There is talk of keen interest in the auction of failed solar installer SolarShop, with a “number” of established industry players apparently getting the nod to do due diligence on the company, which is the largest independent solar installer in the country. As we reported last week, electricity retailers such as AGL and TruEnergy would likely be interested in the company – which has sales of around $70 million a year.

Origin currently leads the market, but while AGL lifted itself to around 5^th or 6^th spot with the purchase of Rezeko for $15 million, it may seek a broader national footprint. TruEnergy is not yet in the installation market, and some analysts have suggested they would be. There is also talk of a management team puttng together a bid, as well as (or including) Adrian Ferraretto one of the original founders of the business. A decision is expected by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, for an interesting read on the collapse of Solyndra – actually there are dozens in the US, but most focus on the political battle over cleantech – this one from Bloomberg  gives a new perspective on the sort of money, luxuries and grand dreams that had been invested by its executives. Amazing stuff.

Nuclear hopes

Thomas Fanning, the CEO of Southern Energy, has spoken of the critical importance of delivering the $US14 billion Vogtle project in Georgia on time and on budget, saying that the future of nuclear energy in the US will likely depend on it. Southern is about to go through a final hearing before it gets a licence to build and operate the two reactors, which will end a three-decade freeze on nuclear in the country caused by cost overruns, construction delays and new regulations after the Three Mile Island’s incident in 1979.

“We fully understand that this is the first nuclear project in a generation. And therefore it will have everyone’s attention,” Fanning told Bloomberg in an interview. “We’ve got to be successful. This is the first, best shot for the nuclear renaissance in America.”
Bloomberg said that about $US6.1 billion of the project’s costs will be met by Georgia electricity consumers through rate hikes, while the Obama Administration has pledged loan guarantees for another $US8.3 billion.
The plant is due to come on line by 2017.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysts said Vogtle will be a test not just for Southern, but for the future of centralised nuclear generation in America. “If the Vogtle project fails to meet its cost, timing and performance targets, it would be compelling evidence that the time for massive nuclear reactors is over, moving the nation toward smaller modular reactors or away from atomic power altogether,” they wrote. “In such an environment, even utilities in US regions where nuclear power has long been supported would hesitate to propose new construction.”

EV to grid

NRG Energy has entered into a venture with the University of Delaware to commercialize the technology that would allow for energy to be transferred sold from electric vehicles to the grid, a significant breakthrough, Greentech Media reports. The venture to be known as eV2g is one step closer to unlocking the technology to transfer and sell power from the vehicle and back onto the grid. The new consortium is aiming to identify a willing fleet by the end of the year that will test the technology, hoping it should be widely available in 2012 and 2013.

Trials are already underway in Denmark where the company Nuuve is piloting the technology in 30 vehicles across the Scandinavian country, Greentech reports. Nuuve are using vehicle to grid (V2g) technology that will also be used by eV2g and was developed by Professor Willett Kempton of the University of Delaware. Although the technology is still in its early days in the United States and Denmark, the technology could be available in Japan later this year. 

 Infigen goes community route

Infigen Energy will seek community feedback on the feasibility of a wind farm co-op at the proposed Flyers Creek site near Orange, New South Wales. If successful it would become the second co-op owned wind farm in Australia following the Hepburn site in central Victoria, but the first at utility scale. The move would see Australia join the growing trend of local communities owning a stake in the renewable energy sector. With the capacity to power 45,000 homes it is expected the Flyers Creek site will come at a cost of an estimated $200m and have the capability of 115MW derived from 44 wind turbines.

The proposed wind farm first came to light three years ago when Infigen Energy applied for construction to the NSW Planning department. Since then there have been several amendments to the application including the more recent in update in February 2011. The proposed wind farm would come within 2km of the Cadia Mine Operations in the Flyers Creek district, and be the second wind farm in the area at just 13km from the 15 turbine Carcoar site. Infigen Energy has organized a public meeting on 13 October 2011 at the Duntryleague golf course. Infigen said the meeting will give local residents the opportunity to discuss the proposal with company and allow residents to make recommendations to the co-op.