Business Briefs for the Week of April 13, 2009

A123Systems , Watertown, Mass. has raised $69 million from GE and other investors to accelerate the expansion of its U.S. lithium ion battery manufacturing and smart grid capabilities. The capital will be used to expand A123’s facilities in Hopkinton, Mass., and Novi, Mich., as well as build planned new factories in Michigan. The funding will also support A123’s efforts to develop applications for the smart grid, such as utility-scale energy storage.

Solar Energy Initiatives, Ponta Vedra Beach, Fla., recently signed a $6.5 million letter of intent to install solar panels on municipal buildings. Installation of this project, for a western United States school district, is expected to begin within the next few months.

Fluor Corp, Irving, Texas, was awarded a contract for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) for Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Virginia Power’s new 580MW gas-fired, combined-cycle Bear Garden Power Station in Buckingham County, Va. Fluor’s EPC scope will include the engineering, procurement, and construction for the new facility, with Dominion Virginia Power providing the fuel, water, backfeed power, and some of the major equipment.

The MathWorks, Natick, Mass., recently announced the installation of one of Massachusetts’ largest photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The project, a 139.08kW PV array installed by Alteris Renewables, Wilton, Conn., and partially funded through the Commonwealth Solar, Westborough, Mass., rebate program, will help reduce energy costs, reduce carbon emissions from energy generation, and promote research and development in the emerging technology industry.

Siemens Energy, Erlangen, Germany, is to acquire a 28% stake in Archimede Solar Energy (ASE), Massa Martana, Italy, and thus expand its competencies for solar thermal power plants. ASE is the sole producer of solar receivers operating with molten salt as the heat transfer fluid.