Convergence Energy

Editorial: Wisconsin must grow cleaner energy jobs

ldandretta — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:37:20 +0000

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just recently published an editorial discussing the positive impact renewable energy can have on Wisconsin jobs. A recent study found that “there are more than 300 businesses in Wisconsin related to solar and wind power, employing more than 12,000 people.”

The editorial goes on to say that “the more power generation that can be pushed into renewables such as wind and solar, the better off the state will be.”

Read the full article HERE.

Reports of solar’s death are greatly exaggerated

ldandretta — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:07:17 +0000

Via The Vote Solar Iniative:

“The solar company Solyndra recently filed for bankruptcy, which media reports have depicted as the end of solar power in the U.S. This is like saying there is no future for the internet because Netscape went out of business.”

Read the full article HERE.

C.E. Solar Farm Featured in Journal Sentinel

ldandretta — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:33:32 +0000

Thomas Content, energy writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wrote about Convergence Energy’s solar farm in Delavan, WI. The solar farm, the second largest in Wisconsin, takes on a different approach: rather than being developed by one large company, the project is “being built, piece by piece, as investors take a stake in the project.”

The article goes on to discuss the Federal and local incentives for solar and the farm’s ability to “generate 30% more power than a fixed solar system.” The leased land for the solar farm is also being used to grow sunflowers, whose seeds will be pressed into oil for biodiesel.

Read the full article HERE (photo included).

This article appeared both in print and online.

Sun-Less Cells Can Make Energy From Anything Hot

ldandretta — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:45:29 +0000

Scientists at MIT have recently been able to increase the efficiency of photovaltic cells converting heat to electricity, which “may turn out to be the solution for capturing all the energy we waste through heat,” Fast Company reports.

“The MIT team is confident it can further improve the energy density of its micro-reactors…and they’re confident it could get to the point your smartphone could go for a week without needing a recharge, just from its own heat.”

Read the full article HERE.

C.E. in BusinessWeek

ldandretta — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:36:11 +0000

BusinessWeek covered the recent news that Convergence Energy is deploying 114 DEGERenergie tracking systems for its solar farm in Delavan, Wisconsin. Read the full story HERE.

C.E. Deploying DEGERenergie Systems for Solar Farm

ldandretta — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:49:08 +0000

Convergence Energy has agreed to deploy 114 DEGERenergie tracking systems for its solar farm in Delavan, Wisconsin. John Kivlin, board member of Convergence Energy expects “low maintenance costs, a long service life…and high yields in the long run.” Below is the press release distributed by DEGERenergie:

DEGERenergie cooperates with Convergence Energy – Solar farm with 114 DEGER tracking systems in Delavan, Wisconsin.

July 14, 2011 — US-based company Convergence Energy LLC is setting up a solar farm with a total of 114 MLD tracking systems DEGERtraker 6000NT from the German world market leader for solar tracking systems, DEGERenergie.

DEGERenergie reports continued success in the U.S. market. Currently, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, based company Convergence Energy LLC is setting up a solar farm with a total output of approximately 1 megawatt. For this project, a total of 114 MLD tracking systems of the DEGERtraker 6000NT are deployed (MLD = Maximum Light Detection). With more than 45,000 systems installed worldwide, DEGERenergie is the global market leader for solar tracking systems.

15 solar systems developed in Horb, Germany, have already been set up at the new solar farm in Delavan, Wisconsin. Another 99 will be following in the next weeks. Thanks to the patented MLD technology from DEGERenergie, the U.S. full service provider of solar energy equipment plans to achieve a considerable increase in yield for itself and its customers, which would not be possible with conventional technologies.

What makes the project in Delavan, Wisconsin, so special is the innovative marketing strategy of Convergence Energy: The company creates system packages with 3 systems each and offers their yield over 10 years for sale. Thanks to this concept, the operator lowers the investment threshold and therefore pushes the development of the solar power market. This distribution of cost and yield on several investors makes it possible for them to set up considerably more solar projects in shorter time than a single company could manage. The systems remain property of Convergence Energy and – as the initiator of the project – after 10 years, they will also profit from their yield.

John Kivlin, board member of Convergence Energy: “There are several important reasons why we have decided to deploy systems developed by DEGERenergie. First of all, we have received excellent feedback from customers and investors who use DEGERenergie systems about the yield and correspondingly about the ‘return on investment’. Secondly, we appreciate the highly resistant and reliable technology from Germany. We expect low maintenance costs, a long service life of our tracking systems and high yields in the long run.”

DEGERenergie was founded in 1999 by Artur Deger and today is the world market leader in solar tracking systems. The company is represented in Spain, Greece and North America with its own subsidiaries. Currently, DEGERenergie is greatly expanding its business activities in the United States to meet the growing demand. Besides the expansion of its sales and service network, this also includes a further increase in production capacities. Worldwide, more than 45,000 DEGERenergie systems are installed in over 40 countries. The patented DEGERenergie Maximum Light Detection (MLD) technology makes it possible to improve the energy yield of solar power plants by up to 45 percent compared to rigid systems.

For more information: www.DEGERenergie.com.

Visit DEGERenergie at the Intersolar North America
12th – 14th July 2011, San Francisco, USA
Booth 7601

About DEGERenergie (www.DEGERenergie.com):

DEGERenergie is the leading manufacturer with the world’s largest product range of single and dual-axis solar tracking systems. The company’s market position is based on the unique patented Maximum Light Detection (MLD) technology developed by Artur Deger, which makes it possible to maximize the yield of solar power plants with an “intelligent” control. With the DEGERconecter, the solar modules are thus always aligned according to the brightest position in the sky with the highest energy yield. This way, the overall energy yield of solar power plants with MLD tracking is up to 45 percent higher than that of rigid systems and this difference is even more pronounced for peaks. With more than 45,000 systems installed in more than 40 countries, DEGERenergie is the global technological market leader. The company offers its customers all product related solutions – from the development and planning, production and sales to maintenance and service.

In its headquarters in Horb (Germany), its subsidiaries and supplier companies, DEGERenergie is currently employing a staff of nearly 400. The company was founded in 1999 and in 2001 won the Inventor Award of the German state of Baden-Württemberg for the MLD control module DEGERconecter. In 2005, DEGERenergie opened its first subsidiary in Spain, followed by subsidiaries in the USA and Greece in 2009. Additional business locations are planned for 2011. The company’s production sites are located in Germany, Canada and the USA. CEO is Artur Deger.

Customer contact:

DEGERenergie GmbH

Industriestraße 70

72160 Horb, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 7451-539 14-0

Fax: +49 (0) 7451-539-10

E-mail: sales@DEGERenergie.com

Press contact:

Herbert Grab

digit media

Schulberg 5

D-72124 Pliezhausen, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 7127-5707-10

E-mail: herbert.grab@digitmedia-online.de

Climate Change and the Media

ldandretta — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:58:36 +0000

Greentech Solar recently ran an article from the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media. They note “Memorial Day weekend 2011 marked the fifth anniversary of the release of the Al Gore film An Inconvenient Truth, which by any measure represented a milestone in climate change communications. A retrospective analysis examines how the film and the former vice president have weathered the climate policy storms in the years since.” We thought this was an interesting perspective, so we wanted to share the link with the Convergence Energy community.

Read the article HERE.

Wash. Post Editorial on Climate Change Study

ldandretta — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:45:22 +0000

The Washington Post recently reported on the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences findings confirming that climate change is real and “poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems.” In the editorial, The Washington Post points out that continued climate change denial “is dangerous, the report makes clear, because the longer the nation waits to respond to climate change, the more catastrophic the planetary damage is likely to be — and the more drastic the needed response.”

Read the full article HERE.

Report: America’s Climate Choice

ldandretta — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:00:13 +0000

The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council have recent issued a report on climate change connected with greenhouse gas emissions (click here for full report ). A key point reinforced by this report is the urgency of acting now given the magnitude and time scale of climate change. In particular:

“In the judgment of this report’s authoring committee, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. There are many reasons why it is imprudent to delay such actions.”

The authors go on to make several points about why action is needed now. One reason that makes global warming crucially different from other problems is the difficulty of “putting the Genie back in the bottle”:

“Some climate change impacts, once manifested, will persist for hundreds or even thousands of years, and will be difficult or impossible to “undo.””

The report is short and simple to read. One point not covered, though, should always be kept in mind: Climate change is difficult to predict, but there are scenarios that have devastating impacts on mankind as we know it — widespread dislocations, outbreak of war, and economic devastation. Even if unlikely, such catastrophic events are worth avoiding.

CE CEO Quoted on Solar Policy

ldandretta — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:59:42 +0000

The New York Times ran an article about Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) proposed fiscal 2012 budget which includes opposition over tax breaks for clean energy and oil. Tom Martin, CEO of Convergence Energy, was asked to comment about what the effect eliminating renewable energy tax credits would have on Wisconsin.

Read the full article HERE.