Kyocera TCL Solar inaugurates floating mega solar power plants in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Kyocera Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation announced that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC, a joint venture established by the two companies, has completed construction of two floating mega-solar power plants at Nishihira Pond and Higashihira Pond in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The plants, inaugurated in late March, will generate an estimated 3,300 MWh per year in total—enough electricity to power approximately 920 typical households.

Alcoa names Perreiah president

Alcoa Building and Construction Systems has promoted Diana Bolt Perreiah to president, effective May 1, 2015. She replaces Glen Morrison, who has accepted a position to lead a North American subsidiary of Tarkett, an international flooring and sports surfaces company headquartered in France.

Webinar: “Piezoresponse force microscopy: From theory to advanced applications”

This informative webinar series on piezoresponse force microscopy will be presented in two parts. The first in the series is an “Introduction to PFM” while the second webinar will cover “Advanced PFM Techniques”. Presenters include PFM pioneers Dr. Sergei V. Kalinin, Director at the Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials and Theme Leader at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Asylum Research President and co-founder, Dr. Roger Proksch.

NASA selects American small business and research institution projects for further development

NASA has selected 149 research and technology proposals from American small businesses and research institutions that will enable NASA’s future missions and benefit America’s technology-driven economy. The selected proposals now will enter into negotiations for contract awards as part of Phase II of the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Technology Transfer Programs. The selected aerospace technology and innovation projects have a total value of approximately $118.1 million, supporting 117 U.S. firms and research institutions in 26 states.

Corning announces collaboration with OLEDWorks

Corning Incorporated announced a collaborative agreement with OLEDWorks to develop unique, flexible, and conformable OLED lighting solutions using Corning® Willow® Glass as an integrated substrate. These lighting panels will be used in architectural lighting and luminaries and are expected to provide two times the light output of traditional OLED lighting panels, enabling increased efficiency and lower power consumption.

GE to sell most capital assets, embrace its industrial core

GE will sell most of its GE Capital assets by 2018, a move that will reshape the company and further the role of its industrial businesses as the principal source of GE’s earnings. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt has said he wants to “profoundly change the company” and “lead the next generation of industrial progress.” By 2018, GE’s industrial businesses will generate at least 90 percent of GE’s operating earnings, according to the CEO, up from 58 percent last year.

Industrial production in March posts biggest drop since 2009

U.S. industrial production registered the biggest drop in almost six years last month, another sign that the economy got off to a stumbling start in 2015. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that industrial production—which includes factories, utilities and mines—slid 0.6 percent in March, the biggest drop since a 1.1 drop in May 2009. For the first three months of the year, industrial output fell at an annual rate of 1 percent, the worst quarterly performance since the first quarter of 2009 during the Great Recession.

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April Gocha