EIN Presswire: Electric Power Live Feed Press Releases

RenuEn Corporation Announces New Stock Symbol - "RENU"

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:36:00 +0000

RenuEn Corporation (PINKSHEETS: SHKZ), a rapidly expanding renewable energy roll up company focused on solar, wind and geothermal energy solutions for the residential, commercial and government marketplace, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to change its stock symbol to RENU, which most accurately reflects the Company's business and industry. RenuEn's securities will cease trading under the symbol SHKZ and commence trading under the new symbol on February 9, 2012.

The approval for RenuEn's ticker symbol change is the latest step in the Company's corporate reorganization plan to re-create itself as the largest full-service provider of Residential and Commercial Solar Energy Systems in the US. RenuEn recently completed a series of strategic acquisitions in the industry and officially changed its name to represent the Company's new direction. The name RenuEn Corporation is an acronym derived from the market in which the Company now operates ("Renewable Energy"); and signifies the full-service nature of its involvement in a highly fragmented industry.

About RenuEn Corporation

RenuEn Corporation (formerly Shaka) focuses on Geothermal, Wind and Solar Energy Systems sales and installation for the residential, commercial and governmental market place enhanced with a keen eye toward Economic Think Tank Participation specific to the Renewable Energy Industry. Our goal is to be the premier gateway to the renewable energy market for both technology developers and consumer solutions while providing leadership to an expansive and rapidly growing yet simultaneously fragile industry.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact and Inquiries for Investor Relations:
Michael Irving
Paramount Advisors, LLC
407-878-5462
mike@parvise.com

Gradient Scientist Provides Congressional Testimony on Air Toxic Standards

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Gradient scientist Julie E. Goodman was invited to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Power at a hearing entitled, "The American Energy Initiative: What EPA's Utility MACT Rule Will Cost U.S. Consumers." The focus of the hearing was the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS). The hearing was held February 8, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Dr. Goodman discussed significant limitations in the studies relied upon by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to estimate the health benefits of the proposed MATS. EPA estimated that the MATS will reduce the disease burden in America to such an extent that it will translate into tens of billions of dollars saved. The largest purported benefits from the MATS are derived not from reducing mercury emissions, but from reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions.

Despite the vast array of peer-reviewed scientific literature on the topic, EPA based its benefits assessment on only two PM2.5 epidemiology studies that reported statistical associations between PM2.5 reductions and health benefits. Dr. Goodman testified that these two studies had methodological limitations and were not consistent with many epidemiology studies indicating no correlation between reducing PM2.5 and health benefits. In addition, she discussed how some scientific studies indicate an exposure threshold exists below which PM2.5 is not likely to cause adverse health effects, a factor ignored in the EPA assessment. She concluded that EPA's analysis was not supported by the weight of available scientific evidence and grossly inflated the estimated benefits of the proposed standards.

Dr. Goodman is an expert in toxicology, epidemiology, and assessing human health risks from chemicals in consumer products and in the environment. In addition to her work at Gradient, She teaches at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Goodman received an S.B. in Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an Sc.M. in Epidemiology and a Ph.D. in Toxicology from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining Gradient, Dr. Goodman was a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

About Gradient
Gradient is an environmental and risk science consulting firm renowned for its specialties in Toxicology, Epidemiology, Risk Assessment, Product Safety, Contaminant Fate and Transport, and Environmental Chemistry.

U.S. Innovation: New Study Predicts Healthy Growth for Energy Storage Industry

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:13:16 +0000

U.S. Innovation: New Study Predicts Healthy Growth for Energy Storage Industry

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Electricity Storage Association (ESA), the preeminent trade association dedicated to fostering the development and commercialization of energy storage technologies, commended the findings of a report released by the Copper Development Association (CDA) that forecasts robust growth and lower cost throughout the energy storage market.

CDA is the information, education, market and technical development arm of the copper, brass and bronze industries in the USA. The CDA paper – "U.S. Grid Storage Market Study" – which was conducted by KEMA, evaluates the near-term, five year market for grid energy storage technologies in the United States.

The findings indicate that the market for energy storage is robust with a great deal of potential; the study estimates between two and four gigawatts of energy storage could be developed depending on financial incentives. Over the next five years, it is expected that the cost of energy storage will decrease, strong investment will continue, and demonstrations will move into full commercialization.

Brad Roberts, Executive Director of the ESA, said, "We are thrilled that an outside analysis affirms what the energy storage industry has already been seeing. The next five years will be critical and provide enormous opportunity to move storage technologies to full commercialization."

Katherine Hamilton, Policy Director for ESA's Advocacy Council, said, "As a nation, we need to support the market for energy storage through smart and effective regulatory and legislative policies that reduce risk, value the benefits, and encourage investment in these technologies."

Specific findings include:

Many energy storage technologies are under development and some are ready for commercialization;
Mature technologies (thermal energy storage, pumped hydropower, for example) currently make up the vast majority of the energy storage market today;
In the near term, advanced batteries and thermal storage technologies will see the largest growth opportunities;
Research and development will continue to have a positive impact on energy storage technology innovation;
Venture capital investment continues to be robust in the US but financial incentives will have an enormous impact on the market over the next five years;
The ability to scale and drive down cost of energy storage is seen as a challenge;
Policy, both legislative and regulatory, continues to shape the market for energy storage;
Demonstration projects have continued success and serve to enhance the business case for energy storage.

The ESA sees energy storage as the resource-neutral, emission-free set of solutions for a more reliable, robust electric grid that enables all energy sources to operate more efficiently and effectively.

About ESA

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the ESA is a 501(c)(6) trade association, formed in 1996. ESA's membership is comprised of a diverse group of electric utilities; energy service companies (ESCOs); independent power producers (IPPs); energy storage technology developers and suppliers; and those in the energy storage research community. The ESA Advocacy Council currently has twelve members, including: A123 Systems, Inc., AES Energy Storage, Altairnano, Aquion Energy, Beacon Power, FIAMM, NextEra Energy, Prudent Energy Corporation, S&C Electric Company, Saft America, Inc., SustainX Energy Storage Solutions, and Xtreme Power.

SOURCE Electricity Storage Association (ESA)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plans for Fiscal Year 2012 Civil Works Appropriations

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:51:33 +0000

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plans for Fiscal Year 2012 Civil Works Appropriations

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) today released its work plans for the Army Civil Works program through the end of fiscal year 2012 (FY12).

The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2012, Division B of Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, signed into law by President Obama on December 23, provided total FY12 appropriations for the Army Civil Works program of $5.002 billion. The accompanying Statement of Managers report designated $4.495 billion of that total for individual programs, projects, and activities. USACE was to allocate the remaining $507 million, designated as additional funding for ongoing work, to individual programs, projects, and activities, generally in accordance with criteria provided in the Statement of Managers.

The Statement of Managers specified by account and program area how the Corps was to allocate this $507 million, as follows:

Investigations Account -- $35 million total

Coastal and Deep-Draft Navigation ($10 million)
Environmental Restoration or Compliance ($1 million)
Flood and Storm Damage Reduction ($2 million)
Flood Control ($9 million)
Inland Navigation ($3 million)
Navigation ($2 million)
Other Authorized Purposes (including but not limited to Environmental Restoration or Compliance and Remote, Coastal, or Small Watershed) ($1.2 million)
Remote, Coastal, or Small Watershed ($2 million)
Shore Protection ($3 million)
Small, Remote, or Subsistence Navigation (1.5 million)

Construction Account -- $253 million total

Environmental Infrastructure ($29.7 million)
Environmental Restoration or Compliance ($8.9 million)
Flood and Storm Damage Reduction ($19.8 million)
Flood Control ($59.3 million)
Hydropower ($13.8 million)
Navigation ($74.1 million)
Other Authorized Project Purposes (including but not limited to Environmental Restoration or Compliance, Environmental Infrastructure, and Hydropower) ($7.9 million)
Shore Protection ($39.5 million)

Operation and Maintenance (O& M) Account -- $173 million total

Deep-Draft Harbor and Channel Maintenance ($55 million)
Inland Waterway Maintenance ($30 million)
Navigation Maintenance ($34 million)
Other Authorized Project Purposes ($24.4 million)
Small, Remote, or Subsistence Navigation Maintenance ($30 million)

Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Account -- $46 million total

Dredging ($5 million)
Flood Control ($24 million)
Other Authorized Project Purposes ($17 million)

USACE has developed a work plan for each of these specified program areas of additional funding, detailing the programs, projects, and activities that will receive this funding.

Work eligible for consideration generally included ongoing work such as contract management, claims, earnings on certain types of contracts, legal mandates, and safety of project sites; and other ongoing Construction and Investigations work on programs, projects, activities that received funding in any year FY09-FY12; and other ongoing O&M and MR&T work. Previously unfunded programs, projects, and activities (new starts) were not considered.

Work was selected for funding based on performance and on criteria provided in the Statement of Managers. Funded work includes: ongoing work as described above; useful project increments; work contributing to job creation and economic growth; work in disaster areas; work that reduces risks to life and property; priority maintenance and repairs; MR&T work on the tributaries and for non-traditional purposes; and additional work on budgeted programs, projects, and activities.

In conjunction with preparation of the work plans, USACE also identified $8 million of FY12 funding in the Investigations account and $77 million of FY12 funding in the Construction account as sources to finance transfers to the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies account that had taken place in FY12, but before enactment of Public Law 112-74, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012. The transferred funds are being used to address critical repairs from the historic floods and storms during 2011 in the Midwest and on the Atlantic seaboard. These financing sources included not only programs, projects, and activities that, due to changed circumstances, no longer could use budgeted amounts in FY12, but also some of the unallocated funding for ongoing work. The work foregone by sourcing the transfers was relatively lower-performing than the funded work.

Public Law 112-77, also signed into law by President Obama on December 23, provided the Army Civil Works program with $1.724 billion of supplemental FY12 funding for disaster recovery.

The main Civil Works mission areas for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration, as well as hydropower. The Civil Works program additionally contributes to the protection of the nation's waters and wetlands; the restoration of certain sites contaminated as a result of the nation's early atomic weapons development program; and emergency preparedness and training to respond to natural disasters.

The work plans for each appropriation listing the amounts provided to various programs, projects, and activities may be found at http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Budget.aspx.

The Statement of Managers Report (House Report 112-331) may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-112hrpt331/pdf/CRPT-112hrpt331.pdf.

SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Aegis Positioned in Magic Quadrant for Customer Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide by Leading Industry Analyst Firm

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Aegis Limited, a global outsourcing services provider and part of the $17 billion Essar Group, announced today that it is one of 16 global outsourcing companies to be evaluated in Gartner Inc's 2011 Magic Quadrant for Customer Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide, in a report published on December 19, 2011 by TJ Singh and Johan Jacobs.

The 2011 Gartner report evaluates service providers on their Customer Management Contact Center BPO capabilities in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The CM contact center BPO service providers considered for this Magic Quadrant have a blend of business, organizational, industry, multi-CM vendor/product, technical, program and project management expertise. The service providers have ability for innovation (for example, customer experience design and management) and capabilities to deliver through onshore, near-shore, offshore (global delivery) service delivery models.

"Aegis is honored to be recognized by Gartner in the Magic Quadrant for Customer Management services," said Sandip Sen, President for Global Customer Lifecycle Management, Aegis. "At Aegis, we aim to handle the thousands of touch points (interaction with client's end customers) with consistent delivery to ensure the optimum customer experience. Our being featured in the Magic Quadrant re-emphasizes our ability to find the perfect blend of effective customer experience and a cost-effective delivery across all channels."

According to Anil Modi, Chief Marketing Officer and President (MENA), Aegis Limited, "The Company has been able to leverage on its people, process, technology capabilities, and customer experience-led solutions to enhance its positioning in the Customer Management Contact Centre BPO value chain."

Gartner's Magic Quadrant depicts the service provider landscape using a bi-dimensional matrix evaluating their ability to execute and completeness of vision. According to Gartner, "In the past, buyers were focused more on their business goals and needs, but going forward, the focus is shifting to technology and process improvements, value-added services, such as multichannel and analytics services, scalability, quality of service and more innovative ways of addressing the increasing levels of complexity in their business and customers."

Aegis has made significant investments in vertical industry markets and customer experience management such as its partnership with Customer Operations Performance Center (COPC) to add measurable business value to its customers.

About the Magic Quadrant
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Aegis
Aegis is a world-leading outsourcing services partner for more than 150 clients and with over two decades of leadership in customer lifecycle management. The company has more than 55,000 employees across 50 locations, with a presence in 12 countries, serving verticals such as Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Telecom, Healthcare, Travel & Hospitality, Consumer Goods, Retail, and Technology. The company specializes in tailor-made solutions that cover the entire spectrum of customer and business experiences -- across business processing, technology, and shared services -- and offers customized engagement models to further facilitate the ease of doing business. Aegis is wholly owned by the Essar group -- a $17 billion global conglomerate. For more information, visit www.aegisglobal.com, on Twitter @aegisonline or www.facebook.com/aegisglobal.

Aegis media contacts
USA
Kevin Nolan
+1-214-505-9732
Email Contact

Global
Shaily Vaswani
+91-99-301-32305
Email Contact

Businesses in the Dark on Electricity Usage

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Businesses in the Dark on Electricity Usage

PR Newswire

LONDON, February 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Up to £1 in every £2 Spent on Electricity Could be Wasted

Figures show 46 percent of business electricity used when people aren't working
British Gas responds to customer feedback to create an industry first smart meter-based service to help businesses cut energy costs
Trained account managers give businesses energy saving advice
British Gas launches new campaign which follows customers on their energy saving journey

Businesses are spending up to £1 in every £2 of their electricity bills on powering their business when staff have left for the day, according to the latest figures from British Gas.

Data from over 6,000 smart meters show that 46% of business electricity use happens outside of the traditional business hours of 8am-6pm^[1].

Common examples of unnecessary electricity that businesses aren't aware they even use include; lighting car parks at the weekend when no one is at work; pubs keeping fruit machines switched on 24 hours a day every day of the year; retail units in shopping centres keeping display lights on when the centre is closed; and vending machines left switched on in offices overnight and at weekends.

The first step for businesses to cut their energy use is to understand when and why they use electricity. Simply switching off car parking lights at the weekend when they aren't needed could save a British Gas customer £1,200 on their annual electricity bill.

To help put businesses in control of their energy use and therefore costs, British Gas is today launching an industry first service - Business Energy Insight to show businesses how, when and where they are using electricity and proactively help them to save money through energy efficiency measures.

Dawn Ryan, from The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), was one of 100 customers who trialled the service to help British Gas make sure it worked best for businesses. ALCS began using Business Energy Insight in 2011, and with the support of its account manager's energy efficiency expertise, has nearly halved its electricity bill.

Ms Ryan said:

"Managing our costs has been our number one priority since the economic downturn. But before signing up to the trial, I had no idea of the amount of money I was wasting by not paying closer attention to my electricity bills. Business Energy Insight has opened my eyes to this. Now I'm working with my account manager Dom Stanford to take steps to reduce the amount of money I use on things like heating and other electrical appliances when they're not being used. For example, we identified a particularly energy intensive piece of equipment that was needlessly using a lot of power. By addressing this, we saved a £9,000 over the course of the year. It's making a real difference to the business as we can invest these savings elsewhere."

The Business Energy Insight service has been created in response to findings from customer feedback, including from the British Gas 1,000 strong business customer panel. The panel has called on the company to provide accurate bills and help businesses bring down their energy costs.

By signing up to Business Energy Insight, businesses will have:

A smart meter installed on their premises that will put an end to the hassle of estimated bills.
24 hour access to an online dashboard showing hourly, daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage that can be used to identify up to 10% savings through behavioural changes. With simple efficiency measures - such as investing in timers the savings will be even more.
Support from over 100 account executives specifically trained to help customers implement energy saving measures.

James Caan, entrepreneur, CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw Private Equity and spokesperson for small and medium enterprise businesses said:

"In this testing climate, our economic growth is dependent on businesses finding the money and time to invest in new growth opportunities. But the rising operational costs of running a business are acting as a major barrier to this. By using a service like Business Energy Insight to understand energy usage and take steps to reduce it, businesses can free up vital capital to invest in new ventures that can contribute to their future success."

Marc England, Managing Director of SME Energy, British Gas Business, said:

"Small and Medium sized businesses are the backbone of the UK. They tell us that reducing their costs is essential to competing in a challenging economy. However, many don't understand their electricity costs, and how they could reduce them. Business Energy Insight has been designed by businesses for businesses to provide our customers more accurate bills and the insight to reduce their costs and improve their competitiveness."

For more information on Business Energy Insight, visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive

As part of the launch, British Gas has today launched a campaign which will follow five businesses on their energy saving journey, using Business Energy Insight. These businesses include a pub, high street bakers, chocolate factory, local convenience store and manufacturing business.

To follow their progress, visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive

The Sydney Arms - Dorchester

Rick Green, owner of the Sydney Arms in Dorchester, a pub and B&B, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Rick said: "Like most businesses, big investments on energy efficiency measures are not currently priorities for us. We have a number of fridges behind the bar as well as a large cellar which needs constant chilling. Business Energy Insight will start to open our eyes to how we currently use energy and will make us think about how we can manage our usage better to reduce our bills as a result. In addition, the initial energy-saving suggestions from the BEI team have been really valuable - they could definitely make a difference in the long term."

Barnstaple Bakery - Barnstaple

Robert Purcell from Barnstaple Bakery in Devon, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Robert said: "For a while now I've been concerned about how much energy we use but wasn't aware of how to bring our costs down by making small changes. Our ovens, chillers and walk-in freezer have to be on all day and are very expensive to run. Using this Business Energy Insight tool will help us understand how energy is being used and will allow me to educate the staff about how small actions can save energy and reduce bills."

JEB Precision - Northwich - Cheshire

Mike Bebbington from JEB Precision Ltd, a manufacturing business from Northwich, Cheshire, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Mike said: "Reducing our overheads is always a priority for us, but especially in the current economic climate. As a manufacturer, our electrical motors and electro-discharge machining processes use up a lot of electricity so any insight into how we can become more efficient is welcome. British Gas Business Energy Insight is the start of identifying the options available to us."

Michton Chocolate Factory - Swansea

Tony Wadley from Michton Chocolate Factory in Swansea, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Tony said: "Being a chocolate factory, we have large pieces of energy intensive machinery, such as chocolate moulding machines and production lines. In addition, we have large areas of lighting which need a lot of power. Being able to understand how all of these contribute to our energy spend is going to be really helpful. Hopefully Business Energy Insight will show us where we are wasting energy and how we can become more efficient."

Costcutter retailer - Southport

Douglas Fawcett-Brown, Costcutter retailer in Southport, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Douglas said: "The store is open from early in the morning to late at night, seven days a week. We are constantly using energy - our chillers have to be on 24/7, whilst we also spend a considerable amount on running our lighting and computer equipment. There are definitely savings to be made, we just need help to identify where we can become more energy efficient.

Notes to editors

About British Gas

British Gas has over 1 million business supply point contracts and 650,000 customers, making it the largest energy supplier to small businesses in the UK. For more information go to: http://www.britishgas.co.uk
British Gas launched its 1000 strong business customer panel in October to help it tackle common frustrations businesses have with energy providers and create services that can help businesses reduce energy costs in a way that works for them.
Today's launch follows previous announcements in response to feedback from the customer panel. In November, British Gas announced its commitment to not back bill its business customers further than one year by 2014. The business is also committed to installing at least 200,000 smart meters in 2012.

About Business Energy Insight

Business Energy Insight has been trialled with 100 customers, who worked with British Gas to make it work for businesses.
For more information about the service and how to sign up visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive
The website will be live from 00.01 on 7^th February 2012

1. Taken from 6,940 meter smart meter readings between 1st Feb 2010 - 30th Nov 2011

BPL Global Participates in Innovative Electric Vehicle Project

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

BPL Global Participates in Innovative Electric Vehicle Project

PR Newswire

PARIS, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BPL Global®, Ltd. (BPLG), a smart grid technology company, announced today that it has joined forces with Freshmile, The Hager Group, FAM Automobiles and the University of Technology in Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM) on the "Alsace Auto 2.0" project. The project will provide electric cars to end-users on a subscription basis, an electric mobility service. The service is designed to optimize the impact of electric vehicle charging on the electrical grid by aggregating the load and storage capacities of the batteries and managing their charging patterns.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101005/NE76664LOGO )

The Alsace Auto 2.0 project will demonstrate the benefits of electric mobility applied to rural commuting in the Alsace region of France. The project will roll out the electric mobility service for 50 electric vehicles. Connection points will be installed at home and at work for each commuter subscribing to the service. The cost of vehicle operation will be reduced by monetizing the load and storage capacities of the batteries, lowering the monthly subscription fee for each electric vehicle. The project also aims to validate the technical and economic approach behind the electric mobility service, validating the business model.

"Freshmile and BPL Global share the same vision for the value of mass market adoption of electrical vehicles without compromising the electricity distribution grid," said Pete Londa, CEO of BPLG. "Innovation in electric vehicles and advances in distribution automation technology as well as Freshmile's pioneering service offering should accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles."

BPLG's Connected Energy™ smart grid solution suite for advanced distribution automation will be used to manage the electric vehicle fleet as distributed load and storage resources on the electrical network. A distributed virtual power plant is created by managing both supply (vehicle-to-grid) and demand (grid-to-vehicle). Our software allows the electric vehicle load and storage capacities to be managed as ancillary services, peak shaving and valley filling for the local electric utility. Effective management of electric vehicle charging reduces the energy cost and minimizes potential disruptions to the electric grid. This makes operation of electric vehicles more affordable and supports a greater number of vehicles connected to the electric grid.

"Testing consumer acceptance for mobility as a service is one of the important objectives of this project," said Arnaud Mora, CEO of Freshmile. "We think that the trailblazing of grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid capabilities are crucial to providing cost effective services and demonstrating the distributed virtual power plant approach. Success of the electric vehicle for the mass market is only possible by ensuring smooth integration into the electrical grid and by removing acceptance barriers for users."

Leading the project, Freshmile operates the electric vehicle fleet and manages the battery charging cycles with BPLG's Connected Energy™ software solution, adapting to the needs of the energy market. Intelligent charging stations are from The Hager Group. The electric cars are provided by FAM Automobiles. The Transport & Systems Lab at the University of Technology in Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM) brings it skills in automation and mobile data management and distributed computing. All components of the project are designed with an open architecture to facilitate integration into a collaborative system, achieving a distributed virtual power plant.

Delivering intelligent grid solutions to many of the largest utilities in the US, Europe and China, BPLG is a leading provider of smart grid technology from substations through customer premises. BPLG's substation solutions include our market leading transformer monitors as well as substation automation. The company's distribution solutions integrate management of distributed energy resources (DER) including managed load, energy storage, renewables, electric vehicle charging and distributed generation.

About BPL Global

BPL Global® (BPLG) provides electric utilities with a suite of smart grid solutions for advanced distribution automation from substations through customer premises. Electrical networks are transforming with a growing array of distributed energy resources (DER) at the edge. The DER Buildout™ underway includes managed load, energy storage, renewables, electric vehicle charging and distributed generation. Our solutions collaborate across the grid to enable the DER Buildout, helping utilities increase efficiency and reliability to improve their financial, operational and environmental performance. BPLG combines our experience in applying smart grid solutions with our market-leading technology to successfully serve leading utilities around the world. www.bplglobal.net

About Freshmile

Freshmile is an electric mobility operator and load aggregator. Freshmile develops technologies enabling the integration of electric vehicles into the electrical grid, in order to reduce the cost for users and to minimize the environmental impact of electric mobility.

Headquartered in Strasbourg, Freshmile has developed the "Alsace Auto 2.0" demonstration project, pioneering the approach of mobility as a service.

Freshmile's team relies on strong competences acquired in the fields of power plant development, cleantech and financial mathematics.

Freshmile®, Auto 2.0® and Car 2.0® are registered trademarks of Novae Alsace.

Businesses in the Dark on Electricity Usage

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Businesses in the Dark on Electricity Usage

PR Newswire

LONDON, February 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Up to £1 in every £2 Spent on Electricity Could be Wasted

Figures show 46 percent of business electricity used when people aren't working
British Gas responds to customer feedback to create an industry first smart meter-based service to help businesses cut energy costs
Trained account managers give businesses energy saving advice
British Gas launches new campaign which follows customers on their energy saving journey

Businesses are spending up to £1 in every £2 of their electricity bills on powering their business when staff have left for the day, according to the latest figures from British Gas.

Data from over 6,000 smart meters show that 46% of business electricity use happens outside of the traditional business hours of 8am-6pm^[1].

Ms Ryan said:

By signing up to Business Energy Insight, businesses will have:

A smart meter installed on their premises that will put an end to the hassle of estimated bills.
24 hour access to an online dashboard showing hourly, daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage that can be used to identify up to 10% savings through behavioural changes. With simple efficiency measures - such as investing in timers the savings will be even more.
Support from over 100 account executives specifically trained to help customers implement energy saving measures.

James Caan, entrepreneur, CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw Private Equity and spokesperson for small and medium enterprise businesses said:

Marc England, Managing Director of SME Energy, British Gas Business, said:

For more information on Business Energy Insight, visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive

To follow their progress, visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive

The Sydney Arms - Dorchester

Rick Green, owner of the Sydney Arms in Dorchester, a pub and B&B, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Barnstaple Bakery - Barnstaple

Robert Purcell from Barnstaple Bakery in Devon, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

JEB Precision - Northwich - Cheshire

Mike Bebbington from JEB Precision Ltd, a manufacturing business from Northwich, Cheshire, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Michton Chocolate Factory - Swansea

Tony Wadley from Michton Chocolate Factory in Swansea, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Costcutter retailer - Southport

Douglas Fawcett-Brown, Costcutter retailer in Southport, has just started using Business Energy Insight.

Notes to editors

About British Gas

British Gas has over 1 million business supply point contracts and 650,000 customers, making it the largest energy supplier to small businesses in the UK. For more information go to: http://www.britishgas.co.uk
British Gas launched its 1000 strong business customer panel in October to help it tackle common frustrations businesses have with energy providers and create services that can help businesses reduce energy costs in a way that works for them.
Today's launch follows previous announcements in response to feedback from the customer panel. In November, British Gas announced its commitment to not back bill its business customers further than one year by 2014. The business is also committed to installing at least 200,000 smart meters in 2012.

About Business Energy Insight

Business Energy Insight has been trialled with 100 customers, who worked with British Gas to make it work for businesses.
For more information about the service and how to sign up visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/businesslive
The website will be live from 00.01 on 7^th February 2012

1. Taken from 6,940 meter smart meter readings between 1st Feb 2010 - 30th Nov 2011

SOURCE British Gas Business

Longhorn Solar Rolls Out Bonus $0.50 Per-Watt Solar Rebate Program for Customers in 20 Texas Cities That Missed Out on Oncor's Solar Rebate Program Last Year, but Still Want to Go Solar

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:15:00 +0000

The Longhorn Solar's Rebate Program Will Create Jobs, Stimulate Economic Development and Improve the Environment in Addison, Azle, Bartlett, Bedford, Belton, Colleyville, Copperas Cove, Dallas, Euless, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Georgetown, Keller, Killeen, Hutto, Pflugerville, Plano, Richardson, Round Rock and Southlake, Texas

Longhorn Solar (www.longhornsolar.com) is encouraging Oncor customers in deregulated electric areas to put in their solar reservation form early this year so that they do not miss out on Oncor's 2012 Solar Rebate program, which could be funded soon.

"To make solar more affordable, Longhorn Solar is now offering a Bonus Solar Incentive of $0.50 per-watt to the first one hundred customers that allow Longhorn Solar to fill out an Oncor solar reservation form on their behalf," said Louis Petrik, Longhorn Solar's Chief Operating Officer. "On a 10-kilowatt (kW) solar system, the bonus incentive will save our customers an extra $5,000 in addition to whatever solar rebate Oncor offers during 2012."

"Customers that want to install a solar system during 2012 need to get in line right now or they could miss out completely on Oncor's solar rebates," Petrik added. "Last year, Oncor's solar rebate program ran out of money in several months and the demand for solar could be even higher this year as customers strive to install solar to protect their families against a repeat of last year's Texas heat wave, which sent electric bills soaring to record highs."

The Longhorn bonus solar rebate and the Oncor solar rebate combined reduce the price by two-thirds on the total cost of the system. On top of solar rebates, participants will also be able to take advantage of the 30-percent Federal Solar Tax Credit, which allows customers to deduct up to an additional $3,960 off the price of their solar power array.

The solar powered savings for customers will be substantial. A 10-kW solar power array will save customers approximately $1,400 per year on electricity and generate $35,000 or more of free solar electricity over the solar system's guaranteed 25-year life cycle.

Customers can call Longhorn Solar at (512) 837-4800 for a free over-the-phone solar rooftop review to see how much they can save on electric bills by installing a solar power array.

More details at: https://www.longhornsolar.com/oncor-solar-incentives.html.

Contact:
Robert Hoskins
Longhorn Solar
Director of Marketing
Cell: (512) 627-6622

Medical Center to Save Money With Chromasun Solar Enhanced Gas Air-Conditioning System -- Largest in California to Date

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:05:00 +0000

Low Gas Prices and Free Sunshine Enable Immediate Savings on Space-Cooling, Space-Heating, and Domestic Hot Water; Financing Eliminates Upfront Costs

Chromasun, the leading commercial rooftop solar solutions company, today unveiled construction of a solar and natural gas powered air-conditioning project at Crow Canyon Medical Center in Danville. The new system exploits low gas prices and the unique solar performance of Chromasun MCT solar panels to significantly offset the current operating costs of the building's existing electric chiller system.

Customized lease financing was arranged by Chromasun for the project. The leasing package eliminated upfront costs and deferred payments to match or beat the anticipated energy savings.

Seventy-five Chromasun MCT solar panels were installed on the roof of the five-story medical center building in a single day. A 50-ton absorption chiller that is capable of being fired either by solar energy or natural gas will also be installed. Because this chiller can be supplemented with gas when the sun is not shining, it can provide heating and cooling on a 24/7 basis. The system will annually offset 145,000 kWh of electricity normally consumed by the existing chillers for building space cooling. The system will also offset 1,100 therms of natural gas normally burned for space heating and hot water supply.

Richmond, Calif.-based SunWater Solar was contracted by Chromasun to carry out the installation.

"The MCT solar panels arrived onsite from the Chromasun factory and were ready to install immediately," said Justin Weil, president of SunWater Solar. "I believe this project is the largest solar field we have ever installed in one day. It was amazing how quickly and easily the MCT panels were mounted and commissioned."

"We have strived to incorporate the best energy efficiency and environmental performance technologies at Crow Canyon Medical Center," said General Partner of Crow Canyon Medical Center, John Moore. "However, the existing electric chillers dominated our energy consumption and represented a challenge in the building upgrade. The Chromasun solar and gas chiller installation is expected to significantly displace our future cooling and heating needs even with our limited roof area. I have been impressed by the quality of the Chromasun product and look forward to the energy savings the system will generate."

Chromasun CEO, Peter Le Lievre, noted: "The sun is free and, unlike electricity rates, natural gas prices do not spike in summer. I believe that many building owners will be surprised at how much they can save when they use gas and solar to power air conditioning and heating systems. Expensive peak electricity prices and demand charges can be avoided entirely with these technologies. It's truly a win-win to reduce building operating costs while improving environmental performance at the same time. And with Chromasun financing of the system, these benefits come with no upfront costs."

To learn more about Chromasun and the MCT system, please visit http://www.chromasun.com.

About Chromasun
Founded in 2008, Chromasun is a leading developer and manufacturer of rooftop friendly high performance solar solutions. Chromasun's unique MCT HT solar collector provides high grade thermal energy but in a familiar flat panel format with no external moving parts. The MCT HT is designed to drive high performance air-conditioning absorption chillers and other industrial process heat applications directly from sunlight. It is the most space efficient solar technology available and can produce more energy per unit of roof area than any competing technology. As a leader in the space, the Chromasun team of engineers and professionals have decades of experience in utility scale solar, air-conditioning engineering, product development and manufacturing.

Chromasun Press Contact:
Michael Azzano
Cosmo PR
(415) 596-1978
Email Contact

FirstEnergy, Citing Impact of Environmental Regulations, Will Retire Three Coal-Fired Power Plants in West Virginia

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

FirstEnergy, Citing Impact of Environmental Regulations, Will Retire Three Coal-Fired Power Plants in West Virginia

PR Newswire

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) announced today that its Monongahela Power Company (Mon Power) subsidiary will be retiring three older coal-fired power plants located in West Virginia by September 1, 2012. The decision to close the plants is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which were recently finalized, and other environmental regulations.

The following plants will be retired: Albright Power Station, Willow Island Power Station, and Rivesville Power Station. In total, 105 employees will be directly affected.

The total capacity of these regulated plants is 660 megawatts (MW), about 3 percent of FirstEnergy's total regulated and competitive generation portfolio. Recently, these plants served mostly as peaking facilities, generating, on average, less than 1 percent of the electricity produced by FirstEnergy over the past three years.

Mon Power recently completed a yearlong study of its older, unscrubbed regulated coal-fired units to determine the potential impact of significant changes in environmental regulations. It was determined that additional investments to implement MATS and other environmental rules would make these plants even less likely to be dispatched. As a result, the decision was made to retire these West Virginia plants rather than continue operations.

This follows FirstEnergy's announcement last month that its competitive generation subsidiaries would retire six older, coal-fired power plants located in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland by September 1, 2012.

"The high cost to implement MATS and other environmental rules is the reason these Mon Power plants are being retired," said James R. Haney, regional president of Mon Power and president of West Virginia Operations for FirstEnergy.

The number of affected employees could be less than 105 as some will be considered for open positions at other FirstEnergy facilities and work locations. In addition, existing severance benefits will apply to eligible affected employees and certain employees may take advantage of an additional benefit being offered to those who are eligible for retirement.

All of the recently announced plant retirements are subject to review for reliability impacts, if any, by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that controls the area where they are located.

Since the Clean Air Act became law in 1970, FirstEnergy and its predecessor companies have invested more than $10 billion in environmental protection efforts. Since 1990, FirstEnergy has reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by more than 76 percent, sulfur dioxide by more than 86 percent and mercury by about 56 percent. When the older coal-fired plants are retired and removed from FirstEnergy's competitive and regulated generating fleet, nearly 100 percent of the power provided will come from resources that are non- or low-emitting, including nuclear, hydro, pumped-storage hydro, natural gas and scrubbed coal units.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise the nation's largest investor-owned electric system. Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of nearly 23,000 megawatts.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These statements include declarations regarding management's intents, beliefs and current expectations. These statements typically contain, but are not limited to, the terms "anticipate," "potential," "expect," "believe," "estimate" and similar words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially due to: the speed and nature of increased competition in the electric utility industry, the impact of the regulatory process on the pending matters in the various states in which we do business including, but not limited to, matters related to rates, the status of the PATH project in light of the PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) direction to suspend work on the project pending review of its planning process, its re-evaluation of the need for the project and the uncertainty of the timing and amounts of any related capital expenditures, business and regulatory impacts from ATSI's realignment into PJM, economic or weather conditions affecting future sales and margins, changes in markets for energy services, changing energy and commodity market prices and availability, financial derivative reforms that could increase our liquidity needs and collateral costs, the continued ability of FirstEnergy's regulated utilities to collect transition and other costs, operation and maintenance costs being higher than anticipated, other legislative and regulatory changes, and revised environmental requirements, including possible GHG emission, water intake and coal combustion residual regulations, the potential impacts of any laws, rules or regulations that ultimately replace the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) including the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which was stayed by the courts on December 30, 2011, and the effects of the EPA's recently released Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rules, the uncertainty of the timing and amounts of the capital expenditures that may arise in connection with any NSR litigation or potential regulatory initiatives or rulemakings (including that such expenditures could result in our decision to shut down or idle certain generating units), the uncertainty associated with PJM's review of FirstEnergy's plan to retire its older unscrubbed regulated and competitive fossil units, adverse regulatory or legal decisions and outcomes with respect to our nuclear operations (including, but not limited to, the revocation or non-renewal of necessary licenses, approvals or operating permits by the NRC, including as a result of the incident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant), issues that could result from our continuing investigation and analysis of the indications of cracking in the plant shield building at Davis-Besse, adverse legal decisions and outcomes related to Met-Ed's and Penelec's ability to recover certain transmission costs through their transmission service charge riders, the continuing availability of generating units and changes in their ability to operate at or near full capacity, replacement power costs being higher than anticipated or inadequately hedged, the ability to comply with applicable state and federal reliability standards and energy efficiency mandates, changes in customers' demand for power, including but not limited to, changes resulting from the implementation of state and federal energy efficiency mandates, the ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits from strategic goals and our ability to improve electric commodity margins and the impact of, among other factors, the increased cost of coal and coal transportation on such margins, the ability to experience growth in the distribution business, the changing market conditions that could affect the value of assets held in FirstEnergy's nuclear decommissioning trusts, pension trusts and other trust funds, and cause FirstEnergy to make additional contributions sooner, or in amounts that are larger than currently anticipated, the impact of changes to material accounting policies, the ability to access the public securities and other capital and credit markets in accordance with FirstEnergy's financing plan, the cost of such capital and overall condition of the capital and credit markets affecting FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries, changes in general economic conditions affecting FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries, interest rates and any actions taken by credit rating agencies that could negatively affect FirstEnergy's and its subsidiaries' access to financing or their costs and increase requirements to post additional collateral to support outstanding commodity positions, LOCs and other financial guarantees, the continuing uncertainty of the national and regional economy and its impact on the major industrial and commercial customers of FirstEnergy's subsidiaries, issues concerning the soundness of financial institutions and counterparties with which FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries do business, issues arising from the completed merger of FirstEnergy and Allegheny Energy, Inc. and the ongoing coordination of their combined operations including FirstEnergy's ability to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers, as well as the ability to continue to successfully integrate the businesses and realize cost savings and any other synergies and the risk that the credit ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different from what the companies expect, the risks and other factors discussed from time to time in FirstEnergy's and its applicable subsidiaries' SEC filings, and other similar factors. The foregoing review of factors should not be construed as exhaustive. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, nor assess the impact of any such factor on FirstEnergy's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. FirstEnergy expressly disclaims any current intention to update, except as required by law, any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Powell Industries Announces Fiscal 2012 First Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call Schedule

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Powell Industries Announces Fiscal 2012 First Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call Schedule

PR Newswire

HOUSTON, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: POWL), a leading supplier of custom engineered solutions for the management and control of electrical energy and other critical processes, today announced that it will release fiscal 2012 first quarter results on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 after the market closes. In conjunction with the release, Powell Industries has scheduled a conference call, which will be broadcast live over the Internet, for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. eastern time.

What:	Powell Industries First Quarter Earnings Conference Call

When:	Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – 11:00 a.m. eastern time / 10:00 a.m. central time

How:	Live via phone by dialing 480-629-9645 and asking for the Powell Industries call at
	least 10 minutes prior to the start time, or live over the Internet by logging on to the
	web at the address below

Where:	http://www.powellind.com

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through February 15, 2012 and may be accessed by calling 303-590-3030 using passcode 4503224#. A web cast archive will also be available at www.powellind.com shortly after the call and will be accessible for approximately 90 days. For more information, please contact Donna Washburn at DRG&L at 713-529-6600 or email dmw@drg-l.com.

Powell Industries, Inc., headquartered in Houston, engineers packaged solutions and systems for the control, distribution and management of electrical energy and other dynamic processes. Powell markets include large industrial customers such as utilities, oil and gas producers, refineries, petrochemical plants, pulp and paper producers, mining operations, commuter railways and other vehicular transportation facilities. For more information, please visit www.powellind.com.

Contacts:	Don R. Madison, CFO
	Powell Industries, Inc.
	713-947-4422


	Ken Dennard / ksdennard@drg-l.com
	Karen Roan / kcroan@drg-l.com
	DRG&L / 713-529-6600

SOURCE Powell Industries, Inc.

TRC Announces Second-Quarter Fiscal 2012 Financial Results

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Company Delivers 23% Net Service Revenue Growth and Diluted Earnings per Share of $0.18

TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRR), a recognized leader in engineering, consulting and construction management services to the energy, environmental and infrastructure markets, today announced financial results for the three and six month periods ended December 30, 2011.

Financial Highlights


	Three Months Ended					Six Months Ended
(In millions, except per share data)	December 30, 2011		December 24, 2010			December 30, 2011			December 24, 2010

Net service revenue(1)	$	73.9	$	60.3		$	147.4		$	117.9

Arena Towers litigation (2)	$	0.2	$	-		$	(11.1	)	$	-

Operating income	$	4.9	$	2.9		$	20.4		$	6.3

Federal and state income tax benefit (provision)	$	0.2	$	(0.2	)	$	3.5		$	(0.7	)

Accretion charges on preferred stock	$	-	$	(3.5	)	$	-		$	(7.3	)

Net income (loss) applicable to TRC Companies, Inc.'s common shareholders	$	5.2	$	(1.0	)	$	23.9		$	(2.1	)

Diluted earnings (loss) per common share	$	0.18	$	(0.04	)	$	0.84		$	(0.10	)

Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding		28.5		21.8			28.5			20.8

(1)	The Company believes net service revenue, rather than gross revenue, best reflects the value of services provided to its customers and is the most meaningful indicator of TRC's revenue performance.
(2)	On October 5, 2011 a post-trial motion was granted to disregard a substantial portion of the verdict in this matter resulting in an $11.2 million reduction of the litigation accrual. A judgment was entered in the case on October 10, 2011, and on January 3, 2012 the Company paid $8.7 million in full satisfaction of the judgment and interest. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 the Company had recorded a litigation accrual of $17.3 million related to the verdict.

Comments on Fiscal Second-Quarter Results

"TRC delivered a strong second-quarter performance with net service revenue (NSR) growth of 23% driven by a combination of organic growth and contributions from our recent acquisitions," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chris Vincze. "Much of the organic growth stemmed from our Energy segment, while our Environmental segment produced most of the acquisition related growth. In the quarter, we continued to improve our profitability with operating margins increasing 68% and net income more than doubling."

"The performance of our Energy segment continues to be bolstered by increased investment by utilities in their electric transmission and distribution systems and a renewed focus on capital programs for electric system reliability. In the quarter, Energy segment NSR was up 34%, and segment profit increased by 43%. The growth in this segment is mostly organic and is a testament to the success of our strategy to gain market share through integrating TRC's energy service offerings and expanding our geographic presence."

"TRC's Environmental segment continues to post steady results with a 22% increase in NSR, which was primarily attributable to recent acquisitions. Our performance was in line with the overall environmental marketplace, which experienced weakness due to several factors, including a slowdown in real estate activity and reduced government spending. As a result, segment profit in the quarter was down 6%."

"Our Infrastructure segment performed well in the quarter, achieving NSR growth of 3% despite a challenging environment. The markets we serve continue to grapple with government budget deficits and the absence of a clear national policy for the transportation and infrastructure industries. Amidst these challenges, we continued to improve Infrastructure segment profit, which was up 54%, through enhanced project performance and execution and a focus on higher-margin project work."

Business Outlook

"Looking ahead, we see a number of opportunities to extend the momentum we have established in recent quarters, particularly within our Energy and Environmental segments. Our two-pronged profitable growth strategy, which combines selective acquisitions with internal growth initiatives, is delivering more consistent results as we have created a highly scalable, flexible and reliable business model. Several recently promulgated environmental regulations, involving the coal industry in particular, should support an increasing demand for many of our energy and environmental services in the coming quarters. We are also optimistic about opportunities for profitable growth within power markets such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric transmission systems/substations upgrades, as well as the oil and gas markets. We believe the intermediate and long-term prospects for all three of our primary markets are promising and supported by favorable industry trends."

Conference Call Information

The Company will broadcast its second-quarter fiscal 2012 financial results conference call today, at 9 a.m. ET. Those who wish to listen to the conference call should visit the "Investor Center" section of TRC's website at www.TRCsolutions.com. The call also may be accessed by dialing (877) 709-8155 or (201) 689-8881 prior to the start of the call. For interested individuals unable to join the live conference call, a webcast replay will be available on the Company's website for one year.

About TRC

A pioneer in groundbreaking scientific and engineering developments since the 1960s, TRC is a national engineering, consulting and construction management firm that provides integrated services to the energy, environmental and infrastructure markets. TRC serves a broad range of clients in government and industry, implementing complex projects from initial concept to delivery and operation. TRC delivers results that enable clients to achieve success in a complex and changing world. For more information and updates from the Company, visit TRC's website at www.TRCsolutions.com and follow us on Twitter at @TRC_Companies and on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," or other words of similar import. You should consider statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss TRC's future expectations, contain projections of the Company's future results of operations or of its financial condition, or state other "forward-looking" information. TRC believes that it is important to communicate its future expectations to its investors. However, there may be events in the future that the Company is not able to accurately predict or control and that may cause its actual results to differ materially from the expectations described in its forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the availability and adequacy of insurance; the uncertainty of our operational and growth strategies; circumstances which could create large cash outflows, such as contract losses, litigation, uncollectible receivables and income tax assessments; regulatory uncertainty; the availability of funding for government projects; the level of demand for TRC's services; product acceptance; industry-wide competitive factors; the ability to continue to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel; and general political or economic conditions. Furthermore, market trends are subject to changes, which could adversely affect future results. See the risk factors and additional discussion in TRC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other factors detailed from time to time in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


TRC Companies, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)

		Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
		December 30,			December 24,			December 30,			December 24,
		2011			2010			2011			2010

Gross revenue		$	105,378		$	84,291		$	209,113		$	163,109
	Less subcontractor costs and other direct reimbursable charges		31,482			23,968			61,762			45,196
Net service revenue			73,896			60,323			147,351			117,913

Interest income from contractual arrangements			95			125			173			213
Insurance recoverables and other income			518			2,313			738			2,910

Operating costs and expenses:
	Cost of services (exclusive of costs shown separately below)		61,173			51,715			121,335			98,289
	General and administrative expenses		6,847			6,312			14,395			12,850
	Provision for doubtful accounts		-			595			365			1,173
	Depreciation and amortization		1,434			1,233			2,796			2,461
	Arena Towers litigation		163			-			(11,061	)		-
Total operating costs and expenses			69,617			59,855			127,830			114,773
Operating income			4,892			2,906			20,432			6,263
Interest expense			(175	)		(218	)		(356	)		(415	)
Income from operations before taxes and equity in earnings			4,717			2,688			20,076			5,848
Federal and state income tax benefit (provision)			206			(222	)		3,504			(686	)
Income from operations before equity in earnings			4,923			2,466			23,580			5,162
Equity in earnings from unconsolidated affiliates, net of taxes			270			23			270			10
Net income			5,193			2,489			23,850			5,172
Net loss applicable to noncontrolling interest			18			13			49			34
Net income applicable to TRC Companies, Inc.			5,211			2,502			23,899			5,206
Accretion charges on preferred stock			-			(3,462	)		-			(7,261	)
Net income (loss) applicable to TRC Companies, Inc.'s common shareholders		$	5,211		$	(960	)	$	23,899		$	(2,055	)

Basic earnings (loss) per common share		$	0.19		$	(0.04	)	$	0.86		$	(0.10	)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share		$	0.18		$	(0.04	)	$	0.84		$	(0.10	)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic			27,845			21,817			27,657			20,781
Diluted			28,525			21,817			28,458			20,781

TRC Companies, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
			December 30,			June 30,
			2011			2011
ASSETS
Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	14,736		$	10,829
	Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts			98,766			89,258
	Insurance recoverable - environmental remediation			28,475			30,827
	Restricted investments			6,376			12,413
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets			15,093			10,087
		Total current assets		163,446			153,414

Property and equipment				51,495			48,475
	Less accumulated depreciation and amortization			(38,220	)		(36,825	)
		Property and equipment, net		13,275			11,650
Goodwill				24,775			20,886
Investments in and advances to unconsolidated affiliates and construction joint ventures				111			111
Long-term restricted investments				38,379			38,753
Long-term prepaid insurance				35,841			37,410
Other assets				13,442			13,836
		Total assets	$	289,269		$	276,060

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
	Current portion of long-term debt		$	6,484		$	3,139
	Accounts payable			39,167			26,510
	Accrued compensation and benefits			29,750			28,252
	Deferred revenue			16,985			22,709
	Environmental remediation liabilities			527			505
	Other accrued liabilities			44,687			59,718
		Total current liabilities		137,600			140,833
Non-current liabilities:
	Long-term debt, net of current portion			3,364			6,037
	Income taxes payable			757			4,912
	Deferred revenue			86,574			88,865
	Environmental remediation liabilities			5,600			5,741
		Total liabilities		233,895			246,388

Commitments and contingencies
Equity:
		Common stock, $.10 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized, 27,870,592 and 27,867,110 shares issued and outstanding, respectively, at Dectember 30, 2011, and 27,303,774 and 27,300,292 shares issued and outstanding, respectively, at June 30, 2011		2,787			2,730
	Additional paid-in capital			175,858			173,984
	Accumulated deficit			(123,356	)		(147,255	)
	Accumulated other comprehensive income			350			429
	Treasury stock, at cost			(33	)		(33	)
		Total shareholders' equity applicable to TRC Companies, Inc.		55,606			29,855
	Noncontrolling interest			(232	)		(183	)
		Total equity		55,374			29,672
		Total liabilities and equity	$	289,269		$	276,060

Investor Contact:
Dennis Walsh
Sharon Merrill
(617) 542-5300
trr@investorrelations.com

Company Contact:
Thomas W. Bennet, Jr.
CFO
(978) 970-5600
tbennet@trcsolutions.com

Reservoir Capital Appoints Lewis Reford as Lead Director

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The Board of Directors of Reservoir Capital Corp. (TSX VENTURE:REO)(FRANKFURT:ROC)(BERLIN:ROC) ("Reservoir" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Lewis T. Reford, an independent director of the Company since January 2011, has also agreed to act as Reservoir's Lead Director. Mr. Reford's new role will be to assist in organizing project finance for the Brodarevo hydroelectric project as it nears completion of Feasibility Studies in the coming months and to guide the Company in the evaluation of potential merger and acquisition opportunities.

Mr. Reford is a veteran energy industry and finance professional with experience in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Reford most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Schneider Power Inc. Prior to his role at Schneider Power Inc., Mr. Reford provided corporate investment consulting services in the renewable energy area. In 2006-2007, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of MGI Securities, a full-service Canadian brokerage firm and was a Managing Director with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York and Toronto from 1998 to 2005. Prior to his career in investment banking, Mr. Reford worked as a Corporate Development Executive for Total S.A., the Paris-based energy multinational. Mr. Reford currently serves on the Board of Directors of Gazit America and Caldera Geothermal (unlisted).

Miles Thompson, Executive Chairman of Reservoir, commented: "Mr. Reford has strong experience in both renewable energy and natural resource finance and we are very fortunate that he has agreed to take a more active role with the Company, given that Brodarevo could be nearing construction, at a time when the prevailing uncertainties in the financial markets are also presenting a number of interesting growth opportunities."

Pursuant to the Company's stock option plan, 200,000 incentive stock options exercisable at $0.60 per share for a period of five years have been granted to Mr. Reford.

About Reservoir

Reservoir is a renewable energy company engaged in the development of a 58.4 MW hydroelectric project at Brodarevo in southwest Serbia. Reservoir also holds an exploration license at Vranjska Banja in Serbia with estimated potential for 20 MW of geothermal energy and has applied for three hydroelectric concessions on the Cehotina River in Bosnia with a combined 17.75 MW potential. Reservoir's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (symbol "REO") and on the Frankfurt and Berlin Exchanges (symbol "ROC").

For further information on Reservoir Capital Corp., please consult the Company's website www.reservoircapitalcorp.com.

Reservoir Capital Corp.
Chris MacIntyre
VP Corporate Development
+1 416 703 0010
info@reservoircapitalcorp.com
www.reservoircapitalcorp.com

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 8

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 8

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8: WATCHING THE THERMOSTAT

Profile America — Wednesday, February 8th. Regardless of whether the groundhog saw his shadow last week — it's still cold over much of the nation's landscape — and that means keeping the heat on and also keeping an eye on the thermostat for a balance of being comfortable and holding down costs. Across the U.S., just over half of all homes are heated by gas. Electricity is the second most popular fuel, used in just over a third of homes. Fuel oil and kerosene heat just about 8 percent of U.S. houses, mostly in the Northeastern states and Alaska. Because of its ideal climate, many homes in Hawaii do not even have heating systems. However, new rules require all new homes there to have solar hot water systems. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1001

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau