Alternative Energy Planet’s Daily News

TULSA, Okla., March 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Syntroleum Corporation (NasdaqGS:SYNM - News) today announced that it has received down payments in the amount of $13 million for technology transfers related to various technical agreements. The Company now believes it has sufficient cash to fund ongoing operations and its share of the remaining equity required to complete the Dynamic Fuels LLC facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The Dynamic Fuels Geismar facility remains on budget and on schedule for mechanical completion by the end of 2009 and plant start-up beginning in early 2010. A second Dynamic Fuels facility is under consideration and the Company is exploring and evaluating financing options for the second plant which includes the balance of payments due under the referenced technology agreements.

About Syntroleum

Syntroleum Corporation owns the Syntroleum(r) Process for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) conversion of synthesis gas derived from biomass, coal, natural gas and other carbon-based feedstocks into liquid hydrocarbons, the Synfining(r) Process for upgrading FT liquid hydrocarbons into middle distillate products such as synthetic diesel and jet fuels, and the Bio-Synfining(tm) technology for converting animal fat and vegetable oil feedstocks into middle distillate products such as renewable diesel and jet fuel. Together with Tyson Foods, Syntroleum is focused on siting, engineering and constructing plants that produce clean renewable synthetic diesel and jet fuel using low grade fats and greases as feedstock. The 50/50 venture - known as Dynamic Fuels - was formed to construct and operate multiple renewable synthetic fuel facilities, with production on the first site beginning in 2010. The Company plans to use its portfolio of technologies to develop and participate in synthetic and renewable fuel projects. For additional information, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.syntroleum.com.

The Syntroleum Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5984

BAYTOWN, TX–(MARKET WIRE)–Mar 25, 2009 — Sustainable Power Corp. (Other OTC:SSTP.PK - News) announced today the formation of Rhino Evergreen International S.R.L.: a Dominican limited liability company. Rhino Evergreen will be the entity which implements the Company’s core technologies in the Dominican Republic and is licensed with the Vertroleum(TM) technology, the Sustainable Produce Technology and the Emissions Remediation Technology. Rhino Evergreen has already commenced construction on its first plant on property donated by one of its key partners in the Dominican Republic. This project will be financed entirely through SSTP’s Dominican partners, with the precise acreage and amount of financing to be announced upon completion of accounting and definitive final documentation.

Sustainable Power Corp. holds 35% of the equity interest in Rhino Evergreen with key Dominican finance partners holding the balance. SSTP will have no obligation to fund this entity which will finance 100% of its planned operations through other partners.

“Our partners in the Dominican Republic completely understand the value of our technology and stand ready not only to immediately commence operations, but to provide 100% financing for everything we will do there,” said M. Richard Cutler, CEO of SSTP. “They have already pushed us to move forward with our first project which we have commenced. When the government gets behind a project, and affirmatively pushes key private sector partners, things happen very fast. We anticipate significant cash flow and profitability to SSTP from these projects in the very near term.”

About Sustainable Power Corp.

Sustainable Power Corp. is an international green energy total service provider focused on environmentally safe power generation. The company has the exclusive rights in the United States to develop and manage a portfolio of green energy plants utilizing a renewable fuel source able to be produced from non-food feed stock. For more information please visit www.SustainablePowerCorp.us.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM - News), a pioneer in the development of high-performance specialty enzymes and next-generation cellulosic ethanol, today announced it has signed an agreement with Alfa Laval, a leading global provider of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling technologies, to jointly market enzymatic degumming of vegetable oils using Verenium’s Purifine PLC enzyme and Alfa Laval’s engineering services and equipment. Purifine enzymatic degumming is a novel process that significantly increases yields in edible oil production and can have additional benefits in refining the Purifine-degummed oil. Use of Purifine enzymatic degumming also enhances yields of biodiesel from crude oil.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alfa Laval is able to market Purifine enzymatic degumming packaged with their process engineering equipment and services to customers processing vegetable oils for edible and biodiesel use. As part of the agreement, Verenium will support Alfa Laval’s marketing efforts and recommend their engineering services to target customers. Verenium maintains the right to conduct independent marketing and sales activities.

“Verenium is pleased to be working with Alfa Laval to expand Purifine’s global market penetration in the edible oil industry,” said Janet Roemer, Verenium’s Executive Vice President, Specialty Enzymes Business. “Together, our companies offer a comprehensive solution to increase efficiencies in edible oil and biodiesel production. Customers implementing Purifine enzymatic degumming through Alfa Laval have the security of process performance guarantees from a highly reputable, leading-edge engineering services company with proven technology and know-how in the edible-oils and biofuels industries.”

“Alfa Laval welcomes the collaboration with Verenium to bring leading edge enzyme technology to customers in the edible oil and biodiesel industries,” said Bent Sarup, General Manager for Alfa Laval’s Edible Oil Technology Business. “Use of the unique Purifine enzyme in combination with Alfa Laval’s equipment and plant design experience will enable customers to make significant steps to improve oil yields and separation efficiencies, thus fitting well with Alfa Laval’s corporate mission of optimizing our customer’s processes time and time again.”

About Purifine

Verenium’s patented and novel Purifine enzyme facilitates improved operating efficiency and reduction in byproducts by allowing a higher percentage of the crude vegetable oil extracted from seeds to be recovered and converted into edible oil or biodiesel. In conventional processing phospholipid impurities are removed as emulsified gums with an associated oil yield loss. Purifine enzyme works by reacting with the phospholipids releasing both the oil entrained in the gum and the oil-component of the phospholipids. Compared to other degumming methods, oil yield losses are reduced by up to 75% using Purifine enzymatic degumming, depending on the phospholipid content of the oil. Purifine PLC also offers significant benefits to the refining process by improving operating efficiency, and reducing the need for harsh chemicals and other processing aids.

About Verenium

Verenium Corporation is a leader in the development and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol, an environmentally-friendly and renewable transportation fuel, as well as high-performance specialty enzymes for applications within the biofuels, industrial, and animal health markets. The Company possesses integrated, end-to-end capabilities and cutting-edge technology in pre-treatment, novel enzyme development, fermentation and project development for next-generation biofuels. Through a joint venture with BP, the Company is moving rapidly to commercialize its proprietary technology for the production of ethanol from a wide array of non-food feedstocks, including dedicated energy crops, agricultural waste, and wood products. In addition to the vast potential for biofuels, a multitude of large-scale industrial opportunities exist for the Company for products derived from the production of low-cost, biomass-derived sugars.

Verenium’s Specialty Enzyme business harnesses the power of enzymes to create a broad range of specialty products to meet high-value commercial needs. Verenium’s world class R&D organization is renowned for its capabilities in the rapid screening, identification, and expression of enzymes-proteins that act as the catalysts of biochemical reactions. For more information on Verenium, visit http://www.verenium.com.

About Alfa Laval

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.

Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications. Alfa Laval’s worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena. For further information on Alfa Laval, visit http://www.alfalaval.com.

Thursday March 5, 8:00 am ET

BAYTOWN, TX–(MARKET WIRE)–Mar 5, 2009 — Sustainable Power Corp. (Other OTC:SSTP.PK - News) announced today that Mr. Octavio Lopez, the Secretary of State of Industry and Commerce, today executed, stamped and sealed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and commercialize the natural resources of the Dominican Republic under the control of his office. Mr. Lopez had met with the Company at the Company’s facilities in Baytown on February 7 through February 9 and witnessed and assisted with production of biofuel products through the Company’s reactors.

The Dominican Republic is the biggest economy in the Caribbean and has plentiful resources including nickel, bauxite, gold and silver. With a GDP of $85.4 billion (estimated 2007) and $6.881 billion in exports, the country offers amazing opportunities to employ the SSTP process.

Because it must import all of its petroleum, one of the country’s biggest issues is a lack of sufficient electrical power which currently results in shortages throughout the country. An ongoing concern in the Dominican Republic is the inability of participants in the electricity sector to establish financial viability for the system. Three regional electricity distribution systems were privatized in 1998 with two of them repurchased in 2003. The third is currently operated by U.S. concerns and is 50% U.S.-owned. The World Bank records that substantial electricity distribution losses have continued for these entities. Some generating companies are under-capitalized and at times unable to purchase adequate fuel supplies. Upon implementation of the SSTP process for biomass and garbage to turn into electricity, we believe and our partners in Dominica believe that SSTP can eliminate that weakness.

M. Richard Cutler, SSTP CEO, advised, “After our visit to the Dominican Republic three weeks ago, we are excited to have this opportunity to grow and develop our technology in conjunction with the Secretary of State and others in the Dominican Republic. We have met with numerous government officials during our latest visit including a recent head of state. The level of desire in the Dominican Republic for the implementation of our technologies brings us opportunities to both grow our company and assist this vibrant country. We have support from the very highest government levels. We at Sustainable Power intend to push forward quickly with this growing sovereignty with its fuel and power needs as we implement our technologies in numerous industries there.”

The Saginaw Bay area can become a wind and solar powerhouse, Michigan’s energy chief says.

State officials are working to boost renewable energy industries in the state and region, Stanley “Skip” Pruss, director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, said Thursday in Bay City.

The idea is to build on solar investments already made by Hemlock Semiconductor, Dow Corning and Dow Chemical in the region, and wind development by out-of-state companies in the Thumb, Pruss told more than 100 people at a Bay Future annual meeting at the Doubletree hotel and conference center.

“Our problem is not enough jobs,” he said.

But the “new energy economy” promises $4.5 trillion in economic benefit in the United States by 2030, along with 40 million jobs, he said.

Bay Future and the two other economic development groups in the region have launched a Solar Initiative to attract investment here. Some members were in Las Vegas on Thursday for a trade show.

Pruss, former special advisor to Gov. Jennifer Granholm on renewable energy and the environment, said Michigan needs to take advantage of renewable energy opportunities to create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traditional coal-fired power generation.

“Climate change is real,” he said. “Those who say that it’s not need to be better educated.”

The state is striving to be the leader in every sector of renewable energy, Pruss said, from solar to advanced batteries, wind, energy efficiency and carbon capture.

While the Saginaw Valley is a leader in producing base materials for the solar industry that are shipped overseas, Pruss said, the region and state need to be in the business of making and selling solar panels in Michigan.

“The real opportunity for Michigan is to capture the rest of the value chain,” he said, like Germany and Spain have done.

He also pointed to Michigan’s renewable portfolio standard, requiring utilities to get 10 percent of their power from renewables by 2015, as a driver of change in the state. Michigan Wind 1, the state’s second and largest commercial wind farm, was dedicated Thursday near Ubly.

Pruss said a Michigan company, which he declined to name, is working on the next generation of carbon fiber turbines, which will be less expensive to make and able to generate more power.

Fred Hollister, president and CEO of Bay Future, said the visit by Pruss reinforced the need for the Solar Initiative.

“This is a growing industry,” Hollister said. “We should get in on the ground floor.”

Besides solar and wind, there are even greater opportunities for job creation in energy efficiency, Pruss said.

The state plans to roll out a “Michigan Saves” program within a year that will use federal and other dollars to allow homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements, then pay back the cost through their utility bills, based on the money they save.

Michigan is already first in the world in many areas, Pruss said, including “the most robust tax credits available to manufacturers” for advanced energy storage technology.

“Every battery company in the world wants to come to Michigan,” he said, adding that he thinks one or two commercial battery plants will end up locating here soon.

Such investment would be a lifeline to the auto industry, which is moving to more hybrid and electric vehicles.