Green Energy News | April 4, 1999

April 4, 1999 – Vol.4 No.1

ENERGIES... week of April 4, 1999

PROOF OF PURCHASE. If you’re one of the lucky ones able to choose your own electricity provider - and have chosen to buy renewable energy - how do you know your electricity is really being generated by wind, solar, biomass or other green source? For now you’d have to trust your provider to be honest or rely on a branding certification program, but in the near future you might be able to watch your electricity being produced - in real time - by way of the Internet. The seeds of this technology are now being planted.

ConectiSys Corporation is developing Internet connected wireless automatic meter reading technology specifically geared to the growing market for deregulated electricity. According to the company, customers with an Internet connection will be able evaluate cost savings, access kilowatt usage, view billing information, study graphs, use budgeting tools and pay bills on-line.

If this technology is advanced, will you be able to determine if a particular wind turbine or solar array is providing power to your home? Maybe, maybe not. This technology, if proven and adopted, will at least be another marketing tool for power providers - green and otherwise.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST. The merger of BP and Amoco brought along an additional asset for BP - a stake in Solarex. The Frederick, Maryland based solar company had been under joint ownership of Amoco and Enron. Now, in a $45 million deal, BP Amoco has purchased Enron’s 50% share, giving BP full ownership and creating the largest solar panel company in the world.

Integration of BP Solar and Solarex will be known as BP Solarex. The purchase is considered the first step by BP Amoco towards building a $1 billion per year solar business over the next decade. Combined sales in 1998 for Solarex and BP Solar exceeded $150 million. Market share for the new company is 20% world-wide with about 30 megawatts of solar products sold annually. The new company will have plants in the US, Spain, Australia and India.

AGGRESSIVE WITH E-BIKES. In seeking more opportunities to sell electric bikes, ZAP Power Systems will be working in partnership with CSW Total EV to set up a network of ZAP Outlet Stores in selected states in the U.S. Within the agreement CSW will be the master distributor for 20 future retail stores which will offer sales, rental and service for ZAP’s electric bikes, scooters, and now an electric boat. ZAP is also offering franchises in some states.

Never missing an opportunity for exposure, ZAP’s products have been featured as prizes on TV game shows “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Price is Right” and written up in Playboy magazine.