examples of public sector union influence on our politics and public finance, which is the totally unsustainable pensions being promised public employees. At one time these pensions were a reasonable way for public employees to justify working for less annual salary – but under union pressure, these pensions have been relentlessly increased, often retroactively, at the same time as public employee salaries have also been increased to the point where most public employees – especially nonmanagement employees who are by far the most numerous – are paid far in excess of what they could make in the private sector.

Even now, as the economy slows down, public sector unions continue to demand increased pay and benefits. Here is a smattering of links provided on PensionTsunami’s website just today:

Fiscal Day of Reckoning – Orange County Register:

“…comes today as the [Fullerton City] council votes on a union-approved contract to increase most government workers’ pensions by 25 percent retroactive to the employee’s hire date. Currently, retiring Fullerton employees receive as much as 60 percent of their final year’s pay; the new plan would boost that to 75 percent of final year’s pay.”

Vallejo Unions Cry for More Money – Vallejo Independent Register:

“If you told me I would be a critic of union misbehavior a few years ago I would not have believed you. I am a socially liberal, but fiscally conservative left leaning Democrat. I have always considered unions to be critical and necessary to protect workers from exploitation. I still believe that to some degree, but the level of abuse in Vallejo is beyond anything I could have imagined. The unions have become the exploiters.”

These are just two articles out of usually about a dozen links that are posted every day on PensionTsunami, but they are fairly representative. The phenomenon of union control over local and state governments occurs across the United States, and the financial impact of this is incalculable. It is a huge factor in California’s near bankruptcy. Consider:

(1) Direct wages and current benefits (such 50 or more paid days off per year – not including the common “9/80″ programs which add another 26 paid days off per year) inflate the costs of government by 50% or more, given most of the expense of government is for salaries and wages for government employees (ref. California’s Deficit).

(2) Management’s role is limited by unions, for example, public sector union contracts often require more people present to perform a job than is required. In general, union interests to serve their members are intrinsically in conflict with the public interest. This exacerbates the intrinsic conflict of interest within government agencies that already leads to big government – create dependency, then hire more government workers, and as dependency breeds dependency, hire still more. It is not easy to differentiate between a government program that performs a legitimate need – plenty of those – and programs that create more needs than they alleviate. Having government bureaucrats, through their unions, control our elections, is not a way to make this tough challenge any easier.

(3) Future benefits, such as early retirement, generous pensions, and health care for life, represent costs whose present value (at a discount rate of 3-5%, not 8-12%) must be applied to the limited years unionized public employees work. Many government employees fail to appreciate just how much this adds to what they are actually making per year.

(4) Public employee pension funds are naturally put under huge pressure to overestimate the rates of return they can earn, lulling policymakers into thinking these huge wage and benefit concessions are financially sustainable. In turn these funds are under pressure to ignore (or even lobby in favor of) unsustainable lending practices in order – ironically given they are long term investment funds – to keep their investments delivering high returns in the short term. These pressures become mutually reinforcing and spiral out of control (ref. Inflation or Deflation?).

(5) As unions become more powerful in government, they continue to expand the requirements for companies doing business with the government. Imagine if Californians solved their transportation challenges by hiring a Chinese contractor to build and widen freeways. It might cost 1/10th what it would otherwise cost. Imagine if unions didn’t work hand in hand with environmentalists to block all new construction, thus forcing costs higher and higher – something that also fueled the real estate bubble (ref. Unions Aren’t Green, and CEQA Hijacked).

(6) All of these costs are passed directly to the taxpayers – it might take a while (ref. Bonds are Taxes), but the taxpayer always pays. And there are indirect costs. Try getting health insurance as a small business. The reason rates are so high is partially because the insurance companies have negotiated to provide benefits to public sector unions at discount rates, and they have to recoup those discounts by billing small businesses at far higher rates.

(7) This is perhaps the biggest problem of all, and the reason we cover this issue on a website oriented to environmental issues. Public employee unions influence policy. Despite rail transit being almost always (there are a few cases, yes, where rail transit makes sense) a far less efficient solution to transportation challenges than simply widening roads and adding busses to public transit services, light rail gets built. This is because not only do union contractors build the light rail infrastructure, but they then get to control it. Light rail is a job creation machine for public sector unions.

There are several qualifiers to all this. We are not against the ideals of unions – only the idea that unions should control our government, or the idea that we should reform Wall Street and Corporate America but turn a blind eye to the excessive power of unions (ref. Unions, Ideals vs. Reality). Equally important, we are not libertarians. There is nothing wrong at all with taxpayer supported government services and government financed infrastructure. But it has to be good services, and good infrastructure – i.e., a cost-effective solution to a real need (ref. Green Public Works).

Incoming President Obama has strong ties to unions, although the breadth of his financial support came from such a variety of sources we may yet hope he will adopt a balanced stance. The nightmare scenario is an Obama administration that continues the trajectory we are on, thanks to underregulated unions and extreme environmentalists, where carbon-related regulations and global warming concerns will be used as the pretext to monitor every aspect of our lives, creating a new layer of “green” taxation that will cripple small businesses while the rich get richer and the only way you can survive as a member of the middle class is if you work as a unionized employee for a government entity.

Many people will have a negative reaction to the sentiments expressed here, and that is understandable. But before failing to consider that any of this might be valid, and before failing to consider what might constitute appropriate reform and what might constitute a sustainable financial restructuring for the public sector, consider this: Try to go out and start one of those small businesses. Try to build something, try to develop property, try to get a permit or fill out a fee application, try to hire and manage employees, try to raise financing, try to sell a product. You may find it isn’t as easy as you think. Try to get a job in a successful company in the private sector that pays – taking into account the present value of future benefits – $150K per year – which is what most public employee jobs are worth when you normalize for all the vacation, early retirement, health benefits, and overtime. They aren’t out there. Most everyone respects and appreciates the work done by public sector employees – which makes this a difficult topic to discuss rationally. But unions should care about all workers. And public sector employees should understand the profitable health of the private sector is the only reason they have jobs.

For alternatives to the tyranny of public sector unions and big environmentalism, read Principles of New Suburbanism, A Centrist Agenda for Obama, and Rational Environmentalism, or anything in our Politics category.

Every ship of dreams eventually encounters the rocks of reality. (Photo: EcoWorld)

Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009Final program confirmed featuring the latest in industry developments, applications and technology

PORTLAND, Maine, January 6, 2009 —IntetechPira, a leading conference and research organization is pleased to announce the final program for the 7^th annual Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009 set for March 31 – April 2, 2009 at the Hilton Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA, US.

Co-Chaired by Richard Smith, ANA Strategic System Group and Andrew Burke of the University of California Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, this year’s program is designed to help current and prospective users, integrators and suppliers of advanced power systems understand modern energy storage and delivery challenges for power intensive applications and identify business opportunities and realities with adopting advanced capacitors and capacitor hybrid systems to solve application energy requirements. Speakers will discuss the latest market trends and developments, power engineering and integration strategies, design and business implications and costs associated with advanced power systems for various applications, including transportation, automotive, power and consumer electronics and renewable energy.

Market Overview and industry developments:

Bobby Maher of M Cubed Consulting will start off the program with a comprehensive overview of ultracapacitor market trends and technology advancement and David Alexander from IVUS Energy Solutions, creator of the patented FlashPoint Power Technology, will address serious challenges that arise when developing capacitors for the market. Andy Burke of UC Davis will provide an engaging comparison of ultracapacitors and advanced battery technology in terms of performance, cost and versatility, while John Miller of Maxwell Technologies will show how the two technologies can be best applied in tandem. A panel presentation from members of the investment community will conclude the morning session and will provide insight on how to secure funding in uncertain economic times.
John Skibinski of Eaton Corporation will shed light on the growing demand for advanced energy storage technologies for wind and solar applications. Speakers from Volvo Technology Corporation, General Electric and NREL will discuss engineering energy storage systems for hybrid electric vehicles and heavy hybrids. Aerospace applications will be explored with presentations from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and company partner PC Krause and Associates and additional new and emerging applications will be covered by Jin Song of Nesscap.

Olgierd Paluskinski of the University of Arizona and M Grant Norton of GoNano Technologies will discuss the latest work with improving the energy density of capacitors. Paluskinski will also discuss how his group has used nanotechnology to achieve better performance and reduced cost for photovoltaics applications serving to reduce fluctuations in output power while increasing conversion efficiency. Yuri Maletin of APowerCap Technologies will reveal how nano-engineered capacitors using inexpensive nanoporous carbon material can lead to improved performance, while reducing cost, in automotive, hand-tools, energy quality and power management applications and systems.

Applications and technology:

Additional presentations from ISE Corporation, Ionix Power Systems LLC, Sigma Technologies International, Rockport Capital and Battery Ventures will also be featured.

As one of the worlds leading forums for discussing the latest technical advances and market trends in the EC industry, IntertechPira’s Advanced Capacitors World Summit 2009 is a dynamic industry event, providing a unique opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge and network with global leaders from around the world.

For complete program details and registering options, please visit: www.advancedcapacitorsws.com

Members of the press interested in attending, to find out if you qualify for a complimentary press pass, please contact Press Officer Sheri Bonnell at sheri.bonnell@pira-international.com or +1 207 781 9637.

IntertechPira is pleased to announce that the 3^{rd annual Organic Photovoltaics 2009 conference is scheduled for April 27 – 29, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, US. Co-Chaired by Russell Gaudiana, of Konarka Technologies Inc. and Dr. Dana Olson of the NREL, this year’s program will provide a unique venue for industry experts, researchers, customers and investors to address the opportunities and most critical challenges for the commercialization of OPV technologies.}Drawing in part on key examples from the OLED and printed-electronics industries, this forum will provide a multifaceted examination of what is required to transform today’s laboratory-based technologies into large-scale commercial products. Discussion of technological requirements and manufacturing considerations will be complemented by an analysis of market forces to identify not only when OPVs will be widely commercialized, but what role they will play in the context of a growing PV industry.

^{www.intertechpira.com or www.organicphotovoltaics2009.com}

^{.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Speaker recruitment is now underway.

To submit a topic for consideration, or to request more details, please contact Jessica Johnson at ^{jessica.johnson@pira-international.com or +1 207 781 9626. Members of the press interested in attending}

, to find out if you qualify for a complimentary press pass, please contact Sheri Bonnell at ^{sheri.bonnell@pira-international.com or +1 207 781 9637.}

Building on the success from the 2008 edition, IntertechPira is pleased to announce the 4^{th annual Photovoltaics Summit 2009 is set for June 1 – 3, 2009 at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, CA, US.} Co-Chaired by Dr Jean Posbic, Director of Projects of BP Solar

^{and Dr Tom Surek, PV Consultant and former PV Program Manager of NREL, this year’s program will provide a versatile examination of the current PV market and offer viable solutions from industry leaders. Derived form real case studies, conference sessions will focus on the latest government initiatives including policy changes and the role of utilities, global market and economic trends, technology updates within the manufacturing and materials sectors, overviews of current solar thermal and concentrated solar power applications and thin film and organic PV technical challenges and end-user perspectives. Also featured in the program includes a complete financial analysis for venture capitalist investment and financing opportunities. With alternative energy on the rise, this conference provides an exclusive platform for anyone interested in learning how the US market is ready to move forward with the times.Conference structure:}

^{During plenary sessions, expert speakers will assess PV market trends, technical developments, and application related advances through presentations, question-and-answer sessions and panel discussions. Keynote presentations will be allocated 30 minutes for the speaker followed by 10 minutes for questions and discussion. All other presentations will be allocated 20 minutes for the speaker with 5 minutes or questions and discussion. Throughout the conference, there will be a number of networking events including hosted luncheons, breaks and receptions. For the most up-to-date program information visit:}

^{www.photovoltaicssummit.com.Two pre-conference seminars will be held prior to the conference on Monday, June 1.}

Upcoming conference:

^{Following Photovoltaics Summit 2009, we are also pleased to announce the first annual Concentrated Solar Thermal Power 2009 conference and exhibition set for June 4 – 5, 2009 at the Hotel Kabuki. This event will address opportunities and challenges for large scale solar electric generation through concentrated solar power thermal (CST) technologies. CST Power 2009 will bring together the entire energy supply chain ranging from material suppliers to utilities to discuss and debate issues affecting widespread adoption of CSP as a reliable and cost competitive energy source. Topics of discussion will include: assessment of utility scale solar power market and economic conditions (includes investing in solar technologies and federal incentives); technical updates and developments and case studies for implementing CST for large scale power generation. Program development is underway. For more information please visit}

^{www.cstpower-conference.com. A global effort}

^{IntertechPira is pleased to see the launch of the inaugural Photovoltaics Summit Europe as June 2009 becomes PV Month across our conference event platform. Due to take place on June 30 – July 2, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza Rome St Peter’s in Rome, Italy, this event will take stock of recent changes in PV markets across the whole of Europe, evaluate markets with in depth expert analysis and consider present and future investment trends. Both a networking event and source of the latest knowledge on the whole array of issues surrounding the photovoltaics supply chain, Photovoltaics Summit Europe will follow our proven event formula, bringing a fresh event to a new audience in Europe. For more information on this event including packaging prices with our US event visit:}

^{www.pvsummiteu.com Members of the press interested in attending, to find out if you qualify for a complimentary press pass, please contact Press Officer Sheri Bonnell at sheri.bonnell@pira-international.com or +1 207 781 9637.}