SAN FRANCISCO - General Electric and four venture-capital companies are putting up $200 million to award entrepreneurs for coming up with innovative ways to modernize the electricity grid. At an event at San Francisco, the companies launched the "GE Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid," a competition designed to cultivate smart-grid technologies, CNET News.Com reported. The
SAN FRANCISCO - General Electric Chief Executive Jeff Immelt unveiled perhaps the best-looking electric vehicle charger yet invented at a big marketing shindig Tuesday morning in San Francisco. Called the WattStation, the charger was created by San Francisco designer Yves Behar and his co-workers at fuseproject, his design company. The WattStation looks a bit like
LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission has once again found no need for a proposed coal-fired electric plant, this time in Holland. The Holland Board of Public Works had proposed the 70 megawatt plant as part of its plan to meet expected demand growth. But the PSC staff found in its report that Holland
JACKSON - Consumers Energy has reached power purchase agreements with independent developers for more than 240 megawatts of new Michigan-based renewable energy capacity. The agreements support Consumers Energy's Balanced Energy Initiative which is a comprehensive 20-year plan to meet the needs of its 1.8 million electric customers with a balanced energy portfolio, including energy efficiency,
DETROIT ? University of Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon Tuesday was named to the DTE Energy board of directors. Brandon, former chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza, continues to serve as non-executive chairman of Domino's. Brandon formerly was chairman, president and CEO of Valassis Communications Inc. of Livonia. In his 20 years at the marketing
ANN ARBOR - The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has won the American Solar Challenge for a third consecutive North American title. Michigan's other team in the race, Western Michigan University, was relegated to display car status early in the event after their vehicle experienced persistent electrical problems. The week-long, biennial 1,100-mile competition for
GRAND RAPIDS ? Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, the Van Andel Research Institute and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered a biomarker that could help in the treatment of patients with an aggressive type of lung cancer. Using a particular biomarker, researchers might better predict which patients with
TROY - Automation Alley announced Friday that ElectroJet, an Automation Alley member company, has formalized a partnership agreement with Magneti Marelli to produce and market an engine control system that can be fitted on two and three-wheel vehicles. ElectroJet, based in Brighton, began working with Automation Alley in 2006. The company was the recipient of
NEW HUDSON - TransTech Energy has signed an agreement with Icom North America to install and service Icom's patented JTG propane liquid-injection fuel system on government and commercial fleet vehicles in North America. Based in Rocky Mount, N.C., TransTech expects to sell more than 3,000 Icom JTG systems during the first three years of the
ANN ARBOR - The University of Michigan has adopted LEED Silver certification as its standard for major new construction projects. The new policy builds upon an existing U-M commitment to exceed by 30 percent a widely recognized energy efficiency standard, giving the university one of the most rigorous construction standards among higher education institutions in