Ambit Energy Maryland is now a reality. For several years Ambit has looked at the Maryland marketplace as a potential expansion state and they recently announced at their annual Ambition sales convention that it will open on November 1^st for service to its sales force of independent energy consultants across the country.

Initially the Ambit Energy service will only be available in the Baltimore Gas & Electric service territory which encompasses about 1.2 million business and residential customers across Baltimore City and all or part of 10 central Maryland counties. Baltimore Gas and Electric will continue to provide the delivery, service and maintenance for customers while Ambit will be retailer.

With this new territory, Ambit Energy’s 100,000 plus independent energy consultants will have the opportunity to gather customers throughout the BG&E service territory. Ambit has industry leading value to offer its customers as they are the only energy retailer offering customers the ability to earn free energy by referring friends and family to the service. This program essentially turns Ambit customers into walking billboards for the service as they are being rewarded to do so.

With this new territory Ambit looks to continue its aggressive growth history which has made it the number one fastest growing privately held company on the prestigious annual Inc 500 list. Expansion territories have long been a part of Ambit’s strategy and this year marks a new phase in the strategy because Ambit will follow the Maryland expansion with Pennsylvania in the first quarter of 2011.

Electricity choice in the state of Maryland has been available since July 2000, but residential choice has not fully developed until the past year or so as rate caps expire and competition thus moves into a fully deregulated and free market.

If you would like to take a closer look at the opportunities with Ambit Energy Maryland, check out our website and you can learn everything you could ever need to know about that and energy deregulation as well.

Losing weight as you may know it is incredibly hard to do. That is, it’s incredibly hard if you aren’t using dietary supplements provided in these Force Factor reviews. When people think of supplements, they mostly likely refer them to steroids. However, this is a complete misunderstanding. Muscle supplements work in the same way vitamins do. They help to produce quicker results in a healthy way.

So what is this new supplement that helps lose weight, while building some solid muscle mass?

The supplement is called Ramp Up. It’s solely designed to burn fat, while being scientifically formulated to boost energy levels to a maximum. Ramp Up’s potent energy-maximizing formula heightens fat oxidation for upper limit efficiency, sculpting physique while simultaneously fueling power output. It’s designed to not only help you boost your metabolism, but to deliver expedited recovery and delayed muscle fatigue.

Now there is no such thing as a magic pill to lose 10 pounds in days, but by using Ramp Up along with your regular workout routines, you should see a nice boost in your weight loss and muscle gains. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. If you’re working hard in the gym, burning off that fat, but not losing as much weight as you thought you are, then you need to realize you are probably gaining more muscle weight. Using fat loss supplements like Ramp Up will ultimately aid your weight loss and muscle gain goals.

Are you wondering about Ramp Up’s ingredients, making it a top choice for fat loss and gaining muscle mass?

Well Ramp Up consists of a total of five main components. The first ingredient is a widely known ingredient, green tea leaf extract. Green tea is known to increase the body’s metabolic functioning which, in turn, promotes fat burn. Secondly, Ramp Up consists of Salicylate. This ingredient helps relieve pain and swelling of the muscles, for increased recovery time. Thirdly is Caffeine, helping to boost energy levels and increase alertness. The forth component of Ramp Up is Alpha-Ketoglutaric Acid. What this essential acid does is increase available energy in the body and increase stamina. The last ingredient in Ramp Up is called Marine Coral Calcium. What this ingredient does is promote tissue health by easing absorption and supporting pH balance in the body.

For more information, watch this Force Factor reviews video to see how these supplements can help you attain your weight loss and muscle gaining goals. Remember to always do your research before buying a supplement to see what the best one’s are and which will benefit you the most.

Press Release: For release on 20 May 2010 

- Customers switch in huge numbers, a wake up call for inactive energy markets

Research by the Helsinki based VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank indicates that between February 2009 and 2010, Bord Gáis Energy, the Irish Utility Company, won nearly 21% of the occupied residential electricity market in the Republic of Ireland. According to VaasaETT, the world’s leading source of global comparative customer switching trend data for the electricity industry, the Bord Gáis Energy campaign has been by far the world’s most successful marketing campaign ever for an electricity retailer, if measured in terms of the percentage of residential customers in the market who were won over a 12-month period.

According to Dr. Philip Lewis, CEO of VaasaETT, this is additional proof that there is no such thing as a safe customer for incumbent energy companies. “Markets that are uncompetitive now, can become active very quickly if the conditions are right. In the coming few years we will see the same happening in other markets around Europe and elsewhere.” “Once truly active, such markets furthermore tend to remain active,” says Dr Lewis.

“The main reasons for this extraordinary level of customer switching have been price margins, the economic downturn in Ireland and outstanding marketing. Price margins were achieved through a combination of regulatory price controls placed on the incumbent, as well as clever energy purchasing strategies by Bord Gáis Energy,” says Dr. Lewis.

Dr. Lewis points out that one should not underplay the significance of marketing in all of this. “Energy companies typically fail to achieve sufficiently simple, clear and appealing campaigns. Energy may seem like a simple product to sell but few companies have ever managed to win many customers in this market,” says Lewis.

Only five national markets have ever managed a (calendar) yearly level of switching above 20% (the Australian markets of Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, plus Great Britain and New Zealand). Prior to 2009, the highest national switch rate ever recorded for a 12-month period was 28.33% in Victoria, Australia, between the 4th Quarter 2006 and 3rd Quarter 2007, and that switch level was shared between competitors in the market.  “Within this context the 21% gained by Bord Gáis Energy alone is quite spectacular,” claims Dr. Lewis. “No company has ever gained such a large proportion of the market in such a short time.”

Bord Gáis Energy are not the only energy company in Ireland that has won customers from the incumbent, Airtricity has also won significant numbers of residential customers, and new entrants into the market are now a possibility since the market has shifted from near inactivity just over a year ago, to being one of the most active electricity markets in the world. “It remains to be seen however, if there is yet enough long-term momentum in the market to sustain this level of activity,” says Dr. Lewis.

Nicky Doran, Head of Marketing at Bord Gáis Energy stated that the success of the campaign was down to a number of factors, “the right price point, the simplicity of the message and great creative were all major factors in the success of the campaign” according to Mr Doran. “The web has proved to play a huge part in the success of the campaign with as many as 30% of customers switching on our micro site thebigswitch.ie”. “Of course none of this would have been possible without great vision and leadership from Bord Gáis’ CEO John Mullins and Bord Gáis Energy’s Managing Director David Bunworth”.

According to Dr. Lewis “VaasaETT will be publishing its free 2010 World Energy Retail Market Rankings report in May, and it will be interesting indeed to see where Ireland is placed. It is possible that Great Britain may be knocked off the top spot in Europe for the first time since records began”

More Information: Andy White, +44 871 315 7334, [email protected]

About the VaasaETT Utility Customer Switching Research Project

The Utility Customer Switching research project, founded jointly in 2004 by Dr. Philip E. Lewis and Paul Grey, monitors switch rates and trends in all fully liberalised energy retail markets worldwide.
It was the first and remains to this day the only global view of utility customer switching activity, as well as being the most comprehensive and uniform source of comparable switching statistics in the electricity and gas markets worldwide.  More Information at: www.utility-customer-switching.com

About VaasaETT and The VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank

The VaasaETT Global Energy Think-Tank is a unique collaborative concept based on a philosophy of mutuality. Through its network of thousands of senior executives, officials, researchers and other experts who are for the most part known and trusted personally, the Think-Tank provides value-to-all by combining an interactive community and collaborative projects.
The Think-Tank focuses broadly on practical strategic business and market issues, as well as envisioning state of the art innovations and developments.
VaasaETT has already established a world-leading reputation in certain fields, including Customer Psychology & Behaviour, Utilities Marketing, Smart Metering, and Demand Response (including Energy Efficiency, Demand Side Management, Eco Home and related issues).
More information at: www.vaasaett.com or www.bwrnews.co.uk

NEXT-GENERATION BIOFUELS COULD CREATE OVER 18,000 JOBS, DISPLACE NEARLY 15% OF GASOLINE CONSUMED IN DC METRO AREA, AND REDUCE MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF NUTRIENT RUNOFF TO THE BAY

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Homegrown energy could power a robust local economy and improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay by significantly reducing pollution runoff to the Bay’s local waterways. That’s the top finding in a report released today by the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The authors, a multidisciplinary team of economists, scientists, and other experts conclude:

* Farms, forests, and landfills in the Chesapeake Bay area could realistically produce about 500 million gallons of fuel — equivalent to a six week supply of gasoline for the DC metro area.
* Raising the crops, refining the fuel, and getting it to market would support about 18,559 jobs
* Raising switchgrass, willows, and poplars for fuel on suitable land would reduce water pollution from fertilizers by millions of pounds.

“This report clearly highlights the real and quantifiable benefits a next-generation biofuels industry presents to the Bay region, and outlines very near-term policy decisions each state could – and should – take to enhance an already growing economic opportunity for the region and get it right so that the industry can grow in a way that is environmentally sustainable,” Maryland Delegate Jim Hubbard said, Chair of the project’s Advisory Panel for the third year in a row.

“Biofuels” is a broad term that covers several forms of energy derived from plant materials. One process is growing and processing switchgrass and fast-growing poplar and willow trees into ethanol. By 2020, the authors forecast a sustainable production of 500 Million gallons of next-generation biofuels per year, using only land resources and practices that improve water quality throughout the region. This estimate assumes no use that limits farmland currently in food or livestock production or forests currently used for wood products.

Hitting this level of production would support more than 18,500 jobs across the economy – from construction jobs needed to build biorefineries to on-farm production jobs needed to grow and harvest the cellulosic feedstocks that produce the fuel. About half of the farmland and private forests in the Chesapeake Bay are currently idle. The report does not call for reducing production of food, livestock, or wood products on working farms or forests.

“A next-generation biofuels industry can create major advances for the Bay region in economic growth, renewable energy produced sustainably right here at home, and improve water quality by reducing runoff to the Chesapeake Bay,” said Maryland Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton, Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the only full-time farmer in the Maryland General Assembly. “Over 18,000 green collar jobs created from a renewable energy industry while improving the health of the Bay – now that’s something we can’t ignore.”

“Pennsylvania appreciates the opportunity to co-champion this initiative with the Chesapeake Bay Commission to grow the biofuels industry in the Bay watershed,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding. “Building a regional biofuels industry is good for the environment, national security and our agricultural economy.”

Over the past two years, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Commission have taken the necessary steps to position the Chesapeake region as a national leader in the evolution to sustainable advanced biofuels. The report released today, Chesapeake Biofuel Policies: Balancing Energy, Economy and Environment, presents the responses and accomplishments of the Bay state Governors and legislatures from the past year, as well as the results of ongoing analysis by a select Biofuels Advisory Panel.

The Biofuels Advisory Panel recommends that regional leaders focus on the following near-term opportunities:

1. Officially adopt a regional production target and set supporting state-specific production goals.
2. Implement policy on the following near-term opportunities:
a. Develop biomass harvest guidelines.
b. Encourage winter crops as biofuel feedstocks.
c. Avoid the introduction of invasive species.
3. Create an interstate, interagency Regional Council for Bioenergy Development that will promote collaboration among jurisdictions and integrate the issues of biofuels and environmental improvement with other regional priorities such as agricultural and forest sustainability.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a policy leader in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. As a tri-state legislative body that advises the legislative branch of state government, its mission is to identify critical environmental needs, evaluate public concerns, and ensure state and Federal actions to sustain the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay. The commission works directly with the state General Assemblies and the U.S. Congress and serves as the legislative branch of the Chesapeake Bay Program.

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Environmental communication and media support for this announcement provided by Water Words That Work, LLC.

While in many places the introduction of a smart metering system and the required components is still being considered, ubitronix has closed an important gap with its introduction of the new LMM-2540 load management module. For the first time there is a solution available that can be wholly integrated in the existing smart metering infrastructure and individually programmed down to relay level. Via a bi-directional interface the load management module can be configured remotely and easily maintained. “This means that for the first time we are in the position to offer innovative services that go far beyond conventional ripple control technology”, states Dr. Christoph Schaffer with satisfaction.”

Conventional audio frequency ripple control technology is showing its age and has begun to cause many network providers much anxiety. Not only the non-existent flexibility with regard to operation, rather also the uncertainty regarding the states of the receivers is causing an increasing number of network providers to start thinking about replacements for existing ripple control technology. Power outages and the growing increase in energy consumption require intelligent demand-side management solutions in many places in order to manage electricity demand of customers and to optimize energy supply – requirements that are now being considered for the development of the load management modules by ubitronix.

Communication via narrowband power line

The new load management module achieves optimal performance with the NES infrastructure by Echelon, whose sales partner is ubitronix. In this combination, the existing narrowband power line infrastructure provided by the smart metering system is used in order to establish bi-directional data communication between the smart metering control centre and the load management modules. Thus not only the individual programming of the switching programs can be done in the field, event messages can also be sent to the modules. This makes it possible, for example, to turn lighting systems on or off based on a measured brightness value. The data of the entire functionality of the module (firmware update) can also be remotely configured and centrally controlled. This means the system can be adjusted to suit new requirements and the functionality always stays updated.

New with long wave radio ripple control as well

Via a partnership with the system provider EFR (Europäische Funkrundsteuerung – energy management via radio), ubitronix additionally expands its solution with long wave radio ripple control. This makes it possible for the first time worldwide, to link the advantages of long wave radio and narrowband power line communication within a smart metering infrastructure. Using radio ripple control via long wave radio, all load management modules used in the system can be provided with information simultaneously and within a few seconds. The specific function triggered by a message – transmitted via long wave – using an unambiguous address and based on the individual programming facility via narrowband power line, can be defined individually for each load management module or for each device group. This means that not only conventional load management scenarios can be realised, but also rate-dependent circuits can be realised in real-time. “The advantage of this solution on the one hand, is that the load management modules can be addressed parallel almost in real-time and, on the other hand, in the individual programmability. This makes it possible for the first time to realise intelligent load management scenarios, such as, e.g., load shedding or rate-dependent switch-overs”, explains Schaffer.

Flexible control and monitoring

The load management modules can be individually equipped with up to four 25 A or 40 A relays such that these devices can immediately replace existing ripple control devices. An integrated real-time clock guarantees self-sufficient operation, for example, as a switch clock. In combination with the integrated astronomical calendar, street lighting can be controlled, independent of communicating with the control centre. A voltage monitoring function facilitates intelligent reloading in case of an electrical outage – cold hot water tanks thus become a thing of the past. Furthermore, not only are all events recorded in the device, but in the case of manipulation or failure, the control centre is informed immediately and automatically, ensuring a high degree of operational dependability. The load management device currently has a M-bus interface and can thus be operated with almost any smart metering system.

A high-resolution photo is available for download here: www.press-n-relations.com

Further information:
ubitronix system solutions GmbH – Dr. Christoph Schaffer
Softwarepark 35/2 – A-4232 Hagenberg, Austria
Tel.: +43 7236 3343 310 – Fax: +43 7236 3343 312
[email protected] – www.ubitronix.com

Press and publicity:
Press’n'Relations GmbH Vienna office – Barbara Hinger
Schwindgasse 10 – A-1040 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: +43 1 907 61 48-11 – Fax: +43 1 907 61 48-15
[email protected] – www.press-n-relations.com

ubitronix system solutions GmbH was founded in 2004 in Hagenberg (Upper Austria) and develops energy management solutions. With Unified Intelligent Energy Management (Unified IEM), ubitronix supports both energy provider as well as network providers to handle growing demands of the liberalised energy market. Alongside automated management for electricity, gas, water and heat meters, load management, house and building automation, voltage quality monitoring and control of street lighting are also covered integratively within a system solution. As part of its range of modern, expandable solutions, ubitronix offers a series of communication, readout and voltage management products that are marketed worldwide and can be seamlessly integrated into the Networked Energy Services (NES) System of Echelon. Metering technologies of other manufacturers can be easily integrated as well.

http://woodpelletsguide.com : With the pursuit to find a reliable source of energy other than non renewable energy such as fossil fuels, lots of studies and researches has been done through the years. Biofuels made from biomass (organic materials) have been proven to be an effective substitute. These biofuels are derived from biodegradable materials such as manures, plants, etc. Now, let us focus more on another effective organic material, the wood pellets.

In general, the very fine wood particles (sawdust) when compacted turn into wood pellets. These wood pellets are considered to be a form of wood fuel. Wood fuel, in its simplest explanation, is a fuel generated from wood. Wood pellets are normally the byproducts of sawing logs or woods by method of sawmilling. However, this can also be produced by any activities that involve transforming and cutting of woods.

Wood pellets are basically solid and consistently hard. With the pellets’ very low moisture content (humidity of 6 – 10%), they contain higher energy component that is likely comparable to high caliber coal. This would only means that their low humidity content saves a lot of energy that is needed to burn the amount of moist. These characteristics – a diameter of about 6 – 8mm, usually 2cm long, lower humidity and high density – allows the wood pellets to be automatically used in clean – burn heating appliances. Moreover, these attributes make the wood pellets highly effective as a burnable material.

In addition, since wood pellets are considered to be a biomass, then they should be environmental friendly. They release less emissions and ashes that could be detrimental to the surroundings. As mentioned, these pellets are compacted, thus they do not need a lot of space unlike any other type of wood fuel. This would also make it easier to ship even in long distance.

Not frequently used to manufacture pellets are similar organic materials such as straw, corn, etc. As a renewable material, wood pellets give the benefit of continuous energy supply. Moreover, woods and logs are not basically cut down to produce wood pellet but they are merely the byproduct of any wood processing activities. Also, pellets are actually waste materials, therefore utilizing them as an energy source would mean lessening the problem on waste disposal.

With the current situation, where the cost of fossil fuels is expected to continually rise, installation for more capable pellet heating systems resulted. From the year 1999, there have been numerous pellet stove models, heating furnaces and other form of heating machines that are widely distributed in the markets.

These stoves specifically designed for wood pellets are advantageous over other types of home heating systems. The usual wood stoves need more constant maintenance compared to wood pellet stoves. They are easy to operate and even more convenient than using traditional stoves. Though physically, they may look like the usual traditional stoves, however, they have microprocessor controls that ensure a clean and efficient fire.

As of 2005, the demand for wood pellets as a wood fuel has significantly increased due to costly fuels in different parts of the world.

greenovationTV.com First Internet TV Channel for Green Remodeler

Goal to Help 130 Million Homeowners Renovate Green

Launch Date: Earth Day April 22, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ann Arbor, MI (March 26, 2009) — greenovationTV.com, the world’s first internet TV channel for healthy, energy saving, green home improvements, will officially launch on Earth Day – April 22, 2009. The mission of greenovationTV is to help green the 130 million inefficient and sometimes unhealthy homes in the U.S., through practical advice and real solutions. The site will deliver free 24/7 on-demand access to fast-paced and entertaining how-to videos that show all the ways to green a home and reduce energy consumption.

greenovationTV founders, Matt and Kelly Grocroff, recognize and embrace the urgency to reduce carbon emissions and create a healthier planet – they not only preach it, they live it. The Grocroffs tackled their own greenovation project in 2006 when the couple purchased a 107-year-old home in Ann Arbor, MI that featured inefficient lighting, a 60-year-old furnace, no shower, and no insulation – except a single layer of newspaper in the attic dated 1902. This life altering, and often times frustrating, experience led to the creation of greenovationtv.com.

“We often turned to the internet when researching products and practices to green our home,” said Matt Grocoff. “What we found was there was no central location that offered the resources and the how-to that we were desperately looking for. Our hope is that greenovationtv.com will become a community that will help and support others who are looking to greeonvate their homes.”

The one-stop shop site will feature original programming, how to videos, and viewer created videos where viewers can share their own GIY projects. Everything needed to create a healthier, more comfortable, more durable, more efficient home, and a better world – one room at a time.

For more information visit www.greenovationTV.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Ms. Megan Gillies, Media Assistant
Thorium Energy, Inc.
Tel: 801.322.3401
Email: [email protected]
www.thoriumenergy.com

Thorium Energy, Inc. is a privately-held concern which owns resources and reserves of thorium and Rare Earth Elements at the Lemhi Pass District in Idaho, which are thought to be some of largest and most-concentrated in the United States, and possibly, the world. The company has been accumulating these resources and reserves for a period of in excess of fifteen years in anticipation of a worldwide energy crisis.
A spokesman for the company had this to say, regarding the ongoing debate about using coal as a substitute energy source for fossil fuels:
“There is plenty of coal in the ground, both within the United States, and internationally. It has been used as a fuel before, with limited viability, and at great cost to the environment and to all life within its vicinity. It continues to be a topic of revisitation whenever oil prices (and resultant prices at the gasoline pump) are rising or whenever the availability of oil is threatened due to political or economic instability.

“Proponents of coal persist in reciting the virtues of its availability, its price, and its safety. These same adherents will always cite a nuclear power plant tragedy (i.e., the Chernobyl meltdown) as the reason that we have to turn away from nuclear power and revert to coal, the preferred fuel in the romantic days of Charles Dickens.

“The essence of the argument is always this: “If we stick with coal, we’ll never have to worry about a nuclear reactor incident.” This is not unlike saying, “If we drive everywhere, then we’ll never have to worry about dying in a plane crash.”

“Both comparisons are equally ridiculous, and are unsupported by actual logic or statistics. They are both based upon sensationalized misperceptions. In the same manner that automobile-related fatalities outnumber airline disasters by several orders of magnitude, coal-related problems are far more dangerous, and do far more damage (consistently and cumulatively) than the additive consequences of every leakage or meltdown incident involving conventional nuclear reactors since the beginning of the era of nuclear energy!

“Burning coal produces smoke, ash and particulate matter laden with toxins (poisonous carbon monoxide, sufides, acidic corrosives and even airborne radioactive material, all of which accelerate global warming, all of which are toxic to plant and animal life, and all of which befoul the atmosphere). This does not happen occasionally, or by accident — it is an inherent hazard associated with burning fuels through combustion. Remember “coal miner’s lung”?

“The irony here is that it is becoming increasingly well-recognized that coal-burning produces more radioactive thorium ash (which is thrown into the air and blown about by the wind) than a nuclear reactor. That’s correct — burning coal produces more air-borne radiation than a nuclear reactor does!
“We continue to believe that Thorium energy is the only viable long-term, large-scale energy solution. And we’re not alone. Every day we re approached by more and more corporate buyers who want to stockpile thorium. For the time being, we’re adopting a ‘wait and see’ posture.”
THORIUM ENERGY, INC. produces an informative blog at http://ThoriumEnergyInc.blogspot.com

ABOUT THORIUM ENERGY, INC.: The Company owns the mining and mineral rights to the largest body and concentration of geologically-proven reserves of Thorium in the world, as well as to vast amounts of Rare Earth Elements which are absolutely essential to an ever-increasing number of technologies for consumer, commercial and military use. Thorium Energy’s leases are situated in the mineral-rich Lemhi Pass District of Idaho. The Company is privately-owned.