China Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao, Korea President Mr. Lee Myung-bak, and Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will all deliver speeches at the conference, pledging their support for the development of green energy technologies and the establishment of new markets for the green industry. They will also be discussing new laws and systems improvement programs. Both Korea and China are expected to sign a Memo of Understanding (MOU) at the end of the forum. Mr. Wang will be addressing the forum, speaking on the Company’s recently announced plans to build a new green fuel, waste conversion facility in Fujian Province, China.

Mr. Hapeing Wang, President of American Jianye, commented, “I am very proud to be invited to speak at such a historical event. We hope this forum brings more awareness to the importance of green technologies and begins the process of establishing marketing strategies and protocols for the development of the green industry.”

About American Jianye Holdings: Jianye Greentech Holdings Ltd. is an alternative fuel company that develops, manufactures, and distributes alcohol-based automobile fuel products in the People’s Republic of China. The Company’s products are designed to function as a lower-cost, more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional gasoline-based auto fuel. For more information about AJGH, please visit www.americanjianyegroup.com.  The company’s organizational structure is depicted below and begs the question as to why it is called “American” Jianye?

American Jianye Corporate Structure

This legislation will apparently set up a program run by the Department of Energy to competitively award up to $1 billion each to EV-friendly regions that apply for the funds and promise to use them to subsidize consumer purchases of electric cars – to the tune of $2,000 each for up to 100,000 vehicles in each region – and to foster installation of community networks of home and commercial EV chargers.

This program is in addition to the $7,500 federal refundable income tax credit for the purchase of highway legal electric drive vehicles.  Both GM and Nissan are depending on the rebate to help defray the high initial purchase price of their respective plug-in vehicles, the Volt and Leaf.

Other countries have already adopted this type of legislation and it is important both for energy security and international competitiveness that the United States do the same.  This legislation is a by-partisan effort so hopefully it will not fall prey to Republican “anti-legislative progress of any kind” politics.

This is a very reasonably priced event to attend.  The registration fee is only $100 and students are admitted free of charge.  Given the cost and the cutting edge topics to be discussed, only the proximity to the Mexican border drug violence will keep potential attendees away.  This is what will be discussed:

Panel #1 – Defining the Energy Challenge

 Topic #1 – National Energy Dilemma

Topic #2 – Army Energy Security Strategy

 Topic #3 – RDECOM Perspective

 Topic #4 – Technology Development Activities

 Topic #5 – Security Energy 

Panel #2 – Generation, Distribution, Conservation 

 Topic #1 – Regional Issues and Alternatives

 Topic #2 – Municipal Concerns and Plans

Topic#3 – Army Energy Sustainability

 Topic #4 – Revitalizing Domestic Energy Industry

 Topic #5 – Renewable Systems Integration

Panel #3 – Transfer and Application of Energy

 Topic #1 – Army Energy Initiatives

 Topic #2 – Advanced Vehicles/Power Initiatives

Topic #3 – Advanced Micro-Grids

 Topic #4 – Hybrid Non-Tactical Trucks

 Topic #5 – Expeditionary Energy

Panel #4 – Unlocking Promising Technologies

 Topic #1 – Smart Grids

 Topic #2 – Geothermal

Topic #3 – Solid Waste to Energy

Topic #4 – Solid Waste Initiatives

 Topic #5 – Energy as a Weapon of War

Mark your calendars, this will be an exciting event!

“CODA’s decision to open a facility in our state means that Ohio workers will help manufacture the cars of the 21st century,” said Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. “Ohio is quickly becoming a national leader in clean energy component manufacturing for the auto industry. In Ohio, CODA will find a rich manufacturing heritage, skilled workforce and entrepreneurial spirit.”

Lio Energy Systems, a joint venture between CODA and Lishen Power Battery, would operate the facility. Lio Energy Systems currently operates a one-million square foot facility in Tianjin, China with the production capacity to produce more than 20,000 battery packs per year. The proposed facility in Ohio would replicate this facility. CODA will be the majority and control shareholder of the U.S. venture. Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke toured the facility during the Obama administration’s first cabinet-level trade mission in China. “International green technology partnerships can produce rapid job growth back home and deliver energy solutions abroad, and CODA’s venture proves it,” Locke said.

“With the help of our global family of partners, CODA’s innovative team in Santa Monica has not only produced a battery system capable of powering affordable electric vehicles today, but has created the next great American manufacturing opportunity,” said Kevin Czinger, President and CEO, CODA. “CODA was thoroughly impressed with the organization, execution, commitment, sincerity and integrity of the team put together by the state of Ohio representing both the public and private sectors.”

“The competition for this project between states was intense, and Ohio was not even under consideration by CODA at first. But when we learned about CODA’s innovative product, we made the case for them to invest in Ohio because of our skilled workers, world-class manufacturing infrastructure and competitive business environment,” said Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio. “I want to thank CODA, Senator Brown and all of our partners whose work was integral to making this project a reality. I believe that Ohio can lead the automotive industry into the 21st century, and together, we are committed to rebuilding our economy and creating good jobs for hard-working Ohioans.”

“Together with our public and private partners in Columbus, we worked to recruit CODA to the City of Columbus,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “CODA represents not only high quality employment opportunities and investment, but movement towards advancing our goals for a 21st century economy and a greener world. It also represents an opportunity for Columbus to be the epicenter of a new generation of electrification ecosystems. This project represents the type of innovation and jobs that we will aggressively pursue and continue to attract to the City of Columbus.”

“While there are still many hurdles to pass before this project is finalized, CODA’s selection of Columbus and Ohio is an important milestone that speaks volumes about our community and its public-private collaboration,” said Alex Fischer, President & CEO, The Columbus Partnership. “This can be a transformational project for our community as we leverage clean manufacturing into the future.”

“In addition to reducing our dependence on oil, the electrification movement will reconnect American innovation with manufacturing,” said Steven “Mac” Heller, Co-Chairman, CODA. “We are hopeful that the federal government will recognize the potential this facility has with respect to strengthening the Ohio economy and ushering-in a new era of electric transportation that will create millions of sustainable jobs nationwide.”

About CODA: Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., CODA™ is working to reduce dependence on oil and is leading the way to a cleaner future through advanced battery systems for its 100% electric cars, other electric vehicle manufacturers and utility applications such as wind power storage. CODA is working in a smart, interdependent way with more than 30 leading global technology and manufacturing companies across four continents to quickly and efficiently bring electric drive technology to market. Through its exclusive battery system joint venture with Lishen Power Battery, Lio Energy Systems™, CODA is also a large-scale producer of power battery systems for transportation and utility applications. CODA is slated to begin delivering its all-electric car in the fourth quarter of this year and anticipates that it can deliver more than 14,000 vehicles to customers by the end of 2011. The CODA sedan is a four-passenger, mid-size car with full rear seating and trunk space that is designed to meet American drivers’ daily transportation needs without using an ounce of gasoline.

Navistar also announced its eStar dealer for the Pacific Northwest market will be Cascadia International Trucks of Tacoma, Wash.

“With the eStar truck making its debut in Portland today, Navistar is fully capable to support our customers through select dealers networked in our initial launch regions,” Hebe added. “No other commercial electric vehicle competes with the eStar in terms of capacity, size and application. We believe customers will love the eStar because of its capabilities as an electric vehicle and won’t have to change their fleet usage in order to take advantage of the truck’s performance.”

The eStar all-electric truck is the first medium-duty commercial vehicle to receive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification as a clean fuel fleet vehicle as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification as a zero-emissions vehicle.

This Class 2c-3 electric truck—the first in its category—has a range of 100 miles per charge, making it ideal for many urban applications. When it returns to its home base at the end of the day, it can be plugged in and fully recharged within six to eight hours.

“The all-electric eStar commercial truck is a groundbreaking product and Navistar is once again leading the way in bringing innovative, game-changing products to market,” Hebe added. “Along with the advancements we’ve made in aerodynamics and fuel efficiency for heavy trucks, our comprehensive line-up of hybrid trucks and school buses, and now with the addition of the eStar all-electric truck, Navistar has the largest portfolio of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly trucks in the industry.”

The eStar all-electric truck transitioned from concept to reality in August 2009, when President Barack Obama visited Navistar’s manufacturing plant in Indiana to announce a $39.2 million federal stimulus grant to build electric trucks. Less than one year later, Navistar has completed testing and validation, developed and delivered prototype vehicles, and received EPA and CARB certifications. The eStar meets all Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards (FMVSS) and Navistar is now taking orders and building these all-electric trucks.

Unlike other electric trucks that are reconfigured models of fossil-fuel trucks, the eStar truck has been purpose-built for electric power, creating an advantage with a low center of gravity (the battery is between the frame rails, not mounted on top) and a 36-foot turning radius. The eStar is engineered with superior aerodynamics, a walk-through cab and a quick-change cassette-type battery that can be swapped out in 20 minutes, enabling around the clock operation. It is capable of carrying payloads up to two tons.

With zero tailpipe emissions, each eStar truck can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 10 tons annually. Drivers will be able to experience the ultimate in ergonomic design as the windshield provides nearly 180-degree visibility, the low-floor design provides easy loading/unloading and the noise level is near zero, which makes this nimble vehicle ideal for urban areas facing noise challenges.

Sales of the eStar all-electric vehicle are conducted through a wholly owned Navistar affiliate. The eStar truck is produced through the Navistar-Modec EV Alliance, LLC, the joint venture between Navistar, Inc. and Modec Limited of the United Kingdom.

For decades, Navistar has demonstrated a commitment to technologies that benefit the environment and its customers. In 1989, Navistar was the first original equipment manufacturer to release the smokeless diesel engine and, in 2001, Navistar was the first engine manufacturer to gain certification from the EPA for meeting particulate and hydrocarbon emissions standards – six years ahead of schedule. The company was also the first to enter line production of hybrid commercial trucks and hybrid school buses.

About Navistar

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International® brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForce® brand diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses, Monaco® RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse® brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services.

• Fuel Cell Vehicle JV Under Debate Between Daimler and Toyota: FT Deutschland have reported that Daimler and Toyota are discussing a joint development of fuel cells for electric vehicles.  ‘There is strong interest in sharing development costs’ via a joint venture, a source close to Daimler told the Financial Times Deutschland. It would be the first major cooperative project for the two groups, the newspaper added.  Daimler has already invested more than one billion euros (S$1.75 billion) in fuel cell technology since 1994, two years after Toyota began exploring it.

• Fuel cell developer Trenergi Corp. has raised more than half of a seed round of $1 million in debt, according to a regulatory filing and the company’s president. The Hopkinton-based company, now about a year old, is aiming to develop fuel cells that would generate electricity for residences while producing heat and hot water as a free byproduct. The technology is intended to save an average of approximately 28 percent of energy cost, said company president Charles Myers.

• The Chevy Volt is being spotted on the streets of Metro-Detroit gearing up for its official launch.

• Ford is investing $135 million to bring battery pack and hybrid vehicle transmission production to metro Detroit. The work is currently done in Mexico and Japan.

Joule is applying advanced genome engineering to develop a library of proprietary organisms, each one optimized for productivity according to the desired end product. Because the organisms are engineered to directly synthesize and secrete fuels, they will avoid costly steps such as large-scale biomass production and collection or other downstream refinement. The technology has already been proven with the direct conversion of CO2 to liquid hydrocarbons and ethanol, avoiding the economic and environmental burden of multi-step, petroleum- or biomass-dependent methods.

Joule incorporates process, materials, photonic and thermal engineering to make their Helioculture™ platform commercial-ready. Unlike any other closed system approach, their modular SolarConverter™ system is designed for direct fuel production in a single-step, continuous process. It achieves high net energy gains while managing the photon capture, CO₂ delivery and mixing, thermal management, product synthesis and initial separation in an efficient, direct-to-end-product™ process, minimizing the steps to market. The system’s interconnected assemblies are designed for ease of installation, making it scalable and customizable to any desired output levels based on land and CO₂ availability.

Joule’s unique combination of genome and process engineering has enabled a technology platform that is capable of making multiple end products, including liquid hydrocarbons that are fungible with existing diesel fuel and can also be refined to make renewable jet fuel and gasoline. Their products will include ultra clean diesel, ethanol and commodity chemicals, directly targeting multi-billion dollar opportunities in the oil, chemical, consumer and agricultural industries.

Joule’s production process avoids the depletion of precious natural resources, with no dependency on agricultural land, crops or fresh water. At the same time, an independently-conducted lifecycle analysis shows that, through our intake of waste CO2, they have the potential to reduce harmful carbon emissions on a large scale – up to 90% in some instances.

Joule will efficiently capture sunlight to produce energy in liquid form, enabling tremendous scale, storage and transport of energy without the power degradation that limits storage of electricity. This advantage, combined with their direct, continuous process and use of waste CO2 as a sole feedstock, creates the potential to deliver virtually unlimited quantities of fuel. They have targeted commercial delivery of up to 15,000 gallons of diesel and 25,000 gallons of ethanol per acre per year at full-scale production. Furthermore, the modular design of their SolarConverter system makes it readily extensible from smaller industrial operations to large-scale commerical plants, minimizing scale-up risks.

Avoiding the use of raw material feedstocks dramatically simplifies Joule’s production process, while also removing a costly component that can be subject to significant fluctuations in price and availability. In addition, the process has the capability of achieving up to 50X the efficiencies of biofuel production, with a fraction of the land use.

The efficienices of Joule’s production system, which requires fewer resources and less processing than both petroleum- and biomass-derived fuels, will allow Joule to meet or beat the costs of fossil fuels. They expect to deliver diesel for as little as $30 per barrel equivalent.

Joule has just closed a $30 million dollar funding round and their pilot operations are currently underway, with commercial development to begin in 2012.  We will keep our eye on this company for the future.