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Vestas signed two firm and unconditional contracts in November 2011 for the delivery of a total of 138.6 megawatt of installed wind power production capacity. The turbines ordered are of the type V100, and each have a production capacity of 1.8 megawatt. The turbines will be installed at the Palouse Wind project and Bull Hill wind power plant, which are locaed in Whitman County, Washington, and Hancock, Maine, respectively.

Vestas received a 65 MW order in October 2011 from Green Mountain Power for 21 V112-3.0 MW wind turbines for the Kingdom Community Wind project near Lowell, Vermont. This is the first order for V112-3.0 MW turbines in North America. This order will become the first manufacturing project for Vestas' blade factory in Brighton, Colo., which will focus on building 55-meter blades for the V112-3.0 MW. Vestas' newest manufacturing facility is expected to begin blade production in late 2011.

Enbridge Inc. and Renewable Energy Systems Americas (RES Americas) celebrated the completion of Enbridge's Cedar Point Wind Project in September 2011 in Limon, Colo. The 250 megawatt (MW) project will generate enough clean electricity to meet the needs of about 80,000 homes and avoid almost 783,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.  

The Department of Energy finalized a $90.6 million loan guarantee to Cogentrix of Alamosa, LLC (Cogentrix) in September 2011 to support the Alamosa Solar Generating Project, a 30 megawatt (MW) High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) power generation facility that will generate clean, emissions-free power in Colorado. The project, located in south-central Colorado near the city of Alamosa, represents one of the first utility-scale, high concentration photovoltaic energy generation facilities in the nation and, when completed, the largest of its kind in the world. 

Denver-based RavenBrick has announced that the company's high tech, energy-efficient window technology, RavenWindow, have just been installed at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Research Support Facility (RSF) building in Golden, Colorado. The NREL building is considered to be one of the world's largest "zero-energy" office buildings, having been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's (LEED) highest rating, platinum. RavenBrick installed 31 windows, totaling over 400 square feet, at NREL. RavenWindow will also be installed in the RSF's new wing, currently under construction.

Vestas received a 202 MW order in August 2011 from E.ON Climate & Renewables North America for 112 V100-1.8 MW turbines for a wind energy project in the USA. The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2012 and commissioning is expected in mid-2012. Once finished, the project will provide enough electricity to power more than 60,000 American homes in a year.

Three Colorado State University plant biologists received a $1.35 million grant in August 2011 from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to genetically engineer bigger and better plants that could provide more physical mass for biofuels. The grant, which is part of the DOE's Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy program, is one of only 10 grants awarded around the country this year and the only one in Colorado.

Black Hills Corp. utility subsidiary Black Hills Energy - Colorado Electric announced in August 2011 approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for a 29 megawatt wind project south of Pueblo, Colo. The Colorado PUC approved a settlement which allows Black Hills Energy to construct and own 50 percent of the wind project, an investment of $26.5 million, and authorized Black Hills Energy to conduct a competitive solicitation for ownership of the other 50 percent of the project. The project, planned for completion in late 2012, is expected to qualify for the U.S. Department of Treasury's section 1603 cash grant program. It will include 16 Vestas wind turbines, components of which will be manufactured in Pueblo and at other Vestas facilities in Colorado.

Sundrop Fuels, Inc., a gasification-based drop-in biofuels company, and Chesapeake NG Ventures Corp. (CNGV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK), announced in July 2011 that they have closed a transaction in which CNGV will invest $155 million, enabling Sundrop Fuels to expand operations and begin construction of a commercial demonstration facility to produce biobased "green gasoline" made from cellulosic material. Sundrop Fuels, Inc. is a gasification-based drop-in advanced biofuels company based in Louisville, Colorado.

Green Energy Corp, a Colorado-based software company that enables traditional and emerging power providers to move to the Smart Grid, received $2,000,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in June 2011 from the Colorado Governor's Energy Office Revolving Loan Fund.

The Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT) announced in June 2011 the selection of a site and developer for the Aerospace and Clean Energy (ACE) Manufacturing and Innovation Park. CAMT is partnering with United Properties to develop the former 167-acre Agilent campus into a multitenant campus that can house more than 70 companies with a focus on scale‐up stage aerospace and clean energy manufacturing and technology companies.

In June 2011, EDF Energies Nouvelles, a leader in renewable energy, committed to purchase Vestas wind turbines for a minimum of 30 percent of all its future onshore wind installations in the United States for deliveries in 2012 to 2014.

Six projects in four states - California, Colorado, Florida, and New York - were selected in June 2011 to receive nearly $7.5 million over two years from the Department of Energy (DOE) to advance next-generation designs for wind turbine drivetrains. The projects selected today will also help promote and accelerate the deployment of advanced turbines for offshore wind energy in the U.S. Boulder Wind Power and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), both in Colorado, will receive $1.4 million of the DOE grant.

Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the new concentrated solar energy plant in the Atacama Desert in Chile, which will comprise a solar field of 1,280 parabolic trough collectors. Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design and start-up of the new solar-thermal plant in the Atacama Desert, which will comprise a solar field of 1,280 parabolic trough collectors. In energy terms, the plant will enable Minera El Tesoro to further reduce its current use of fossil fuels by more than 50 percent. Abengoa's Lakewood, Colo., facility will manufacture the equipment for the project.

Proterra Inc., a leading maker of zero-emission commercial transit solutions headquartered in Golden, Colo., announced on June 13, 2011, an investment of $30 million to accelerate the commercialization of its world-leading, fast-charge battery electric transit buses and automated bus charging system. The investment is being led by Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), and also includes GM Ventures, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Vision Ridge Partners and 88 Green Ventures, LLC.

Vestas secured a service-contract extension in June 2011 for 10 years from EDP Renewables NA for the Blue Canyon I and II wind power plants near Carnegie, Okla. Blue Canyon I includes 45 Vestas model NM72 wind turbines at 1.65 MW each which began producing energy in 2003. Blue Canyon II consists of 84 V80-1.8 MW turbines that were completed in 2005. Combined, the two sites total 225 MW and is Oklahoma's largest wind farm.

Vestas received a 219 MW order in May 2011 for 73 V90-3.0 MW wind turbines for an expansion of the Alta Wind Energy Center near Tehachapi, Calif. Overall, the expansion will install 100 V90-3.0 MW turbines as 27 were already purchased in 2010. The order has been placed by subsidiaries of Alta Wind Holdings, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power, LLC. The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a five-year service and maintenance agreement for the 300-MW project. Delivery is scheduled for fall 2011 and commissioning is expected in late 2011.

Vestas announced May 19, 2011, that the company received a 200 MW order for 111 V90-1.8 MW turbines from Enel Green Power North America, Inc., for the Caney River wind-energy project in Elk County, Ks. The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2011 and commissioning is expected in late 2011.

Vestas received a 104 MW order for 58 V90-1.8 MW turbines for a wind-energy project in Canada in April 2011. The contract includes delivery and commissioning along with a 10-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2012 and commissioning expected in the fall of 2012. Vestas' manufacturing facilities in Colorado will produce all of the blades and nacelles for this project.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced May 11, 2011 the offer of a conditional commitment for a $90.6 million loan guarantee to Cogentrix of Alamosa, LLC. The loan guarantee will support the construction of the Alamosa Solar Generating Project, a 30 megawatt (MW) net capacity High Concentration Solar Photovoltaic (HCPV) generation project located in south-central Colorado near the city of Alamosa. Cogentrix estimates the project will create about 75 construction jobs and 10 operations jobs. The project will source over 80 percent of its components from the U.S.

Black Hills Energy - Colorado Electric announced March 24, 2011 it has filed a proposal with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to own 50 percent of an approximate 29 megawatt wind turbine project as a part of its plan to meet the State of Colorado's Renewable Energy Standard. The mandate requires investor-owned utilities to acquire 30 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2020. Black Hills Energy also proposes to purchase the energy and renewable energy credits from EUI Development, LLC, the owner of the other 50 percent of the project.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, announced March 21, 2011, that Sunload Mobile Solutions will act as an Authorized Distributor of Ascent Solar's lightweight, flexible, high-power thin-film CIGS modules for Electronic Integrated (EIPV) applications in Europe. This agreement with Sunload will give Ascent Solar access to multiple opportunities within Europe's rapidly expanding off-grid battery charging and portable power markets.

SkyFuel signed an agreement in March 2011 for the construction of a 50 MWe concentrating solar power (CSP) plant at a site near Huludao in China. The plant will use SkyFuel's advanced, low-cost parabolic trough concentrating solar collector (the SkyTrough®) to supply heat to a standard steam driven power plant. The agreement was signed with Project Developer Huludao Ruixinda Industry Co., the State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission (SASAC), and the US-China Economic and Cultural Development Alliance (US-China ECDA). The plant will provide clean, carbon-free electricity to the growing city of Huludao, about 400 km east of Beijing.

UQM Technologies Inc. announced in February 2011 that it will supply PowerPhase electric propulsion systems as part of an Audi test-fleet build and vehicle development process for its A1 e-tron all-electric vehicle. UQM Technologies is a developer and manufacturer of power-dense, high-efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, military and industrial markets.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, announced in February 2011 that SW Solarwatt will act as a Distributor of Ascent Solar's lightweight, flexible, high-power thin-film CIGS modules for building integrated (BIPV) applications in Greece and Cyprus. The agreement with SW Solarwatt establishes Ascent Solar's presence within the Eastern Mediterranean's developing solar market and includes direct application of Ascent Solar's solar modules to building materials for both grid-connected and off-grid solutions.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, announced January 27, 2011 that Green Earth Energy and Technology will begin distribution of Ascent Solar's lightweight, flexible, high-power thin-film CIGS modules for building integrated (BIPV), and portable power solutions in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. The agreement with Green Earth Energy and Technology gives Ascent Solar access to multiple segments in Europe's solar market including direct integration into building materials for residential and commercial solutions.

Vestas finished 2010 with a record number of wind-turbine sales in North America - 15 total - resulting in 1,883 megawatts and 871 wind turbines. This was the best sales performance for the region since Vestas entered the North American market in 1981. Vestas' previous sales record for North America was 1,554 megawatts in 2007. Other highlights in 2010 include:

  • Ten orders from U.S. customers (1,513 MW), five orders from Canadian customers (370 MW) 
  • The largest order for a single site - 190 V90-3.0 MW turbines for Terra-Gen's Alta Wind Energy Center in California
  • A five-year service contract renewal for 429 MW with Puget Sound Energy, the leading utility in Washington

 

Vestas received an order for 24 V90-1.8 MW wind turbines in December 2010 from Oak Glen Wind Farm, LLC, for a wind power project near Blooming Prairie, MN. The contract includes delivery and commissioning of the wind turbines along with a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled for late summer 2011 and commissioning is expected by the end of next year.

Vestas also received a 90 MW order for 50 V100-1.8 MW wind turbines from John Deere Wind Energy in November for the Michigan Wind II project, and an order for 32 turbines for the Horse Butte Wind project near Idaho Falls, Idaho. In October, a public utility in California ordered 55 wind turbines for a wind farm near Rio Vista, between Sacramento and Oakland.

Woodward announced on Nov. 11, 2010 that it signed a multi-year agreement with REpower Systems AG, Germany that will substantially increase deliveries of Woodward wind power converters to REpower. As a result of this agreement, Woodward will extend its key supplier relationship to cover REpower's full wind turbine portfolio, including onshore and offshore turbines.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. announced in October 2010 that Votum, a Czech Republic-based solar integrator, will begin distribution of Ascent Solar's lightweight, flexible, high power thin-film CIGS modules for building integrated (BIPV), building applied (BAPV) and portable power solutions in the Czech Republic. The company also signed a distribution agreement with DisaSolar, a newly established subsidiary company of Megamark/DisaTech Group, a leader in providing complete solutions in architectural, industrial and corporate signage in France and other European Countries. Ascent also announced September 13 that Radiant Holding Limited will begin distribution of Ascent Solar's CIGS modules for automotive and portable power solutions in China.

Ice Energy announced in September 2010 it will combine its Ice Bear energy storage technology with photovoltaic solar systems in a pilot project funded by the California Public Utilities Commission. The Windsor-based company is teaming up with SunPower Corp. on the project.

Cogentrix Energy LLC, a leading electric power generation project development company, announced Aug. 9, 2010 that it has entered into a contract with Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), an Xcel Energy company, for a solar generating project to be located near Alamosa, in southern Colorado. The 30,000 kilowatt solar generating project will be the largest facility of its type in the world and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2012.

MP2 Capital, a leading developer, financier, and operator of solar projects throughout North America celebrated the launch of a 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic array on August 3, 2010 that will power Denver International Airport's fuel storage and distribution facilities. MP2 Capital utilized a unique private-public partnership to develop the project, which is one of the first and largest solar power plants completed to date under the Obama Administration's grant initiative, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 1603 (ARRA 1603).

RES Americas, headquartered in Broomfield, was awarded a Balance of Plant (BOP) construction contract for the Flat Water Wind Project in Nebraska. The 60 megawatt (MW) project will comprise 40 1.5 MW GE wind turbines and have the capacity to power over 16,000 homes. Construction is underway with completion scheduled for December 2010.

Vista International Technologies, Inc., a specialist in the conversion of biomass and waste into renewable energy headquartered in Englewood, announced in July 2010 that it is partnering with UK-based Emerald Energy, LLC to collaborate on closed-loop biomass-to-energy projects in the U.S. and abroad.

Woodward Governor Company announced in July 2010 that it signed a multiyear agreement with Nordex SE of Germany to substantially increase Woodward's deliveries of wind power converters to the company. The converters will be manufactured at Woodward's Fort Collins, Colorado and Kempen, Germany facilities.

Cessna Aircraft Company announced July 27, 2010 that it is collaborating with Bye Energy, Inc., an integrator of clean, alternative energy technologies for business and general aviation aircraft, to design and develop an electric propulsion system for a Cessna 172 proof of concept (POC) aircraft.

Vestas received a 570 MW order for 190 V90-3.0 MW turbines in July 2010 for Terra-Gen's Alta Wind Energy Center near Tehachapi, California. This marks the company's largest order for a single site ever.

UQM Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of high-performance, power-dense, and energy-efficient electric motors headquartered in Frederick, announced July 12 that it has received an initial order for over fifty PowerPhase electric propulsion systems as part of the fleet build and vehicle development activities of an established international automobile manufacturer. Deliveries under the order are scheduled to occur in the fourth calendar quarter of 2010 and the first calendar quarter of 2011.

ADA Environmental Solutions in Littleton and ION Engineering in Boulder won $14 million in clean coal grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced technologies in capturing carbon dioxide from coal combustion. The two were among only 10 companies and research institutions nationwide chosen for the awards that aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at coal plants. 

President Obama announced the offer of conditional commitments to Abengoa Solar Inc. and Abound Solar Manufacturing for loan guarantees of US $1.45 billion and $400 million respectively. Solana will employ solar trough technology using parabolic shaped glass mirrors that direct sunlight onto receiver tubes that heat the fluid inside to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Abengoa is expected to use the money to finance the construction and start-up of a concentrating solar power generating facility.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. announced that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected their team for an award under the Low-Cost Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) solicitation. The ASTI-led program, entitled "Flexible High-performance Tandem-junction PV Array", consists of three gated phases, the first of which is 18 months and has an approximate contract value of $3.8M. The entire program is anticipated to continue over the next 54 months. The goal of PoP is to demonstrate low-cost, lightweight photovoltaics (PV) that can stand up to battle conditions and environmental extremes while delivering a power conversion efficiency of 20 percent or greater by the end of the program.

In June 2010, Vestas received an order from Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) for 139 V90-1.8 MW turbines for the Cedar Point Wind project located primarily in Lincoln and Elbert Counties, Colorado. Canadian utility Capital Power Corp also selected Vestas for the supply and maintenance of 517 MW wind turbines for Capital Power's proposed wind-power projects in Ontario and British Columbia. Additionally, in March 2010, Vestas received an order for 81 wind turbines from We Energies’ Glacier Hills Wind Park in Wisconsin. Three factories in Colorado will work on the project including a blade factory in Windsor, a nacelles factory in Brighton, and a plant in tower plant in Pueblo. Vestas will deliver the turbines in early 2011.

Abound Solar, announced on June 3, 2010 that it has signed an open-ended sales contract with Solen Energy GmbH, a project developer and systems provider for large-scale industrial photovoltaic plants, based in Meppen, Germany. The contract allows Solen to design, sell, and develop solar photovoltaic projects with Abound Solar's AB1-series of modules.

BP Wind Energy announced on May 18, 2010 that it has entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), an Xcel Energy company. PSCO's agreement to purchase 250 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable electricity from Cedar Creek II, LLC is part of the 2009 All Source Solicitation for energy generators.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden is testing Alcoa’s concentrated solar power parabolic trough system for efficiency and to evaluate its structural performance. Results of the project, which is partially funded by a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wells Fargo activated solar arrays on 10 of its banks in the Metro Denver area in February 2010. Denver-based Namaste Solar designed and installed the systems, which include 1,177 panels and generate more than 220 kilowatts. This equates to a carbon emissions avoidance of almost 590,600 pounds per year according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In February 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) $1.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for battery research on the next generation of electric drive vehicles. The DOE wants to guide the U.S. battery industry to mass produce better batteries domestically while addressing safety, affordability, life, and performance issues.

In 2009, Wind-energy company REpower USA Corp. signed a contract to supply nine wind turbines for a Michigan wind farm. Under the contract with project developer Heritage Sustainable Energy, REpower will initially deliver nine two-megawatt MM92 wind turbines with a total output of 18.45 megawatts. The contract provides an option for an additional 10 REpower turbines by September 2010.

RES-Americas completed the Wild Horse Wind Project in 2009. The 44-megawatt project in Kittatas County, Washington expands the existing Wild Horse Wind facility from 229 MW to 273 MW through by adding 22 Vestas V80 two-megawatt turbines.

The Governor’s Energy Office announced in 2009 that the first clean energy project sponsored by the Colorado Carbon Fund will produce electricity from methane gas at the Larimer County landfill. The 1.4 megawatt project is expected to produce enough electricity to power 900 local homes. The Colorado Carbon fund committed a minimum of $230,000 toward the project through carbon offsets purchase.

Xcel Energy and Lakewood-based Abengoa Solar began collaborating in 2009 to develop Colorado’s first solar thermal installation integrated with a coal plant. The four thermal megawatt solar installation will use state-of-the-art parabolic trough collectors developed by Abengoa. The project uses an array of parabolic mirrors designed to concentrate the heat from the sun, and uses that heat to help make the steam that drives the coal plant’s turbines and generators.