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EnviroDaq 100
(as of 30/05/08)

131.49

Today: +0.73
Last 7 days: +2.46

Boom Looming for Alternative Fuels as Oil Prices Soar
Oil prices have recently reached an all-time high and forecasts predict further rises in the coming months. This is welcome news to many suppliers of alternative energy who are predicting rapid growth as the output of global crude oil starts to fall, creating a growing market for sustainable energy.

Abyd Karmali, Merrill’s head of carbon emissions trading, said "Drivers in the oil market leading to higher oil prices, as well as expected more sustained carbon pricing... lead us to suggest that actually alternative energy is going to be commercially viable sooner than people anticipated."

Analysts and industry officials have predicted for decades that the world's oil output may soon plateau, but oil companies have downplayed the "peak oil" theory. BP data suggest the world has proven oil reserves of 1.2 trillion barrels, enough to sustain current output for 40 years.

To read more click here.

EU’s Largest Bio-Refinery to Begin Production Next Year
The largest bio-refinery in the European Union, being built by UK biofuels firm Ensus, will be up and running in the first half of 2009. The plant is being built in Wilton, north east England, and will make bioethanol and a protein-rich animal feed co-product from about 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes of British wheat.

Ensus, a start-up company which was acquired last year by two US private equity funds, the Carlyle Group and Riverstone, has a contract to sell all the bioethanol produced in Wilton to oil major Royal Dutch Shell, while Glencore will supply grain and take the animal feed.

The plant will be the first major bioethanol plant in Britain, producing around 330,000 tonnes of the biofuel - far larger than the current leader, a British Sugar facility in eastern England with an annual capacity of around 55,000 tonnes.

To read more click here.

Norway has Large Renewable Energy Export Potential
Sea-based wind parks off Norway could generate large amounts of energy for export to the European Union with investments totalling up to $44 billion by 2025, a report has indicated.

The report said that green exports from Norway, the world's number five oil exporter, could help the European Union towards a goal of obtaining 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro and wave power by 2020.

Such a shift towards green exports could have huge benefits for Norway, which often has to import power since its traditional hydro-power dams lag demand, especially in dry years. The report said that Denmark, Germany and Britain had done much more to develop wind power, both on land and in shallow waters, but that Norway had experience of deeper waters with offshore oil and gas.

To read more click here.

Economic Slowdown Challenges Solar Industry
Whilst rising oil prices are increasing the demand for alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, economic slowdown, regulatory conflicts and competition from China pose the main risks to the future growth of the solar industry, according to the head of the European Photovoltaic Industry Associations (EPIA).

"The two key elements for me are the regulatory conflict in Europe, particularly in Germany, with the revision of the feed-in law, and globally the economic slowdown," Adel El Gammal, secretary general of EPIA, said in an interview.

The European photovoltaic market grew at a rate of 41 percent in 2007 and is expected to grow 62 percent this year, reaching 7 gigawatt peak of annual installations by 2010, according to EPIA's policy-driven scenario.

To read more click here.

AEA Technology to make Aggregate Truck Drivers Greener
AEA Technology has been awarded a major new government-funded contract, worth up to £850,000, to manage a driver-development programme to support greener and safer driving amongst truck drivers in the aggregates sector.

This contract extends AEA's role managing programmes within the Department for Transport's Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) scheme which aims to encourage driving techniques that improve safety and save fuel, thereby cutting costs and CO2 emissions. Aggregates truck drivers achieve an average of 12% improvement in miles per gallon by participating in SAFED.

AEA's Programme Director, Chris Fry, said 'We are looking forward to working with aggregate companies who will be able to secure significant reductions in fuel costs and improved safety with SAFED. It is another example of how AEA is working with industry and government to tackle climate change through well designed eco-driving programmes.'

To read more click here.

High Speed Generator Contract for Turbo Power System
Turbo Power Systems Inc, the innovative electrical machines and electronic systems provider, has won a new contract with an international engineering corporation for the supply of a 1MW high-speed generator system based on the existing TPS design.

The initial order phase covers preliminary engineering activities and will be superseded by a final contract with an anticipated value in excess of US$1.5M. Follow-on systems beyond the initial development contract are expected in due course.

Commenting on the initial contract, Michael Hunt, Chief Executive Officer, said: "This contract is another good example of the way in which TPS through its technology has been able to attract orders from blue chip customers"

To read more click here.

D1 Oils to Trial Jatropha Production on Poor Soils in Indonesia
D1 Oils (D1), the biofuels technology company, is to carry out trials in Indonesia to assess the cultivation potential of Jatropha curcas, D1's principal biodiesel crop, in poor soil conditions on the island of Sumatra.

The Indonesian trials are the latest in a series of strategic research and development partnerships that D1 is developing worldwide, with the objective of gathering data to improve the cultivation and productivity of jatropha and other alternative biofuels crops in different regions, climates and soil conditions.

Commenting on the UNIB agreement, Dr Henk Joos, Director of D1's plant science programme, said "Jatropha can be grown on a wide range of soil types, including marginal land, and grows in drier areas than other food oil crops. We expect Indonesia to be a key area for Jatropha curcas cultivation, particularly in Sumatra and parts of Java where agricultural production is limited by low levels of soil nutrients."

To read more click here.

Axeon Win Major Long-term UK Supply Contract
Axeon Holdings plc, Europe's largest independent lithium-ion battery system supplier, has announced a major agreement worth at least £17.3 million from Allied Vehicles Ltd.

Axeon has agreed a contract to supply a minimum of 1000 lithium-ion battery packs to Glasgow based Allied Vehicles Ltd, to power a range of zero-emission vehicles for Allied's Zev Ltd subsidiary. Allied are building on their strong relationship with Peugeot to provide a 3.5 tonne rated delivery vehicle based on the Peugeot Boxer.

Hamish Grant, Chief Executive Officer of Axeon, said: "We are delighted that Allied/Zev has chosen us as partners. This agreement represents a major step forward, expanding our customer base. It highlights our clear capability in the lithium-ion battery arena and our ability to meet the stringent design and reliability needs of automotive customers.”

To read more click here.

Ludgate Invest £4m in Responsible Packaging Company
Ludgate Environmental Fund Limited has completed its investment of £4 million into Rapid Action Packaging Limited (RAP).

RAP specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of innovative, ergonomic, cost effective and environmentally responsible packaging systems, particularly for the "food on the move" marketplace.

The funds raised have been used to refinance loan capital in the Company and to accelerate RAP's next stage of growth with a strong focus on further expansion of the Company's international business.

To read more click here.

Camco Completes its acquisition of ClearWorld Energy Ventures
Camco International Limited has completed the acquisition of ClearWorld Energy Ventures Limited (CWEV). As part of Camco's clear strategy of service integration in the carbon market, the acquisition of CWEV is key to the creation of Camco's asset management business in China. This business will add to their existing services in China that cover carbon credit origination, carbon strategic advice & planning and carbon footprinting.

The acquisition of CWEV and its experienced management team will leverage the market leading position of the Camco brand name in China and enable the Group to create value through investments in underlying project assets and technologies.

Jeff Kenna, CEO of Camco, said "There is a growing demand for clean energy projects and technologies to reduce carbon emissions in China. It is a fast moving market and I am delighted that one of the most experienced and recognised clean energy teams are now part of the Camco Group.”

To read more click here.

SIT Win Two Orders Totalling $7m
Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. has won its first two orders from UPC Energy Management, a developer of solar energy projects in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, aggregating U.S. $7 million.

The orders are for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) roofing systems to be installed at two bottling plants in Greece owned by one of the world's largest bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages. The BIPV roofing systems will be owned and operated by UPC Energy Management under a long-term joint development agreement with the bottling company.

"What an exciting way to enter the emerging solar market in Greece," stated R. Randall MacEwen, President & CEO of Solar Integrated. "These two projects also mark our initial business with UPC Energy Management."

To read more click here.

Econergy Coal Mine Methane Capture Project Commissioned
Econergy International have announced that Vessels Econergy Cambria 33 Resources LLC, the Companies' coal mine methane capture project in Pennsylvania, was commissioned on 12th May 2008 and is delivering natural gas into the Dominion Peoples local distribution pipeline.

Cambria 33 will generate revenue from the sales of natural gas, which is priced at around $11.00 per mcf in the month of May and carbon credits as verified emissions reductions (VERs) which are sold in the U.S. and European voluntary markets.

Tom Stoner, CEO of Econergy International, said "Cambria is Econergy International's first development project to come on line and represents a significant milestone in the Company's progress. The U.S. remains one of the largest untapped markets for project-based greenhouse gas emission reductions and we are pleased to be at the forefront of this exciting market."

To read more click here.

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Novel polymers raise £5m
Clean plastics company Novel Polymer Solutions has raised a £5m second round. The Malvern-based company is commercialising a new patent-protected process for manufacturing polymers with near-zero emissions of volatile organic compounds. Early target markets include replacing PVC in buildings, protective clothing and transport applications.

The deal was led by cleantech investor Environmental Technologies Fund in its third investment. Other investors were Advantage Growth Fund, a regional venture capital fund which first backed the company in 2003, and private investors.

Eco-Solids gears up for market
Sewage treatment group Eco-Solids has raised a further £750,000 from existing investor Low Carbon Accelerator. The Hampshire-based firm holds the rights (outside the US) to a range of technologies which can help turn waste into burnable methane or biofuel.

The new investment has allowed Eco-Solids to recruit two experienced executives to drive its sales and commercial development, and is intended to kickstart a wider funding round.

To read more click here.

Venture News provided by Clean Ventures for EnviroDaq. To visit Clean Ventures, click here.

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The following case studies of companies in the EnviroDaq index were penned by the companies themselves and have not been edited by the EnviroDaq editor. We therefore accept no liability for the accuracy of the information contained within them and they should not be used as a prospectus for investment purposes.

Company: White Young Green

White Young Green (WYG) continues to be one of the industry’s most enterprising and successful multi-national companies. The Group is a national and international consultant to the built, natural and social environment, providing a wide range of complimentary engineering, environment, quantity surveying, town planning and management services to a diverse range of clients across both the public and private sectors. With a staff of over 3,200 across 30 offices worldwide, WYG is now one of the fastest growing multi-skilled professional consultancies in the industry, continually strengthening its offer through strategic acquisitions (35 over the past 10 years) and organic growth. Acquisitions since March 2007 include: DeLeeuw International (April), Savell Bird and Axon, one of the UK’s leading transport planning consultants (Aug), International Management Consultants Ltd (IMCL) (Aug), P H McCarthy, Ireland (Oct).

Under new Chief Executive Lawrie Haynes, the company is expanding its areas of expertise through its acquisitions, the creation of Management Services Ltd, incorporating acquired companies Tweeds and Trench Farrow. A strong business focus is being placed on addressing the issues of climate change and energy supply. 2007 saw the company move to gather a dedicated team of sustainability experts to provide a single point of contact for clients and staff to optimise the sustainability performance of their projects and operations. Coupled with this, WYG Energy was launched to provide solutions across the disciplines of planning, environmental consultancy and engineering to offer a sustainable and practical method of energy management.

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The EnviroDaq 100 Index is the first index for UK-listed environmental technology companies. It indexes the 100 largest UK-listed companies which derive at least 60% of their turnover from environmentally-focused goods and services. These include renewable energy; energy efficiency equipment; renewable materials; waste management; water and waste water treatment; air pollution control equipment; environmental monitoring and instrumentation; and cleaner technology processes.

The EnviroDaq 100 website (www.envirodaq.com) provides detailed company information, including key financials, company background, broker recommendations and investment ratios. It includes a graphing feature which allows you to create flexible and customisable share graphs for each of the EnviroDaq component securities.

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