July 15, 2010
JR Ewing, the worlds most ruthless oil baron, is now promoting solar power. He has turned his back on black gold and starring in an advert for solar panels.
Almost 20 years after hanging up his trademark 10-gallon hat in the TV drama Dallas, actor Larry Hagman is reprising his most famous role in an advertisement for SolarWorld, a German-based manufacturer of solar panels.
In the ad, JR Ewing says the oil industry has become “too dirty”, prompting a search for another money making opportunity.
“In the past it was always about the oil. The oil was flowing and so was the money,” he says.
“But I’m still in the energy business. There’s always a better alternative,” he adds, gazing up at the roof of his California mansion covered in solar panels and flashing a grin of perfect sparkling teeth.
In real life Hagman, 78, is a keen green. In 2003 his mountaintop home near Santa Barbara, was fitted with the country’s largest residential solar power system in 2003, reportedly cutting the actor’s annual electricity bill from $37,000 (£24,000) to $13.
The panels on his 46 acre estate soak up so much sun that he is frequently able to sell power generated by them back to his local electricity company.
Hagman says he decided to film the 30-second advertisement after becoming angry at the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
“With all that oil gushing away in the Gulf I figured it was time to call for a new direction in where we’re getting our energy,” he told the New York Times.
“Since Sarah Palin is saying ‘Drill, baby, drill’ I’m saying ‘Shine, baby, shine’. It’s a lot cheaper and cleaner.”
June 1, 2010
Panasonic is making a big move into the domestic solar panel business.
Next month The Panasonic Group will launch in Japan its HIT(R) 215 Series* household solar power generation systems.
Panasonic will be able to provide overall energy-saving systems for homes that will include rechargeable batteries, heating and air conditioning, security systems and Net-linking gadgets besides solar panels, which will all be hooked up to each other, he said.
Homes will be able to save on utility costs by selling surplus power from solar power generation systems, and using water heaters at night when utility rates are cheaper, he said.
“You will be living with virtually zero carbon-dioxide emissions through creating, saving, storing and managing energy,” Sakamoto said in Tokyo.
It is the first series of collaborative products to be developed since SANYO became a part of the Group. The launch signifies how the newly extended group has combined its collective strengths for a full-scale entry into the solar cell business.
The new products combine SANYO’s solar power generation modules with Panasonic’s energy management technology, construction materials, and electrical technology, and will be broadly promoted across the companies’ various sales routes, including home appliances, electrical and construction products.
In doing so, the Panasonic Group and aims to establish a position as the top manufacturer in the market with a target share in Japan of at least 35% by 2012.
April 16, 2010
TAKE a trip around emerging Asia these days and you won’t just see skyscrapers and coal-fired power plants growing out of places where there were once nothing but fields. Wind turbines, solar energy plants, incinerator manufacturers, water treatment plants and microirrigation developments are just as likely to spring up before your eyes.
There is now recognition in the region that sustainable growth requires tackling the environmental issues such as water scarcity and climate change that have arisen as a result of rapid population growth.
Fund managers looking for strong growth opportunities are increasingly targeting environmental and sustainable industries. Khiem Le, a manager of the Axa WF Framlington Global Environment Fund, says the opportunities in the sector mean it will enjoy plenty of demand from institutional investors, unlike other industries such as auto, media or even finance. Firms across the region such as Chinese smart meter provider Wasion, Indian microirrigation firm Jain Irrigation and Manila Water in the Philippines are benefiting as a result.
While the Axa fund is global, some funds are targeting the Asia-Pacific area specifically. Impax Asset Management launched its Asian Environmental Markets closed-end investment trust last October to do just that and Jupiter followed suit in mid-December with its China Sustainable Growth fund.
The Impax investment trust has a total fund size of £122.6m and its net asset value (NAV) has grown by 10.3 per cent since its launch. The four-month-old Jupiter open-ended fund is gently building up assets under management – it currently has around £19m.
These funds seek long-term returns, making them ideal for pension funds – the second biggest declared shareholder in Impax’s Asian Environmental Markets trust is the London Pension Fund Authority. The biggest shareholder is Invesco Perpetual, which is gaining from Impax’s environmental expertise and network in both the region and the sector. Both funds are looking to get in early and capitalise on emerging Asia’s long-term growth prospects.
Policy is also shifting, says Bruce Jenkyn-Jones, who manages the Impax fund: “We detected a sea-change in the approach of governments in the region to the [environmental] sector and the propensity to launch budgets and policies to support it.” For example, the past few years have seen Chinese wind turbine manufacturers becoming competitive with US producers, thanks in part to government support.
Fund managers looking at growing their exposure to Asian environmental markets should not try to find the perfect company. Philip Ehrmann, manager of the Jupiter China Sustainable Growth fund, says that in an environment which is so young and where there is so much change, you won’t find them. “We are seeking companies which make money as a result of becoming leaders in their fields and contributing towards sustainable growth,” he explains. “As they make progress, so do you and you can increase your exposure.”
August 24, 2009
In just over a decade China is expected to become the world’s largest producer and consumer of alternative energy, according to experts.
China’s installed wind capacity has doubled in each of the past four years.
In addition, in just a little over four years, a mix of government and foreign investment has transformed the Chinesport city of Tianjin city into the global manufacturing hub of the world’s wind power industry.
The country also has one third of the global solar panel market.
Many experts now seem reasonably optimistic that China could meet its ambitious renewable energy plans to derive at least 15 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. The country also is striving to reduce energy intensity per unit of GDP by 20 percent over a five-year period.
All this in a country that has some of the worlds most polluted air and water.
Ironically the country is poised to be at once the world’s leader in alternative energy — and its leading emitter of C02.
Alternative energy as a percentage of the total energy mix is increasing, but it will complement — not replace — growth in coal power. In fact, in a decade coal is expected to supply about 70 percent of China’s energy. Because of the sheer scale, diversity, and complexity of China, it is possible for the country to take some great green leaps forward while at the same time having its rivers remain black and its air quality a health hazard.
China is set to rule the global solar panel market having already captured a third of the world market.
The credit crunch has hit solar power companies in the West, but not Chinese firms. They have taken advantage of the moment to flood the world with solar panels, driving down the retail price from $4.20 per watt last year to nearer $2 in what some say is a cut-throat drive for market share.
In addition Suntech Power from Wuxi has just broken the world record for capturing photovoltaic solar energy, achieving a 15.6pc conversion rate with a commercial-grade module.
The UK can achieve grid parity for households by 2013, seven years sooner than expected says Jeremy Leggett, founder of Britain’s Solar Century.
Its is believed that south-facing roofs and facades in Britain could one day provide a third of UK electricity needs.
August 16, 2009
Householders convinced that the UK does not have enough sunshine to effectively use solar panels are ‘wrong’, according to a domestic solar panel advisor.
The UK energy advisor Heat my Home has explained that the panels operate on solar radiation not sun rays and the UK gets enough of this to run solar.
Stuart Lovatt of Heat my Home said: “One unique selling point with solar is the longevity. A good quality system will easily last 30 years, so the long-term benefits of solar are obvious.
“How many things today can you buy with such a long lifespan, but solar does, and this makes it a perfect investment if you are thinking long-term such as retirement.”
Germany is the biggest installer of solar panels in Europe and shares a similar climate to that in the UK, both of which receive around 60 per cent of the solar radiation levels the equator does.
August 14, 2009
A supply glut of polysilicon—the key raw material used in photovoltaic solar panels—promises cheaper solar panels in the years to come. In the short term the price drop has led to many solar panel manufacturers suffering large losses but analysts are hopeful the lower prices will make the technology more competitive with conventionally generated power.
The drop in polysilicon, though hurting earnings now, will be beneficial over the long termas it will make solar a more competitively priced alternative to other forms of power and boosts demand. In an Aug. 13 research note, UBS analyst Robin Cheng said she expects photovoltaic electricity to be competitive with power from the grid by 2010 in those parts of Europe and the U.S. that get more regular sunshine, and by 2014 in regions that experience more cloud cover.
August 7, 2009
Fascinating article in Scientific American reports how mirrors are harnessing the sun to generate electricity in California.
Californian Power Tower
In southern California’s Antelope Valley, 24,000 silver-bright mirrors have been positioned to reflect light on two 50-meter-tall towers. And at 11:08 A.M. local time Wednesday, this concentrated light heated steam in those towers to turn a turbine— the first “power towers” in the U.S. to convert the sun’s heat into electricity for commercial use.
Dubbed Sierra SunTower, the power plant can produce five megawatts, enough to power roughly 4,000 local homes at full capacity—and provide the modular blueprint for larger plants in California and New Mexico, according to eSolar the Pasadena start-up behind the power plant.
“We call this a commercial demonstration,” says eSolar senior vice president of engineering Craig Tyner. “A 46-megawatt commercial design will incorporate 16 of these towers, two of which we have at Sierra” as well as more than 200,000 mirrors capable of generating at least 90 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.
Brunei, one of the world’s top oil and gas producers, is venturing into alternative energy with the construction of Southeast Asia’s largest solar power plant, officials said yesterday.
The plant will supply 1.2 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, the equivalent of powering about 400 homes, according to Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation which is fully funding the project.
Although Brunei is blessed with abundant natural energy reserves, the government is keen to pursue energy conservation, said a Mitsubishi spokesperson.
“The government wants to promote other energy sources in order to more effectively utilise their precious natural resources”.
