Metalico, Inc., a scrap metal recycler and lead products fabricator, recently announced it has increased its funded investment in Beacon Energy Corporation (formerly AgriFuel Co.) by participating in a recently completed private placement of additional Beacon common stock.

Beacon is an emerging producer and investor in the fast-developing biofuels sector. Its recent placement of an additional approximately $5.5 million in equity includes $2 million from Metalico, bringing Metalico抯 total funded investment to $5 million. After giving effect to the new round of capitalization, Metalico now owns approximately 44.5% of Beacon抯 outstanding stock. The remaining shares of Beacon are held by private investors, including Metalico抯 Chairman.

Since its formation in September of 2006, Beacon has attracted approximately $16 million in private equity. The company has no debt outstanding at this time. To date Beacon has closed significant investments of its own in at least three biodiesel-related concerns and has commenced a feasibility study for a major East Coast production facility that it would construct and operate directly.

Biofuels are alternatives to petroleum-based energy sources made from natural and renewable resources like soybeans and other oil- producing plant materials and animal wastes and byproducts. Beacon focuses on biodiesel within the market for biofuels. Biodiesel is an alternative to various oil distillate products, including diesel and certain home heating oils, that can be used in a variety of diesel engines and home heating systems.

Beacon intends to use the proceeds of its placement to invest in the development and acquisition of biodiesel production facilities that meet its criteria for scale, efficient processing technology, quality construction, feedstock and off-take contractual commitments, and advantageous shipping logistics for source materials and finished products.

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) — The coverage of solar water heating systems in operation in China will reach 150 million square meters in 2010, an increase of 50 percent from the current level, a report from the country`s top planning authority predicted.

The Energy Research Institute (ERI) of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) submitted a report on "Renewable Energy Markets And Policies In China" to the on-going "Solar World Congress 2007" here on Thursday.

China accounts for more than half of the world`s solar-heated water consumption as well as for half of the world`s annual output of solar water heating systems, the report said.

By 2006, the coverage of solar water heaters in operation in China hit 100 million square meters, benefiting about 200 million people. The annual production capacity has reached 20 million square meters in 2006, up 20 percent on the previous year, according to the report.

The report also noted that, except for solar water heaters, solar-powered appliances are developing in China, including solar energy heating and cooling devices, solar energy air-conditioner systems and seawater desalination systems.

The ERI`s deputy head Li Junfeng said China would continue to promote and popularize the integration of solar energy equipment into the design and construction of houses. Solar water heaters will also enter more households in the country`s rural areas and towns.

"By utilizing solar energy, China can save more than 50 million tons of coal in 2010," Li estimated.

The NDRC`s vice minister Chen Deming said earlier this year that China will soon promulgate policies to stipulate compulsory installation of solar energy equipment in the construction sector.

It is the first time the International Solar Energy Society`s Solar World Congress has been held in China since it was initiated more than two decades ago.

China`s Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense is encouraging military industrial enterprises to accelerate the development of wind power.

"China should fully exploit technological advantages in the military industry sector to upgrade its wind power sector and make wind power equipment a new economic growth point for the military industry," a statement said.

According to the statement, China will set up two to three wind power generator manufacturers by 2020 with an annual production capacity of 2,000 sets.

Meanwhile, China will establish eight to ten key manufacturing enterprises by 2015, producing wind power equipment components with an annual production capacity worth 20 billion yuan (US$2.66 billion).

China boasts wind power sources of 3.2 billion kw, of which one billion can be developed, according to previous reports.

BEIJING, Sept. 18 — China has adopted a nuclear fuel-recycling policy for power development and is willing to strengthen cooperation in the civil nuclear sector with other countries, a senior Chinese official said in Vienna on Sunday.

But security is a precondition for nuclear energy development. As long as security and non-proliferation are assured, the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be promoted across the world in a safe, economic and reliable manner, National Development and Reform Commission Vice-Minister Chen Deming said.

Speaking at the second ministerial conference of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), Chen said China is ready to strengthen cooperation on global nuclear energy with other countries that have an open and constructive attitude. The GNEP, sponsored by the US, aims to commission proliferation-resistant nuclear reactors with assured international supply of fuel in the next few decades.

China and 15 other countries signed a document on GNEP`s principles on Sunday.

The chief of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, welcomed the GNEP because it didn`t seem to undermine national sovereignty on energy, a concern that has hampered several proposals for a more secure multilateral system of atomic energy supply.

"This is one of the issues that has created a lot of anxiety. So this is very much an improvement and should encourage more countries to join the partnership," IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei said.

But, he said, more needs to be done to get the GNEP off the ground.

A major challenge, ElBaradei said, will be developing commercially feasible nuclear reactors with fuel-recycling and waste disposal minimizing the risk of yielding plutonium usable for atomic bombs.

"Developing the technology will be the key to GNEP`s success and it can take years," said Han Xiaoping, energy expert with www.chinaenergyweb.com, an energy information and consulting firm.

The global demand for electricity is expected to almost double by 2030, with the rise being as much as 150 percent in developing countries.

Only nuclear energy can meet this demand without jeopardizing the environment further, GNEP proponents said.

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Renewable energy could contribute to 30 percent of China`s total energy supply by 2050, an energy expert estimated on Tuesday.

Chinese wind power stations may have the ability to generate 300 to 500 million kw of electricity in 2050 and another 200 million to 300 million kw will be generated by solar energy, Shi Dinghuan, president of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society, said at the Solar World Congress 2007 in Beijing.

Small hydropower stations could generate 100 million kilowatts of electric power by 2030 which would account for 10 percent of overall energy supply at that time, said Shi.

Shi said China had to pay more attention to developing renewable energy in order to ease the conflict between economic development and environmental protection.

It is the first time the International Solar Energy Society`s Solar World Congress has been held in China since it was initiated more than two decades ago.

BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — China will increase the portion of renewable resources to 15 percent in its total energy consumption in 2020 in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pursue sustained economic growth, according to a national plan published on Tuesday.

China`s renewable energy usage will total 600 million tons of coal equivalent in 2020, compared with 166 million tons in 2005 which accounted for 7.5 percent of the country`s total energy consumption.

The plan would cost China two trillion yuan (266.7 billion U.S. dollars) during the 2006-2020 period, said Chen Deming, vice minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

As coal currently feeds most of China`s energy needs and causes serious pollution, the plan highlights the development of hydropower, wind power, biomass and solar energy.

By 2020, the country`s installed hydropower capacity is expected to reach 300 million kilowatts, wind power capacity 30 million kw, biomass power 30 million kw and solar power 1.8 million kw.

According to the plan published by NDRC, China will also provide electricity to remote, off-grid regions and alleviate fuel shortages in rural areas by using renewable energy.

By 2020, about 300 million rural people will use biogas as their main fuel, when China will use 10 million tons bio-ethanol and two million tons of bio-diesel to replace 10 million tons of oil annually.

BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — China will continue to develop liquid biological fuel under the precondition of ensuring food security, Chen Deming, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said here on Tuesday.

China will discontinue to use maize but turn to non-food crops, such as sweet sorghum, to produce liquid bio-fuel, including ethanol and bio-diesel, Chen said. Most of such non-food crops grow in salina and barren hills and land, which are not suitable for growing grain crops, he said.

Chen said, it is a common practice in the world to produce bio-ethanol with maize. The United States annually produces 15 million tons of bio-ethanol with the crop. Thus the country has increased maize output but decreased land sown to soybean. "In view of the acreage of China`s farm land, such a process is not suitable for the country," Chen said.

There are on the Chinese mainland four facilities annually producing 1.02 million tons of bio-ethanol with long-preserved grain, which have become inedible, Chen said.

The official said, China has approximately 100 million hectares of salina and barren land that is suitable for growing non-food crops to be used for fuel production.