Ener1 third D.O.E. recipient to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy

New York City-based battery maker Ener1 Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday, saying it plans to restructure its debt, add up to $81 million in new equity funding, and reorganize within 45 days. The filing is exactly a year since Vice President Joseph Biden visited Ener1 to highlight President Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union promise to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

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After solar dispute, U.S. probes Chinese and Vietnamese wind towers

The United States Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration has started an investigation into whether or not China and Vietnam are illegally subsidizing wind towers and dumping them on the U.S. market.

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Bill which puts hydrocarbon-based ethanol alongside biofuels filed

A bill which includes hydrocarbon-based ethanol alongside those derived from renewable sources in the United States Renewable Fuel Standard was introduced yesterday at the House of Representatives. House Resolution 3773 or the proposed Domestic Alternative Fuels Act of 2012 authored by republican Texas Representative Pete Olson seeks to amend section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act.

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Arizona solar project bags $13.5-million loan from N.A.D.B.

A 6.1-megawatt solar energy plant in Tucson, Arizona has been granted a loan of up to $13.5 million by the North American Development Bank, a financial institution governed by both the governments of the United States and Mexico, after the project was certified by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission.

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200-MW wave energy farm Costa Head in the works off Orkney

Two companies have signed up to jointly develop a 200-megawatt wave energy project off the coast of Orkney, northern Scotland. French engineering conglomerate Alstom and Scottish marine energy company SSE Renewables entered a joint venture agreement for obtaining permits for the Costa Head Wave Project at the Crown Estate’s Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Strategic Area.

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D.O.I., California agree to fast-track renewable energy projects

United States Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed a state-federal partnership to expedite the processing of utility-scale solar energy projects and more than 130 renewable energy projects in the state.

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Carbon tax: Australia moves forward as China mulls options

Australia’s Clean Energy Act 2011, commonly known as its carbon tax, has formally received Royal Assent. The bill, passed by Parliament in November last year, received the Royal Assent along with 21 others that are part of Australia’s Clean Energy Future Legislative Package. The administration of the Clean Energy Act 2011 will now start on April 2, in preparation for the introduction of a carbon price set at 23 Australian dollars a ton on July 1.

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European Commission awards I.B.M. data centers energy-efficient status

The European Commission awarded 27 of I.B.M.’s 35 data centers “Energy Efficient Status” based on the European Union Code of Conduct for Data Centers, representing the largest portfolio of data centers from a single company to receive the recognition.

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Norway-India research projects scout for low-carbon opportunities

Three low-carbon energy research projects in India are getting a total of around 18 million Norwegian kroner ($3 million) from the Research Council of Norway under a research cooperation program between the two countries. “The three projects that will now receive funding are in the areas of geology and wave energy. All of them have great potential for technological breakthroughs and commercial applications in both countries,” said Rune Volla, director of the council’s energy department.

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D.C. Circuit issues ruling to stay E.P.A.’s anti-air pollution rule

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a restraining order on the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule that was set to start last January 1. The E.P.A. directive requires utilities to adhere to stricter limits on nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide that cause soot and smog.

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