June, 2008—State and Federal Certifications

Orbit Energy has received the Qualifying Facility Status Certification from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Orbit Energy’s Clinton, N.C. facility is also now certified as a Qualifying Small Producer and registered as a Renewable Energy Facility under the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Portfolio Standard (REPS) Compliance Plan by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC).

Qualifying Facility and Qualifying Small Producer certifications are required for energy sales to utility companies at avoided cost rates. The Renewable Energy Facility status, on the other hand, is essential towards qualifying for electricity sales under the North Carolina REPS plan.

April, 2008—Plant Expansion

As we finalize our decisions on the location for our next two HSAD power plants, we are also moving forward on expanding the capacity of the existing Clinton, N.C., operation. We have identified significant quantities of highly suitable organic waste feedstock in close proximity to the Clinton plant and expect to begin engineering the expansion this spring.

The initial phase of the expansion will add 1 megawatt of capacity to the plant, with future phases increasing the capacity to 4 to 5 megawatts, depending on the exact feedstock.  

February, 2008 – European Union Interest

As a result of information we submitted on our HSAD technology to the European Union (EU) Directorate-General, Sustainable Development and Integration, we have received an enthusiastic response.The Directorate-General has expressed the belief that Orbit’s HSAD Technology can help the European market implement the Landfill Directive, which requires diverting 65 percent of biodegradable materials from the waste stream by 2016.

The Directorate-General will inform all EU member states of Orbit’s HSAD technology in the context of the Landfill Directive. We are excited about this development and are expanding our efforts to reach the European market accordingly.

January, 2008 – New Target Sites
Orbit Energy has identified five potential sites for its first two plants (to be constructed by 2009). These sites include four in the Northeast and one in the Southeast region of the country. Strategically, our staff has already begun exploration of potential sites in other parts of the country (particularly California) for future plants beyond 2009.

October, 2007 – Orbit Board Approves Plan for U.S. Projects
Orbit Energy’s Board of Directors has approved the corporate plan for Orbit’s U.S. Expansion. The company will construct two domestic HSAD facilities by 2009, 16 by 2011 and 45 by 2017.

These plants, to be owned and operated by Orbit Energy, will have a minimum capacity of 100 tons per day of waste feedstock (producing at least 2 to 3 MW of electricity). The demand for renewable energy such as Orbit’s HSAD is partly the result of Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) that have been adopted by 25 states so far.

August, 2007 – International Opportunities
Orbit Energy continues to develop HSAD projects around the world. Currently, we have opportunities at different stages of development in China, Russia, Nigeria, Greece and Turkey. These are projects that will be completed on a turnkey basis through Alpha-Gamma Technologies, Inc. Orbit’s exclusive licensee for international HSAD projects.

August, 2006 - Orbit Energy received NC Matching Funds grant
This August, Orbit Energy recieved a grant from the North Carolina SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Funds Program. The program is desgned to help North Carolina firms achieve more substantial results in their Government-funded research projects.

Orbit Energy was awarded Matching Funds for its work on capture and sequestration of methane for subsequent conversion to higher valued alcohols.

June, 2006 - Orbit Energy received STTR grant from DOE
Orbit Energy, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, won a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research grant from the Department of Energy to study capture and sequestration of methane for subsequent conversion to higher valued alcohols.

The Project aims to generate biogas from waste materials using the HSAD technology and subsequently convert the methane contained in the biogas into higher valued alcohols, such as methanol, using an atmospheric plasma system developed by North Carolina State University (NCSU).

Methane emissions are at least 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide emissions and have been identified as a cause of global warming. With this reasearch grant, Orbit Energy and NCSU will develop a system to sequester and store methane that would otherwise escape to the atmosphere from farms, landfills and coal mines.

May, 2006 - HSAD in Hungary
Orbit Energy is currently working with one of the biggest solid waste handling companies in Hungary and two prestigious Hungarian universities.

The Project involves installing a pilot-scale HSAD reactor to demonstrate biogas production from organic portion of municipal solid waste (MSW).