Alternative Energy News - November 12, 2006

• Some 58 new geothermal energy projects are now under development in the US, according to a survey by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) - the industry trade group.
• The governor of Illinois is mulling whether the state should help build a pipeline to combat global warming by carrying greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from planned clean coal plants to aging oilfields.
• Warehouses and distribution centers might not come to mind as examples of buildings constructed with energy-efficient "green" features. But that is what's coming, according to an executive with ProLogis, a global company active in the midstate warehouse market that is incorporating more green features in its buildings.
• A coalition of college and university presidents and academic leaders has called upon American institutions of higher learning to commit to renewable energy by greening their campuses, investing in the industry and teaching future generations about renewable energy.
• Hawaiian Electric Co. is considering using 99 percent biodiesel to fuel its new 100-megawatt power station planned for Campbell Industrial Park in 2009. The decision is a major shift for HECO, which said earlier this year it intended to use 50 percent ethanol and 50 percent fossil fuels for the plant.
• For the first time since the current version of Prius went on sale in October 2003, there are enough to fill customer demand.
• By a vote of 4-1, the Arizona Corporation Commission voted on October 31 to expand the state's renewable portfolio standard to 15% by 2025, with 30% of that to come from distributed generation technologies.