Infrastructure US

Macquarie NexGen Global Infrastructure Corporation

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:34:00 +0000

NexGen Financial Limited Partnership ("NexGen") announced today that it is proposing separate meetings of the Class A and Class B shareholders of Macquarie NexGen Global Infrastructure Corporation (TSX Stock Symbol "MNF") to consider the merger of MNF into NexGen Canadian Balanced Growth Tax Managed Fund (the "NexGen Fund"), an open-end mutual fund managed by NexGen.

The merger is being proposed to address the economic inefficiencies of operating MNF which has significantly decreased in size primarily due to redemptions since its initial public offering. The proposed merger is expected to provide shareholders of MNF with the following benefits:

* Lower Costs - As a result of the size of the NexGen Fund (approximately $118 million) and the corporate structure of MNF, the management expense ratio (being the total costs divided by the average net asset value) of the NexGen Fund is substantially less than that of MNF. Accordingly, shareholders of MNF are anticipated to realize significant cost savings.

* Enhanced Liquidity - An investor in the NexGen Fund is entitled to redeem all or any portion of his shares daily at the applicable net asset value (with no discount). Accordingly, shareholders of MNF will experience enhanced liquidity in respect of their investment and no discount to the net asset value per share will be applied on redemption.

* Continued Distributions - Shareholders of MNF will receive shares of the Return of Capital Class of the NexGen Fund in exchange for their shares of MNF. Currently, such NexGen Fund shares receive a fixed monthly dividend at a rate of $0.75 annually ($0.0625 per security monthly or 7.5% annually) per security (based upon a $10 net asset value per share) compared to a fixed monthly dividend at a rate of $0.36 annually ($0.03 per security monthly or 3.6% annually) for MNF. The distribution is comprised of return of capital for tax purposes. At December 31, 2010, the net asset value per share of the NexGen Fund was $9.45.

Additional details respecting the differences between MNF and the NexGen Fund are contained in the management information circular.

The board of directors of MNF has approved the proposed merger. Details regarding the proposed merger will be contained in a management information circular which is expected to be mailed to MNF shareholders in early February. The circular will be available on www.sedar.com and posted on NexGen's website.

In addition to the approval of the MNF's shareholders, the merger is also subject to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals. Under the merger proposal, shareholders of MNF will receive shares of the NexGen Fund, the number to be based upon the relative net asset values of the MNF and NexGen Fund shares.

The proposed merger is expected to be a deferred taxable transaction for shareholders of MNF. Shareholders of MNF are encouraged to read the circular in its entirety and consult with their advisors regarding the proposed merger. The meeting date is on March 28, 2011 with an effective share exchange date of April 15, 2011.

"Given MNF assets have dropped to $23 million, it is no long cost effective to maintain MNF as a TSX listed security. We believe the proposed merger is the best way to provide existing investors with a similar investment which provides tax efficient monthly income and liquidity" said Laurie Munro, President and Chief Executive Officer of NexGen Financial Limited Partnership.

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Spain Opens New High-Speed Rail, Now Best in Europe

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:19:00 +0000

Spain is joining the ranks of several other countries by laying more high-speed capable track, paving the way for reduced travel time and improved infrastructure.

Last week in Madrid, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos opened a high-speed railroad linking Madrid, the Spanish capital and largest city, and Valencia, the country's third-largest city after Barcelona. The new track means Spain holds the crown of Europe's biggest high-speed rail network, underlining the extent to which infrastructure spending has been at the heart of the country's boom-and-bust economy.

The 242-mile link between Madrid and Valencia extended Spain's high-speed rail lines to slightly more than 1,240 miles. France has 1,178 miles and Germany has about 800 miles.

To achieve Europe's current high-speed rail gold standard hasn't been cheap, with the projecting currently surpassing $15.7 billion, including the construction of a handful of new railway stations - adding to Spain's acute budgetary difficulties, which have recently unsettled investors and sent its borrowing costs soaring.

Spain is also in cahoots with France over a new rail line that will split the Pyrenees mountains, a move that will eventually lead to a cross-border, high-speed rail link connecting Paris, Barcelona and Madrid.

China currently possesses the most significant investment in high-speed rail which will increase further when it plans to cover 8,125 miles by 2012 and 10,000 miles by 2020. Overall China will have 42 high-speed routes. In comparison, across the Atlantic President Obama has insisted the US will improve on its ailing rail infrastructure. However despite planned high-speed rail networks in California, the US will still lag well behind China and Europe.

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California's High-Speed Rail Network

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:54:00 +0000

Below is a video outlining California's potential high-speed rail network (HSR), which, if everything goes to plan, will begin construction in 2012, with the main line, linking San Francisco and Los Angeles completed by 2015.

Currently, there are 500 million travellers' trips between the states different regions, which analysts estimate will increase to one billion travellers by 2030. California's HSR will service 10 percent of those commuters.

The track will run for 800 miles, and incorporate San Francisco, San Jose, Merced, Sacremento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Palmdale, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego. The train is projected to run at 220 miles-per-hour which would halve the travel time for travellers.

As an environmental option, the HSR is three times more efficient than air travel and five times more efficient than cars - a key component in the US' turn towards reducing its carbon footprint. In total, the HSR should reduce California's oil use by 12.7 million barrels annually.

With construction of the HSR beginning in 2012, 650,000 contracting construction jobs will be created, along with 450,000 permanent positions - which will constitute the largest public works on US soil in 50 years.

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Beijing to Shanghai in 5 Hours? New Train Hits 300 MPH

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:41:00 +0000

China's newest record-breaking high-speed train hit a record 312 miles-per-hour in a test run last week, breaking the previous speed record for an unmodified train.

The new train will be in operation from 2012, and initially will run between Beijing and Shanghai, effectively halving the original journey time of 10 hours.

The new high-speed track will add to existing high-speed infrastructure. China already has the world's longest high-speed rail network, and it plans to cover 8,125 miles (13,000 kilometers) by 2012 and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020. China will have 42 high-speed routes, while the US plans to have two.

The CRH380A train was revealed in Beijing at the China National Convention Center, and has already received interest from other countries keen to impart similar high-speed rail infrastructure.

After attending a briefing by China South Locomotive, an Iranian government official said Iran is considering buying the Chinese high-speed train.

"We definitely want to import it," an Israeli railways executive also said.

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Electric Cars Could Paralyse Utilities Grid

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:17:00 +0000

America's antiquated grid is likely to come under enormous strain when the first wave of mass-market electric cars go on sale next month, according to the Associated Press. On its own, an electric car can draw the same quantity of electricity as a small house, so in theory, a market flooded with electric cars has the potential to knock out whole grids.

This concern is being reflected in parts of California, Texas and North Carolina, where utilities companies are replacing and upgrading transformers in neighborhoods where the roll-out of electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are expected to be in high demand. Those transformers that distribute power from the electrical grid to homes are often designed to handle fewer than a dozen. For a household, adding an additional electric car will "doub[e] the load of a conventional home," says Karl Rabago, who leads Austin Energy's electric vehicle-readiness program.

Despite scrambling to improve the grid, the roll-out of so many electric cars still has auto executives expecting teething problems. "We are all going to be a lot smarter two years from now," says Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan North America.

Unlike other household appliances like microwaves and refrigerators, the car battery can be charged faster, and therefore draw more power. The first Leafs and Volts can draw 3,300 watts, and both carmakers may boost that to 6,600 watts soon. The Tesla Roadster, an electric sports car with a huge battery, can draw 16,800 watts. That's the equivalent of 280 60-watt light bulbs.

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Smartphones Will be a Digital Wallet

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Smartphones are slowly replacing traditional dial and text mobile phones, and as they do they gradually change the face of IT and telecoms infrastructure. Soon mobile phones could pose as not only a device to call a friend, but as a passport and credit card.

Morten Hother Sørensen, Vice President at TDC spoke at length at the Next Generation Telecoms Summit about advancements in mobile technology - detailing the future of smartphones arcing towards a complete payment service. Morten suggested that future smartphones would incorporate software to be utilised as a passport, cash, driver's license, public ID, health insurance, debit card and supermarket loyalty cards, among others.

As a mobile banking aid, smartphones could be used for information services, account balance and transfer, transaction history, and could be used as a payment service with P2P payments, tickets, parking, bill payments and used as a debit card, in a store.

The system of relying solely on a mobile phone as an ‘all-in-one' wallet has several advantages, according to the delegates at the summit. From a governmental perspective, removing cash from the system and utilizing mobile payments provide a better opportunity for governments to collect taxes and potentially improve perception of security.

Financially, mobile payments cut out the middle man - in this instance allowing the customer to forgo dealing with a checkout assistant and self-serve, and lower the cost of cash handling. Online transactions (in theory) limit the chances for human error, and with value-based payments and offers, should see increased loyalty from mobile customers.

Those challenges posed at the summit centre around infrastructure; getting the correct support development and increasing processing speeds to speed up point of sale transactions. Morten highlighted that traditional plastic cards would need to be replaced by chip-based UICC SIM, which would be slotted into the phone, and shop terminals would be updated with "NFC readers or made available through SMS or IP-addresses."

In fact, the future of mobile payments isn't very futuristic at all. Starbucks, the coffee giant, has already rolled out a mobile payment scheme which incorporates a ‘pay point' on site which reads a pre-sent Starbuck's card number off a customer's mobile phone.

At the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed that he thought a Google Android-powered smartphone would eventually replace the credit card. "This could replace your credit card," Schmidt said. "The reason this NFC chip is so interesting is because the credit card industry thinks the loss rate is going to be much better, they're just more secure."

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Security Focus Will Be Key to the Banking Future

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:03:00 +0000

US Stocks reported good growth this week after the tech giant Fortinet approached network security company International Business Machines Corp about a possible takeover. Shares for fellow network security company Sourcefire Inc. also bolstered stock trading on Wall Street. Both mergers indicate that the banking community is keen to seek security for a safer consumer future.

With advancements in technology, public awareness and ease of use, mobile, voice and web-based banking has now become a preferred mode of business rather than previous methods like over-the-counter and postal transactions. A Financial Committee feel security focus will be key to the banking future; they will meet at the FST US Summit at the start of the financial year.

2010 has not only brought high unemployment and slow economic growth but also a large increase in fraud. Today's cyber criminals have adopted more sophisticated methods to commit fraud and are exploiting financial vulnerabilities in the global payments system, often without detection. This is an enormous red flag for banks, as a successful attack on customers' accounts can hinder business, trust and reputation. Therefore it is imperative for banks and financial institutions to implement superior security management programs in order to decrease both external and internal risks and minimize vulnerability of their systems.
The United States has had a continuing reliance on credit and debit cards that store unencrypted information on a magnetic stripe, which has made them a prime target for hackers and cyber criminals.

Representatives from Citigroup - Raymond Lipps, SVP Group Information Security Officer, ING Group - Alan Boehme, SVP and Head of IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture, Bank of America - Brad Mattocks, SVP Global Technology Strategy & Architecture, Nasdaq OMX Group - Mats Andersson, CTO and Guardian Life Insurance - Frank Wander, SVP and CIO were quoted: "Most of the developed world, including China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Canada is switching to bank cards that have embedded smart chips with account data in an encrypted form."

The end goal of all IT projects should be in the customer's best interest. From comprehensive document management, integrating customer data and enacting security policies and measures that assure data protection and privacy, the CIO's role in customer acquisition and retention is crucial.

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Latin America's Goal for Energy Independence

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Latin Americas' goal for energy independence is tied to its offshore oil and gas reserves. Experts from the illustrious O&G LA 20 committee believe that the offshore sector will become even more important in the future as the industry shifts to deeper waters.

A spokesperson for the committee set to meet in Rio de Janeiro, early next year chaired by Juan Carlos Zepeda, President CNH, Tomas Vargas, Vice President BPZ and Guimar Vaca Coca, MD Americas Petrogas stated this week "There is an apparent need to expand on the offshore services available. Whether it's deploying workers on and off rigs, improving offshore safety, or making sure subsea construction is done as efficient as possible, marine servicing has expanded thoroughly throughout the Americas."

But rapid expansion in offshore developments comes with tremendous risk. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico highlighted how susceptible deep-water drilling has become, and how difficult a leak is to suppress at such depths. But oil extractors are left with no choice but to drill to such depths, as the global demand for crude increases, whilst shallow wells become exhausted.

Drilling deeper - to lengths greater than a mile - requires technically demanding drilling and complex equipment and seriously reduces the room for error. And as those who witnessed the spread of crude throughout the Gulf of Mexico, it also makes stemming the flow and repairing crippled riser pipes and underwater wells that much more challenging.

The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico bares stark comparisons with the Lusi mud volcano in Indonesia, which many commentators have suggested was triggered by deep exploratory drilling in an environment with little-to-no room for error. In the Lusi case, those drilling failed to seal the well, which eventually led to the blow-out of catastrophic proportions. Like the Gulf of Mexico spill, both deep drilling adventures have caused a catastrophic impact on the environment.

With demand increasing, and supply dwindling, simple math dictates that more catastrophic spills and blow-outs are likely on the horizon. More drilling will take place in environmental hot-spots and difficult areas, where accidents like the Gulf of Mexico spill - major, hard to stem leaks - are likely to happen with more frequency. Safety regulations should be evolving to adjust to this new reality, resulting in better legislation for equipment like blow-out valves and shut-off triggers, and the necessary equipment in place to tackle a sprung leak.

And it is with this in mind, Latin America must tread carefully whilst securing energy independence. It will be imperative for those attending the O&G LA 20 in Rio de Janeiro to outline the safest practices whilst expanding its energy quotas.

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Large Power Solar Tower Gets Go-Ahead in California

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:39:00 +0000

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating system, a project proposed by BrightSource of Oakland in 2007 and expected to begin construction in 2009 has finally got the go-ahead to be built, with a completion date of 2013.

The project is a boon for solar power tower projects in the US; similar projects like the 10 MW Solar One and Solar Two heliostat demonstration projects in the Mojave Desert have now been decommissioned.

However the new project will create 1100 jobs and should produce up to 370 megawatts of clean energy, according to Brightsources' website. The project will be located in San Bernardino Country, and once completed will be the largest solar-energy project on US public soil to use the power tower.

The Power Tower

According to Brightsource, the proposed project includes "three solar concentrating thermal power plants, based on distributed power tower and heliostat mirror technology, in which heliostat (mirror) fields focus solar energy on power tower receivers near the center of each heliostat array."

In other words, mirrors concentrate heat into water contained within a tower, which releases enough steam to cause a turbine to turn, generating electricity. The mirrors track the sun, meaning they have a sun-tracking control system that is able to calibrate heliostats and monitor the performance of each heliostat within the field. This enables the tower to receive the maximum amount of direct sunlight, which generates more heat, more steam and consequently greater oscillation of the turbine, which creates more electricity.

The site at San Bernardino Country will need to be large, with each 100-MW site requiring approximately 850-acres (or 1.3 square miles). The 200-MW site would require approximately 1,600-acres (or 2.5 square miles) and would have four tower receivers and arrays.

To house the Power Towers and the operation and administration buildings would require an area in the region of 3,400-acres (or 5.3 square miles).

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US Well Placed in Battery Production for Hybrids

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:19:00 +0100

By 2020, more than half of new vehicle sales are expected to be hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid and all-electric models. And in the global race to develop and produce advanced lithium-ion batteries for these vehicles, the United States is well-positioned to be a worldwide leader, according to a new study from Duke University.

It hasn't always been this way. When hybrids first appeared, Japan beat the United States by about 10 years with its Toyota Prius, the report by researchers at Duke's Center for Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness notes. But while the Prius runs on a nickel metal hydride battery, the next generation of hybrid and electric cars will overwhelmingly use lithium-ion batteries, which have yet to be fully developed, commercialized and mass-produced for use in vehicles.

Marcy Lowe, lead author of the report, explains that nearly all lithium-ion batteries for cell phones and laptops today are currently made in Asia, even though a University of Texas professor helped develop the technology in the 1980s. "However, advancing the battery technology so it can power vehicles opens a whole new window of opportunity," she says. "And this time around, the US has learned to be quicker and more strategic."

The report indicates that thanks largely to stimulus funds, the US supply chain has 119 sites spread out across 27 states that could play relevant roles in the production of advanced car batteries. "According to announced capacity expansions, the United States will have a 40 percent share of global capacity to produce lithium-ion batteries for vehicles by 2015," the report says. "Funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 have jumpstarted the US industry from only two battery pack plants pre-ARRA, to 30 planned sites, all playing key roles across the value chain - including materials, components, and production of cells and battery packs."

Lowe says US advantages include advanced research capabilities, a well-established auto manufacturing sector, supportive government policies and the industry's projection that the largest share of electric vehicles in the near future will be made in the US.

The US push includes an effort to tap universities' research strengths and bring new technologies to market. One small startup company, Tec-Cel, grew out of a class project for graduate students in North Carolina State University's MBA program. Tec-Cel aims to commercialize lithium-ion battery applications based on nanofiber technology invented by NC State professor Xiangwu Zhang.

Also, two of the four major cell components that go into a lithium-ion battery have major US manufacturers - Ohio-based Novolyte, with 30 years of experience in electrolytes (also used in other battery types), and North Carolina-based Celgard, with 20-30 percent of the global market in separators. Two additional North Carolina firms, FMC Lithium and Chemetall Foote, together supply nearly 50 percent of the world's demand for lithium.

The Duke research team says the emerging industry still faces fierce competition from Asia, and further domestic capabilities are needed in several aspects of battery cell making, including the production of cathodes and anodes. And competing with low-cost Asian manufacturing will require bringing down costs through advanced, automated production.

As in any new industry, it is difficult to know exactly when the market for electric car batteries will take off, making it tricky to time capacity expansions, Lowe says. Battery firms worldwide seem to be playing a "wait-and-see" game. "What's at stake here is not just batteries, but the very basis of the future auto industry," she explains. "And if you're going to be in the right place at the right time, you have to commit and invest, even if no one can tell you for sure when that ‘right' time will arrive."

Jackie Roberts, Director of Sustainable Technologies for Environmental Defense Fund, the study's sponsor, believes that "tremendous economic opportunities in electric vehicles exist for the US", provided the customer-demand for such products is also created. "Eventually, we think that mandatory limits on greenhouse gases will not only avoid long-term consequences of climate change, but also help create markets and jobs for American workers," she says.

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Verizon Launches Global Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:46:00 +0100

Verizon Global Wholesale is expanding its Infrastructure-as-a-Service to wholesale customers globally. IaaS is available in countries in such regions as Europe and Asia-Pacific, on an individual-case basis. The service has been available to U.S. wholesale customers since June.

Verizon's IaaS is a highly resilient on-demand infrastructure delivery platform that allows wholesale customers to quickly change resources in the quantity and duration necessary to meet changing business needs.

This dynamic service gives wholesale customers a competitive advantage by enabling them to configure and reconfigure their computing infrastructure round-the-clock and monitor the performance and availability of their applications, while knowing their content is secure and reliable.

"Verizon's wholesale IaaS service offers a level of flexibility for our customers that gives them the power to manage through usage spikes such as seasonal demands, marketing promotions or end-of-the-month events, while maintaining availability of critical services and reducing their cost to do business," said Quintin Lew, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon Global Wholesale.

With the easy-to-use customer management portal, wholesale customers can control their own IaaS configurations to perform such functions as:

* Dynamically move, add or remove resources such as physical and virtual services, storage, firewall, backup and support services.

* Manage connectivity and network components.

* View detailed reports on the resources deployed.

* Open and view service requests.

* Access to comprehensive online help.

"When it comes to cloud services, Verizon offers a level of stability and reliability to address the three areas with which customers are most concerned: security, control and on-demand scalability," said Lew. "Verizon's IaaS solution addresses all of these -- and more -- with a comprehensive solution that leverages a world-class data center footprint and one of the largest networks in the world."

Verizon's Global Wholesale IaaS offers a variety of feature choices to create unique configurations that can meet each customer's needs, including service levels of management, firewalls, load balancing, multitiered networking, remote access and network connectivity options. Wholesale customers can create and label their configurations according to the application, project or business function supported, as well as provision multiple configurations and make changes as needed.

In addition, subject to terms and conditions, the company is offering its wholesale customers an optional 30-day trial period of its IaaS offering, providing an opportunity for them to experience the full benefits of the service and the possibilities it brings to their businesses.

For more information, go to Verizon Global Wholesale.

Solar Sail, Enough Renewable Energy for Earth�s Population?

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:25:00 +0100

Scientists at Washington State University have proposed a renewable energy behemoth: A solar sail that traps solar wind deep in the atmosphere.

The idea is essentially splicing traditional solar and wind renewable principles, only on a far, far larger scale. To put the sheer size of the sail in perspective, the sail proposed will be 5,220-miles-wide - which is almost the same width at Russia from east-to-west - that will float in space and collect electrons radiating from the sun at hundreds of miles per second, pass these particles to a central spherical receiver, which produces a current.

To further highlight the energy capabilities of such a monster, the scientists have stipulated that 984-feet of copper wire attached to a 6.6-foot-wide receiver with a 33-foot sail would generate the energy necessary to power 1000 homes.

In principle the scientists say the concept could generate 1 billion, billion gigawatts of power, far more power than humanity need. The only problem? Transferring the collecting energy the millions of miles back to earth.

"It's quite amazing how much power it can actually produce," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch, a scientist at Washington State University and a co-author of the paper, which appears in the International Journal of Astrobiology. "In principle it should work quite well, but there are some practical issues."

The practical issues, aside from the sci-fi-esque nature of a Russia-wide sail floating millions of miles above the earth's surface, is how to transfer the energy captured on the sail's surface back to the earth for consumption, without losing the majority of it to deep space.

Of the electricity collected, a small majority would be used to power the sail's magnetic field; the rest would be lasered back to earth by strategically placed satellites, in a kind of intergalactic game of crack the whip.

However the distances between satellites are extreme, which mean that the laser would spread to thousands of miles wide, according to John Mankins, president of solar power consulting firm Artemis Innovation. He is quoted in New Scientist saying you would need "stupendously huge optics, such as a virtually perfect lens between maybe 10 to 100 kilometers (6.2 to 62 miles) across," to capture the laser.

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Food Productivity Needs to Double By 2050

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:12:00 +0100

In 2050, the population will balloon to such an extent that farmers will be required to double food production. "We have 40 years in which to double agricultural output, but we have to do it in a sustainable fashion with the same amount of land, less water and reduced inputs," said Bill Lesher, executive director of Global Harvest Initiative, the consortium of major agricultural companies, including Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, DuPont and Deere & Co.

The comment was in relation to the agricultural productivity report, which was in conjunction with the Farm Foundation, NFP, a public policy group, and the U.S. department of Agriculture's Economics Research Service (ERS).

"We need to do more with less and we must start implementing measures and policies that increase productivity today," Lesher said.
And he's right. With current estimates, the global population in 2050 will be 9.2 billion, farmers and food production will need to get smarter with public and private investments in "science and technology" to boost agricultural productivity, according to the report.

The report said doubling agricultural output to meet global demand by 2050 will require an annual average growth of at least 1.75 percent in "total factor productivity" - defined as the increase in output per unit of total resources employed in production. Between 2000 and 2007, USDA's ERS estimates global agricultural total factor productivity growth averaged 1.4 percent per year.

"To close the gap without additional land and resources, we must increase the rate of productivity growth an average of 25 percent more per year over the next 40 years," said Neil Conklin, president of the Farm Foundation.

Currently cereals and root and tuber crops make up more than 60 percent of the global diet, but by 2050 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expects those staples will make up only 54 percent of food consumption, while animal proteins like meat and dairy, and vegetable oils will rise to nearly 40 percent of the global diet from about one-third today.

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Plenty of Investment for East Coast Offshore Wind

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:16:00 +0100

Despite the controversy surrounding the Cape Wind offshore farm and other US east coast offshore projects, several investors are apparently happy to plough money into eastern renewable energy projects.

One project, the Atlantic Wind Connection project developed by Trans-Elect Development Corp, which involves a 350-mile long underwater transmission line stretching from Virginia to New Jersey, aims to tap into the vast wind potential identified off the coast. Google Inc. are one company that have backed the initial investment, which would see the eastern states achieve twin goals of promoting cleaner energy and decreasing its independence on fossil fuels. The $5 billion underwater network would channel electricity from wind turbines scattered off the Atlantic coast, enough to light up 1.9 million homes.

And it is a hefty investment. The proposed undersea transmission backbone would cost $5 billion and be capable of carrying 6,000 megawatts of power, enough to serve 1.9 million homes, according to Robert Mitchell, CEO of Trans-Elect Development Corp.

The transmission has run into mixed reviews however, who see the backbone transmission as an unnecessary part of the planned wind farms. Yet backers have stipulated that without the backbone transmission system, the regional power grid would probably not be able to handle any new offshore wind projects after an initial 1,000 megawatts are deployed.

Erich Stephens, of Offshore MW, which wants to build 360 megawatts of offshore wind capacity 14 miles off the Jersey coast, agreed. "These projects can move forward with or without this backbone," said Stephens, who also questioned claims by Atlantic Wind Connection that its project would save consumers money in the long run.

"The cost of this proposal is many times greater than all of the interconnection costs of currently proposed projects," Jennings noted. "Our objective is to build these offshore wind projects in the most cost-efficient manner that we can and, for the industry to move forward, we need to make sure customers are not burdened with unneeded expenses," said Scott Jennings, president of PSEG Global, which is proposing to build a $1 billion offshore wind farm with Deepwater Wind in South Jersey.

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Plans in place to increase electric vehicle infrastructure

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:30:00 +0100

With fuel-cell technology improving and chargepoints beginning to pop up around the US, the future of electric locomotion looks set to take a bigger foothold into current crude-based motoring.

For an effective crossover from petroleum-driven vehicles to their electric counterparts, not only do the new electrical cars need to be reliable and efficient, but the relevant infrastructure needs to be in place to power them.

If the infrastructure can be adequately improved, then seeing an electric car (you won't hear it of course) on the streets will become more regular. In fact, according to Gartner, battery-powered vehicles will account for 15 to 20 percent of all vehicle sales by 2030. Some commentators estimate this percentage could increase further with technological developments in infrastructure.

It's nothing new for plans for electric car charge points to be erected at various points around the US. Back in June, Coulomb Technologies, funded by $37 million in grants, unveiled plans to build 4,600 hundred electric-vehicle charging stations in nine US regions. The program, called Chargepoint America, will allow for charging stations to be built in public locations like retail centers or parking lots.

Similarly, plans are underway to expand electric vehicle infrastructure in Oregon, in four cities, Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene to include 1100 public recharging stations. These increases fall under the umbrella of the EV project which plans to install 15000 total stations by 2013 at a cost of $230 million.

Manufacturer Eaton Corporation and fuel retailer Murphy Oil USA have announced a collaboration to demonstrate the advantages of fast charging at traditional petrol stations, which have the capability to charge small electric vehicles to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, and could prove pivotal to expanding each vehicles reach from a central charging area.

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Walmart to install ultra thin solar panels to more stores

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:02:00 +0100

Walmart, the biggest retailer in the world, has announced plans to install thin-film solar installations at 20 to 30 sites in California and Arizona.

The installations are expected to supply up to 20 percent to 30 percent of the total energy needs for each location and add to the 31 crystalline photovoltaic installations Walmart already has in California and Hawaii.

In 2005, Walmart made a commitment to sustainability, launching a wide-spread initiative to run operations with 100 percent renewable energy. These desires perhaps took longer than the retail giant first thought, but nevertheless, Walmart roofs have been getting the solar panel treatment, with 20 to 30 in California and Arizona the next on the list.

The difference with the new applications is the ultra-thin film technology. Heavier solar panels restrict widespread usage, due in part because they lie flat and the potential for snow accumulation precludes use.

Two different thin film systems will be assessed - cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium selenide, known as CIGS, which results in a new super-thin film which is extremely slight: a human hair is 40 to 120 microns in diameter, the new film-based semiconductors are about 1 micron thick.

"By leveraging our global scale to become a more efficient company, we are able to lower our expenses and help develop markets for new technologies," said Kim Saylors Laster, Walmart vice president of energy. "Developing and incorporating new renewable energy sources, like thin film, reduces energy price risk and aligns very well with our commitment to solving business challenges through technology."
According to sustainablebusiness.com, 500 green jobs will be created by Walmart to carry out the work.

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Top 10 most disastrous buildings

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:57:00 +0100

Every year new projects and billions of dollars are spent across the globe on innovative, bespoke and aesthetically pleasing buildings. However, despite the hours and technology involved in designing and constructing such majestic creations, there are occasional duds. Here are the top 10:

10. Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
Sucking up nearly two percent of North Korea's GDP over the past two decades, construction started on the Ryugyong Hotel in 1987 and finished in 1992 and yet it still remains unopened, unoccupied and uncompleted. The 1083-feet giant, even its uncompleted state remains the 22 largest skyscraper in the world.

9. Mets Citi Field, New York, US
This field has countless problems from shorting electricity to water leaks and mould. $850 million was spent on the replacement for Shea Stadium, yet money keeps pouring in to mitigate the mountain of problems. Hunt-Bovis, the contractor that built the field, is being investigated by prosecutors over whether the company over-billed for work on the stadium.

8. Kangbashi District of Ordos City, China
In an effort to increase its GDP, the Chinese government decided to build the Kangbashi District of Ordos about 18 miles away from the original city, back in 2004. Built in just five years, $352 million was spent on roads alone. While a majority of the homes have been sold, most were bought as investment and as such the town intended to house 1 million residents remains empty and deserted.

7. Olympic Stadia, Athens, Greece
Athens spent $11 billion - about double the country's budget - on more than a dozen sports venues for the 2004 Olympics, including a baseball diamond, a man-made kayak course and a Tae Kwon Do and Handball Olympic stadium. Today, more than half the sites are vacant and have to be patrolled by private security guards.

6. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
The tallest building in the world was completed in January 2010. However, while it £1.5 billion to build, just one month after its grand opening, the building closed to the public due to electrical problems on the observation deck on the 124th floor. It was even forced to change name from the Burj Dubai to the Burj Khalifa after the economy's debt problems meant they were forced to take bailouts from neighboring Abu Dhabi - part of the loan agreement was that they re-name the tower after the UAE President, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

5. The Millennium Dome, London, UK
Designed to house the Millennium Experience, the Millennium Dome cost $1.25 billion to build and $41 million was spent closing it down in December 2000. With only half the number of visitors that were expected actually visited the press largely reported it a flop, despite visitor feedback being extremely positive. The dome was publicly renames The O2 on 31 May, 2005 after a UK£600 million revamp and is now an entertainment district with indoor arena, music club, cinema and exhibition space.

4. Experience Music Project, Seattle, US
Intended to showcase rock memorabilia and offer interactive music exhibitions, The Seattle Music Project was founded in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and designed by Frank Gehry. New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp described it as: "something that crawled out of the sea, rolled over and died."

3. Dubai Aquarium, Dubai, UAE
Part of the $20 million Downtown Burj Dubai development project, the Dubai Aquarium is located in the world's largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall. 60,000 tickets were sold in the first five days, but two years in disaster struck when on February 22, 2010, the central part of the mall had to be evacuated after water was found gushing out of a crack in the aquarium's glass. It took six divers to stop the leak.

2. Chelsea Waterside Park, New York, US
Chelsea Waterside Park caused quite a stir when it was renovated in 2000 and Manhattan parents got their first look at the phallic shapes. While some have called for the park to be remodelled, the children still enjoy frolicking here.

1. The Lotus Riverside Complex, Shanghai, China
Rushed and poor construction meant that one of the buildings at the Lotus Riverside complex in Shanghai collapsed on June 27, 2009, killing one worker. The 13-storey apartment building was one of 11 in the complex and was near completion when it toppled. Nine officials, including the real estate developer, contractor and the supervisor for the project were detained by authorities and put under the spotlight for being connected to the massive disaster.

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Obama�s infra fund backed by UBS Americas

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:15:00 +0100

President Barack Obama will be supported by UBS Americas after announcing plans to create an infrastructure bank to help aid rebuild America's ailing infrastructure after the worst recession in living memory.

Despite backing the President's plan, UBS Americas warned against creating a quasi-government agency like housing finance enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
"Creating a national infrastructure bank is an idea whose time has come," Robert Wolf, chief executive of UBS Americas, told at a Senate Banking Committee hearing called to explore alternatives for financing infrastructure projects.

According to Reuters, Wolf said Congress should establish a national grant and lending institution that would leverage private investment to finance transportation and other big-ticket projects like rail, road, water, broadband or airport upgrades.
Wolf also confirmed that the proposed bank should be completely transparent and run alongside other government infrastructure programs.

The announcement by Obama coincides neatly with the November congressional elections, in which voters believe is a legitimate effort by the President to appeal to a faltering electorate. According to the BBC, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll of 1,024 US adults released on Monday suggests 52 percent of people would vote Republican, against 45 percent for the Democrats, up by 4 percent on last month.

Labor secretary Hilda Solis confirmed on the Early Show that Obama's plan would: "put construction workers, welders, electricians back to work [...] folks that have been unemployed for a long time."

The projected plan, which should breath fresh jobs and opportunities into a stagnant economy, will include rebuilding 150000 miles of roads, building and maintaining 4000 miles of railways, repairing 150 miles of runway and implication of a new air navigation system.

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BP confirms well is fully sealed

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:14:00 +0100

BP has finally fully sealed the unruly Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, ending months of speculation and anticipation regarding such an outcome.

After spewing millions of barrels of oil into the fragile Gulf, the well was sealed 15 July, however BP had to wait a further two months until a costly relief well could be drilled to completely seal the well at source. Both BP, the federal government scientific team and the National Incident Commander confirmed that these operations successfully sealed the annulus.

"This is a significant milestone in the response to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and is the final step in a complex and unprecedented subsea operation - finally confirming that this well no longer presents a threat to the Gulf of Mexico," said Tony Hayward, BP group chief executive. "However, there is still more to be done. BP's commitment to complete our work and restore the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf coast and the livelihoods of the people across the region remains unchanged."

BP will also now begin the process of dismantling and recovering containment equipment and decontaminating vessels that were in position at the wellsite.

According to Oil and Gas news, there are approximately 25,200 personnel, more than 2,600 vessels and around 25 aircraft involved in the response effort.

Due to a lack of visibility, no surface oil has been collected for two months, however constant reconnaissance flights are conducted as a precautionary measure.

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Sticker could increase solar panel efficiency by 10%

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:49:00 +0100

With the world looking to shift the pendulum of energy consumption from oil to renewable alternatives, the improvement of alternative energy sources from energy capture and transfer is likely to pay a huge part in the eventual alternative infrastructure overhaul.

In an effort to increase solar capture efficiency, Genie Lens Technologies have created polymer films imprinted with special microstructures that stick over the solar panel in an effort to increase solar capture by 10 percent.

The polymer film can be applied to any existing photovoltaic panels, in an effort to lower costs due to increased efficiency.

"Designed to concurrently optimize several principles of physics, FUSION maximizes the boost to conversion efficiency and delivers previously unattainable gains for just pennies per watt," say Genie Lens Technologies on their website.

Genie Lens Technologies project that by 2015, the new stickers will have an annual market value of $5 billion. The proven efficiency gains will likely be around 10 - 12.5 percent, around $0.10 a watt.

"FUSION is engineered using proprietary software that concurrently optimizes multiple design principles, user-specified variables and desired outcomes. The current version of FUSION is a "generic" form that is applicable to a wide cross-section of the market, based upon average insolation and angles of incidence.

However, the world is not "one size fits all." FUSION technology is designed to be incredibly flexible, giving us the ability to develop custom-engineered versions based on specific requirements, such as higher or lower diffuse light conditions, targeted wavelength filtering or the unique specifications of various panel manufacturers. The result? Unparalleled efficiency gains at incredibly low cost," says the website.

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