Glendale Water & Power has garnered a California Municipal Utilities Association Award for its Vending Miser program that reduces Energy to vending machines.

This award is the fifth time that the city-owned utility has won for their public benefits programs.

Glendale Water & Power is the first utility in Southern California to use the EnergyMiser technology on the 150 city-owned machines and 200 independently owned and operated machines receiving the program from the city at no charge.

The Vending Miser program will save an estimated $670,000 and eliminates 2,400 tons of carbon dioxide, according to the utility.

EnergyMisers uses infrared technology to temporarily shut down vending machine electricity to coolers or snack machines if there is 15 minutes of inactivity around the machine. When someone walks by again power is sent to the machine and the product is kept cold.

“Programs like these not only help our customers save money, it helps the utility reduce costs and we help the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions,” GWP General Manager Glenn Steiger said.

Fewer home video releases and a drop in video catalogue sales contributed to a decrease in filmed entertainment revenues for Time Warner Inc. during the 2009 fiscal year.

For the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, Warner Bros. brought in $11.1 billion in revenues, a 3 percent drop from the previous year.

Warner Bros. had a record year at the box office with assured hits like the latest installment in the “Harry Potter” franchise joined by out-of-leftfield films such as “The Hangover” and “The Blind Side.” Warner Home Video continued at number one in DVD sales, Blu-ray Disc sales, VOD and electronic sell-through.

Overall, the entertainment and media conglomerate showed an improvement for the 2009 fiscal year with a net income of $2.5 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, on revenues of $25.8 billion. For the previous year, the company reported a net loss of $13.4 billion, or $11.23 per diluted share, on revenues of $26.5 billion

For the fourth quarter, Time Warner reported net income of $627 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, on revenues of $7.3 billion. For the same period in 2008, the company reported a net loss of $16 billion, or $13.41 per diluted share, on revenues of $7.2 billion.

BlueFire Ethanol Fuels Inc. can begin final design and construction of a cellulosic ethanol plant near Lancaster after receiving an air permit from the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District.

The plant uses green waste from yard waste, grass clippings, woodchips and other organic sources to make ethanol. The plant has a capacity of 3.7 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.

The Irvine-based company chose Lancaster as the site for its first commercial plant because green waste already passes through the area on its way to an adjacent landfill, cutting down on deliveries and helping nearby cities manage landfill waste, said BlueFire President and CEO Arnold Klann.

“The Lancaster facility will incorporate the best control technologies available for air emissions and will strictly adhere to BlueFire’s commitment to protecting our natural resources,” Klann said.

Aircraft and Energy systems manufacturer AeroVironment Inc. revised its guidance on revenues for the year, anticipating lower sales due to the economy and a decrease in its backlog as customer orders are shipped.

The company put its guidance at 11 percent to 16 percent growth over 2008. The previous guidance had been 20 percent to 25 percent growth.

Monrovia-based AeroVironment has a facility in Simi Valley for developing and making small, pilotless planes used in combat zones.

For the third quarter ending Jan. 31, AeroVironment reported a net income of $4.5 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, on revenues of $52.2 million. That is a 24 percent decrease from the same period in 2008 when the company reported net income of $6 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, on revenues of $48.5 million.

As of Jan. 31, the company had $139 million in unfilled orders, which includes a $39 million order for the pilotless Raven aircraft system that began production in February.

Shares in AeroVironment closed down at $30.58.

Capstone Turbine Corp. has switched distributors for its microturbine Energy products in Southern California.

Chatsworth-based Capstone will now have Regatta Solutions representing its product line after mutually cutting ties with former distributor, Collicut Energy Services.

Capstone and Collicut agreed their respective business models were not similar enough to continue their distribution relationship.

Regatta came out of the gate in quick fashion with sales of Capstone microturbines to a U.S. military installation and a private school.

Regatta’s expertise and service is an example of how a new distributor can jumpstart the sales process, Capstone President and CEO Darren Jamison said.

“They have the customer base, contacts and Capstone focus needed to be successful in the busy Southern California market,” Jamison said.

Teledyne Technologies Inc. increased its net profits by 62 percent in the fourth quarter when compared to the previous year.

The Thousand Oaks-based developer and manufacturer for the defense, aerospace, and Energy industries reported net income of $32.2 million, or $0.88 per diluted share, on revenues of $454.4 million for the quarter ending Jan. 3. For the same period a year ago, the company reported net income of $19.9 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, on revenues of $464.8 million.

For the full fiscal year, Teledyne reported net income $113.3 million, or $3.10 per diluted share, on revenues of $1.8 billion. For the previous fiscal year, the company reported net income of $111.3 million, or $3.05 per diluted share, on revenues of $1.9 billion.

Teledyne management operated the company cautiously in 2009, with a focus on cost cutting, maximizing cash flow and improving operations, said Chairman, President and CEO Robert Mehrabian.

“While some of our commercial markets are beginning to improve, we expect weakness in selected government services businesses in 2010, and we will continue to manage the company appropriately,” Mehrabian said. “. In addition, given our strong cash flow and ample liquidity, we plan to pursue acquisitions more aggressively, as we have in prior years.”

Thousand Oaks Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. received a $5 million advanced research grant to develop higher biomass yields from its Energy grasses.

The three-year project is expected to begin next month.

Among the various types of tests, Ceres researchers will test advanced traits in a variety of Energy grasses such as switchgrass, sorghum and miscanthus. Upon successful completion, the Ceres traits would undergo a customary evaluation by USDA prior to full commercialization

“At the heart of our ambitions for a full-scale bioenergy industry will be how well we utilize our land resources,” said Richard Hamilton, Ceres chief executive. “With greater use of technology, increased productivity will go hand-in-hand with greater sustainability.”

The grant was given by the America Competes Act, a program managed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, part of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Capstone Turbine Corp. has switched distributors for its microturbine Energy products in Southern California.

Chatsworth-based Capstone will now have Regatta Solutions representing its product line after mutually cutting ties with former distributor, Collicut Energy Services.

Capstone and Collicut agreed their respective business models were not similar enough to continue their distribution relationship.

Regatta came out of the gate in quick fashion with sales of Capstone microturbines to a U.S. military installation and a private school.

Regatta’s expertise and service is an example of how a new distributor can jumpstart the sales process, Capstone President and CEO Darren Jamison said.

“They have the customer base, contacts and Capstone focus needed to be successful in the busy Southern California market,” Jamison said.

Electric car manufacturer Velozzi will use microturbines made by Capstone Turbine Corp. in its high-performance electric car and “Solo” crossover vehicle.

Velozzi is the first customer from the auto industry for Chatsworth-based Capstone.

The Velozzi Supercar will be powered by a 770-horsepower AC-induction electric motor charged by an on-board Capstone C65 microturbine. The supercar is designed to accelerate from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in just three seconds and reach a top speed of more than 200 mph, according to Velozzi.

Microturbines can extend the driving range of vehicles, an improvement over current technology in which the driving range is short between battery charges.

Velozzi vehicles will operate on 100 percent battery power in zero-emissions mode for a range of up to 200 miles. Then, when the batteries reach a pre-determined state of discharge, the Capstone microturbine recharges the batteries to add hundreds of miles to the driving range.

The diesel-fueled Capstone microturbines produce ultra-low emissions and require less maintenance than traditional combustion engines, which are used in today’s hybrid-electric vehicles. The microturbines can also run on diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol, methanol, jet fuel, propane and compressed natural gas.

Capstone was recently awarded a Department of Energy grant to develop a flex-fuel turbine that will operate on agricultural “syngas” and hydrogen.

“Capstone’s fuel system gives the driver the flexibility to use a multitude of Energy sources available today and in the future,” said Velozzi CEO Roberto Velozzi. “You don’t have to wait years for plug-in infrastructure or a new fuel infrastructure to be developed to charge or power Velozzi vehicles because our vehicles can use many fuels available today.”

Capstone joins the ranks of other Velozzi partners including several big-name suppliers, including Bayer, Bosch, PPG, Nanoledge, Camoplast, Pirelli, Visteon, Worwag, Bradford Industries, Henkel, Ashland, Saminco and Syvex.

“Velozzi has included microturbines in their car designs since the company’s inception,” said Jim Crouse, Capstone’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s an extremely progressive company committed to producing environmentally friendly, powerful and practical electric vehicles.”

To speed the adoption of solar power in homes and small businesses, One Block Off the Grid returns to the Los Angeles area with its group purchasing program.

The San Francisco-based firm has twice before offered the program to residents and businessowners throughout Los Angeles County, bringing in about 102 members who made the installations.

One Block co-founder David Llorens expressed confidence that new additions to the program – an online estimation tool and a group reward bringing savings with more members – will prove even successful.

Purchasing a solar installation can be a complicated and expensive venture and One Block Off the Grid wants to simplify the process in the nine U.S. cities it operates in.

“Then we can use group dynamics to spread the word and get the group to grow itself,” Llorens said. “That is a great way to increase the adoption of solar.”

Homes and businesses using solar power remain a small number even in a state like California with abundant sunshine.

The California Solar Initiative is trying to change that by offering incentive payments for home- and businessowners putting solar panels on their property.

Through early December, the initiative supervised by the state utilities commission had received 30,500 applications of which more than 23,000 had been completed for a total of 277 megawatts.

Los Angeles County ranked third in the state with 9.2 percent of the installations, putting it behind San Diego and Santa Clara counties.

Utilities like Southern California Edison and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power offer rebates on use of solar. In addition, there is a 30 percent federal tax credit.

These credits and rebates are automatically calculated in at the online estimation tool that One Block now offers at its website.

Tarzana resident Alexandre Emelianov found out about One Block from an online banner ad.

He had looked at getting solar panels from a chain home improvement store but didn’t care for the prices. The cost from One Block was much better, he said.

“It makes sense financially,” said Emelianov, who bought his Valley home in 2002. “I save money and my property value goes up and it is good for the environment.”

The current program accepts members through Feb. 9 after which those who have signed up will be contacted by SunWize Technologies Inc., the installer of the solar panels.

One Block chooses its installation partners through the request-for-proposal process and makes a final determination bases on criteria such as the stability of the company, the installation practices and customer service.

The installer can realize cost savings of its own because One Block members tend to cluster near each other so there is not a far distance to Travel between jobs, Llorens said.

Along with the group rates, One Block also offers general information about solar power to callers.