Areas of Focus

Geothermal reservoirs are created underground when the earth's core super-heats water. The steam is piped directly into a power plant to provide the force to spin a turbine generator. Geothermal power production benefits from baseload characteristics, zero fuel cost, proximity to West Coast load centers as well as significant production tax benefits.

Urban and agricultural biomass is collected, processed and delivered to a solid fuel power plant. Standard boiler technology creates steam which is passed through a turbine generator to generate electricity. Biomass power production benefits from baseload characteristics, low fuel cost compared to fossil fuels, and significant production tax benefits.

Concentrated solar thermal energy is collected by an array of heliostats and focused on a collection point. The thermal capacity is stored and dispatched through a heat exchanger to create steam which drives a turbine generator to generate electricity. Concentrated solar thermal with storage capability eliminates the variability of power production from nightfall and cloud cover, has zero fuel cost, and can achieve large utility scale.

Wind power is generated by large turbines placed in areas with consistently strong winds. Many existing wind power generation projects built in prior decades are ready for re-development or replacement of outdated equipment.

Electricity can be produced from "municipal solid waste" (MSW) through either a direct combustion process, or through an advanced gasification process. MSW represents an abundant, zero- or low- cost fuel source that is generated in energy use load centers. Technical advances in the past decade allow waste-to-electricity to generate power cleanly at economically acceptable prices.

Methane generated in the decomposition process is collected from a landfill and used to fuel internal combustion engines or other generator technologies. Landfill methane is an inexpensive energy source that can be converted to electricity, or cleaned and sold as pipeline quality gas.

Small hydro, also known as run-of-river hydro, is hydroelectric power on a scale typically under 30 MW. Small hydro projects may be built in isolated areas that would be uneconomic to serve from a network, or in areas where there is no national electrical distribution network. Since small hydro projects usually have minimal reservoirs and civil construction work, they are seen as having a relatively low environmental impact compared to large hydro. With an updated permitting framework, there are opportunities for repowering small hydro projects with advanced generator technologies.

Ethanol production includes fuels made from corn, sugar, and with additional technology evolution, from alternative cellulosic sources. Technical innovations on cellulosic ethanol will drive costs of production down significantly, which will enhance ethanol's position as a clean burning, less expensive additive and alternative to refined gasoline.

Production must match a fuel supply from an acceptable resource with an offtake agreement in order to reduce commodity risk.

Biogas is used as a fuel and it can be used to run any type of heat engine to generate either mechanical or electrical power.

Wood pellets are a type of wood fuel, generally made from compacted sawdust. Wood pellets are extremely dense and can be produced with a low humidity content (below 10%) that allows them to be burned with a very high combustion efficiency. Their high density also permits compact storage and rational transport over long distance.

Demand for renewable energy has driven a growth in the demand for energy crops, and controlling fuel resources has become critical to reducing risk.

Biofuels have specific requirements for storage and transportation, which have increased demand for midstream assets such as tank farms, pipelines, shipping infrastructure and other assets.

Energy efficiency projects are increasingly being identified at institutional, industrial and commercial sites, and have increased demand for investment capital to fund such projects.

With increasing pressure to control greenhouse gas output, carbon abatement projects such as repositioning coal power plants as renewable fuel plants, and developing renewable projects in markets with carbon cap-and-trade structures represents increased opportunities.

The overall growth of the traditional as well as renewable energy sector has placed increased demand on energy related service companies from operators, to drilling companies, to energy transportation and management services companies.

Demand-side management entails actions that influence the quantity or patterns of use of energy consumed by end users. With increased price pressure on the demand side, there are increased opportunities for companies and technologies to manage demand at industrial and institutional levels.

Increased energy demands have taxed transmission and distribution infrastructure, creating opportunities for projects and technologies including project ownership and technology retrofits.