TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION . . . . . . . . . .7LEADERSHIP COUNCIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9OUTREACH EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

TRANSFORMINGOUR GLOBAL ENERGY FUTURE

Volume 3Newsletter 2010

RASEI announces FIRST GROUP OF FELLOWSThe Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute has announced its inaugural group of RASEI Fellowappointments to form one of the world's leading university and federal laboratory partnerships in thedevelopment and commercialization of renewable energy technologies.

“NREL and CU-Boulder are already working together on a variety of critical energy technologies that willhelp to ensure a clean and sustainable energy supply for our nation’s future,” said Robert McGrath, NRELdeputy laboratory director for science and technology, and one of RASEI’s chief architects. “The newlyestablished RASEI significantly strengthens the structural platform enabling CU-Boulder and NRELresearchers to take full advantage of the complementary strengths resident within each institution.”

THE INAUGURAL GROUP OF FELLOWS INCLUDES:CU-Boulder

William Boyd, associate professor, School of Law

Niels Damrauer, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Daniel Dessau, professor and associate chair, Department of Physics

Kevin Doran, senior research fellow, Center for Energy and Environmental Security, School of Law

Robert Erickson, professor, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Ryan Gill, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Gregor Henze, professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

David Jonas, professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Stephen Lawrence, chair, Management and Entrepreneurship Division, and academic director,Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Leeds School of Business

Se-Hee Lee, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Julie Lundquist, assistant professor, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Will Medlin, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Kamran Mohseni, associate professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Richard Noble, professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

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Lucy Pao, professor, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering

Charles Rogers, professor, Department of Physics

Ivan Smalyukh, assistant professor, Department of Physics

Alan Weimer, professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

NREL

Howard Branz, principal scientist, Silicon Materials and Devices Group

Al Darzins, principal group manager, National Bioenergy Center

Maria Ghirardi, group manager, Photobiology Team

David Ginley, research fellow / group manager, Process Development and Advanced Concepts Group

Michael Himmel, principal scientist and principal group manager, Biomolecular Group

Charles Kutscher, principal engineer and group manager, Thermal Systems Electricity, Resources, andBuilding Systems Integration Center

Angelo Mascarenhas,manager, Experimental Material Sciences Group

Patrick Moriarty, team leader, Wind Farm and Aeroacoustics Research, Wind Technologies Center

Robin Newmark, principal program manager, Planning and Program Development

Arthur Nozik, senior research fellow and scientific director, Center for Revolutionary SolarPhotoconversion; associate director, U.S. DOE LANL/NREL Energy Frontier Research Center on AdvancedSolar Photophysics

Brian Pivovar, senior scientist, Hydrogen Technologies and Systems Center

Mike Robinson, deputy director, Wind Technology Center

Garry Rumbles, research fellow, Chemical and Biosciences Center

John Turner, research fellow, Hydrogen Technologies and Systems Center

Jao van de Lagmaat, senior scientist, Basic Sciences Program, Office of Science

Yanfa Yan, principal scientist, Measurements and Characterization Division

RASEI receives NSF grant to research renewable electricity -Paul Komor, RASEI Education Director, will share a $500,000 grant from the National ScienceFoundation to research how renewable electricity production (such as that from wind and solarPV) can be integrated into large-scale electricity systems. This NSF grant comes through theSmall Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, and is intended to promote closercollaboration between Universities and small businesses.

RASEI and Paul will be working with Homer Energy LLC, a small Boulder-based start-up, tolook at scenarios of high renewables penetration and their impacts on the grid.

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THIRD ANNUAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM RASEI’s Third Annual Research Symposium attracted 366 registered participants from across theUniversity of Colorado campus, other Colorado universities, the National Renewable EnergyLaboratory, NIST, NOAA, the State of Colorado, and private industry. Internationally recognizedclimate policy expert Steve Rayner of Oxford University opened the symposium with a keynoteaddress titled "Finding the Right Trousers: Radically Rethinking Climate Policy and the Implicationsfor Low Carbon Energy." Rayner argued that climate change is a “wicked problem” of profoundsocial commitments to capital, technology, and behavior that cannot be resolved through theapplication of optimizing policies such as carbon trading. He explored alternative “strategic”approaches focused on the challenges of transforming a complex energy-technology landscape inwhich undoing existing arrangements may be more challenging than devising new ones.

Following the keynote address a distinguished panel of local experts (Dr. Douglas Arent, Director ofthe Strategic Energy Analysis Center, NREL; Alice Madden, State of Colorado Climate Advisor; and Dr.Melinda Marquis, Renewable Energy Project Manager, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA)commented on Professor Rayner’s remarks and offered their own perspectives on climate policy.

The symposium featured a poster session in which CU and NRELresearchers presented 109 posters in the areas of EnergyEfficiency; Energy Materials and Nanoscience; Energy Policy andRegulation; Energy/Water Nexus; Environmental Science andClimate Change; Non-renewable Low Carbon Energy (naturalgas, nuclear, etc.); Renewable and Alternative EnergyProduction; Smart Grid, Electricity Transmission and Storage;Social and Economic Transformation; Sustainable Buildings andUrban Development; and Transportation. Poster topics coveredthe gamut from “The Study and Design of Microbial Selectionsfor Biofuel Production: Application of Genomic Tools andMetabolic Network Analysis in Escherichia coli” to “Theatre forEnergy Justice: Giving Voice to the Energy Poor in DevelopmentProjects.” The symposium provided an opportunity forresearchers from across disciplines to meet and exploreopportunities for collaboration in novel energy research.

A list of poster titles and abstracts, Steve Rayner’s Powerpointpresentation, and videos of the keynote address and paneldiscussion can be found on the RASEI website athttp://rasei.colorado.edu/2009_Research-Symposium

TOYOTA DONATES HYBRID ELEC TRICVEHICLES FOR R ASEI RESEARCH PROJEC TIn a city like Boulder, ten more Toyota Prius cars wouldn’t normally catch anyone’s eye. But in March a veryspecial pack of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHVs) will hit the streets as part of Xcel Energy’sSmartGridCity project.

The cars, donated by Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. will be the focus of an interdisciplinary research projectcoordinated by the University of Colorado at Boulder's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, orRASEI, a new joint venture between the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable EnergyLaboratory and CU-Boulder.

"As a founding member of RASEI's Leadership Council, we see this as a natural fit for Toyota," said ChrisHostetter, Toyota Motor Sales group vice president, advanced product strategy and product planning."Future customers will have high expectations for these emerging technologies. Demonstration programslike this will ensure that the vehicles we bring to market will not just meet customer expectations, butexceed them."

RASEI faculty director Carl Koval added, "This is a perfect illustration of how collaborative research fromuniversities and federal laboratories combined with industry leadership can address the energy andtechnology challenges of the future."

The SmartGridCity project is the first fully functioning smart grid enabled city in the world. Its goal is toprovide increased grid reliability and energy use information. It will also allow participating customers toremotely control in-home energy management devices.

RASEI, Xcel Energy and Toyota Motor Sales will use this programto gather data on vehicle performance and charging patterns,consumer behavior and preferences, as well as electricutility/customer interactions. The locale offers the additionalbenefit of monitoring high-altitude, cold climate performance ofToyota's first-generation lithium-ion battery.

"We know that PHVs coupled with smart charging techniquescan reduce carbon emissions," said Jay Herrmann, regional vicepresident for Xcel Energy. "Partnerships like this can bring uscloser to delivering new solutions that can conserve energy, savenatural resources and reduce dependence on foreign oil."

The 10 vehicles participating in the project are part of a 150vehicle demonstration fleet arriving in the U.S. in early 2010. ThePrius PHV is targeted to achieve amaximum electric only range ofapproximately 12 miles and will be capableof achieving highway speeds in electriconly mode. For longer distances, the PHVconcept reverts to "hybrid mode" andoperates like a regular Prius.

The vehicles are targeted for delivery inMarch 2010.

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Energy EducationENERGY COURSES AT CUThe list of energy-related courses at CU continues to grow. We now offer 47 such courses, up from 19 in2007. (You can see the complete list at http://rasei.colorado.edu/energy-related_courses.) Many of thesecourses expose students to real-world energy problems, or provide a new perspective on society’s energychallenges. Here are two examples:

New for Fall 2009 semester is ENVS 4100 ‘Energy Policy Project.’ Taught by Paul Denholm, member of theEnergy Forecasting and Modeling Group in the Strategic Energy Analysis Center at NREL, this is a capstonecourse in RASEI’s undergraduate energy certificate program. This course analyzes the potential role of solarin the state of Colorado considering a variety of economic, technical, policy, and environmental factors. Thecourse culminates in student presentations to DOE officials.

On the books for spring 2010 semester is an equally innovative new energy course, ANTH 4020/5020 ‘TheAnthropology of Energy’. This course uses an anthropological perspective on energy production andconsumption. It focuses in particular on questions of political instability and war; indigenous andenvironmental activism; working conditions; corporate appeals to sustainability and green energy; andanthropological research ethics. Special attention is given to indigenous communities and ecosystems inNorth and South America.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE STUDENTS: 23 COMING IN, 2 MOVING ON. We’ve just accepted our second class ofgraduate energy certificate students. We have23 new students from all over campus,including students from the business school,the law school, the chemistry and physicsdepartments, and several of the engineeringdisciplines. They are an impressive group, withan average standardized test in the seventy-fifth percentile. Their backgrounds vary: onestudent wrote an undergraduate thesiscomparing conventional natural gas productionof hydrogen to algal hydrogen production,while another converted an old diesel Mercedes to run on used vegetable oil and drove it from Boston.They all share a passion for tackling society’s energy challenges.

We’re also celebrating our first two program graduates: John Burkhardt and Jennifer Crawford wereawarded their certificates in renewable and sustainable energy on Dec. 12, 2009. Both John and Jennifercompleted their graduate programs fall 2009 semester, and received MS degrees in MechanicalEngineering. John will continue his work on life-cycle analysis of renewable power technologies at NREL.Jennifer is joining the technical staff of Abengoa Solar in Lakewood, CO.

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WHAT DID YOU DO LAST SUMMER?Summer is an opportunity for our students to get out of the classroom and into the energy industry. Our graduateenergy certificate students found varied and interesting summer energy work. Here’s a sampling:

Pablo Bunster (Pablo.Bunster@Colorado.EDU) worked in Chile for an Irish wind developer, Mainstream RenewablePower, on portfolio analysis of Chile’s electricity generating mix.

Eric Frazier (Eric.Frazier@Colorado.EDU) worked for Abengoa Solar Inc. in their Concentrating Photovoltaics division.Eric managed the development of sponsored research projects, wrote proposals for federal funding, and assisted withthe development of responses to renewables RFPs from western U.S. utilities.

Stephen Hendrickson (Stephen.Hendrickson@Colorado.EDU) worked at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center(NWTC). Stephen assessed the employment and economic impacts of wind development using the JEDI model, andanalyzed the supply chain impacts of renewable energy development.

Mark Jenkins (Mark.Jenkins@Colorado.EDU) worked for Wells Fargo in their Energy Group. Mark interacted withclients in the oil and gas, pipeline, and refining industries.

Maura Lohrentz (maura.lohrentz@colorado.edu) worked for the technology transfer and commercialization office atNREL, putting together the 22nd NREL Industry Growth Forum. Maura helped recruit over 250 companies to submitapplications, and put together a team of venture capitalists and others to review those applications.

Jeff Palmer (Jeffrey.E.Palmer@Colorado.EDU) worked for a startup company that aims to open up a chain ofautomobile conversion and service shops concentrating on reducing carbon emissions, improving fuel efficiency, andoffering environmentally friendly service options. Jeff researched alternative fuel distribution systems.

RASEI STUDENT ALLIANCE—CU ENERGY CLUBIn August of 2009, RASEI supported student leaders in forming the RASEI StudentAlliance, also known as the CU Energy Club. Open to all students across the entire CUcampus, the CU Energy Club emphasizes interdisciplinary connections between thearenas of finance, technology, policy, science, and law. In its inaugural year, the Clubis focusing on four action areas: coordinating energy events, supporting cross-campus collaboration, promoting industry connections, and building a web andmedia presence.

To date, the Club has generated a list membership of over 300 students for itsweekly Energy Bulletin, which serves as one of the main portals on campus for energy-related events and internships.The Club also holds monthly campus-wide student meetings which feature speakers from industry and policybackgrounds. On January 14th, the Club hosted Professor William Boyd of the CU Law School, who delivered a reportfrom the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009.

Like the energy field itself, the leadership of the Club is very diverse. President Mackay Miller is an MBA student, whileVice President-at-Large Joost Groot is a PhD candidate in Chemical/Biological Engineering. VP for UndergraduateStudents is Scot Woolley, a senior majoring in Environmental Policy and Chinese. VP for Engineering is Tirzah Mills isalso a PhD candidate in Chemical / Biological Engineering. VP for Business Luke Nagell is an MBA student, as areSecretary Zac Mitchell and Treasurer Matt Reisman.

The Club will culminate its inaugural year with an event this spring. On April 1, 2010, the inaugural Energy Frontiersevent will invite members of the energy industry to meet and mingle with CU students, will feature keynote speakersfrom the forefront of the energy sector and will showcase 50+ student energy research projects.

To find out more about CU Energy Club, please visit them on the web at: http://cuenergyclub.org/.

RASEI StudentAlliance toursTesla showroom

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Over the last six months, the Entrepreneurship and Business Development group at RASEI have continued to buildout its three segments of focus: Incubation, Industry Partnerships and Thought Leadership.

We are very happy to announce that through all the hard work of the entire team at RASEI in conjunction with theLeeds School of Business Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and our fantastic Technology Transfer Office, CU-Boulder was recognized by the Sustainable World Capital in January of 2010 as one of the top 10 universities forcleantech research and commercialization. To see the full article go to http://cleantech.com/news/5384/top-10-cleantech-universities-us

INCUBATION In the fall of 2009, RASEI commenced a new incubation program designed to rapidly and efficiently bring strongcommercial-potential cleantech-related technologies to the market. The incubation programs are designed toinitiate earlier, highly focused market and business analyses to promising technologies and involve industryexperts, venture capitalists, and successful entrepreneurs in the process.

The two part incubation program is made up of a market assessment program (MAP)and a technology Proof ofConcept (POC) program. In the MAP program, high market-potential technologies are paired with a team ofindustry experts, MBAs and technologists in a 3 month process to assess commercialization opportunity andrecommend a path forward. The recommendation will involve both business and technology development needs.In most cases, some demonstration of the technology for a commercial application is necessary for industry andventure capital funding. RASEI then provides Proof of Concept (POC) funding to rapidly bring the technology to acommercialization ready state and to overcome any significant technical hurdles.

Currently, there are 17 technologies going through the incubation program. RASEI works hand-in-hand with localentrepreneurial community members such as the Boulder Innovation Center, local law firms and several venturecapital firms to identify the appropriate industry experts to engage on each project.

The 17 different technologies cut across the landscape of cleantech industries. Some examples of technologiesinclude next generation solar PV solutions, battery materials and system design, carbon capture and management,more efficient energy conversion solutions, next generation materials for filtration and biofuel processes andbiology.

Companies and individuals who would like to learn more about the incubation program and the differenttechnologies involved in the process should contact Trent Yang @ trent.yang@colorado.edu

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INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP The list of companies that have joined to support RASEI continues to grow and along with it, the set of interdisciplinary, industry-focusedcollaborative research projects. As of January 2010, there are 19 industry leading companies that form our Leadership Council. CEOs and Sr.Vice Presidents of these companies sit on our council and provide strategic guidance, develop collaborative research programs and providefunding to our institute.

In addition to the Fortune 500-level companies that sit on the Leadership Council, RASEI is also working with a variety of other cleantech andrenewable energy companies in the Rocky Mountain Region. Together our industry partners form the backbone of RASEI’s focus; research,education and commercialization.

Companies interested in learning more about RASEI should contact Trent Yang @ trent.yang@colorado.edu

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Our thought leadership segment is dedicated to bringing the best practices for commercialization of alternative energy and efficiencysolutions to the marketplace. As part of this program, RASEI focuses on relevant industry research and commercialization workshops in the community.

The Energy Commercialization Workshop was started in the Fall of 2009 to bring together national and local leaders in individual cleantechsectors to discuss the state of the business, and best practices to succeed and overcome risks in commercialization of technologies andsolutions in that given industry.

The first workshop was held in late September 2009 and focused on biofuels. The focus of the workshop was to identify and betterunderstand the challenges facing the companies who are developing and commercializing the next generation of technologies for the biofuelindustry. We brought industry experts across all relevant stakeholder groups, including investors, agriculture economists, policy makers,technologists and CEOs, to identify the most pertinent risks and also the best practices for overcoming these challenges.

The event was an overwhelming success with over 80 attendees, primarily from industry management. Feedback we received include: “Willyou have a summary or tape of this event available? I would like all of my company employees to listen to this”. Well, we have listened to youand have put together a free summary of the event as well as a tape of the entire program available on the Colorado Energy News website athttp://coloradoenergynews.com/

Our next event will be on Building Systems and Efficiency Solutions in late spring. Join our mailing list to get regular updates on upcomingRASEI and other energy related events at http://rasei.colorado.edu/ TE

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Thank you to our Leadership Council Supporting Members

13. Wells Fargo Has provided $5 billion in financing for greenbusinesses since 2005, of which $1.65 billionhas been for solar and wind projects and $3billion for "green" buildings. However, notincluded by Ceres, a coalition ofenvironmentalists and investors, on its 2008 listof top banks engaged in climate changeactivities.

14. Sun MicrosystemsA late bloomer in the realm of environmentalmanagement, Sun now requires environmentalmanagement accreditation from all mainsuppliers. Working to improve energy efficiencyof data centers, whose servers use increasinglylarge amount of energy. Posts its total energyuse and greenhouse gas emissions by facility onits website on a monthly basis.

http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/top500/

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GROWTH IN THE GENES AT OPXBIO Three years is all it took for OPX Biotechnologies to scale up from three to fortyemployees and bring its proprietary technology for converting renewablefeedstocks into biomass-based products to the pilot production phase. Three yearsfrom now, the Boulder-based company, a founding member of C2B2, could be closeto bringing its first commercial facility on-line. The platform for OPXBIO’s aggressive demonstration and commercializationstrategy is bioengineering technology developed several years ago at the Universityof Colorado, Boulder by company co-founders Dr. Michael Lynch and Dr. Ryan Gill.Dubbed EDGE ™ — Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering — the technologyhas been proven in the laboratory to rapidly and efficiently optimize microbes andbioprocesses used to produce biofuels and bio-based chemicals. Using first-of-its-kind, massively parallel, full genome search technologyknown as SCALEs, EDGE identifies genes that controlmicrobial metabolism. It then responds with a geneticchange strategy to simultaneously optimize microbialproduction pathways and vitality, as well as overallbioprocess productivity, all at a rate 1,000 to 5,000 times faster than conventionalgenetic engineering methods. Company executives explain that the speed and efficiency of the process shouldsignificantly reduce production costs so that products made with the help of EDGEtechnology, such as bio-acrylics and biodiesel, can compete economically withpetroleum-derived chemicals and fuels, without a drop-off in performance. At thesame time, these products have the advantage of coming from less-pollutingrenewable sources and processes. Lynch, who now serves as OPXBIO’s chief scientific officer, explains that essentially,EDGE manipulates the genetic structure of microorganisms to “map the fastestroute” for optimizing those biomass materials as feedstocks for production of

industrial chemicals and fuels. Perhaps the biggest technical challenge OPXBIOfaces on the road to commercialization, according to Lynch, is getting the feedstockmicroorganisms to behave as intended in a large-scale, high-volume setting. Bolstered by a $17.5 million funding infusion from investors in March 2009, OPXBIOis targeting the $10 billion global acrylics market for its first commercial foray. By2013 or 2014, the company plans to launch a commercial-scale plant that producesbio-acrylic acid derived via fermentation from corn-based feedstocks for use inconsumer products such as diapers, paint and adhesives. First, however, thecompany must complete pilot-phase work “to confirm the economic and designparameters for a commercial-scale plant,” explains Chief Executive Officer ChasEggert. The next step is to construct and operate a demonstration productionfacility, probably sometime in 2011.

Meanwhile, outside the laboratory, company executives areconfident enough in the viability of the EDGE technologythat they are “actively engaging with potential strategicpartners” to explore development of bio-acrylic productionfacilities, says Eggert, adding that those discussions haveintensified in recent months. Whether or not it leads to

external strategic alliances, OPXBIO’s involvement in C2B2 is proving valuable infostering relationships. According to Eggert, being part of C2B2 also gives thecompany a say in the direction of research funded by the Center, and a role indeveloping Colorado’s clean technology ecosystem. OPXBIO intends to be part of that ecosystem for the long term. Company officialssay that biodiesel and advanced alcohols for fuels and industrial applications arelikely next in the company’s commercialization queue. The versatility of the EDGEprocess will help in the development of additional feedstocks and products.Explains Eggert, “The power and flexibility of OPXBIO EDGE™ will make us amultiproduct - multifeedstock company.”

COLORADO COMPANY CONVERTS SUN’S ENERGYINTO CLEAN, AFFORDABLE FUELS First came the idea of harnessing the world’s most abundant, affordable renewableenergy source — solar energy — to produce another — biofuels. Then cameyears of work in research labs and in the field to prove theconcept. Now a new energy company with roots at C2B2 ispreparing to enter the marketplace with a unique solargasification process that turns almost any kind of plant materialinto clean, affordable liquid transportation fuel for use in today’sautos, diesel engines and aircraft.

Core elements of Louisville-based C2B2 sponsor Sundrop Fuels, Inc.’s technologywere developed by and are licensed through University of Colorado at Boulder(CUBoulder) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – twocornerstones of C2B2. In 2008, the company acquired Copernican Energy, a CU-Boulder technology transfer spinoff founded by C2B2 Executive Director, Dr. AlanWeimer. The company’s initial backing comes from two of the world’s premierventure groups, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers and Oak Investment Partners.

The Sundrop Fuels process centers on its proprietary SurroundSun™ technology, asolar-thermal biomass gasifier that is mounted on a tower and powered by aconcentrating mirror field below. The solar reactor creates ultra-high temperaturesof more than 1,300°C, gasifying any feedstock within seconds. The resulting“syngas” – a mixture of carbon oxides and hydrogen – is then made into variousforms of liquid transportation fuel using well-established commercial processes.

According to Sundrop Fuels, the company’s solar-driven gasification technology isthe first process in which nearly one hundred percent of the biomass used actuallybecomes transportation fuel. This astonishing efficiency and other aspects of theproduction process allows Sundrop Fuels to compete directly with petroleumproducts by creating green gasoline and other fuels for an unsubsidized cost of lessthan $2 per gallon.

Just as important, company officials say, the Sundrop Fuels production life-cycleleaves no carbon footprint, and depending on the feedstock used, actually reduces

greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

“We’re introducing the first solar-powered approach to producing massivequantities of renewable drop-in biofuels using any type of feedstock,” saidcompany spokesman Steven Silvers. “From field to fuel, Sundrop Fuels represents

the best possible use of the world’s economic, environmental andenergy resources.”

The company plans to build multi-tower solar fuels “parks” in theSouthwestern U.S. — on sun-drenched industrial land located inplaces such as Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico — capable of

producing one billion gallons of clean transportation fuel annually. A singlecommercial solar unit will be comprised of a tall tower with heliostat mirrorspositioned on the ground below, coupled with an integrated biofuels productionfacility. Agricultural waste, woody biomass, energy crops and other feedstockreadily available throughout the Rocky Mountain and Midwest regions will bedelivered to Sundrop Fuels’ biorefinery facility via railroad. The feedstock couldrange from beetle-kill trees, rice and wheat straw, corn stover or future energycrops like miscanthus and rhubarb.

“Being able to use any feedstock to create drop-in biofuels is a tremendouscommercial advantage over any other biomass process,” said Silvers. “It alsopositions Colorado to benefit from the broad economic impact related to growingand transporting millions of tons of renewable biomass.”

Following successful completion of laboratory and on-sun demonstration systems,Sundrop Fuels began operating a 1.5 megawatt thermal Receiver DevelopmentFacility (RDF) in Broomfield, Colorado last September. The company is now securingstrategic partners to begin construction this year of a commercial-scale, revenuegenerating facility that will be coupled with an integrated pilot-scale biorefinery toproduce seven to eight million gallons of transportation fuel annually. A full-scalebiorefinery producing 100 million gallons a year is planned for completion in 2015.

While Sundrop Fuels started as a concept born in the labs of C2B2 mainstaysCUBoulder and NREL, its technology will soon have a regional presence.

Articles compliments of C2B2Winter 2010 Newsletter

OUTREACH &C ALENDAR OFE VENTSRASEI PANEL EXPLORES ROLE OFNATURAL GAS IN THE CLEANENERGY ECONOMYCan natural gas help us achieve greenhouse gasemission targets while reducing our dependence onforeign oil for transportation? What is its role ingreening the electricity grid? What are theenvironmental issues associated with increasednatural gas production and use?

On October 22 RASEI, the Center for Energy andEnvironmental Security (CEES), and the ColoradoSchool of Mines convened a panel at the University ofColorado to discuss these and other importantquestions regarding the role of natural gas in a cleanenergy economy. Governor Bill Ritter providedopening remarks, and Mike Ming, President, ResearchPartnership to Secure Energy for America, gave apresentation titled “Natural Gas –An UnconventionalFuture with Efficiency and Renewables” to set the

stage for the discussion. Ming pointed out that CO2emissions from natural gas are significantly lowerthan from other fossil fuels, and U.S. gas resourceestimates continue to increase. Other panelistsincluded Kurt Haeger, Managing Director of ResourcePlanning, Xcel Energy; Fred Julander, President,Julander Energy Co. Patty Limerick, University ofColorado at Boulder; Mike Ming,; Dag Nummedal,Director, Colorado Energy Research Institute, ColoradoSchool of Mines. The discussion was moderated byKevin Doran, Senior Research Fellow, CEES; FacultyDirector, Carbon Management Center, ColoradoRenewable Energy Collaboratory.

A videotape of the panel discussion, as well as MikeMing’s Powerpoint presentation, are available on theRASEI website athttp://rasei.colorado.edu/Ming_Presentation

• February 15, 2010 CSTPR/RASEI/EASP NoontimeSeminar Spring 2010 Series Harnessing the Power of theWind

Julie Lundquist “RASEI Fellow” CU Department of Atmospheric andOceanic Sciences12:00-1:00 PMAtlas 229All brown bag talks are free and open to the public.

• March 1, 2010 CSTPR/RASEI/EASP NoontimeSeminar Spring 2010 Series Impacts of Regulation on WindEnergy Development

KAREN MAGUIRE` CU Department of Economics12:00-1:00 PMCSTPR CONFERENCE ROOMAll brown bag talks are free and open to the public.

The rapid growth of renewable energy is a bright spot in a troubled economy.Clean energy companies are expanding, especially in Colorado, and federalstimulus funds are flooding into the industry. Now is the time to identifyattractive opportunities in this rapidly evolving industry.

Get ahead of the curve - take an intensive, four-day certificate programoffered by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder thatprovides an in-depth look at renewable energy technologies and policies.

Upon the completion of the certificate program, participants will be able toanswer:

• Which renewable energy technologies have the greatest short- andlong-term promise?

• How are costs and pricing for renewable energy technologies changing?

• How do federal and state policies affect the growth of differenttechnologies?

• What are the key challenges of to the growth and success of renewableenergy and how can they be overcome?

• How can I identify business, commercial, and job opportunities withrenewable energy?

Participants may take all four courses to earn a RETool Renewable EnergyCertificate, or may take courses individually.

LOCATION AND DATESAll courses will be held at the Leeds School of Business on the campus of theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Eachcourse will be led by CU faculty with expertise in clean technology

development, and will include a panel of industry experts.Friday, Jan. 29 Renewable PowerFriday, Feb. 26 Understanding Smart GridsFriday, Mar. 26 Renewable Transportation EnergyFriday, Apr. 30 Energy Efficiency

WHO SHOULD ATTEND• Managers & executives wanting to understand the impact of renewableenergy on their business and clients.

• Professionals and service providers looking to identify clients in thisrapidly growing industry.

• Individuals wanting to learn more about renewable energy and its jobopportunities.

• Investors or entrepreneurs seeking new high-growth opportunities inrenewable energy.

• Anyone needing to quickly and efficiently learn the essentials ofrenewable energy.

EVENT COST AND REGISTRATIONCourse tuition includes all course materials, plus breakfast and lunch eachday:

Four course series: $990 ($850 for early registration thru Jan. 12)Individual courses: $295 eachDiscounts available for partner organizations.

FURTHER INFORMATIONVisit http://leeds.colorado.edu/retool for more information orwww.regonline.com/retool_certificate to register.

RETool: Opportunities in the New Energy Economy

http://rasei.colorado.edu

professional development