In the US, Ineos New Planet BioEnergy has finalised $75 million (€52 million) in private financing, utilising funds awarded by the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) loan guarantee programme for its new BioEnergy Center.

The financing will be used to complete the project, including equipment, engineering and construction.

In the UK, Hetas has become the nation's only officially recognised body for the quality assurance system ENplus, after being approved by the European Pellet Council.

'ENplus means that producers and traders can prove their product quality is managed throughout the entire supply chain, including production, storage and transport,' says Hetas' Mark Russell. 'For their customers it means reliable heating – vital for commercial users such as schools, businesses and local authorities.'

In Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada, pulp mill Millar Western Forest Products is planning to construct a biomass-fired power plant.

The new plant, estimated to cost in the region of $35 million (€35.6 million), would be designed to handle the mill's wastewater, converting this into 5.2MW of renewable energy a year.

ORNL researchers applied a technique called electrochemical strain microscopy that enables them to examine the dynamics of oxygen reduction/evolution reactions in fuel cell materials, which may reveal ways to redesign or cut the costs of the energy devices. The team's findings were published in Nature Chemistry.

In the UK, supermarket giant Tesco's organic waste-derived ethanol has been certified by OFGEM, the government's energy official.

The ethanol, which has been under development for 2 years, has seen Tesco granted a Renewable Obligation Certificate, confirming the fuel contains no traces of additional fossil fuels and is 100% renewable.

In Georgia, US, Beasley Forest Products and Land Care Services have partnered for the development of a biomass-fired power plant to be located in Dublin in Laurens County.

Upon completion, slated for October 2012, the 56MW Green Power Solutions plant will be the largest of its kind in Georgia.

A number of wood pellet production plants are due to come online in the US and Canada during the coming years as demand from Europe and Asia looks set to grow.

According to the North American Wood Fiber Review, North America exported almost 1.5 million tonnes of wood pellets to Europe in 2010. Demand here will continue to grow as the 27 member states must source 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.

In Alberta, Canada, construction has started on a biogas plant that will generate 2.85MW a year of renewable power.

The $30 million (€20.9 million) plant is being developed by partners ECB Enviro North America and PlanEt Biogas Solutions of Ontario.

Foams are used for numerous day-to-day uses, including in the manufacture of furniture and car interiors. In many composite material applications, they are used as core material in "sandwich" panels to achieve high strength, weight reduction, energy dissipation and insulation.