MissionIR's  Instablog

Yesterday, World Energy Solutions announced that it has won a three year contract for energy management with plastics company Spartech. The contract will cover a range of services that will assist Spartech in areas such as lowering the company's energy consumption and commodity costs.

World Energy Solutions is focused on energy management services for businesses, institutions, and governments, and has transacted more than $30 billion in energy, demand response, and environmental commodities on behalf of its customers. In turn, this has created over a billion in value for their clients. World Energy also supports the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's (RGGI) cap and trade program for CO2 emissions.

The first three months of the engagement has seen World Energy obtain electricity and renewable energy for Spartech facilities in Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Texas. This is expected to deliver more than $1 million in savings over Spartech's previous contracts. World Energy will be procuring more electricity and natural gas resources for Spartech over the remainder of 2012, and will be rolling out bill payment services for the company.

Victoria Holt, president & CEO of Spartech, said, "World Energy's approach to energy management represents a big improvement for us, and the results are speaking for themselves. Not only has World Energy delivered a plan for seven-figure savings to our organization - and begun executing upon it in short order - but it has done so in some markets where we had been told limited opportunities existed. We are benefitting from World Energy's process and market expertise, their ability to create liquidity and transact in multiple geographies, and the transparent manner in which they operate."

Added Holt: "Spartech is committed to its Vision of becoming the leading supplier of sustainable plastic solutions by minimizing our impact upon the environment by reducing material consumption, adopting cleaner processes and pursuing more efficient use of energy. World Energy serves as a good partner in this important endeavor, helping us move closer to realizing this Vision."

Richard Domaleski, CEO of World Energy Solutions, said, "By keeping our focus on delivering value to our customers, we have established an unmatched track record that resonates from the C-suite of the Fortune 100 to the owners and operators of small and mid-sized businesses. There is so much more that companies can be getting from energy management, but they need to be working with the right provider, one who has their best interests in mind and the skill to get the most from the market on their behalf. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Spartech to meet their energy management and sustainability goals, while driving down their total cost of energy."

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GeoVax Labs, an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical firm developing vaccines to prevent and fight Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, announced that enrollment has opened for a Phase 1 trial for the company's second-generation HIV vaccine. The second-generation is identical to the first except for the addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to boost vaccine responses. GM-CSF is a naturally occurring human protein that encourages the initiation of immune responses. The second-generation vaccine co-expresses GM-CSF with HIV proteins in the DNA priming vaccinations. GM-CSF is not included in the MVA boost for the GeoVax DNA prime-MVA boost regimen.

The trial, designated HVTN 094, employs a dose-escalation technique to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the second-generation vaccine. The second-generation vaccine achieved a 90% per exposure reduction in infection in the non-human primate model. This represents a significant improvement over the first-generation. The difference in vaccine efficacy translates into 70% of vaccinated animals being protected against 12 repeated rectal challenges. GeoVax anticipates the second-generation vaccine to be moved through into Phase 2a/2b efficacy testing.

The HVTN 094 trial will include 40 vaccinated and 8 control/placebo subjects who will be examined at four sites across the U.S.: the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; the University of Rochester, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The initial inoculation was administered in Boston at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will fund the trial through the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

Robert McNally, Ph.D, President and Chief Executive Officer of GeoVax, said, "We are extremely pleased the HVTN is conducting the trial with the adjuvanted vaccine. They have substantial experience with our unadjuvanted vaccine and possess appropriate expertise for this first human trial of our GM-CSF co-expressing vaccine that has shown such good promise in preclinical studies."

For more information, please visit www.geovax.com

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Talk about pulling something out of thin air: A company called SEFE (which stands for St. Elmo's Fire) is doing exactly that. It's the newest and perhaps most intriguing source of clean energy yet developed, and it's based upon a principle that has been recognized for ages, though only understood in modern times. The principle is that the air, our atmosphere, is a prolific generator of energy. We see its dramatic power every time lightning strikes, but energy is also created invisibly, independent of thunderstorms.

St. Elmo's Fire is a weather phenomenon in which a strong electrical field in the atmosphere sometimes causes a bluish glow, almost like flames, to appear around aircraft wings, chimneys, or almost any tall or pointed object. Like lightning, it suggests the atmosphere's unique electrical potential. And this form of static electrical energy is being generated all of the time, everywhere on earth.

After years of research, and numerous patents, SEFE has developed a way to capture the electrical powers inherent in the atmosphere. The company's system involves proprietary technologies that use atmospheric generated electrical differentials to create a powerful direct current, which is then converted to alternating current for final use. In addition, the system does not require extensive infrastructure, and can be easily and flexibly scaled up to produce electricity at a unit cost that is expected to rival wind, or even conventional power sources.

The company estimates that a single unit, located virtually anywhere, could produce enough power to meet the needs of roughly 140 average American homes. Because it can be easily set up, with no specific locational requirements, the company is currently targeting specialized applications, such as on-site generation for the military or heavy industry, but is also considered for augmenting existing utilities and general use.

For additional information, visit the company's websites at www.SEFElectric.com

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