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Exxon (NYSE:XOM) Sinks $600M into Algae-Based Biofuels in Major Strategy Shift
 

Exxon is joining a biotech company, Synthetic Genomics Inc., to research and develop next-generation biofuels produced from sunlight, water and waste carbon dioxide by photosynthetic pond scum.

“The world faces a significant challenge to supply the energy required for economic development and improved standards of living while managing greenhouse gas emissions and the risks of climate change,” said Emil Jacobs, vice president of research and development at Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Co. “It’s going to take integrated solutions and the development of all commercially viable energy sources, improved energy efficiency and effective steps to curb emissions. It is also going to include the development of new technology.”

Science Daily Reports on Neah Fuel Cell (OTC:NPWS)

ScienceDaily is one of the Internet’s most popular science news web sites, reported on Neah Powers Breakthrough. Micro fluidic fuel cells could provide the necessary energy to provide continuous power to remote sensors, mobile phones and laptops, according to a University of Southampton student, who will graduate on July 17.

Micro fluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, and scale.

As part of his final year project, Daniel Spencer, who has just completed an MEng in Electronic Engineering at the University's School of Electronics and Computer Science, conducted a literature review to look at how energy harvesting devices or an energy store could be provided so that portable electronic devices could have continuous power on demand. His supervisor was Professor Hywel Morgan, Professor of Bioelectronics at ECS.

'Currently, since energy harvesting cannot provide the necessary energy continuously, energy must be stored,' Daniel said. 'This is usually in the form of batteries which provide electricity on demand. However as portable devices become more powerful, higher capacity energy storage solutions are required.'

According to Daniel, micro fluidic cells offer a solution to this problem, utilizing the chemical bond energy stores in fuels with high calorific values such as methanol.

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP)

Ballard announced that its FCgen(TM)-1020ACS fuel cell product is the power source for a 1.6 kiloWatt backup power system deployed by Motorola, a major global telecommunications solution provider. Dantherm Power A/S, through its affiliate Dantherm Air Handling A/S, is utilizing Ballard's fuel cell product in a fully integrated cabinet solution for Motorola TETRA base stations throughout Denmark's SINE network. Michael Goldstein, Chief Commercial Officer of Ballard stated "Motorola's deployment of Ballard's FCgen(TM)-1020ACS product in a TETRA-standard public safety system highlights the significant market potential for fuel cells in wireless network deployments worldwide. Telecommunications solution providers are valuing the virtually unlimited backup power provided by fuel cells."

FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) Attracts Outperform Rating

Rodman & Renshaw initiates coverage on FuelCell Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL) with a Market Outperform rating and $6.25 price target. The firm said, "We believe the FCEL s proprietary and patented DFC (Direct FuelCell) technology is a key competitive differentiator and positions the company as one of the few public plays that seek to capture multi megawatt distributed generation opportunities through deployment of stacked fuel cells. Growth for the company should come from management s focus on quickly moving the company towards expanded commercialization and rationalizing production costs."