Global Energy News March 2017

March 2017

Tomorrow’s Energy with an Innovative Drone Join Ampyx Power on its journey to tomorrow’s energy. Ampyx Power develops a disruptive next generation wind energy technology with a drone attached to a cable. With this technology, the cost of wind power, both on- and offshore, can be dramatically reduced, while simultaneously reducing visual, noise and environmental impact of wind power installations.

Also in this issue...

Microgrids: coming of age or niche opportunity? - Delta-ee Transmitting Success - Ampacimon Next Stage of Photovoltaic - SolarMax Sales and Service GmbH An Energy and a Determination - Bridgepoint Group Ltd. The Future of Energy - BioCentury Research Farm, Iowa State University Best in Class - Peter Campbell (Sales) Ltd Powering Up - AIMS Power Inc. RedGuard Specialist Services

Welcome to the March edition of Global Energy News, which sheds light on the latest news and industry developments in the worldwide energy sector.

In recent news, we learn that the North has the opportunity to lead the nation’s energy agenda and ensure the ‘lights stay on’, according to leading energy experts at the recent UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference and Exhibition.

According to Dentons ‘Investing in renewable energy projects in Europe’ guide, the renewable energy market never stands still. Technical advances and the increased prevalence of competitive tendering mechanisms are driving down costs globally. Changes in political and economic conditions can trigger regulatory changes that transform the climate for renewable projects in a country overnight – and not always for the better.

These and many more developments are covered in this illuminating edition.

Jonathan Miles, Editor Phone: +44 (0) 203 725 6842 Email: jonathan.miles@ai-globalmedia.com

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Tomorrow’s Energy with an Innovative Drone Page 22

K 4. News 8. Driving Change to a Low Carbon Economy 10. GB Power Market Decarbonises Driven by Renewable Growth and Switch from Coal to Gas 12. A Powerful Company 16. Microgrids: coming of age or niche opportunity?

18. Transmitting Success 20. Next Stage of Photovoltaic 21. An Energy and a Determination 22. Tomorrow’s Energy with an Innovative Drone* 24. Innovation in Solar Energy 25. Best in Class 26. Powering Up 28. The Future of Energy 32. Israeli Natural Gas Industry – Where Do We Go Now? 34. Going Green 36. On a Mission 39. Keeping the Pressure on 40. Redguard Specialist Services

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Northern Powerhouse Can Lead the Nation’s Energy Agenda

The North has the opportunity to lead the nation’s energy agenda and ensure the ‘lights stay on’, according to leading energy experts at the recent UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference and Exhibition.

The panel, which included representatives from Drax Power, The Energy Innovation Centre, British Gas, Cuadrilla, Iona Capital, Cumbria LEP and Northern Gas Networks, said the North contains the geographic assets and infrastructure to heat and power the nation’s next generation.

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According to George Beveridge, Chair of Cumbria LEP, the North of England is already leading the way on renewables with nearly half of all renewable power generated in the region. As well as offering extensive scope to scale up off-shore wind and tidal schemes and being home to extensive nuclear capability and bio-mass energy generation.

Innovative energy solutions being trialled in the North of England already include an extensive system of salt caverns which could be used for energy storage and the substantial Shale Gas opportunity which could be exploited through fracking. “With these capabilities across the North there is no good reason why the Northern energy sector shouldn’t be a key place to build an industrial strategy,” according to Mr Beveridge.

Energy innovation remains a major issue and piloting new schemes is vital to keeping the systems balanced and consumer costs down. “The cost of maintaining the energy system is going up and the cost of balancing the system is going up, and this will inevitably feed through to consumer’s bills unless answers are reached”, said Andy Koss, CEO of Drax Power.

One of the energy schemes currently being trialled in the North is Northern Gas’s HS1 Leeds proposal, which plans to convert significant parts of the UK gas grid to be 100% hydrogen. The scheme is being supported by all of the gas networks in the UK and is currently being trialled in Leeds before planning to extend to other parts of the country.

Dan Sadler, Special Adviser at Northern Gas Networks, said that converting the UK gas grid to hydrogen will be a major step towards meeting the UK’s carbon reduction targets. He said: “The technology of today made it possible to undertake this conversion.

We need to provide some more compelling evidence around elements listed in our report, which is publicly available, but if we can unlock the prize of hydrogen in the gas networks we can make a big dint in the climate change act.”

British Gas representative Andy Manning agreed that hydrogen could offer a solution: “This is a possible route. It is too early to say whether it is the solution, but it is definitely worth exploring.”

The panel also discussed the major opportunity shale gas presents for the North of England. George Beveridge, Chair of Cumbria LEP, commented that there is 800 million cubic feet and 300 years’ worth of supply potentially available, which could be distributed across the whole of the country. According to Mr Beveridge the big question is how much of that is extractable. “I think we need to get some projects going to build an evidence base and determine how much of that 800 million cubic feet is extractable and at what cost. We know there is lots there what we don’t know is how much of it we can get out”.

Francis Egan, CEO at Cuadrilla added: “Until we drill and test floor rate we can’t say for sure if it’s going to be commercial, but if it is then we are looking at multi-decades of gas supply and multi-billion-pound investment opportunities in energy across the North of England.”

The audience also heard from Denise Massey, Managing Director of The Energy Innovation Centre about the importance of integration and collaboration across the energy industry. She said: “It is only collaboration between the different sectors making up the energy industry – renewables, oil, gas, nuclear etc. – which will allow us to meet the challenges.

Yet at the moment there seems to be little appetite for actually taking action on developing this collaborative approach nationally.

Floating Offshore Windfarm Approved Planning consent for an eight turbine 6MW offshore wind farm around 15 km southeast of Aberdeen has been granted by Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, MSP. The floating development by Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Limited will: • Support the creation of around 110 jobs during assembly, installation and through ongoing operations and maintenance activities; • Have a generating capacity up to a maximum of 50 MW – enough to power the equivalent of almost 56,000 homes and; • Prevent CO2 emissions of more than 94,500 tonnes per year.

Mr Wheelhouse said: “Once operational, this pioneering, 50MW Kincardine Offshore Windfarm will produce enough electricity to power almost 56,000 homes and will create jobs and investment across Scotland through the use of our supply chain. It will also cement our place as one of the world’s leading nations in the innovation and deployment of floating offshore wind. If the technology can

be demonstrated at scale, it has huge potential to help Scotland meet its energy needs and to develop a supply chain that can service opportunities elsewhere in Europe and in markets such as South East Asia and North America.

“Our commitment to supporting low carbon energy is outlined in our new draft Energy Strategy which sets out next steps and how we will continue to transition to a low carbon economy, with the offshore wind sector to take an increasingly influential role.

“With 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential, and through development with due regard to our natural environment, Scotland is uniquely and strongly positioned to maximise the economic and environmental benefits that the technology can deliver, which will help us progress towards our carbon emission reduction targets.”

Kincardine Offshore Windfarm will be located approximately 15 km south-east of the coast of Aberdeen, with a permitted generating capacity up to 50 MW and will be comprised of eight three-bladed horizontal axis Wind Turbine Generators. www.gov.scot

“This is where the Northern Powerhouse could come in. We’ve got an incredible asset base in terms of energy – nuclear, gas, electricity, renewables, offshore – and a comprehensive network of SMEs primed for innovation. It’s all right here in the region. We could provide a framework for how the different strands of the sector could work together and provide part of the blue print which could, over time, be rolled out nationally.” www.uk-northern-powerhouse.com

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Investing in Renewable Energy Projects in Europe’ Guide Launched

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Dentons recently launches its 2017 edition of its ‘Investing in renewable energy projects in Europe’ guide.

The renewable energy market never stands still. Technical advances and the increased prevalence of competitive tendering mechanisms are driving down costs globally. Changes in political and economic conditions can trigger regulatory changes that transform the climate for renewable projects in a country overnight – and not always for the better.

Across Europe as a whole, however, the renewables industry continues to expand and develop. Commercial success in the renewables sector continues to hinge on understanding current and anticipating future trends, spotting opportunities as they arise, minimizing risk and putting in place an agile business model that is capable of surviving shocks and uncertainties.

You can download the 2017 edition of our guide ‘Investing in renewable energy projects in Europe’. It highlights key regulatory developments and gives snapshots of the prospects for renewable energy projects in 16 jurisdictions across Europe and Central Asia, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Romania and Turkey.

Dentons produced this guide in cooperation with Recharge, the global source for renewable energy news and intelligence. www.dentons.com

US Energy Infrastructure Is a Game-Changing Opportunity Is there a need for huge spend to rebuild and expand the domestic infrastructure in the world’s largest economy? Jim Wright, infrastructure manager at Miton commented that the US energy infrastructure is a game-changing opportunity.

“The election of Donald Trump as President of the USA in November 2016 has unleashed a wave of emotion and highlighted deep divisions across the political spectrum. However, one area of policy over which there was broad agreement either side of the US general election is the need for huge spend to rebuild and expand the domestic infrastructure in the world’s largest economy.

“The numbers involved are enormous, with the President’s $1 trillion target in the run-up to his election eclipsing Secretary Clinton’s $500 billion plan. How this spending is funded, however, has not yet been fully articulated. Prior to the election the Trump team targeted tax receipts and the use of repatriated cash, but the wider consensus necessary to deploy federal and state funds will involve significant political horse-trading and may take months and even years to implement.

“More interesting for investors is the scope for listed equities to benefit from this investment opportunity. Here, in contrast to the inevitable delays in federal and state spending, we can see immediate opportunities to de-

ploy capital with highly attractive returns. Our focus here is energy infrastructure, where we see a game-changing opportunity for the USA to use low cost oil and gas to support the expansion of the economy and the ‘on shoring’ of energy-intensive industrial sectors such as automotive manufacturing.

“The federal government has clearly signalled its support for the growth of oil and gas infrastructure with the sanctioning of the Keystone XL and Dakota pipelines. These projects have gained iconic status and Keystone XL in particular has many more legal and regulatory hurdles to jump before construction begins, in 2019 at the earliest.

What we can see at a stock level are numerous projects for the growth and expansion of energy infrastructure which have a lower profile, are already permitted and will drive double digit free cash flow growth into the middle of the next decade.” www.mitongroup.com

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Driving Change to a Low Carbon Economy

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Company: Carbon Credit Solutions Inc. Name: Edward Alfke, CEO Name: Alastair Handley President Email: ed@carboncreditsolutions.com, alastair@carboncreditsolutions.com Web Address: www.carboncreditsolutions.com Address: 1-724 East Lake Road NE, Airdrie, Alberta Canada T4A 2J5 Telephone: +1 403 912 9132

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Driving Change to a Low Carbon Economy Carbon Credit Solutions Inc. and its affiliates, Viresco Solutions and Climate Smart Group™ offer end to end solutions for companies interested in becoming carbon neutral, assessing the sustainability of their supply chains, developing carbon credits and participating in environmental markets and programs. In an interview with the firm’s CEO Edward Alfke, he reveals his thoughts on winning the Best Carbon Credit Consultancy – Canada award.

Can you give us a brief overview of your company, your clients and the services you

offer?

Our 2500+ clients range from individuals that own carbon reduction projects to blue chip multinationals. Together we have worked on projects in North America, Europe, Africa, South America and Australia. We work with clients that share our goal of achieving meaningful change. By understanding our clients, goals and values we can tailor our team to deliver meaningful and lasting results.

How does it feel to win this award and what factors do you believe are crucial to your success?

We are honoured to win this 2016 Clean Energy award.

Climate change is the biggest challenge facing global development today and we are committed to making a difference. This award re-affirms what we are trying to achieve.

Our commitment to combating climate change has been fundamental to our success.

Working within such an important sector reducing carbon footprints via carbon credit offsets, what techniques does your firm employ to ensure it is at

the forefront of emerging developments?

We stay at the forefront of emerging developments by sharing ideas and information with global experts. We know that communication and collaboration are critical to our success and the success of others who share our commitment to help drive change and move us to a low carbon economy. We participate in global conferences as speakers and delegates and are actively engaged with our peers and the International Emission Trading Association. Our team has shared ideas with industry experts in North America, China, Korea, South America, Africa and Europe.

Why do you believe that carbon markets are critical in driving low cost emission reductions and how are you contributing innovative ideas to ensure the continued success of the wider industry?

We know that it is possible to reduce emission reductions by adopting new technology and by changing to practices that reduce GHG emissions. Placing a meaningful price on carbon will provide the financial motivation that will result in real and lasting change.

its processes to ensure it is working at maximum efficiency?

We use our proprietary MRV software platform to simplify the quantification of GHG emission reductions. Our system provides project stakeholders with timely and meaningful insight into the project development process.

Our systematic processes provide credit certainty while lowering project development and verification costs.

What does the future hold for your firm? Do you have any future plans or projects you would like to share with us?

We will continue to expand globally providing guidance and mentoring to climate change visionaries that are committed to make lasting and positive change. Collaboration, sharing of ideas, information and solutions are needed to drive change to a low carbon economy. This is what we are committed to.

What makes your firm unique? How do you distinguish yourselves from your competitors, and work as efficiently as possible?

Our team has developed policy, protocols, strategy, implementation plans for governments and corporations and has developed small to large aggregated emission reduction projects. We deliver.

Carbon Credit Solutions - services include: 1. Greenhouse gas quantification and carbon project development; 2. Sustainability strategy & stakeholder engagement; 3. Policy and programme development; 4. Protocol/methodology development; 5. Sustainable supply chains and; 6. Climate finance

How does your firm integrate technology into

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GB Power Market Decarbonises Driven by Renewable Growth and Switch from Coal to Gas

By Paul Verrill, director of energy data monitoring specialist EnAppSys In 2012 renewable generation in the UK provided 8% of the national total. By 2016 this share had risen to 22%, creating significant changes in how the system must be managed and incentivised to ensure efficient operation.

This change represents a 4.0GW increase in just four years, with levels of demand for electricity generation falling by a similar amount over the same period.

This increase in renewable generation has brought with it a significant decrease in annual carbon emissions, with significant carbon savings also arising from a majority switch from coal to gas.

The increase in levels of UK renewable generation capacity largely mirrors activity on the continent, where large-scale growth in renewable capacity has radically transformed the operation of European power markets, but the switch from coal to gas is predominantly a UKonly phenomenon.

This switch was driven by the introduction of the carbon price, a levy which significantly increases the cost of carbon within the UK compared to that in neighbouring European countries.

Back in 2012, coal provided 43% of power generation, whilst gas fuelled 26% of the remainder.

Coal was, at that point, the cheaper fuel, but the carbon price has made coal relatively more expensive compared to the less carbon-intensive gas. This squeeze on the profitability of

coal plants saw five units close during 2016, reducing coal’s dominance and resulting in the need for other generation types to step up and meet demand.

This rapid change in the sources of UK generation has created challenges for the market, which had previously been used to baseload generation from coal, gas and nuclear units, varying in line with changing levels of demand dropping overnight and rising during the daytime.

The greatest change that has resulted from the growth of renewables is that the conventional generation in the market must now generate, not just around varying levels of demand, but also around the changing levels of renewable generation.

The market has so far managed this difficult transition well, with larger generators starting to adapt their market approach and generation profiles to fit around changing renewable input, whilst the introduction of the Capacity Mechanism should, from 2017/18, boost income at plants whose load factors have fallen away due to displacement by renewables.

This has driven the introduction of a new breed of plants in the market, in the form of standby reciprocating engines ideally suited to limited market operation and with start times of approximately five minutes. The ability of modern CCGT plants to move their output around in line with changes in the market has

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also been improving over time, supported by faster and more efficient starts.

This shift in activity has also changed how plants make their money. Previously, money had been made on the forward curve.

Now large units must fit in around renewable generation and they are finding this harder and so must look elsewhere for their income, such as the balancing mechanism and ancillary services.

These balancing markets have played an increasingly important role in balancing the system, with new services having been introduced to further support the introduction of renewables into the market.

One of these markets, Enhanced Frequency Response (EFR), brings sub-one-second frequency response into the market and this is specifically designed to help support the ongoing integration of renewables into the market. In particular, this should counter the effect of reduced spinning inertia (the natural force that exists at large running generators that buffers deviations in frequency) as conventional plants are becoming increasingly displaced by renewables.

Another effect of EFR has been to aid the entry of battery technology to the market, with this flexible new technology being adding to the system’s ability to manage fluctuating inputs from renewable sources.

A call for a more flexible system was recently made in a report

by the UK Energy Research Centre, which predicts high costs of renewable integration if appropriate strategic planning is not carried out. The Government clearly recognises the need for the market to adapt, as shown by their Call for Evidence on a Smart Flexible Energy System.

The system has already seen a large increase in levels of flexibility resulting from plant upgrades at CCGT plants, and as the oldest coal and gas plants closed and gas reciprocating engines and batteries entered the market. This marks a stepchange in the market; before, the rise of renewable generation imposed a need for flexibility upon a market and technologies that were not designed for it.

Now, the need for flexibility and variety in generation is being recognised and designed for. This needs to be done strategically, with long-term market incentives for a resilient and flexible system.

How much more renewable generation will need to be accommodated remains to be seen, since the end of subsidies for solar and onshore wind projects. The challenge for developers now is to make these projects economically viable without the same subsidies and this has meant that some schemes have been put on the backburner, whilst favoured technologies such as offshore wind have continued to receive support.

This ongoing support means that a new wave of offshore wind farms is now coming onto

g GB Power Market Decarbonises Driven by Renewable Growth and Switch from Coal to Gas the market, with Barbour ABI estimating the total construction value of offshore wind projects in 2016 at ÂŁ4.1bn, up from ÂŁ2.45bn in the previous year. This amounted to 42% of the value of UK construction contracts in the utilities and power sector and 21% of all infrastructure investment.

The company’s experienced analysts use aggregated data from different electricity data sources to provide subscribers with informed and user configurable energy information and analysis, energy management systems and energy-related applications. Details at www. enappsys.com Media Contacts: Ian Watson (ian@mhwpr.co.uk) of MHW PR on 0191 233 1300 Jez Davison (jez@mhwpr.co.uk) of MHW PR on 0191 233 1300

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Going forwards, lower costs of renewables will be key to the ongoing progression of renewable projects. Challenges for the system are set to grow, with the easy wins mostly achieved in terms of renewables.

Progress so far has benefited from access to the best sites and the low-hanging fruit on decarbonisation has already been gathered by switching from coal to gas.

EnAppSys is an independent energy market monitoring company that provides electricity and energy market data, systems and consultancy services to parties with an interest in the UK energy market.

Despite these challenges, the current result is that carbon pricing and renewable buildout have resulted in greater renewable generation and lower UK carbon emissions.

In this respect Britain has been a European success, in contrast to activity even in high renewable share countries such as Germany, where a switch from nuclear to coal has offset any carbon savings that have resulted from renewable generation.

More effective carbon pricing and subsidies have started the process and resulted in a cleaner and more varied fuel mix, but the market has now reached a new phase of development which faces greater uncertainty and further challenges if it is to evolve towards an even cleaner fuel mix.

If Britain is to meet its decarbonisation targets through increased renewable generation, the market changes from 2016 to 2020 could be even greater and more significant than the changes seen since 2012, with large implications for how the market needs to be managed and optimised. The technologies that are becoming available, and GB carbon reduction targets, mean that this is a key point in the GB power timeline. To ensure that the country has the generation it requires, long-term strategic planning is required, backed up by strong market analysis and projections to enable investment and confidence in the deployment of new technologies.

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A Powerful Company Recipient of the Best Power Transmission Utility Company – India, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), the Central Transmission Utility(CTU) of the country and one of the largest power transmission utilities in the world is engaged in power transmission business. They have responsibility for planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS).

POWERGRID owns & operates extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines spread over the length and breadth of the Country. As on 31st December, 2016, POWERGRID transmits about 50% of total power generated in the country through a transmission network consisting of about 1,34,018 ckm of extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines, 214 Nos. EHVAC & high voltage direct current (HVDC) substations and 2,78,862 MVA transformation capacity, while maintaining the transmission availability of more than 99 %.

POWERGRID also provides both domestic and global consultancy services in the areas of Transmission, sub-transmission, distribution and telecom. It has provided transmission related consultancy to more than 150 domestic clients and 25 international clients spread over 18 countries.

Though, transmission business is our main forte, we are also doing significant works in other business verticals such as telecom, domestic & international consultancy and smart grid.

Best Power Transmission Utility Company - India This prestigious award comes as a recognition not only for our efforts towards continual improvement in all our Business verticals, but also for our unending and impeccable commitment towards promotion & development of clean energy resources in our country, environment protection, sustainable development and arresting the process of climate change. Our openness and willingness for adopting modern technologies and our regular endeavours in training and upgradation of our human resources, besides, concentrated efforts for developing team spirit are important factors, we attribute for our success.

POWERGRID with its brand name ‘POWERTEL’ in Telecom business is the only utility in India having overhead optic fibre network using optical ground wire on power transmission lines, thus, ensuring optimisation of return on assets and value creation through new initiative. In telecom business, POWERGRID owns and operates 39,662 km of telecom network with system availability of 99.5%. Telecom Business enabled POWERGRID to create additional economic value, while stimulating the development of Indian telecom sector especially in the difficult terrain of North East Region and Jammu & Kashmir.

POWERGRID’s achievements have been globally recognised too, and it has been the ‘Fastest Growing Electric Utility’ in Asia for three successive years (2014, 2015 & 2016) based on Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings.

Staying at the forefront of emerging developments POWERGRID is playing a

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key role for integration of renewable energy resources in the country. It is implementing Green Energy Corridors across the country, giving boost to renewable generation and has also evolved transmission system for various Ultra Mega Solar Parks. The implementation covers construction of interstate transmission systems and advanced control infrastructure like forecasting tool for renewable generation, establishment of renewable energy management centre, etc in seven renewable rich states.

To enhance clean energy and energy security, POWERGRID is progressively installing on-grid solar PV systems by meticulously utilising the available space in its office complexes across the nation. POWERGRID has also undertaken several projects for transfer of hydro power from power surplus but environmentally pristine areas to power deficient but comparatively more polluted areas of the country with minimum impact on environment. POWERGRID has constructed ± 800 KV HVDC high capacity transmission system for evacuation & transfer of about 3000 MW of surplus power from Hydro Generation projects in North-Eastern Region to Northern Region, thus, resulting in saving of emissions amounting to 232 million tons of CO2 equivalent.

POWERGRID has also undertaken implementation of maiden pilot project on smart grid systems in India comprising

of batteries, power conditioning system, battery management system etc. at Puducherry based on three different technologies to establish proof of concept, application(s), policy advocacy etc. in Indian context. The research findings of these energy storage projects would be crucial in delineating the roadmap for large scale energy storage systems to address intermittency, variability, uncertainty etc. of renewable power towards grid stability.

The clean energy market Considering the ever-increasing threat of climate change and contribution of greenhouse gases

by Thermal power plants, there is a worldwide recognition and acceptance of clean energy resources and their contribution in arresting climate change.

Our government has set an ambitious target of bringing energy generation capacity through renewable energy sources of about 175000 MW by 2022. It includes 100000 MW solar power capacity and 60000 MW wind power capacity. POWERGRID has taken a lead role in the planning and implementation of Green Energy Corridors to facilitate grid integration of renewable generation capacity addition in the Twelfth Five Year Plan across the Country.

It has also evolved comprehensive plans to evacuate power under Green Energy Corridors-II (GEC-II) from various ultra-mega solar

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Company: Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. Address: ‘Saudamini’, Plot No. 2, Sector-29, Gurgaon122001, Haryana, India.

Telephone: +91 124 282299 Web Address: www.powergridindia.com www.twitter.com/pgcilindia www.facebook.com/pgcilindia Email: esmd@powergrid.co.in

power parks being developed in various states. In the first phase of GEC-II, transmission schemes for Solar Power Parks of over 20,000 MW capacity across twenty-one (21) States have been evolved. POWERGRID is implementing inter-state transmission system for eight solar parks of about 7,200MW in five States.

Philosophy behind client service Stakeholder’s interests have been a driving force in POWERGRID’s all business endeavors. Timely execution of projects leading to capitalisation of assets and thereby facilitating seamless flow of power in an optimised way in fulfilling the interests of one set of stakeholders- the power consumers. The resultant benefit in terms of increased profits have fulfilled the interest of another stakeholders- the shareholders, while the deep involvement of POWERGRID in undertaking and implementing CSR projects across the country benefits the society and environment, which too are and important stakeholders.

As a society, oriented organisation, POWERGRID conducts extensive public consultation during every stage of project execution, in which, members of public are informed about various aspects of project and their queries are addressed to their satisfaction, which in turn, brings enhanced transparency in our Project Management System.

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POWERGRID strongly believes that the success of the sector in general and the Company, in particular lies in the overall growth and development of the corresponding infrastructure in the States, the major stakeholders, thus, ensuring Inclusive Growth. POWERGRID has been consistently working hand-in-hand with the States for upgrading their communication infrastructure through fibre optic links/ SCADA etc. and assisting them to implement key intra-state projects (e.g. UP, Jharkhand, Daman & Diu, Tamil Nadu, Delhi etc.).

Overview of the clean energy industry The current installed power generation capacity in India is about 310 GW, out of which contribution of Renewable energy sources constitute around 42.85 GW, which is around 13.82% of the total installed capacity. However, the government of India has set ambitious targets of increasing the share of Renewable energy in total energy mix of the country.

As mentioned in previously, by 2022, a total installed capacity of renewable is envisaged at 175 GW, out of which 100 GW will be solar and 60 GW will be wind. However, tackling the problems of seasonal variations and diurnal variations, which adversely affect the reliability of supply from renewables remain the key challenges.

POWERGRID is addressing these problems by constructing dedicated transmission corridors for renewable power generation, thus ensuring integration of renewable sources of energy in National Grid. Another key challenge in case of solar energy is requirement of large tracts of land, which is again being addressed by utilising waste land for installing solar power plants.

Unique qualities of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. Adoption of new technologies available around the globe for improving the quality of power supply, reduction of losses,

optimum utilisation of the available transmission assets, conservation of environment and optimising upon the cost of delivered power are some key aspects of POWERGRID, which makes it unique.

The company is working in collaboration with international/ national research/academic institutions; manufacturers etc. and is enhancing its in-house capabilities for design and engineering of state-of-the-art transmission systems. These technological advancements have indeed helped POWERGRID in maintaining its leadership position in India.

With the deployment of ±800kV HVDC and its leadership role in the indigenous development of 1200kV UHVAC, highest ever voltage in the world, the company is now a global transmission giant.

Another unique aspect of POWERGRID is that in spite of the fact that its business activities are non-polluting with minimal environmental footprint, we are committed to achieve the goal of Sustainable Development realises that given the scale of its operations, it is inevitable that there is some impact upon both natural environment and communities.

Therefore, to address these issues POWERGRID has adopted pro-active approach and developed a comprehensive ‘Environmental and Social Policy & Procedures’ (ESPP) in 1998 through extensive national consultations. The ESPP outlines POWERGRID’s approach and commitment to deal with environmental and social issues, relating to its transmission projects, and lays out management procedures and protocols to mitigate the same. It provides a framework for identification, assessment, and management of environmental and social concerns at both organisational and project levels, within the adopted principles of avoidance, minimisation and mitigation.

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The existing provisions of ESPP have been upgraded and modified in 2005 and 2009 during the revisions the consultative process was further enlarged to engage all stakeholders, including Project Affected Persons (PAPs) and the local communities. The ESPP’09 is accepted by the World Bank as fully equivalent to their environment and social safeguard policies under its Use of Country Systems (UCS) policy and appreciated by different multilateral agencies like, ADB, KfW and JBIC etc.

Recently ADB has also accepted our ESPP under their “Country Safeguard System (CSS)” policy with an agreed action plan to make it fully equivalent with their SPS,2009.

The World Bank also awarded POWERGRID with “The Green Award, 2006” in recognition of its sustainability efforts in South-east Asia. POWERGRID is also the pioneer in Indian power sector to come out with a separate “Sustainability Report” in 2010 following internationally accepted Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) guidelines. The 3rd such report duly certified by Independent Agency as “A+” disclosed in Sept., 2015 for public information.

Continuous innovation in processes for carrying out various activities like project implementation, operation and maintenance of assets, procurement, funding etc. have been playing a major role in the success of the company.

Prevalent trends in the industry Rapid urbanisation, industrialisation along with growth in population density over the period have resulted in heavy demand of energy.

Major constraints and concerns in development, operation & maintenance of transmission infrastructure are (i) Right of Way (RoW) constraints (ii) Timely obtaining statutory clearances (iii) Non - availability of skilled manpower (iv) Vendor Development (v) Efficiency enhancement in operational & maintenance (vi) Integration of

renewable energy into National Grid To overcome these issues, POWERGRID has taken various initiatives to address the above concerns through introduction as well as development of new technologies for incorporation in the Indian power system. The major initiatives are adoption of 765 kV EHV AC system, high temperature low Sag (HTLS) conductors, high surge impedance loading lines, multi circuits, compact & tall towers, fixed & thyristor controlled series compensation, digital substation etc.

In the new technology development front 1200kV Ultra High Voltage (UHV) AC and ±800 kV HVDC multi terminal technology have been developed. Aiming towards continuous improvements, the company is also establishing ‘POWERGRID Advanced Research and Technology Centre’ along with some stateof-the-art laboratories for power system analysis, advanced equipment diagnostics, smart grid technology for transmission & distribution, IEC 61850 protocol based control and automation, material science and engineering design. This centre will help in knowledge assimilation, enhancement and dissemination as well as adoption of innovative technologies in power sector.

Future plans and projects POWERGRID with a clear focus, robust strategy and a penchant for technological upgradation is a future ready organisation. India, presently is in a strong growth trajectory and power being an enabler sector is likely to play a key role in future growth and industrialisation of the country.

POWERGRID, being the Central Transmission Utility (CTU) of the country will continue with its endeavours to provide a reliable transmission system for ensuring smooth of industrial and other sectors of the country.

POWERGRID aims to construct more dedicated transmission corridors for evacuation of Green Energy and play an important role in fulfilling the long-term

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A Powerful Company

commitments of the government of India as per Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

With the ever-increasing threat of climate change, environmental degradation due to increasing pollution, growing conflicts between industries and society for the control of natural resources such as land and water, the contours of challenges being faced by businesses are changing rapidly. POWERGRID, being a responsible corporate entity always addresses negative externalities associated with its business processes. We sincerely believe and appreciate that meaning of business sustainability is not limited to financial sustainability only, but includes minimisation and mitigation of environmental impacts, ensuring safe working conditions for employees and contract labour, addressing social issues arising from business practices and taking up relevant CSR projects and activities aimed at community development.

Recognising the importance of conservation/preservation of biodiversity, cultural heritage and natural resources such as forest, land and water, utmost care is taken to avoid such sensitive areas during project planning stage itself. Similarly, following the principle of avoidance, which is one of the guiding principles of our ESPP, involvement of forest land has been reduced progressively from 6 % in 1998 to 2.26 % in 2016.

POWERGRID has substantially reduced its land requirement for its sub-stations by proactive adoption of GIS (Gas Insulated Switchyard) technology. A typical GIS substation requires one third land compared to AIS (Air insulated Switchyard) substation.

Following the principle of minimisation, POWERGID has taken a policy decision that to have GIS substation in city area and to install multi-circuit tower around 1km radius of all new substations, in order to, conserve precious land resource.

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Microgrids: coming of age or niche opportunity?

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By John Murray, Senior Analyst, Delta-ee

Left: A graphical representation of a microgrid, with multiple distributed loads and generation assets.

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Microgrids: coming of age or niche opportunity?

With an increasingly distributed energy system, rapidly falling energy storage costs, and a growing demand for flexibility and energy autonomy, microgrids are fast becoming a key topic of commercial relevance in many global markets. In short, microgrids are one of the hottest topics in the industry right now - and key players don’t want to be left out.

As Delta-ee’s latest Multi-Client Study gets underway, we reflect on our initial findings from recent engagement with key players in the microgrids space, and consider the following questions: • Who is interested in microgrids?

• How active are those interested in the development of microgrids?

• What will be the greatest enabler for microgrid market growth?

Utilities are exploring microgrid opportunities Utility companies are actively exploring the opportunities and threats associated with the emergence of microgrids, but manufacturers are also taking a keen interest.

We know of a number of manufacturers who are developing microgrid solutions today, with the objective of widening their service offerings to include energy services through an ESCO business model.

The continued emergence of manufacturers offering energy services alongside their hardware, is a very real threat to the established utilities in some countries and sectors.

Aside from utilities and manufacturers, a significant proportion of those who expressed an interest in microgrids identify as housing developers or housing

associations. The interest from these companies is noteworthy given the applicability of microgrids, in a community energy application, as a force to drive down energy prices and improve grid resiliency and reliability – in both urban and isolated contexts.

Most companies at an early stage of developing strategies – but competition is growing The largest share of industry stakeholders we engaged with (39%) stated that they are in the early stages of exploring and understanding microgrids as an opportunity, highlighting the relatively early nature of microgrid activity within many companies. While this result is not highly surprising given the early stages of Delta-ee’s research, what was perhaps most interesting is nearly a third of those spoken to are ‘actively engaged’ in developing microgrids but without having a fully developed strategy, product or service - yet.

What this suggests to us is that there are many companies currently in the ‘strategy development’ phase that are considering how best to position themselves to maximise the opportunities associated with this space. Following this consideration, we believe it will only be a matter of time before many of these companies come to market.

Therefore, we can be sure that the ‘microgrid’ space will become a whole lot more competitive in the next 5 to 10 years.

Multiple enablers likely to play a role in a growing microgrid market Our recent research suggests the following factors as being important for microgrid growth over the next 5-10 years, from most to least important: 1. Microgrid component price reductions 2. Innovative business models 3. Regulatory reform 4. Increased promotion and competition A reduction in component prices will undoubtedly spur microgrid growth. For example, as we have found in a case study of the Cronimet Swartkop Chrome mine in South Africa, generating off-grid power using solar PV is often now much more affordable than using diesel generators.

This is largely attributable to the rapid decline in the cost of solar PV panels over the past 10 years.

industry developments.

What we think There are a range of actors at different stages of development, with a large number of companies taking an interest in microgrids. Microgrids will undoubtedly evolve to become a very important, perhaps disruptive, market opportunity within the energy industry.

It is therefore time to act sooner rather than later.

Delta-ee’s Microgrid Multi-Client Study is the perfect tool to help position your organisation towards the leading edge of microgrid developers and provide insight into developing the right strategy for your company before being crowded out of the market.

If you have any queries or want to find out more about Deltaee’s Microgrid Multi-Client Study, e-mail John Murray, Senior Analyst at Delta Energy & Environment (john.murray@ delta-ee.com) or find out more here: https://www.delta-ee.com/ micro-grids.html

Our research shows that less than 20% of stakeholders identified policy reform as an important enabler of market reform as this is something which is largely location specific.

It is, however, becoming more common for early developers of technologies to inform policy development as regulatory frameworks often lag behind

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Transmitting Success

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Company: Ampacimon Contact: Frederic Vassort Contact Email: frederic.vassort@ampacimon.com Address: Rue J Gruslin 9, Grace Hollogne, B4460, Belgium Phone: +32470991250 Website: http://www.ampacimon.com/

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Transmitting Success Ampacimon develops innovative Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) systems for transmission/distribution systems operators. We profile the firm and explore the secrets behind its success.

Founded in 2010, Ampacimon delivers high voltage line monitoring systems, in particular Dynamic Line Rating equipment that monitor and potentially increase the available transmission capacity of overhead electrical lines.

Dynamic Line Rating is a new technology belonging to the SmartGrid world of innovations to actively manage electricity grids.

It consists of stand-alone sensors installed on high-voltage lines, coupled to software interfacing with dispatching centers SCADAs. The system consists of sensors installed on high-voltage lines that measure key parameters influencing the maximum thermal capacity of a line (temperature, sag, wind speed). It measures the so-called ampacity of a line, i.e its true, real-time maximum thermal capacity (which is usually significantly higher than its design capacity). This system also allows to reliably forecast this capacity up to two days in advance. Ampacimon’s customers include major global Transmission and Distribution operators. Initially they were mostly Europe based (most major European TSOs are Ampacimon’s customers), but now the firm’s client list also includes big names in North America (HydroQuebec, Ameren), and the company is starting to expand in South America and Asia.

What makes Ampacimon’s sensors truly unique is the fact that they measure all parameters allowing a proper and accurate monitor of lines ratings, directly where it matters: on the lines themselves. That include in particular the wind speed, the most important parameter to properly assess lines thermal capacities (because wind cools down lines and therefore significantly increases their thermal rating).

Ampacimon’s sensors are completely maintenance free, and deigned to be commissioned in less than 15mn. The firm’s experts work alongside its customer’s teams at all steps of the project, all the way to a full integration of Ampacimon’s data into grid management software, ensuring that clients’ feel supported throughout the process.

Ultimately, Ampacimon’s success resides largely on the expertise of its very experienced team of R&D engineers, and the dedication of its commercial and application engineering teams. Its customers love Ampacimon’s ease of use, the full integration of dataset in their own grid management software, and the fact that it truly allows them to use their grids dynamically. For example, they can benefit from the extra latent capacity of their grid to integrate more Renewable generation in facilities such as wind parks. It is not uncommon for customer to be able to increase their lines capacities by as much as 50%, which translates into million $ saved CAPEX . Not to mention

the fact that Ampacimon systems are typically deployed in a few weeks, while it takes years to build a new line..

Overall, Ampacimon has been growing by over 50% per annum these last few years, starting initially from its home base in Belgiun, and expanding globally step by step. New products have been launched recently to offer customers a wider selection of monitoring products, including at Distribution level. Other features have been added, such as ice detection, to allow grid operators to take early preventive actions when lines suffer from ice loading.

These new features will provide the firm with many exciting opportunities for growth and expansion which it is keen to take advantage of moving forward.

As renewable integration and increased interconnections are redefining the rules by which grid operators used to play, the firm has to develop and adapt. More intermittent power flows and therefore more stressed grids will force operators to find and deploy flexible solutions to safely, and Ampacimon will be looking to showcase their suitability to meet these needs.

In addition, the firm is currently expanding in North America where it will open an office in 2017. It is also increasing its portfolio, looking at ways to apply similar concepts to underground cables, and to widen its offering of distribution monitoring products.

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Next Stage of Photovoltaic The product portfolio of SolarMax Produktions GmbH consists in particular of string and central inverters for grid-connected solar power systems as well as system monitoring solutions. For example, the company develops, manufactures and sells string inverters with a capacity of 2 to 32 kW. “Currently we deal with the topic of repowering in photovoltaic systems. Our small single-phase inverter of our P-series is ideally suited for this.

A majority of the PV systems can be retrofitted with this device”, explains managing director Anton Spengler, a SolarMax employee since August 2015 and prior to that a freelancer who worked closely with the company.

The HT series products are used in small industrial plants and large solar parks, for example. Additionally, there is the SolarMax TS series inverter for use in large solarparks with its capacity of 300 to 360 kW, as well as devices from the RX series with a capacity of 500 to 600 kW. Other components from SolarMax are the MaxWeb XPN data logger and accessories such as sensors and meters.

“We are making a huge contribution to the development of photovoltaics and want to integrate customer benefits with environmental protection at the same time”, explains Anton Spengler.

SolarMax products are modular in structure and contain components made in Germany.

“Our systems are constructed so that they can be installed by a single technician”, assures the managing director.

Sales of SolarMax products are handled by the subsidiary SolarMax Sales and Service GmbH. Its target groups are mainly installers. Around 30% of total turnover comes from abroad, from countries like Switzerland, Italy, Spain and France.

“We don’t see ourselves as a direct competitor to the big players, but as a successful manufacturer in a niche market”, Anton Spengler describes the position in the market, adding, “the customer is our main concern, right from the R&D stage”.

K Company: SolarMax Sales and Service GmbH Name: Martin Pape Email: hotline@solarmax.com Web Address: www.solarmax.com Address: Zur Schönhalde 10, D-89352 Ellzee, Deutschland Telephone: +49 3733 507840

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An Energy and a Determination Bridgepoint Group Ltd. is an award-winning consulting, advisory and merchant banking firm that focuses on business development strategies and execution of sustainability, energy and infrastructure solutions. We were fortunate to speak to the Frank Carnevale about the remarkable energy and enthusiasm that permeates throughout all of the firm’s work in this ECO 25 feature.

How long has the firm been going for and where are you based?

Excitingly, it’s been over 18 that the business was formed.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Bridgepoint works on projects across North America.

What sets your business apart from others in what you do?

We believe our value proposition is that we are non-threatening to our clients/partners. We’re not

sharks looking to dilute them; we’re enablers looking to share in the risk/reward with them.

We also believe we see market opportunities quicker than others.

Can you point to any examples as to how the business is succeeding?

We have been converting opportunities into equity in companies and roles to oversee those investments. It’s been a long and winding road, but the experience and knowledge is being leveraged into more deals.

How would you describe your client base?

We’re becoming more focused on sustainability, energy and cleantech. Our clients and partners range from large electric utilities to growing unregulated energy businesses to growing cleantech companies.

What do your clients say about the products and services you offer?

I believe that our clients and partners would say that we see things before others do; we are pretty good at threading the needle on getting things done.

What role do staff play in the success of your firm?

From larger numbers, we’re really nimble nowadays. We secure resources as required, but we always focus on delivering real value to clients and partners.

Do you have any plans for the future that you would like to share with our readers?

We will continue to enable and make new investments and continue a move to be a leading asset manager of sustainable assets across North America.

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First of all, can you tell us what your firm does?

Bridgepoint is an advisory and merchant banking firm focused on business development strategy and execution in sustainability, energy and cleantech. We enable success by bootstrapping our experience and expertise to projects and companies to take them to the next level.

Company: Bridgepoint Group Ltd. Name: Frank Carnevale Email: fcarnevale@bridgepointgroupltd.com Web Address: www.bridgepointgroupltd.com Address: 751 Briar Hill Ave., Toronto Ontario M6B 1L7 Canada Telephone: +1 647 531 8264

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Tomorrow’s Energy with an Innovative Drone Join Ampyx Power on its journey to tomorrow’s energy. Ampyx Power develops a disruptive next generation wind energy technology with a drone attached to a cable. With this technology, the cost of wind power, both on- and offshore, can be dramatically reduced, while simultaneously reducing visual, noise and environmental impact of wind power installations.

When flying a kite at Noordwijk beach (the Netherlands) the Dutch astronaut and professor of Technical University Delft (TU Delft), Wubbo Ockels, discovered that he burned his hand when the line slipped. He decided to further research how this force could be converted into electricity. At TU Delft, Wubbo Ockels formed a team that worked on developing a kite that harvested electricity from the sky. Team leader Richard Ruiterkamp replaced the kite with a fixed wing which allows for greater scalability and controllability, and thus generating more electricity. In 2008, Richard founded Ampyx Power in order to develop a system for generating energy based on this principle and bring it to the market.

Since 2008 Ampyx Power has been working on its technology.

Three generations of prototypes have proven the concept. Ampyx Power is now building the last prototype before entering the market in 2020 with a commercial system. Ampyx Power develops a technology with a PowerPlane, a fully autonomous aircraft attached to a power generator on the ground by a tether. As the plane flies in a figure of eight motion, taking advantage of crosswinds, it pulls on the tether; it is the tensile strength of the tether that creates power for the grounded generator.

What sets Ampyx Power apart?

Wind resource increases

significantly with altitude. On a typical onshore site, available wind energy at 500 meters altitude is two to three times the available wind energy at 100 meters altitude. Conventional wind turbine manufacturers, aiming to reach these higher wind speeds, have been installing ever higher towers and rotors over the years.

But this increase in height of wind turbines comes at a penalty – significantly more material is needed for both the tower structure and the foundations. The active parts of a conventional wind turbine are the tips of its blades – the majority of the energy in the wind is captured in the outer 30% of the wind turbine blades. Other parts of the wind turbine add little or nothing to its purpose. Ampyx Power aims to capture the wind resource at higher altitudes by replacing the tips of the blades with an aircraft.

So, what sets Ampyx Power apart? Its system is eco-friendlier to manufacture, requiring only 10% of the material used to make a traditional wind turbine.

Their system can go the extra mile: operating at an altitude of 450 m, which turbines can’t reach, it can harness stronger and more constant wind for a higher energy yield. Moving about in a cross wind pattern and being able to cover a larger area, unlike the stationary turbine, also achieve this result. Ampyx Power’s system is less visible as

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it takes up only a fraction of the space and operates at a much lower noise level as the aircraft flies high in the sky. Setting up the system has minimal environmental impact and onsite construction.

Market entry Initial conventional offshore wind experiments were performed during the 1990s, and commercial offshore wind projects have been built since the early 2000s. The wind turbines of the first generation of offshore projects, were not specifically designed for offshore conditions, and will reach the end of its technical lifetime between 2020 and 2025. However, the ‘balance of plant’ infrastructure of these wind projects oftentimes is designed for much longer use.

Asset owners are investigating cost-effective ways to extend the lifetime of their asset by replacing the obsolete wind turbines, which is referred to as ‘repowering’. If repowering proves technically or economically impossible, asset owners are facing high decommissioning costs required for bringing the offshore site back to its original state, which is generally guaranteed by these asset owners as part of the operating concession for these projects.

Ampyx Power’s system provides a unique proposition for this market. The system could be fitted after the obsolete wind turbines have been removed, making use of the existing

foundations, array cables, export cables and grid connection.

Few or no alternatives to Ampyx Power systems are available: replacement with current proven conventional offshore wind turbines is not possible as these have much larger size and capacity rating, requiring new foundations as well as significant refurbishment of array cabling and export cabling.

Even if suitable conventional wind turbines would be available on the market, repowering with conventional turbines for another 15-20 years would in most cases result in loads which would exceed the fatigue limits of existing foundations, thus requiring extremely costly replacement of foundation works.

Installation of Ampyx Power systems on existing foundations however is amply possible due to its much smaller peak and average loads on foundations, resulting in extended lifetime requiring limited capital expenditure.

The team Ampyx Power has built a vibrant team of over 40 engineers, including internationally recognised experts in the fields of autopilot (algorithms and software) design, carbon composite airframe design and aerodynamics. Within the team, all capabilities required for achieving the key product innovations are present. The total Ampyx Power team consists of 50 employees with more than

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Tomorrow’s Energy with an Innovative Drone

Company: Ampyx Power Email: info@ampyxpower.com Web Address: www.ampyxpower.com/crowdfunding Address: Lulofsstraat 55 Unit 13 2521 AL The Hague The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0) 70 40 20 168

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17 different nationalities working from the Head Office in The Hague, The Netherlands and Melbourne, Australia.

Crowdfunding Securing the financial resources for the pre-commercial phase has been one of the challenges for Ampyx Power. To date, professional investors recognised the enormous potential of the system (including potential very high returns on investment in case of success), but were generally deterred by the significant technological and market risks, as well as the long time-to-market of such a disruptive technology.

Moreover, for Dutch based venture capital funds in the renewable energy field, the required investment volumes generally exceeded the investment size such funds are able to provide.

possibility to acquire a stake in Ampyx Power and to invest in tomorrow’s energy.

Join us on our journey From the end of March you can buy your shares online at www. ampyxpower.com/crowdfunding To stay updated on the latest developments and the exact start of the campaign you can subscribe to our newsletter today https://www.ampyxpower.com/ crowdfunding.

In response, Ampyx Power has turned to investors with an appetite for a long-term investment with high potential returns, who are also attracted by the potential impact of Ampyx Power’s disruptive technology on mitigating climate change.

To date, equity investments amounting to €6.8 million were realised, of which more than half was supplied by more than 400 informal investors, who now own a stake of 20% in the company. In order to finance the construction of their last prototype, Ampyx Power is planning a new crowdfunding campaign starting end of March, giving all impact investors the

GLOBAL ENERGY NEWS / MARCH 2017 23

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Innovation in Solar Energy HGD innovations design, develop and install innovative alternative power solutions across the world, working in partnership with our clients to provide the best solutions for their needs.

We are honoured to have been awarded the Best Solar Energy R&D Company – UK & Most Innovative Solar SPV Design: Solar Silo Unit – UK.

On winning both the Best Solar Energy R&D Company – UK & the Most Innovative Solar SPV Design: Solar Silo Unit – UK awards, we are honoured to receive the two clean energy awards. Being recognised by the wider community for our hard work means a lot, especially as the two awards are based on R&D and innovation, which are two areas that as a company pride ourselves in. We will continue to focus on developing our solutions further and hope to win these and other awards next year as well.

Innovation and technology in the energy industry In terms of what sets our business apart from our competition, we are one of the few companies to use a UL approved nonglass, rigid, crystalline silicon cell photovoltaic module in the world. This innovative PV module combines both advanced materials and a proprietary manufacturing process enabling customers to generate power in the most extreme environments. The module is impact resistant and has light-weight features. These characteristics make our products highly suitable for residential and commercial roofing, military, industrial and transportation related applications.

Also, the innovation of being able to mount lightweight high power output panels in the vertical plane has revolutionised thinking that solar farms, for example, need to take hectares of land. Now small highly mobile high power solar units can be used to provide enough power to run equipment in difficult areas where conventional cable fed systems are cost prohibitive.

In addition, as our panels are able to produce power in much lower light conditions and build them on the vertical plane (meaning they offer consistent power throughout a day, as opposed to traditionally angled PV panels) we are able to offer power in some of the most extreme environments. Our solar panels do not use glass in any of the manufacturing process

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which means that even at the manufacturing level we have much greener credentials than standard PV panels.

On the subject of technology, I would like to say that this is now enabling us to produce lighter weight more efficient both fixed and mobile structures. Our innovative approach is allowing us to overcome specific challenges as they arrive. In addition, our solar silos and other innovative products are winning popularity in many market sectors, which is enabling our cross continental expansion.

Client base overview Due to how we operate, we are able to serve clients across many different sectors on a global scale.

We aim to offer a completely bespoke service meaning we can effectively offer solutions to any industry that requires alternative power. We are currently working within the telecommunication, agricultural and security sectors.

We have received nothing but good feedback from our clients.

We attribute this to the way we do business. We operate very transparently and let the client be as involved as they like with the design process when working on a bespoke solution.

On the subject of people, I would like to comment on the important role that staff play in the success of our firm. Indeed, as we are a small team, our staff are our company. We work together whether it is in the workshop or working with clients, giving the whole team a clear understanding of what needs to be done. This is how we are able to take hold of our clients’ goals and make them a reality.

In terms of the firm’s plans for the future, we are developing new initiatives to meet our clients very modern needs. Our future product developments will be being announced continuously over the coming months.

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HGD innovations comes out of ten years’ experience in the alternative power industry. The company has been based in the UK for several years and now has offices in Brazil and West Africa and is looking to establish a presence in the Middle East.

Company: HGD innovations Name: Derek Castle, Zak Cunningham Email: dac@hgdi.co.uk, zak@hgdi.co.uk Web Address: www.hgdi.co.uk Address: 9-11 Wellesey Avenue, Iver SL0 9AX UK

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Best in Class Since 1982, Peter Campbell (Sales) Ltd has evolved to become a unique technical cutting tool supplier to the UK engineering and manufacturing industries. They provide a comprehensive range of metal cutting tooling and tool regrind services to all major manufacturing sectors including the oil and gas industry. We caught up with a spokesperson to find out more about the largest independent oil & gas cutting tool supplier in the UK.

“Our engineering solutions team will design, manufacture and apply tooling on problematic oil & gas features” the spokesperson commented. “PCS also have an inventory of products that would previously have been considered as ‘specials’. This includes port tooling covering the following ranges: medium pressure, high pressure, SAE, FMJ, Jam Nut and HIF. In addition, we have an extensive range of oil & gas threading specials both on-edge and laydown”, the spokesperson added.

To complement the above PCS are also technical distributors for all the leading carbide/tooling manufacturers – these include Sandvik, Kennametal, Tungaloy, Walter, Emuge-Franken and Greenleaf to mention but a few.

Concerning specific developments in the energy sector, the spokesperson directs is to the downturn in oil & gas sector over the last two years or so. “PCS engineers have been able to reduce our customer’s cost of production by introducing new machining methods, process improvements and reduction in cycle times.

This has allowed our customer base to remain competitive in the challenging environment we find ourselves in today.”

“Despite the worldwide downturn in the oil & gas industry, PCS has grown export sales over the last few years. Our reputation

overseas for a quality product and engineering support has grown considerably.”

In terms of the PCS’s client base, this ranges from OEMs to subcontract machining companies of varying sizes, all of whom benefit from their engineering solutions products and expertise.

“We have established a loyal customer base who appreciate our added value services. Our clients would acknowledge that PCS provide a second to none service. Offering ‘Best in Class’ tooling with exceptional technical support, so they recognise the added value that PCS offer” the spokesperson goes on to say.

On the subject of people, staff clearly play a vital role in the success of PCS. The spokesperson reveals that PCS have a wealth of technical experience and provide their customers with the best solutions for problematic oil & gas components.

“This has been realised from the knowledge and understanding

we have gained throughout the years. We have core personnel in all departments that have been with us for a number of years to maintain the continuity of service we provide. PCS are very focussed on the future and are investing in young talented individuals to continue providing the excellent services our customers enjoy for years to come.”

The concluding remarks of the spokesperson end on a note of optimism, with reference to the ongoing recovery of the oil & gas sector, and added to that how PCS expect to employ additional engineers for both their internal and external technical departments.

“PCS will bring to market new and innovative tooling from our in-house manufacture and supply partners that again will drive down production costs. PCS are committed to long term mutually beneficial relationships with both customers and supply partners alike. This ethos has served PCS well in the past and will in the future.”

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PCS was established in 1982 in central Scotland, and today has a state-of-theart manufacturing facility at their head office in Scotland which can produce premium quality, bespoke tooling on a short lead time, at a very competitive cost.

Company: Peter Campbell (Sales) Ltd Email: sales@petercampbellsales.com Web: www.petercampbellsales.com Address: Head Office: Unit 27, Block 6, Chapelhall Ind. Est., Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, ML6 8QH UK Telephone: +44 (0)1236 755003

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Powering Up

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Company: AIMS Power Inc. Name: Laura de Jong Email: ldejong@aimscorp.net Web Address: www.aimscorp.net Address: 9736 S. Virginia Street STE A, Reno, Nevada, 89511 USA Telephone: +1 775 359 6703

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Powering Up Laura de Jong speaks to us about AIMS Power, its offering and the industry it operates within.

AIMS Power is a manufacturer of DC to AC power inverters and a distributor of solar panels, cables, charge controllers and deep cycle batteries. The firm has been in business for 17 years and is based in Reno, Nevada.

AIMS Power’s mission is to be a leader in the design and development of off-grid and renewable energy. The firm sells its signature DC to AC inverters, solar panels, deep-cycle batteries, chargers and more to some of the most innovative companies and organisations across the US and worldwide.

The first AIMS Power inverter was created in 2001 by founder and president, Bruce de Jong, in his Reno garage, Nevada. Bruce devoted late nights to developing truly unique inverter designs and researching the needs of the renewable energy markets. And he succeeded.

Armed with just a college degree and a little business experience, AIMS Power was born, designing, developing and bringing to market the most extensive line of inverters available.

The company was eventually able to move to an office in South Reno, before expanding to two facilities. A business of one grew with the addition of de Jong’s wife, Laura, followed by a staff of just 14. Sales, marketing and warehousing teams and specialists would be the next additions, helping the company go from strength to competitive.

Laura de Jong talks to us about the firm and what differentiates it from the competition it faces within the industry.

“AIMS Power offers one of the largest DC to AC product lines,” she begins. “We offer multiple voltages and wattages for large back-up power applications. All of our tech support, engineering and repairs are performed by AIMS Power’s employees.

“Our current portfolio of 95 products includes low-frequency inverter chargers able to meet industrial-grade needs and consumer price points. We also introduced a line of modified sine inverters boasting 8, 10, 12, and 50-kilowatt models, a range of ETL-certified power inverters which Conform to UL 458 Standards and a range of European inverters.”

With an average growth of 16% year-over-year since inception, AIMS Power’s success is a direct result of its ever-growing product lines, value-added services, continuous product improvement programs and friendly customer support.

“Our clients rely on our expertise to recommend the best product for each application. We have learned that every client has a different need based on power needs, geography, budget and complexity.”

The power inverter industry is a very fragmented one and also one that many users and potential users don’t understand.

“There are great benefits to using an inverter instead of let’s say, a generator but there are also potential drawbacks,” comments Laura. “That is why we like to talk to customers about their projects and train our resellers on understanding proper uses and installation of inverters.

“A major advantage of an inverter is that it does not use a fuel but a battery bank and that the power from a pure sine inverter is usually much cleaner than that from a generator. An inverter also runs quieter. Recharging the battery bank can sometimes be the drawback.

“However, we believe the interest and awareness for solar is increasing as more people use solar for off-grid or back up

power solutions. Battery storage and cost is one of the challenges still facing the Off Grid and backup power industry.”

AIMS Power places a lot of emphasis on its hardworking, dedicated employee base, as Laura embellishes.

“We rely on our staff 100%. We are very “hands-on” with each client and sometimes it takes several interactions to recommend the best system. We do tons of fact finding with our clients.”

The future looks bright for AIMS Power, and Laura tells us more about the industry and what she foresees.

“We have invested over $1M in our new tech support, engineering and repair facility while using our own products as the primary power source.

We will continue expanding our product lines based on our customer feedback.

“The challenges we might face include competing low quality products that lack customer support entering the marketing and eroding our margins.”

“Our clients are predominantly solar installers, mobile commercial outfitters/upfitters, fleets, rv and work truck manufacturers, oem accounts, Do-It-Yourself installers that rely on us to help design solar inverter kits for all power applications,” explains Laura.

“Whether it be for an off-grid system or a customised mobile power solution we can help recommend all components needed.

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The Future of Energy

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Company: BioCentury Research Farm, Iowa State University Name: Kevin Keener Email: kkeener@iastate.edu Web Address: www.biocenturyresearchfarm.iastate.edu Address: 1327 U Avenue, Boone, IA 50036 USA Telephone: 1-515-294-0160

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The Future of Energy Kevin Keener, of Iowa State University BioCentury Research Farm, talks openly about the organisation, the research it undertakes and what the future holds.

The Iowa State University BioCentury Research Farm is the first integrated research and demonstration facility in the United States dedicated to biomass production and processing. Biomass of any form can be processed and mostly includes lignocellulosic crops, crop residues, and grain. The BioCentury Research Farm accelerates innovation and production capacity associated with bio based products including fuels, chemicals, food, and feed.

More specifically, the BioCentury Research Farm brings together university and industrial scientific expertise to address biomass cropping systems, biofuel and bioproduct processing, logistics of biomass supply, and positive environmental effects such as nutrient recycling back to the land.

The BioCentury Research Farm specifically focuses on the following: Long-term Assessment of Miscanthus Productivity and Sustainability (LAMPS): Cropping systems that are profitable for farmers and balance societal needs for food, feed, fuel, energy and clean air and water are the focus and challenge of the LAMPS project. Miscanthus has received widespread attention as a biomass crop in Europe where it is used primarily for combustion in power plants. It is desirable for this use because of its low water and ash contents and high-energy output to input ratio.

The plant also uses nitrogen efficiently and is a perennial crop.

Miscanthus is being investigated as a biomass crop for bioenergy and biofuel.

Digital agriculture: Digital agriculture research is focused on the development and integration of technology to provide information to support agricultural decisions.

Specifically, the program focuses on a continuous improvement approach for crop production and risk mitigation. The BioCentury Research Farm provides researchers with access to facilities for technology development as well as access to crop production demonstration plots to verify data driven solutions. The research farm is a hub for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) research at Iowa State University and serves as both a development platform for UAV technology as well as a training station to educate producers on the uses of UAVs. Researchers are also actively engaged in the development of new crop sensing technology to precisely measure grain yield.

Increased grain yield accuracy supports precise variable rate management plans, which can simultaneously increase profitability and environmental stewardship.

Biomass Supply Chain Management: The biomass supply chain management program focuses on sustainable and efficient methods of corn stover production for cellulosic biofuels. Researchers explore a range of topics including advanced harvesting machinery development, storage and quality preservation techniques for biomass feedstocks, machinery fleet management optimisation, and incorporation of biomass harvesting into a sustainable crop management plan. The BioCentury Research Farm provides the team a wide range of research tools including the high capacity biomass analysis

lab, data analytics tools, industrial-quality storage-testing facilities and instrumented machinery for analysing biomass production operations.

An integrated extension and outreach program supports the direct transfer of research results to the public and has served a critical role in increasing the knowledge of Iowans involved in the bio economy.

Assessing Grain and Biomass Dryer Technologies and Innovations: The project focuses on testing new approaches to drying grain and biomass, and new dryer technologies.

Researchers measure moisture removal ability, energy consumption, and drying efficiency; determine system costs and environmental impacts; and test impacts on seed germination after grain drying.

Biomass Feedstock Preparation: Biomass feedstocks can be dried, ground, and sized at the BioCentury Research Farm.

Various dryers, grinders, mills and sieves are available to process biomass for biofuels and biochemical projects. A fine particle biomass preparation lab for fine grinding, sieving, pelleting, milling, briquetting, and particle size distribution determination is also available.

The BioCentury Research Farm is one of the few facilities in the United States capable of grinding and sizing large quantities of research quality biomass feedstock.

Algae Technologies for Water Quality: Algae are being explored as an option to remove pollutants from industrial and municipal wastewater. The algae biomass requires nitrogen and phosphorus for growth, which can be supplied by industrial

and municipal wastewater.

Research is being conducted using raceway ponds, flat panel photobioreactors, and biofilmbased reactors to scale up new algal biomass production technologies for algae cultivation.

One technology developed is the rotating algal biofilm (RAB) system, a series of serpentine belts that alternate between the wastewater and the air.

The algal biomass grown can be manufactured into fertiliser, animal feed, and other products, depending on the wastewater source. The team has also developed a portable RAB system that can be transported to industrial and municipal sites to treat wastewater.

Biochemical Processing: Biochemical processing research develops pre-treatment, fermentation and ethanol recovery strategies to enable successful commercialisation of biofuels and biochemicals.

The BioCentury Research Farm is equipped to replicate the entire dry‑grind ethanol process at large-pilot scale, allowing researchers to develop new technologies to reduce water and energy consumption in grain ethanol production. The facility is also used to scale up new biotechnology products and processes for crop seed technologies through finished consumer products.

Fast Pyrolysis: Fast pyrolysis is a thermochemical method to break down plants for the production of advanced biofuels. Large pilotscale fast pyrolysis research at Iowa State University is located at the BioCentury Research Farm. These units convert dry biomass by rapidly heating the particles to high temperatures (300 to 600°C) in an environment containing little or no oxygen

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at atmospheric pressure. Fast pyrolysis results in three main products: bio-oil, biochar, and non-condensable gases.

Biomass Gasification and Syngas Cleaning: A pilot-scale 25 kg/h fluidised bed gasifier and syngas cleaning system at the BioCentury Research Farm is used to convert biomass into clean syngas using gasification.

The reactor vessel incorporates a novel guard heating system to simulate near adiabatic operation of industrial gasifiers, and is effective for gasification temperatures up to 900°C and operating pressures up to 1 atmosphere. The system features continuous online sampling of both contaminants and gas species and a stateof-the-art control system. The cleaning system downstream of the gasifier removes the contaminants using several techniques: tar removal by oil scrubbing, sulphur compound removal via solid phase adsorption, and ammonia removal by water scrubbing.

Solvent Liquefaction: The pilotscale solvent liquefaction system (1 kg/hour capacity) at the BioCentury Research Farm is an Iowa State University partnership with Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) that aims to demonstrate solvent liquefaction as a pathway to produce low-cost drop-in transportation fuels.

The solvent liquefaction system mixes a proprietary solvent with woody or herbaceous biomass that is extruded into a reactor and split into an upper stream that handles gases and vapours, and a lower stream that handles liquids and small amounts of solids. Each stream has a series of filters and separators that recovers products that include bio-oil, small amounts of biochar, and solvent for recycling.

Continuous pilot-scale production and recovery of these materials is critical to demonstrate the commercial viability of solvent liquefaction for the production of drop-in hydrocarbon transportation fuels.

Biopolymers processing: The Bio-Polymer Processing Facility converts fats and vegetable oils into plastics. The facility allows Iowa State University

engineers to research and develop processes for producing biopolymers. It can be used to “de-risk” technologies for companies that could be interested in producing tons of biopolymers each year. The facility can make about 1,000 pounds of biopolymers per day and can be used for evaluation in several different industries including asphalt paving, adhesives, coatings, and packing materials.

Technology Commercialisation: The BioCentury Research Farm provides technology commercialisation services to assist companies, from start up to multinational, and Iowa State University (ISU) scientists with development and scale up of new technologies and processes.

These services include grant and business development; linkages to pilot-scale services; and laboratory, office, and pilot-plant space available for lease. The BioCentury Research Farm’s partnership with the Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) has introduced these services to food, feed and bio renewables manufacturers across Iowa.

Facilities are available for educating future scientists, producers, and extension experts. Outreach programming offered demonstrates the economic, social, and environmental viability of bio renewable energy and bio based products to producers, manufacturers, policy makers, and the public. Partnerships with companies conduct collaborative research, development, and demonstration of sustainable technologies that provide solutions to meet national energy, economic, and environmental directives.

Director, Kevin Keener, tells us about the organisation’s client base and what it is that sets the BioCentury Research Farm aside from its competitors.

“The BioCentury Research Farm client base is diverse, with commercial entities from the agricultural machinery, biochemical, life sciences, and petroleum industries, entrepreneurial ventures to

multinational corporations and everything in between,” he begins. “The desire to conduct basic and applied research to solve world challenges is the common thread. BioCentury Research Farm staff service over 100 projects a year from faculty, corporations, governments, and private citizens across the globe.

“The farm’s research and commercialisation services cover the entire bio renewables value chain, from adaptation of new plant species and agricultural production practices to harvest, storage, and transport of biomass to preparation and conversion of biomass into products, all at one complex. The facility has expertly trained staff that are experienced working with industry, faculty, staff, and students. Nearly every research and development project is an industry-university partnership.

“The ‘can do attitude’ stands out to our clients,” he adds.

“They also like the wide array of expertise, equipment, and facilities available to conduct research and technology scaleup activities. The BioCentury Research Farm also has the flexibility and infrastructure to support new large pilot-scale and demonstration-scale facilities that position industry clients to reach their technology commercialisation objectives.”

The BioCentury Research Farm complex, based in Boone, Iowa, started in July 2009 with crop production, harvest, storage and transport, and biochemical and thermochemical conversion capabilities. “These were expanded in the first few years and continue to do so,” continues Kevin, speaking of the organisation’s growth. “New capabilities in algae production and biopolymer processing have been added. Nearly all projects have at least one industry partner, many of which have grown into long-term relationships with affiliated faculty and staff.”

DuPont BioSciences located their corn stover supply chain research operation at the BioCentury Research Farm shortly after it opened in 2009 and has been there since,

supporting DuPont’s new 30 MGY lignocellulosic ethanol production facility 15 miles away.

A new DuPont group started work at the BioCentury Research Farm recently.

“Farm machinery companies have collaborated with Iowa State University researchers on testing equipment for corn stover and forage harvesting and collection, digital agriculture, and developing and testing new technologies.”

Highly qualified faculty and staff draw industry clients to the BioCentury Research Farm.

The management staff excel in providing infrastructure options and solutions for faculty and industry clients.

Kevin embellishes: “A total of six technical staff are available with expertise in engineering, marketing, process design, and quality testing. The two biochemical processing staff are PhD scientists and have combined more than 50 years of technology scale-up experience to offer clients. A PhD scientist specialising in separation technologies is part of the biochemical processing team.

Technology commercialisation assistance is also available.

“Each of the faculty research teams has high quality staff and students specialising in feedstock production; biomass harvest, storage, and transport; digital agriculture; algae production; biopolymer processing; and thermochemical processing. In all, over 80 people work at the BioCentury Research Farm.”

With regards to the future, Kevin foresees huge growth potential.

“We continue to look for opportunities to expand the BioCentury Research Farm, creating opportunities to remain at the forefront of the bio renewables industry.

“The BioCentury Research Farm looks to continue rapid growth by providing a unique, supportive experience for clients as they pursue scale up of new technologies that will drive the future of energy.”

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Israeli Natural Gas Industry – Where Do We Go Now? Partners Shiri Shaham and Simon Weintraub at Israeli law firm of Yigal Arnon & Co. explore the state of the natural gas industry in Israel.

After years of deliberations, negotiations and amendments, the Israeli government recently adopted its final framework for the regulation of the burgeoning natural gas sector. This exciting development is a reflection of the country’s vibrant democracy, strong rule of law, and climate of regulatory certainty; it will hopefully foster geopolitical stability in the eastern Mediterranean basin, and will potentially promote economic co-development projects and unprecedented investment opportunities in the region.

The Israeli Gas Framework - background and process Israel has historically been a natural resource- poor country and is more widely known for its innovation and high tech industry.

Over the course of the last seven years, however, several major natural gas reservoirs have been discovered in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) placing Israel on the map for the first time with respect to natural resource opportunities. Israel’s four largest natural gas fields have largely been held by two parties – Noble Energy and the Delek Group, while the exploration efforts of other right holders have mostly proved unsuccessful.

As of June 2016, Delek and Noble together control 85% of the Leviathan field, 67.25% of the Tamar field, and 100% of both the Karish and Tanin fields.

The Tamar field, estimated at containing 10 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, was first discovered in 2009 and became operational in April 2013. It now generates more than half of Israel’s domestic electricity production.

The Leviathan field (estimated

at 22 tcf) was discovered in 2010 and production has not yet commenced. Tanin and Karish are much smaller fields which similarly have not yet been developed to production stage.

In December 2014, Israel’s then Antitrust Commissioner announced his decision to break up the Noble-Delek dominant position in this sector by cancelling a previous arrangement proposed by the Commissioner that would have allowed such parties to retain their respective stakes in Leviathan and Tamar on the condition that they sell their shares in the smaller Tanin and Karish fields. This decision resulted in an immediate halt in the development of Leviathan and triggered an intense deliberation process by the Israeli government, involving negotiations with Noble and Delek.

The aim of such negotiations was to adopt a long term comprehensive arrangement which would enable the development of Israeli gas reservoirs on the one hand, while affording solutions to the natural concerns of exploitation of a monopolistic position. This process took place during the entire year 2015 and involved public and parliamentary hearings and heated debate among the Israeli public. Finally, on December 17 2015, the Israeli Government approved the Natural Gas Framework, which constitutes a comprehensive regulation of this issue (the Framework).

Main Principles of the Framework • Development and Local Purchase Commitments: The Leviathan leaseholders must purchase at least US$ 1.5 billion in services and

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equipment for the Leviathan field’s development by the end of 2017 and the Tamar and Leviathan leaseholders must invest at least US$ 500 million over eight years in pertinent Israeli goods and services, R&D, personnel and professional training.

Protections to Customers: The Antitrust Commissioner conditioned his approval of a series of nine long term agreements for the sale of gas from the Tamar field upon the granting of a twoyear ‘window of opportunity’ (anticipated during 202022 but subject to change) for customers to reduce the quantities which are committed to be purchased under the current ‘take or pay’ purchase agreements by up to 50%. In addition, with respect to these longterm agreements as well as nine additional short term agreements, customers will be permitted to re-sell 15% of their contractually purchased quantity in secondary sales without pricing restrictions.

Future purchasers will enjoy additional protections relating to pricing.

Export and Tax: The Framework reinstates, with some modifications, a former government resolution regarding export restrictions which determines that a certain predetermined quantity of gas should be reserved for the local market.

It also clarifies various points relating to the special taxation regime applicable for the sale of natural resources.

Stability Clause: This integral provision requires the government to guarantee regulatory stability for ten years. This clause in its

original version included in the December 2015 Framework precluded the government from initiating new legislation that would change the main parameters of the Framework and current regulations and required the government to oppose similar private legislation.

These undertakings are conditional upon compliance by the leaseholders with their respective commitments under the Framework.

The Judicial Process Fuelled by heated public discourse questioning the government’s policy considerations, a number of interested and political groups challenged the Framework before the Supreme Court of Israel in its capacity as the High Court of Justice. The appeal hinged on the legality of the government to adopt this type of legislative-like agenda not by way of primary legislation of the Knesset (Israeli parliament). The five Supreme Court judges methodically reviewed and comprehensively analysed each issue, with each judge expressing slightly different opinions on the various issues.

The Revised Stability Clause: The government promptly addressed the Court’s concerns and on May 22, 2016, announced its amended Framework with a more lenient Stability Clause. While the new clause still refers to a 10-year long regulatory climate in the natural gas sector which is intended to attract investment, it no longer guarantees nor does it mandate that the government will abstain from and oppose the enactment of any material changes.

g Israeli Natural Gas Industry – Where Do We Go Now? Name: Shiri Shaham and Simon Weintraub Company: Yigal Arnon & Co. Email: info@arnon.co.il Web Address: www.arnon.co.il Address: 1 Azrieli Center Tel Aviv 6702101, Israel Telephone: (+972) 3 608 7777

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Rather, the new clause provides that the government will carefully consider future regulatory changes which relate to the ‘government take’ from the leaseholders’ profits and other matters dealt with in the Framework when such changes could have a material adverse effect (in the eyes of a reasonable investor) on the leaseholders. In the event of a material change of this kind, the government will undergo an evaluation process which will explore and form solutions in order to sustain the economic viability of the projects.

Going Forward and Conclusions In our opinion recent events in Israel’s natural gas sector are an encouraging reality for foreign investment in Israel. The recent deliberations and legal proceedings surrounding the Framework have showcased Israel’s vibrant democracy and strong rule of law. The High Court of Justice’s opinion outlines a clear separation of powers between Israel’s executive and legislative branches, effectuating political, legal, and regulatory certainty – imperative for direct foreign investment. From an investment perspective, it is the hope that the Framework will serve as a stimulus in expediting the development of Israel’s natural gas reserves and for promoting trade agreements with neighboring eastern Mediterranean countries.

Such trade agreements can hopefully serve to foster geopolitical stability in the region.

By way of example, it was reported that Leviathan partners and British Gas were close to signing a US$ 30 billion deal to supply 105 BCM of gas over 15 years to British Gas’s liquefaction facility in Idku,

Egypt. It has also been reported in the media that Israel and Turkey are coming closer to a gas deal as well including the possibility of a pipeline through Turkey. While relations between the two states have been shaky as of late, a trade agreement would advance the rapprochement that interests both sides.

The Framework is already spawning a boom in discussions on foreign investment and M&A activity in Israel. Under the Framework, the Leviathan field will need to be developed rapidly requiring the infusion of billions of dollars most of which will likely be funded by sources from outside of Israel. Moreover, it was announced recently by the Israeli government that there will be a new round of exploratory permits (likely in the fall) to be granted by the Israeli government as the country’s EEZ continues to prove fertile.

For example, this past January, it was reported that the partners in the Daniel gas field off the coast of Ashdod and near the Gaza Strip, have a geological report estimating such field to hold 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

We are optimistic that the major regulatory hurdles have now been overcome so that Israel can finally find its place as a global energy provider as well as a home base for safe investment opportunities.

The authors Shiri Shaham and Simon Weintraub are partners in the Israeli law firm of specialising in Banking and Oil & Gas. Most recently, Shiri and Simon represented JP Morgan, CitiGroup and HSBC, as the lead underwriters in the Delek Group $2 billion bond offering in connection with the development of the Tamar lease.

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PAE17002

Going Green

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Best Integrated Energy Company 2017 – California & Energy Executive of the Year – California

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Company: FirmGreen, Inc. Name: Steven Wilburn, CEO Address: 2901 W. Coast Highway, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92663, 949-285-4567 Fax 949-203-2130 Email: steve@firmgreen.com Website: www.firmgreen.com

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Going Green Headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, FirmGreen, Inc., is a privately held, integrated energy company participating in virtually all aspects of the global green energy business which specialises in identifying developing and commercially new and emerging technologies, and alternative fuels that promise to play an increasingly important role in the world’s energy market. We caught up with Steven Wilburn, CEO, to find out more.

FirmGreen, Inc. are passionately committed to improving the quality of life for people around the world with implementation of sound sustainable energy solutions that positively impact their environment and economic condition. Steve discusses the firm’s solutions and outlines how these help his company to offer the very best products for its clients’ needs.

“FirmGreen identifies, develops and commercializes new and emerging technologies, and alternative fuels. Within the clean fuels sector we offer an innovative biogas systems respond to environmental policy mandates with respect to best practices for waste utilization, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction.

interruption in power from a utility grid. You will always be using the cheapest energy, as VerdeVault® continuously compares the cost of using your locally stored energy vs. power from a utility grid.

“Our patented VerdeControls™ enables 360º system visibility 24/7/365 in real-time over a secure network. Connect with your energy management system remotely to monitor your energy use. You can receive alerts that help you manage your energy in the most efficient manner, saving money and time.”

As a business leader Steve works hard to ensure that the firm operates to the highest possible standard. He is a senior energy

executive with over thirty years of experience in development and implementation of energy production technologies and alternative energy projects.

Steve combines in-depth industry expertise with broad business and entrepreneurial capability. He has had extensive and successful dealings with municipal entities, government agencies, and regulatory bodies, which he uses throughout his work at FirmGreen.

Ultimately, through integration of our social and financial goals, FirmGreen is well-positioned as a global leader in the renewable energy and alternative fuels markets, generating demonstrable stakeholder value for both the short and long term.

In addition, our Smart Solar technology integrates state-ofthe-art microinverter technology, power-line communications and web-based monitoring and analytics to maximize system efficiency “Finally, the product about which we are exceptionally proud is our FirnGreen’s VerdeVault® Battery Storage System, which harvests and stores energy from your solar system, can be used to charge an electric vehicle (EV), and can provide power for your home if there is an

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On a Mission

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Best Precision Component Developer 2017

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Company: Omni-Lite Industries, Inc. Contact: Belinda Kiet Email: b.kiet@omni-lite.com Address: 17210 Edwards Road, Cerritos, California 90703, USA Phone: +1(562) 404-8510 Website: www.omni-lite.com

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On a Mission Omni-Lite Industries Canada Inc. is a world recognized research and development Company with the core mission of utilizing material science for mission critical applications. We profile the firm to find out more.

Omni-Lite’s specialized, precision components are produced utilizing computer-controlled hot and cold forging systems that are networked to provide an optimal environment for engineering enhancements, leading to maximum production efficiencies. These capabilities provide financial benefits such as high industry gross and net margins, cash flow and EBITDA ratios, which allow the Company to execute an ambitious growth strategy.

By combining its progressive forging techniques with a team of key design and material engineers, production technicians, marketing and administrative support personnel, Omni-Lite has been able to deliver components with the exacting criteria required by customers in a broad group of industries. The Company’s mandate is to further leverage this unique mix of skills and competencies to achieve additional growth.

Omni-Lite is managed as a single business by the chief operating decision-makers.

The Company operates four business segments defined as the Aerospace, Military, Specialty Automotive, and Sports and Recreation divisions. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries which include: Omni-Lite Industries International Inc., Omni-Lite Industries California Inc., Formed Fast International Inc., and Omni-Lite Properties Inc., the Company designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets specialized components to a broad spectrum of Fortune 500

customers. Its components are utilized in the products of Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, the U.S. Military, Chrysler, Ford, Nike, and Adidas. The requirements and stature of these customers necessitates that the Company operate at a very high level of engineering and production efficiency.

To gain access to the new nanostructured materials and technical services being pioneered in this innovative industry, Omni-Lite founded California Nanotechnologies Corp., a publicly listed company trading as “CNO” on the TSX Venture Exchange. Approximately 18% of the outstanding shares of CNO are held by Omni-Lite, allowing the firm access to new markets and clients.

Omni-Lite’s overall strategy is to continue striving to be the best in the progressive forging business.

This strategy, entitled the Vision 2020 Plan, revolves around creating superior shareholder value through the development of quality products, financial discipline, and investment thereby boasting sales by between 20 percent to 25 percent per year. In addition, the firm will commission 35 Progressive forging systems, maintain research and development efforts for future initiatives and continually update its ancillary systems to support production and quality. Integrally the firm will also upgrade its current facility and has leased adjoining space to improve efficiencies. As part of its mandate, the company will continue to facilitate the growth and retention of its highly skilled workforce and management.

Finally, the firm will commit to

maintaining the environment through waste reduction, energy conservation, and recycling.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2017, Omni-Lite will continue to focus on building revenue in the aerospace, military, and specialty automotive segments through on-going product development and organic customer growth.

The Aerospace division is experiencing growth due to a cyclical resurgence in the aerospace industry and a focus on some of the components that the Company manufactures for aircraft utilizing a greater portion of composite material. The Specialty Automotive division is growing primarily due to an emphasis on new components focusing on “green” technology for diesel engines. With the “Vision 2020” strategy, Omni-Lite has purchased a large seven station progressive forging system. This system will be the most sophisticated at OmniLite, with five of the seven dies modified with the OD-Plus System, which provides for

the opening and closing of the forging tooling, in real time, under high pressure. This system was delivered to Omni-Lite in September of 2015.

Overall, Omni-Lite is committed to providing products to our customers in the most energy efficient and “green” means possible. To this end the company is installing a 200KW solar system on the facility in Cerritos, California. This system, to be completed in May 2017, will produce almost 50% of the total energy needs of the entire Company.

To ensure future growth, OmniLite is committed to funding the research and development of new materials and products and to apply for patents to protect the intellectual property that pertains to its business. To date, the Company has been granted eight U.S. Patents covering innovations in materials, processes, and design. These new patents will provide the firm will a myriad of opportunities for further growth and success.

GLOBAL ENERGY NEWS / MARCH 2017 37

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, Best Precision Component Developer 2017

Keeping the Pressure on U.S. Well Services, LLC, (USWS) provides high-pressure, hydraulic fracturing services in unconventional oil and natural gas basins. We caught up with Jared Oehring to learn more about the firm and the services it provides.

“Here at USWS, both our conventional (diesel) and Clean Fleet® (electric) hydraulic

fracturing fleets are among the most reliable and highest performing fleets in the industry, with the capability to meet the most demanding pressure and pump rate requirements in the industry.

“Our clients truly benefit from the performance and reliability of our equipment and personnel.

Specifically, all of our fleets operate on a 24-hour basis and have the ability to withstand the high utilization rates that result in more efficient operations.”

The firm’s innovative Clean Fleet® technology is particularly vital to the firm’s success; it runs on electric power generated by 5.7 MWe natural gas fueled turbine generator. Consequently, fracturing operations are cleaner, quieter, safer, and less disruptive to neighboring communities.

Vibrations are also reduced, as Jared proudly outlines in his concluding comments.

“Overall, Clean Fleet® technology leads the way in advancing safety via reduced vibrations and fatigue of treating

iron. Our electric fleet reduces high pressure iron vibrations by up to 80% as compared to diesel powered equipment.

These results were validated by installing three dimensional (3D) accelerometers on diesel powered equipment and comparing this baseline to the accelerations recorded on the electric powered equipment. This dramatic reduction in vibrations is achieved by replacing the engine and transmission with a VFD that controls the electric motor which is direct coupled to the hydraulic fracturing pump.”

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Since it was established in 2012, USWS has experienced phenomenal growth in terms of its customer base, operating areas, fleet size, and product development. Jared discusses the services the firm offers and how these have helped the firm to achieve its strong market position and phenomenal growth.

Company: U.S. Well Services, LLC Web Address: uswellservices.com Address: 770 South Post Oak Lane, Suite 405, Houston, TX 77056 Telephone: 832-562-3730

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