PLYMOUTH - Hella, a major automotive lighting and electronics supplier, is introducing a new line of energy-efficient LED street and area-lighting products designed to replace conventional lighting on streets, parking lots and commercial property throughout North America. Based on more than 20 years of LED development and manufacturing experience, Hella has developed a unique "retrofit"
WASHINGTON DC - China is now the world's biggest energy consumer, knocking the U.S. off a perch it held for more than a century, according to new data from the International Energy Agency. The Paris-based agency, whose forecasts are generally regarded as bellwether indicators for the energy industry, said China devoured 2,252 million tons of
DEARBORN - Ford's Explorer has been redeveloped and reengineered to shatter some long-held myths about SUV fuel efficiency and performance. The 2011 model will be the new class leader in its segment achieving at least a 30 percent increase in fuel efficiency with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 engine option compared to the previous V6 model.
SAN FRANCISCO - General Electric and four venture-capital companies are putting up $200 million to award entrepreneurs for coming up with innovative ways to modernize the electricity grid. At an event at San Francisco, the companies launched the "GE Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid," a competition designed to cultivate smart-grid technologies, CNET News.Com reported. The
SAN FRANCISCO - General Electric Chief Executive Jeff Immelt unveiled perhaps the best-looking electric vehicle charger yet invented at a big marketing shindig Tuesday morning in San Francisco. Called the WattStation, the charger was created by San Francisco designer Yves Behar and his co-workers at fuseproject, his design company. The WattStation looks a bit like
LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission has once again found no need for a proposed coal-fired electric plant, this time in Holland. The Holland Board of Public Works had proposed the 70 megawatt plant as part of its plan to meet expected demand growth. But the PSC staff found in its report that Holland
ANN ARBOR - The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has won the American Solar Challenge for a third consecutive North American title. Michigan's other team in the race, Western Michigan University, was relegated to display car status early in the event after their vehicle experienced persistent electrical problems. The week-long, biennial 1,100-mile competition for
JACKSON - Consumers Energy has reached power purchase agreements with independent developers for more than 240 megawatts of new Michigan-based renewable energy capacity. The agreements support Consumers Energy's Balanced Energy Initiative which is a comprehensive 20-year plan to meet the needs of its 1.8 million electric customers with a balanced energy portfolio, including energy efficiency,
DETROIT ? University of Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon Tuesday was named to the DTE Energy board of directors. Brandon, former chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza, continues to serve as non-executive chairman of Domino's. Brandon formerly was chairman, president and CEO of Valassis Communications Inc. of Livonia. In his 20 years at the marketing
GRAND RAPIDS ? Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, the Van Andel Research Institute and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered a biomarker that could help in the treatment of patients with an aggressive type of lung cancer. Using a particular biomarker, researchers might better predict which patients with