TORONTO, ON — Wind generation in Ontario rose by more than 60 per cent over the previous year, Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) reported Friday in its analysis of 2009 data.

Wind output from Ontario's commercial wind farms was 2.3 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2009, equivalent to the consumption of the City of Oshawa for two full years. At the same time, output from Ontario's coal-fired plants dropped to 9.8 TWh, down dramatically from 23.2 TWh in 2008, and the lowest output in 45 years.

"Ontario's supply mix is evolving," said Paul Murphy, President and CEO of the IESO. "We are making considerable progress in our efforts to integrate energy from cleaner fuel sources."

Demand for electricity in Ontario declined in 2009 as a result of the economic recession, conservation efforts and mild weather. Down 6.1 per cent over 2008, demand reached just 139 TWh, its lowest level since 1997. Peak hourly demand rose slightly in 2009 to 24,380 MW, up 185 MW from 2008 but well off the all-time peak demand of 27,005 MW set in 2006.

Although overall output was down across all fuel types, nuclear and hydroelectric production remained fairly stable. Nuclear generation produced 82.5 TWh of energy in 2009, down 1.9 TWh from 2008, while hydroelectric generation produced 38.1 TWh, a drop of 0.2 TWh from the previous year.

As percentages of total output in 2009, nuclear generation represented 55.2 per cent, hydroelectric generation totalled 25.5 per cent, natural gas came in at 10.3 per cent, coal-fired generation was just 6.6 per cent, wind reached 1.6 per cent, and other fuel types (biomass, solar etc.) contributed 0.8 per cent.

The cost of electricity produced in 2009 was 6.22 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) which includes the average weighted wholesale market price of 3.16 cents/kWh and the average Global Adjustment of 3.06 cents/kWh. In 2008, by comparison, the cost of electricity was 5.8 cents/kWh, which represents a market price of 5.2 cents/kWh and a Global Adjustment of 0.6 cents/kWh.

Ontario's electricity imports dropped to 4.8 TWh while exports declined to 15.1 TWh.

The IESO is responsible for managing Ontario's bulk electricity power system and operating the wholesale market. For more information, visit www.ieso.ca.

VANCOUVER, BC — Bullfrog Power announced yesterday that Hyatt Regency Vancouver, one of the largest convention hotels in Western Canada, now supports renewable electricity with Bullfrog Power. All of Hyatt Regency Vancouver's meeting rooms are bullfrogpowered with wind power from Bear Mountain, the first renewable energy project in B.C. to deliver EcoLogo-certified wind power to the regional grid. Hyatt Regency Vancouver joins its sister property, Hyatt Regency Calgary, which began bullfrogpowering its meeting space, gym and pool area in September 2008.

"Partnering with Bullfrog Power to reduce the environmental impact of the electricity we use in our facilities is core to our long-term environmental strategy," said Steve McNally, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Vancouver. "More than ever, our customers are asking about our environmental commitments and actions. Supporting green electricity is an important step in our implementation of more sustainable practices."

Bullfrogpowering these facilities is the latest in a series of sustainability measures the hotel has already implemented to minimize its environmental impact. Hyatt Regency Vancouver has earned a Four Green Key rating under the Hotel Association of Canada's Green Key Program, recognizing its commitment to improving environmental performance. Other sustainable measures include installing energy efficient lighting, low flow toilets and Energy Star appliances, as well as implementing a guest room recycling program. The hotel has also installed motion sensors in each guest room to ensure all heating and lighting automatically shuts off when the guest leaves the room.

"As one of Vancouver's largest hotels, Hyatt Regency Vancouver has a reputation for service excellence and hospitality, and that record now extends beyond the realm of customer experience into environmental stewardship," said Theresa Howland, Vice President, Western Region, Bullfrog Power. "By choosing 100 per cent local wind power, they are meeting customer demand while demonstrating support for the development of new renewable generation in the province."

Providing green power for Hyatt Regency Vancouver's facilities will not require any special equipment or wiring. Bullfrog Power will ensure that clean, emissions-free EcoLogo-certified electricity is injected onto the B.C. electricity grid to match the amount of power used in all of Hyatt's meeting spaces, just as it does for thousands of homes and hundreds of organizations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and the Maritimes.

Bullfrog Power's electricity comes exclusively from wind and hydro facilities that have been certified as low impact by Environment Canada under its EcoLogo program instead of from polluting sources like coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear. For more information visit www.bullfrogpower.com. Hyatt Regency Vancouver is a 644-room hotel located in downtown Vancouver. For more information visit www.hyattregencyvancouver.com.

CALGARY, AB — BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. and Newalta Corporation announced yesterday an agreement between the companies to pursue joint projects that could apply the environmental technologies and operating expertise of both BioteQ and Newalta. The companies will work together to identify waste treatment projects that recover, recycle, or treat industrial waste and manage related by-products. Once suitable candidate projects for development have been identified, BioteQ and Newalta will work to jointly commercialize these projects, capitalizing on the strengths of both of these parties.

In connection with this agreement, Newalta will work with BioteQ to complete a purchase of 3,636,364 common shares, at a price of $1.10 per share, from the treasury of BioteQ for consideration of $4 million. Each share purchased will include an additional warrant to purchase one common share of BioteQ at 125% of the Issue Price for one year and 150% of the Issue Price thereafter. The warrants expire after 5 years. BioteQ and Newalta expect to complete the private placement before January 31, 2010.

Brad Marchant, BioteQ's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are pleased to partner with Newalta and look forward to the opportunities that may develop from combining our technical expertise with Newalta's facility network, customer relationships and operating capabilities."

Al Cadotte, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newalta, added, "BioteQ's leading-edge technologies have the potential to treat a broad range of industrial wastewaters, including SAGD wastewater. We are excited about the prospects for using these processes both at our facilities across Canada as well as on our customers' sites."

The assessment of projects by Newalta and BioteQ will begin immediately. Completion of joint projects and the private placement are subject to agreement between the parties on mutually satisfactory terms and standard exchange and regulatory approvals.

BioteQ is a water treatment company that applies innovative technologies and operating expertise to solve challenging water treatment problems, reducing environmental liabilities while delivering lower life cycle costs for water treatment. For more information, visit www.bioteq.ca.

Newalta is a large industrial waste management and environmental services provider and focuses on maximizing the value inherent in industrial waste through the recovery of saleable products and recycling. For more information, visit www.newalta.com.

BURNABY, BC — Day4 Energy Inc., a leading supplier of high performance, cost-effective solar electric solutions, today announced the appointment of two new key roles to its European sales teams. Day4 welcomes Mr. Tim Morath, Director of Sales for Central Europe, and Mr. Luigi Fusi, Director of Sales and Corporate Development for Southern Europe. Both come to Day4 with outstanding track records of sales management and overall leadership in photovoltaics (PV) as well as other industries. In line with the anticipated growth of the North American market, the company also announced a strategic change in the sales and marketing organization for this region. Mr. Jake Brow, who was previously responsible for the Company's global marketing and business development activities, will be focusing solely on the growing volume of business development opportunities in the US market.

"Our goal was to strengthen our team with the addition of seasoned management experience and leadership. We believe that a focused and dedicated effort is required to address the rapidly expanding field of opportunities in each of our core markets," said George Rubin, president of Day4 Energy. "I am excited about strength and the depth that we have gained in our EU sales organization with addition of Mr. Fusi and Mr. Morath. I am also looking forward to the results of the concentrated effort that we can now dedicate to the vast spectrum of opportunities in North America."

Morath's past work includes over 12 years experience in the energy supply industry. He was responsible for the Solar Services division at EnBW Regional AG, the grid operator of the third largest power supply company in Germany. While at EnBW, Morath developed PV solutions for the commercial and utility markets. As a solar expert, he regularly provided technical support and training to a team of 50 sales managers. By focusing on project quality, the sales and power project business successfully increased every year leading to a total of 250 PV systems being installed in the South of Germany. Recently, as Solar Product Manager, he developed solar activities for the residential market for Buderus Germany. Buderus is a Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH company and is Germany's leading manufacturer of heating systems.

Fusi is a seasoned sales professional with 10 years of previous experience in sales and channel management with Cisco Systems where he served as European Service Providers Channel Manager in the European market for five years. In this role he managed Channels Programs, direct and indirect Cisco sales initiatives and incentives for Cisco's customers. Fusi was also directly responsible for the sales and support organization in Italy for five years as regional Sales Manager. Before joining Cisco, Fusi managed Sales in the Telecom division at Hewlett-Packard Italy for six years. He also had several management responsibilities in HP's European Marketing organization for nine years as Product Line Manager. In the recent past, Fusi consulted for several financial companies located in the US, Canada and Italy to identify business opportunities in the photovoltaic market. In this capacity he was supporting R&D activity and business planning for a number of companies. Mr. Fusi has a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from Politecnico di Milano along with other accreditations in Communication and Business Management.

Jake Brown has been with Day4 Energy since 2007 in the role of VP of Marketing and Business Development and along with the executive team has been strategically developing Day4 Energy's vision to guide the company into future opportunities. His depth of experience, expertise and proven leadership in the solar energy industry continue to be an invaluable asset to the organization. Brown will now be concentrating exclusively on business development in the US as the market and volume of opportunities grow.

Day4 Energy Inc. is a Canadian company dedicated to providing high performance photovoltaic (PV) solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale installations. For more information, please visit www.day4energy.com.

DRUMMONDVILLE, QC — Waste Management (WM) announced in December that Hydro-Québec will move ahead with its project to generate 7.6 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas collected at WM's site in the Saint-Nicéphore district of Drummondville. The project, which has a 20 year lifespan, was selected following a public bidding process, for its environmental benefits, energy efficiency and competitive rates.

For several years, the company had been looking for a partner to harness the landfill gas collected at its facilities. By December 1, 2012, at the latest, landfill gas from the decomposition of buried waste will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 6,500 homes.

The WM project will fuel engines connected to generators that will produce the electricity. The heat from the engines will be recovered to feed the Serres Demers greenhouse complex. That company will soon build greenhouses on WM land to grow tomatoes.

"We are very enthusiastic about the idea of bringing this sustainable-development project to fruition. The green energy generated at our facilities will power Québec's public network as well as support the growth of a new business in the area," said Daniel Brien, General Manager of WM landfill sites.

Completion of the project to harness landfill gas for energy will require a financial investment by WM. About 125 workers will be involved in the construction of buildings and installation of equipment.

The project to convert landfill gas into electricity is among the sustainable-development initiatives of WM, which has pledged to double green energy production at its facilities by 2020 and to supply the equivalent of two million homes across North America. Through the establishment of over 100 beneficial-use gas projects on the continent, WM has developed unparalleled expertise in this area, providing the equivalent of more than 470 megawatts of energy, enough to power approximately 400,000 homes.

WM has operated in the Saint-Nicéphore district of Drummondville since 1997.

MONTREAL, QC — RCI Environment announced in December that two anaerobic digestion (AD) plants submitted by its subsidiary, RCI Technologies, Inc., as part of its offer in response to Hydro-Québec's call for tenders for the purchase of energy produced by biomass cogeneration (A/O 2009-01), have been retained. These two facilities, which will be located in Longueuil and Montreal's Anjou borough will represent an investment of over $60 million. RCI Environment will be the first company developing this technology in Quebec.

Each plant will transform over 100,000 tons of organic material into biogas that will power generators with an installed power capacity of 3.9 MW.

"The amount of electricity generated by each facility represents the average annual consumption of over 2,000 families and will eliminate approximately 140,000 tons of greenhouse gases. Thanks to Hydro-Québec support, a new technology will grow in Quebec to better manage organic waste." declared Jean Beaudoin, RCI Environment's First Vice President for Strategic Development. "Our plants will reduce the landfill of significant amounts of organic waste and will contribute to the objectives that the Government of Quebec has stated in its new waste management policy and proposals to the Copenhagen Conference."

The new facilities will employ reliable and proven technology adapted for Quebec and based on an anaerobic digestion system developed by the German company LIPP, represented here by Bio-Méthatech. With over 700 installations throughout the world, LIPP is a world-leading supplier of equipment for the transformation of organic material into biogas.

"These plants will make it possible to take a giant step towards the implementation of RCI Environment's development strategy which is aimed at providing municipalities, institutions and companies with integrated and optimized waste management services designed to reduce waste landfill to a minimum by emphasizing reuse, recovery and recycling," Jean Beaudoin added.

Hydro-Québec did not retain the proposal for a third plant, one that RCI Environment had planned for the Outaouais region.

VANCOUVER, BC — Smartcool Systems USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Smartcool Systems Inc., reported in late December that it has been awarded a US Government Services Administration (GSA) contract. The GSA is an independent agency of the United States government established to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies, including the procurement of products. The contract permits the listing of the Smartcool products on the GSA website which allows any purchasing agent within the United States federal government seeking energy savings devices to purchase the Smartcool products at a preferred price. This will provide the company with a new sales channel within the US federal government sector.

Advantages of a GSA contract include allowing Smartcool Systems USA to deal directly with the US government, as well as its associated governmental agencies. GSA schedules are by far the favored purchasing mechanism for a large majority of federal buyers, and therefore a prerequisite for Smartcool Systems USA.

The GSA is continuously seeking to improve and streamline efforts in order to ensure purchasing of commercial services for US Federal customers is efficient and compliant, through the awarding of schedule contracts. Under the Federal Supply Schedule Program, the GSA enters into government-wide contracts with commercial firms, in order to provide screened products and services for given periods of time. This streamlined procurement vehicle provides a significant opportunity for Smartcool Systems USA Inc, in that it will significantly reduce the time required by US federal government customers in obtaining its products.

Apart from the benefit and sales relationships obtained by being awarded the GSA contract, Smartcool Systems USA Inc. also views this agreement as further strengthening the brand's position within the US energy efficiency market. This is highlighted in that in order to obtain GSA qualification, Smartcool Systems USA Inc has had to undergo an extremely detailed and arduous application process in order to prove its compliance within the US energy efficiency market.

The excitement surrounding the contract being awarded to Smartcool USA Inc. was further underlined by George Burnes, CEO of Smartcool Systems Inc. stating, "This GSA contract will allow Smartcool Systems USA to tap into an economically definitive market, that in 2009 alone saw $16.8 billion allocated to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) programs and initiatives". Burnes went on to add that now being able to deal directly with federal contacts and organizations will effectively put Smartcool Systems USA in a position to provide a meaningful contribution to the goal of increased energy efficiency amongst the United States administration.

The GSA manages more than 11 percent of the U.S. government's total procurement dollars and $24 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 213,000 vehicles.

Smartcool Systems Inc. manufactures and distributes the Smartcool Energy Saving Module (ESM) and the ECO3, which make refrigeration and air conditioning systems more efficient, resulting in cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. The Smartcool ESM can be retrofitted to existing refrigeration and air conditioning systems and is compatible with all known control systems. More than 26,000 units have been installed worldwide for customers such as supermarkets, food distributors, telecommunications companies, hospitals, and hotels.

For further information visit www.smartcool.net.

VANCOUVER, BC — Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI), a leading provider of high-performance, alternative fuel engines for the global market, announced today that Kenworth Truck Company is expanding its industry-leading product line with the introduction of the Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas engine for the Kenworth T800 short hood and W900S models. Now available for order, Kenworth's natural gas models are focused on vocational, municipal, and pickup and delivery applications.

"The ISL G Kenworth T800 short hood and W900S models provide an excellent, low-emission solution combined with outstanding efficiency, horsepower and torque," said Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales. "Kenworth's green product offering, which also includes T800 liquefied natural gas vehicles with the Westport GX engine, medium duty diesel-electric hybrids and aerodynamic trucks, continues to lead the trucking industry in North America." In 2009, Kenworth became the first truck manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products.

Roe East, President of Cummins Westport, added, "Kenworth adding CWI engines to several models reaffirms our position in market leadership for natural gas engines. Kenworth now offers customers clean, economic natural gas power for a variety of truck applications."

The Cummins Westport ISL G, an 8.9 litre stoichiometric cooled-exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) engine, meets 2010 EPA emissions, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and offers top-level performance and efficiency. The ISL G engine operates on either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), both of which are cost effective, low carbon, and low emissions fuels. With ratings up to 320 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque, the ISL G is 2010 compliant with a maintenance free three way catalyst (TWC) and does not require the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or a diesel particulate filter (DPF). CNG and LNG fuel tanks can be configured to suit customer applications and range requirements. More information about the ISL G can be found at: www.cumminswestport.com/products/islg.php

MONTREAL, QC — On December 18th, Hydro-Québec accepted eight bids for a total of 60.7 MW in response to its April 14 call to purchase power generated by biomass cogeneration in Québec.

Electricity deliveries are scheduled for December 1, 2012. The average price of the winning bids is 11.2 cents/kWh, including 0.4 cents/kWh for transmission costs. The projects call for capital expenditures of about $180 million plus another $39 million for transmission infrastructure.

Over the coming months, Hydro-Québec Distribution will work with the project proponents to finalize the contracts, which will then be submitted to the Régie de l'énergie for approval. The proponents will be responsible for obtaining all the necessary permits prior to the start of construction.

Hydro-Québec Distribution worked with Deloitte Inc. in the bid evaluation process and to ensure application of the Call for Tenders and Contract Award Procedure.

To view a list of bids accepted, visit www.hydroquebec.com/media/en/index.html

Regina, SK — The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is leading a biodiesel pilot project to demonstrate how well the renewable fuel performs year-round in agriculture equipment. Supported by Natural Resources Canada the project will help SRC assess biodiesel’s quality retention and performance in farming equipment and bulk storage facilities in all seasons, including the coldest winter months.
 
“The Government of Canada is pleased to partner with the Saskatchewan Research Council to promote the use of renewable diesel,” said Tom Lukiwski, Member of Parliament for Regina–Lumsden–Lake Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources. “Our investment of $782,000 for this demonstration project will contribute to reducing Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions while investing in made-in-Canada technology and stimulating the economy.”
 
During the year-long project, eight agriculture producers will operate their equipment using low-level (B5) and high-level (B10) canola–biodiesel blends to determine whether they affect engine performance. Five producers will operate year-round on a B5 blend, while three others will use a B10 blend during warmer months and a B5 blend the rest of the year.
 
As part of the study, SRC will evaluate approximately 50 tractors, combines, swathers and related farm fuel storage tanks. Biodiesel quality will be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure that the fuel maintains adequate quality throughout the year-round farming cycle. Fuel testing will be conducted at the SRC Biofuels Test Centre™ in Regina.
 
“We’re privileged to lead a biodiesel study that will benefit farmers in Saskatchewan and across Canada,” said Dr. Laurier Schramm, SRC president and CEO. “This study and our proven expertise in biofuels testing will provide practical insights to both agriculture producers and the Government of Canada as they explore biodiesel use on the farm.”
 
When the study is completed in November 2010, producers and other agriculture industry stakeholders will have information that will assist them in successfully blending, handling and storing biodiesel blends in cold Canadian conditions.
 
In particular, program results from the study will be shared and will assist in moving forward the Government of Canada’s proposed renewable fuels regulation that would require an average of two percent renewable fuel in diesel fuel by 2011 or earlier, subject to technical feasibility.
 
For more information visit www.src.sk.ca/