A special hydro-cell vehicle gets refueled at an alternative energy facility that converts solar and wind energy into hydrogen at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii in this July 19, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry/Files

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In October 2004, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled up to a pioneering fueling station at Los Angeles International Airport in a hydrogen-powered metallic blue Hummer loaned to him by General Motors Corp.

The “California Hydrogen Highway,” Schwarzenegger’s vision to ensure that every Californian would have access to a hydrogen fueling station by the end of 2010, called for the state to spend more than $50 million to help deploy up to 100 hydrogen fuel stations that would serve 2,000 fuel cell vehicles. “We got 200 stakeholders around a table, literally, and mapped out who could get stations where,” said Terry Tamminen, a top adviser to Schwarzenegger.

But nearly nine years later, California has just nine hydrogen stations open for the public, and only about 200 fuel cell cars that can use them.

The global financial crisis helped slam the breaks on dreams of a Hydrogen Highway, but the roots of green energy’s mid-life crisis – marked by a rash of recent corporate collapses in everything from electric cars to solar panels – run far deeper.

Other factors have contributed to the shakeout, which has happened as climate change has dropped down the list of Americans’ top concerns. Many new companies were far too optimistic about their prospects and were selling products that could not compete on price against traditional transport and energy sources, not to mention increasingly cheap imports from China. Many were – and are – very reliant on fickle government support, and some were simply mismanaged.

Whether it’s survival of the fittest or survival of the subsidized, there have been success stories, and there’s even a little froth in the stock market. But as the sector moves beyond its youthful phase, it faces many of the same problems and nobody will be surprised by more failures.

“The general economic thesis of the renewable energy sector hasn’t changed,” said Karl Miller, chairman of Newco Energy Acquisition Holdings, LLC, which acquires energy-related assets. “It’s still a heavily subsidized industry. It requires a major federal tax credit to make it work.” It still doesn’t appeal as “a capital market investment,” he said.

ELECTRIC DREAMS

Apart from the relative success of Tesla Motors Inc in putting nearly 10,000 of its pricey luxury electric cars on the road, the electric vehicle sector has been among the biggest duds in clean tech.

Major automakers like Nissan Motor Ltd, with its all-electric Leaf, and GM, with the Chevrolet Volt, bet heavily on electric vehicles (EVs). But they are struggling to get over the high cost and lack of charging infrastructure, as well as questions about the short driving range of some models. Both Leaf and Volt sales have lagged well behind company expectations, and vehicles from startups like Fisker Automotive and Coda Holdings Inc barely made it off the assembly line before the companies ran out of cash.

Nissan Chief Carlos Ghosn, who plowed $5 billion into battery-electric technology, has backed down from an earlier forecast of 10 percent market share for electric cars by 2020. Ghosn’s company sold 9,819 Leafs last year in the United States, well under its target of 20,000.

The Obama administration has pulled back from its aggressive goal of putting 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015. Total plug-in car sales last year were only around 50,000 in the United States.

“EVs are a really difficult sell today,” the CEO of Toyota’s North American business, Jim Lentz, said in an interview. “Until we see substantial change in battery technology it’s going to be difficult to see EVs really take off.”

Even as electric car technology has proved disappointing, the clean-tech movement has helped make traditional combustion engines less polluting, with new models showing fuel efficiency gains that are popular with consumers both for environmental and economic reasons. A push to run more vehicles, especially trucks, on cleaner-burning natural gas is also gaining momentum.

Automakers are also heading back toward Schwarzenegger’s old friend: hydrogen fuel cells.

Daimler AG, Ford and Nissan plan to launch affordable fuel-cell cars within five years, while Toyota and BMW aim to do so by 2020. Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which emit only water vapor, can cover much longer distances and refuel more quickly than electric cars.

Toyota’s Lentz even used Schwarzenegger’s term “hydrogen highway” to describe a network of fueling stations he expected to see between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the next few years. The Golden State last year unveiled a revamped goal that envisions 68 hydrogen stations by 2016 that will serve 10,000 to 30,000 vehicles. The stations, some of which are already in the works, are expected to cost about $160 million. California has awarded nearly $28 million for stations under development and allocated an additional $29.9 million for future stations.

BOOM, BOOM

Development of renewable energy technology has been undermined by an explosion in fossil fuel production in the United States, particularly cleaner-burning natural gas – a development that wasn’t expected when many green energy projects were being dreamt up.

Cheap natural gas “clearly has an impact on how much renewables we’ll do,” said Alex Urquhart, CEO of GE Energy Financial Services, the unit of General Electric Co that invests in energy projects.

The shale oil and gas boom in the United States has also provided opportunities for companies that had been more focused on pure green tech.

Take OriginOil, a U.S. startup that developed a process to convert algae into renewable crude oil. It now markets technology to oil and gas producers for the cleanup of water that is contaminated in the fracking process used to extract shale oil and gas.

Other water-focused startups, too – like Houston-based 212 Resources Corp and Everett, Washington-based WaterTectonics – are counting on the oil and gas industry’s need to clean and recycle the millions of gallons of water that is mixed with chemicals and sand and injected into the ground to “frack” wells.

GE is one of the world’s top two makers of wind turbines, but it isn’t just banking on renewables. It is making significant bets on shale, scooping up oilfield pump maker Lufkin Industries Inc for $2.98 billion to add to the well services business it bought from John Wood Group Plc in 2011.

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

Some of the biggest failures in the green-tech sector have been in the solar energy sector – notably Solyndra, the maker of next-generation solar panels that collapsed in 2011 after receiving a $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy. Its failure sparked an 18-month investigation by Republicans who faulted President Barack Obama’s administration for failing to cut the government’s losses, and suggested the loan was made in part as a favor to a Democratic donor. The White House said the decision to make the loan was “merit-based.”

More than 18 months after Solyndra’s fall, there’s a lot more road-kill in the green energy sector. China’s Suntech Power Holdings, once the world’s largest solar company, filed for insolvency in the last few weeks, following the path of battery maker A123. And tiny SoloPower, which was awarded a $197 million DOE loan guarantee and opened a factory in Portland in September to much fanfare, has said it will suspend operations.

Clean-tech initial public offerings in the last year have either been canceled, as in the case of BrightSource Energy Inc, or priced below targets, like SolarCity and Enphase Energy. With investment “exits” a challenge, venture capital funding for clean-tech startups slid 29 percent last year to $3.33 billion after peaking at $4.6 billion in 2011, according to the National Venture Capital Association.

The U.S. solar market has suffered because top market Europe pared back its price guarantees to generators of solar power just as China built hundreds of panel factories that flooded the market with cheap products. In 2012 alone, the price of solar panels slid 50 percent, hammering industry profits and scaring investors away from clean-tech stocks.

But in the bigger picture, solar energy is still making strides.

Cheaper solar panels have made the clean energy source more affordable to many. Worldwide, photovoltaic solar installations are expected to increase 12 percent this year to 35 GW as growth in the Middle East, Africa, the U.S. and Asia will offset declines in Europe.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc, which began installing solar on its big box stores in 2007, plans to put panels on at least 1,000 of its buildings by 2020, up from about 200 currently.

“We really feel comfortable with where the prices and the technology are going,” said Wal-Mart’s vice president of energy, Kim Saylors-Laster.

The retailer initially focused its solar program on California and Hawaii, where high power prices make solar more competitive with electricity from the grid, but cheaper solar has helped it expand to new markets. Wal-Mart has saved $2 million since 2007 by using the renewable power generated on its rooftops.

Companies that install those panels are growing rapidly. SolarCity Corp, which put up many of Wal-Mart’s solar systems, has seen its share price soar to $45 since December, when it struggled to get its IPO done at $8 a share. The company, which is backed by Tesla’s Elon Musk, offers homeowners the chance to pay a monthly fee for solar, eliminating the large upfront investment.

Further signs of life in the sector: Swiss industrial group ABB made a $1 billion bet on solar with plans to buy U.S. solar inverter maker Power-One Inc at a premium of 57 percent; and First Solar Inc’s shares rallied by 45 percent on April 9 after forecasting better-than-expected results for the next three years.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

That kind of outsize stock move is a trademark of green tech. Tesla stock has soared 64 percent since May 8, when it reported its first ever quarterly profit after selling more battery-powered luxury cars than expected, and SolarCity stock jumped 40 percent in two days after announcing on Thursday it had secured $500 million in financing from Goldman Sachs.

The overall direction of the market, however, has been down. You can get a sense of the amount of money that has been lost by investors from the WilderHill Clean Energy Index, which tracks the performance of publicly traded green energy stocks ranging from solar and wind to rare earth minerals and water companies. The market value of the companies in the index has fallen from a peak level of $231 billion in late December 2007 to about $108 billion today, a decline of 53 percent, according to Reuters data. The S&P 500 over that period is up around 9 percent to an all-time high. And while the number of components in the WilderHill index has risen to 51 from 42 since 2007, the average market value of those companies has tumbled to $2.1 billion from $5.5 billion.

Moreover, the index only reflects publicly traded companies. More has been lost by venture capital firms and other early investors in companies that never got much past the start-up phase. Fisker and Solyndra, for instance, each raised close to $1 billion in venture capital money.

Some advocates for green investing say that thanks to a more realistic assessment of risk, a period of relative stability is setting in for green companies and their investors. The WilderHill Clean Energy index may be much lower than it was in 2004, but it is up 31 percent this year.

“The industry has become much more efficient, much more purposeful. There’s not this sort of green hype,” said Vinod Khosla, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems who later joined Kleiner Perkins. In 2004, he launched Khosla Ventures, which is known for investing in next-generation energy companies such as biofuels maker KiOR. “What has changed is we make fewer bets and we plan on investing more in them and take more time.”

But investors like Shawn Kravetz, who manages several funds for Boston-based Esplanade Capital, including one focused on the solar industry, compares investing in the sector to “a long and bumpy flight.”

“It will remain turbulent because policies change, companies will have issues,” Kravetz said. “It’s wise to keep your seatbelt fastened.”

WIND BENEATH MY WINGS

Government support has been a double-edged sword. It’s hard for businesses and investors alike to make plans for the future in an environment of tight budgets and opposition from conservative lawmakers to taxpayer money being spent to favor one sector over another.

In the solar sector, for example, a 30 percent tax credit for solar system owners is set to fall to 10 percent at the end of 2016. Solar proponents want a more gradual decline and point to the experience of the U.S. wind industry, which is struggling with a dependency on a tax credit that keeps being extended by Congress in one-year increments.

GE has seen the impact of that directly. Wind turbine sales slowed in 2012 because a key tax credit had been expected to expire. It was renewed at the eleventh hour shortly after the new year, and that has helped GE sell 1 GW of wind turbines since January.

“The economics associated with the tax credits are how these projects get done,” said GE’s Urquhart. “Without those credits, investments would be far less attractive.”

U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus program allotted $90 billion to various clean energy programs, but those funds have been tapped. Big European players like Germany have slashed their generous green subsidies. And U.S. states that are requiring utilities to buy more renewable energy are close to fulfilling their goals.

U.S. green energy companies face a somewhat chaotic environment at the state level, with efforts underway in 16 states to weaken renewable energy mandates that have been key support mechanisms for solar and wind power. At the same time, 18 states have moved to strengthen those mandates.

That patchwork of policies in countries like the United States and India – which also has policies that vary from state to state – is a major concern.

“There is no way any reasonable management team of a company can do meaningful corporate planning without an understanding of what the rules of the road are,” said Jonathan Silver, who oversaw the Department of Energy loan guarantee program from 2009 to 2011. “We’ve made it incredibly difficult for people in the energy industry.”

(Additional reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco, Paul Lienert in Detroit and Dan Burns in New York; Editing by Ed Tobin, Martin Howell and Claudia Parsons)

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/

BRADES, Montserrat (GIU) — The United Kingdom is making good on its commitment to support Montserrat’s redevelopment and move towards financial independence.

In a letter to Premier Reuben Meade, signed by Department for International Development (DfID) Minister of State, Alan Duncan, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Mark Simmonds, the UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to finance future capital projects for the island as long as they were clearly justified and sustainable.

“…We agree to move ahead in implementing other components of the Strategic Growth Plan (SGP) to help Montserrat reduce its financial dependence on the UK,” the letter stated.

The ministers reiterated that all investment decisions must be based on the following: that they “(i) are financially and economically viable, both individually and taken as a whole; (ii) contribute to reducing budget dependency; (iii) account fully for the contingent and reputational risks, and (iv) clarify any institutional changes and other arrangements required to make the SGP a success.”

The UK government said it will proceed with the implementation of other SGP components as follows;

“i. Geothermal – Depending on the results of the exploration phase, we will move ahead with a planning, design and appraisal phase for the installation of the generation capacity, involving the private sector where appropriate.

“ii. Access – We have agreed that an improved ferry service should be provided and have adjusted the budgetary aid settlement proposed for final approval to reflect the increased access subsidy required. We will consider the case for long-term improvements once the economic and financial case has been made.

“iii. Fibre optic cable – GoM should work on the planning, design and appraisal phase. If a viable economic and financial business case that fully explores private sector participation is made it will be considered for funding.

The public works department recently announced that they have reached the desired depth on the first geothermal well and moving to drill the second one. In four weeks, after temperatures have stabilized they will test to estimate the capacity of the well to generate geothermal energy.

Discussions between the access coordinator and ferry operators are continuing to look at plans for a faster ferry for Montserrat. At the same time, efforts are being made to map out a marketing strategy to attract day trippers and other visitors from neighbouring islands.

Source:  http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/

The project, which was being introduced and coordinated in a two-day session in Trinidad, is being conducted in four countries in the region: Belize, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. The project is being organised by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

The crops that are being planted will be, in Barbados, sweet potato and yam; in Belize, corn and beans; in St Kitts and Nevis, sweet potatoes, beans, peas and pigeon peas; and in Trinidad and Tobago, sweet potatoes and corn.

The project is aimed at producing plant materials that are resilient to extreme climate and which must be put in the hands of the farmers and ensure that consumers have access to these nutrition rich foods.

Deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of food production, Stephanie Elder-Alexander, who represented the ministry at the session, said climate change has become the overriding environmental issue of our time.

“The earth is rapidly becoming warmer, known as global warming, due to the increased burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and poor agricultural practices. Real global temperatures are expected to increase by .7 to 2 degrees Celsius by the 2060s and 1.1 to 4.3 degrees Celsius by the 2090s with an expected reduction locally in real annual rainfall. Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the wider region, is not immune to these developments,” she explained.

Elder-Alexander noted that, as a small island developing state, Trinidad and Tobago was particularly vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change including the increased demand for irrigation water, proliferation of new and existing pests and diseases, decreased crop yields due to intolerance of crop varieties to new climate conditions for sea level rise, desalination of soils, increased flooding, and increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes.

She added that the effects of climate change will also have negative consequences for the marine fisheries sector with increased fish metabolism, depleted oxygen in water, shift in habitat range, introduction of non-indigenous and in exotic species, increase in disease and toxin and acidification being some of the likely outcomes.

The success of this project, Elder-Alexander said, will result in the establishment of national gene banks in participating countries and a regional in vitro laboratory in Barbados.

She also advised participants that the ministry intends to implement incentive policies to encourage better water and flood management programs thereby mitigating flood impact and soil loss reduction.

The ministry will also encourage improved research particularly in the area biotechnology aimed at mitigating reduced levels of food production as a result of climate change.

Source: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com

In brief remarks at a press briefing to launch the conference, Junior Minister in the Ministry of Physical Planning and Environment on Nevis Hon. Troy Liburd said the conference would be a tangible step toward strengthening existing policies.

“This conference offers us in St. Kitts and Nevis a view of our environmental issues on several fronts and is a tangible step toward the strengthening of existing policies and the development and implementation of new ones…

“My Ministry is very pleased to be associated with this conference as it will help us to have a clearer understanding of the dynamic relationship between our behaviour and how it affects the physical environment as well as how elements within our environments impact upon us,” he said.

The Environment Minister applauded UNESCO for its partnership in that endeavour and on behalf of the Premier, his Senior Minister, Nevis Island Administration and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis pledged full support to the conference and its outcome.

Meantime, Environmental Officer in the Department of Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Environment in the NIA and chairperson at the briefing Ms. Claudia Walwyn, said the conference would address the policy direction in dealing with some environmental issues among them, sand mining and the removal of material from ghauts in an effort to put policies and regulations in place in the hope of providing a more pristine environment to live in.

Also at the press briefing were UNESCO’s Secretary General Mr. Antonio Maynard and Co-chairman of the Implementation and Planning Committee Dr Leighton Naraine.

All were upset by the rise, but only a handful intended to try and reduce their energy consumption.

Judith Beach said: “[The price] is very high, but the bills are only going to go up in the summer because of the air conditioning and the heat.”

Asked if she was going to do anything to conserve electricity, she said: “I’m going to go put my clothes out on the line.”

Carmen Burgess said: “From a business perspective, it’s hard to judge [Belco for the rise] unless I see their budget sheet, but as a consumer I don’t think it’s fair.

“My son’s about to come home from university. When he’s home and it’s no longer just me in the house the bill goes up by about $60.

“He told me to get those solar panels. I should have listened.”

Said John Zakszewska: “It is what it is. We don’t have any other option to go to.

“Either you pay the bill and have lights, or you don’t pay the bill and you don’t. Or, you can invest in a solar system which will pay for itself in 30 years.”

Nelleke Hollis said she doesn’t plan on cutting back her electricity usage because such changes don’t seem to make a difference.

“The amount you pay and the amount you use doesn’t seem to correlate,” she said. “I would go away and not use electricity for a month, but come back to a huge bill.”

Others said that they have been trying to conserve.

“[The electricity bill] is a big investment every month,” said Vernon Trott. “It’s not fair, but we need lights; we need electricity particularly in summer.

Harley Seymour said: “You’ve got to keep all your lights off and leave just your fridge running. The fridge is the only thing I leave running, but I don’t watch much TV.”

Milton Hill said that he had shut off the power meter to his home when not using it to help limit his expenditure, only to be told by Belco he was not allowed to do so.

“It’s ridiculous. When I drive to work in the morning, I don’t leave my car running all day,” he said.

Clinisha Hayward said she was annoyed by the cost of electricity and that Belco doesn’t allow customers to pay bills with a credit card.

“People don’t always have enough money on them but they are willing to pay,” she said. “If they are increasing rates, they need to help us out some.”

A man, who asked not to be identified, said: “It’s not good, but there’s nothing we can do about it. [Belco] needs competition.”

Not everyone however is feeling the economic weight of rising power bills.

By Owain Johnston-Barnes

Source: http://www.royalgazette.com/

– Jackie Smith, Cary, NC

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), energy consumption for home air conditioning units accounts for more than eight percent of all the electricity produced in the US, at a cost to homeowners of $15 billion annually. Besides the cost, all this cooling leads to annual emissions of about 195 million tons of CO2 — or two tons per year for each American home with A/C.

Of course, foregoing A/C entirely is the most energy- and cost-efficient way to go, but some of us need a little cooling for comfort, especially in warmer climates. If A/C is a must, buying the most efficient model is the way to save money and pollute less. Fortunately, a new generation of much more efficient room and central A/C units means that upgrading will likely pay for itself in energy savings within just a few years.

The main factors to consider in choosing a new model are cooling capacity (measured in British Thermal Units, or BTUs) and Energy-Efficiency Ratio, or EER. To determine the correct BTU rating for a given space, multiply the square footage by 10 and then add 4,000. Meanwhile, a given unit’s EER is the ratio of cooling output divided by power consumption — the higher the EER, the more efficient the air conditioner.

According to the US Department of Energy, national appliance standards require room air conditioners to have an EER of 8.0 to 9.8 or more, depending on type and capacity. Units with an EER rating of 10 or above typically qualify for the federal government’s ENERGY STAR label, which appears on especially energy-efficient appliances. Check out the ENERGY STAR website for lists of qualifying A/C models.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) says that the average EER of room A/C units rose 47 percent from 1972 to 1991. To wit, replacing an older room unit with an EER of five with a new model with an EER of 10) would result in a 50 percent energy cost savings associated with A/C.

As to whether room units or central A/C makes more sense, it depends. Room units, which only cost a few hundred dollars each, will suffice for renters or those who only need to keep one or two rooms cool at a time. Meanwhile, central A/C is more efficient overall at keeping a whole house cool, and will also do a better job at reducing household humidity than even several individual room units — and will save more money faster on electricity bills. But with a starting price of around $4,000 for the condenser and initial set-up (plus any duct work needed to distribute cool air around a home), central A/C isn’t for everyone.

ACEEE points out that there are ways to keep indoor space cooler without A/C: improving insulation, sealing air gaps, getting rid of old appliances and light bulbs that give off lots of heat, running fans, using cooler colors on exterior roofing and paint, and other strategies. Those in particularly arid climates might also consider installing a swamp cooler (which cools outside air by running it over cold water) as a cheaper alternative to A/C. By following these suggestions and upgrading conscientiously, we can all stay a little more comfortable in our warming world without exacerbating the problem too much.

CONTACTS: ACEEE; ENERGY STAR; AHAM; Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com).
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Source:  http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/

Source:  http://earthtechling.com/

Coral reefs are in decline, but their collapse can still be avoided with local and global action. That’s according to findings reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 9th based on an analysis that combines the latest science on reef dynamics with the latest climate models.

“People benefit by reefs having a complex structure – a little like a Manhattan skyline but underwater,” said Peter Mumby of The University of Queensland and University of Exeter. “Coral reefs provide nooks and crannies for thousands of species and provide the habitat needed to sustain productive reef fisheries. They’re also great fun to visit as a snorkeler or diver. If we carry on the way we have been, the ability of reefs to provide benefits to people will seriously decline.”

The researchers drew on hundreds of scientific studies to develop computer models of Caribbean reefs. Mumby explains, “Reefs are mostly built by living coral but the limestone structures they build are naturally eroded by other animals and plants, such as sponges. In a healthy ecosystem, reefs grow faster than they erode and the reef is able to provide habitat for thousands of fish and to support fisheries. However, human impacts including pollution, overfishing of parrotfishes, and climate change tip the balance towards erosion, meaning that the reef habitat could erode away leaving a flat, barren habitat in its place”.

The research team, including scientists from Australia, Mexico, the UK, Israel, the USA, and Germany, investigated whether it was possible for Caribbean reefs to ‘keep growing’ for the next 70 years. Professor Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, states, “We were relieved to find that it is possible to maintain reefs but it requires countries to take the management of their reefs seriously and global action to address climate change”. Mumby elaborates, “Some people have felt that coral reef management might be futile given the problems posed by climate change, such as coral bleaching. But our research reveals that control of fishing and pollution is essential to maintain reefs and that it can have a very meaningful impact.”

Mumby and his colleagues also stress the importance of reef function in addition to reef diversity. Those functions of reefs include the provision of habitat for fisheries, the provision of a natural breakwater to reduce the size of waves reaching the shore, and so on. In very practical terms, hundreds of millions of people depend directly on reefs for their food, livelihoods, and even building materials. “If people are to continue being able to fish, snorkel, and attract tourists to reefs then they have to take great care of the ecosystem”, said Emma Kennedy, a PhD student that developed the models at the University of Exeter.

The research took place in the Caribbean under the EU-funded project Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment (FORCE, www.force-project.eu).

By Rosanna Griffith-Mumby, FORCE Project Manager

Source: http://www.thebahamasweekly.com

With reference to the efforts of convenience store chain Wawa, who revealed that it saved over $1 million annually in energy costs just due to LED lighting retrofit. Meanwhile, Kohl’s department store, based across the states, over four years, saved $50 million in energy costs and is continuing to improve energy efficiency with lighting and energy management upgrades.

The largest drugstore chain in the US, Walgreens, is also carrying out retrofits to their lighting, and they have commented that the move not only saves money, but is better for customers: “Colors appear more vibrant and more like they would in daylight, so customers don’t need to second guess themselves in the cosmetics aisle.”

For retailers, from large chains to the local 7-11 convenience store, energy efficiency will provide an edge over their competitors. As Energy Trends Insider states: “It’s about the bottom line, pure and simple.”

Enigin energy efficiency technology, including LED lighting, is being installed by Enigin Distributors into many retail outlets worldwide, protecting the bottom line and brightening stores. To start saving and gaining contact your local Enigin Distributor now.
Source:   http://www.enigin.com

Friday 10th May 2013

As it exists now, our main supplier of electricity is unable to generate the amount of power to meet its demands, and whether our dreams of rates US 14 cents per kwh becomes a reality or not, we must think outside of the box in an effort to control consumption.

Office equipment, especially computers, are often left on after use in the office. (PHOTO: AP)

For the most part, energy saving activities are centred around the use of household appliances, lighting, and air condition units, which consume the most electricity. However, there is not as much enthusiasm expressed in the public domain as to how companies should effectively manage their power consumption.

It is believed that by now, organisations would have been proactive with fully developed programmes in engaging their team members in the importance of keeping their operational costs down by carefully managing the use of electricity.

However, as these organisations become more dependent on information technology to drive efficiencies in their operations, there is usually a correlative increase in power consumption. In many cases, this increase could actually be greatly curtailed, but on the other hand, IT mangers who orchestrate equipment usage are never usually concerned with cost containment.

Desktop and laptop computers usually account for the majority of technology equipment used in most companies, and this is where the haemorrhaging of electricity takes place, simply because these units are left on for long periods when not in use.

Individuals in most organisations cannot be relied upon to shut off their computers when not in use for long periods, particularly at the end of the day and Friday evenings.

The continuous waste of power inhibits the Jamaica Public Service Company to meet its demands for power in areas of the island which have never been privileged to have this modern convenience many of us take for granted.

Organisations that operate more than 50 or more computers are at serious risk of inflated JPS bills because of this type of oblivious behaviour. The associated costs of operation really add up when tabulated on a per annum basis.

Let us do some simple mathematics:

If your PC is on for left idle for 16 hours each week day after the usual eight hour work day and on weekends for a full 48 hours :

The total wasted hours per week is (16 x5) weekday + 48 weekend= 128 hours

Per Year this adds up to 128 x 52 (weeks) = 6656 hours

Each computer uses 128W = (6656 x 128)/1000 = 822kwh

Cost for Electricity Per KW/h in Jamaica is US$0.44

Total Cost for wasted electricity per computer per year is 882 X $0.44 = US$375

The kilowatt hours used in the computation does not include hours that computers may be idle during the work day.

This figure may not seem like a whole lot but consider those large corporations in Jamaica that have 500 to 1000 + employees. If 200 computers were to be left running for those hours per annum then that corporation will be looking at a whopping J$7,425,000 ($US375 x 200 x ROE J$99 = US$1) in payments to JPS.

These are not just costs that are impacting the private sector. This dilemma is every taxpayer across the nation’s problem. Our government employs more people than any private sector organisation and the waste in electricity throughout the various ministries is staggering.

The government owns approximately 80,000 computers. If just 20,000 are to be left on for 128 hours then the cost to taxpayers is over J$742.5 million. The current public sector bill for electricity is over J$1.2 billion per month which will grow as the government strives to modernise its operations.

Many companies have introduced energy conservation awareness programmes which are created to help their employees to better understand the impact of their action on the companies’ bottom line; however the benefits are usually short lived. The senior management in these large organisations must look at other ways they can manage these processes with a view to ensuring a more favourable outcome.

The implementation of software applications which do not require human intervention, which will shut down these computers when not in use is in fact available and organisations at risk should look at the available options coupled with its awareness programmes.

While cheaper sources of energy are still a far ways off, the issue of power generation by the JPS will always be a problem that will never go away if conservation is not tackled in a very serious way.

Dean Johnson is a specialist in information technology, sales and marketing. You can email him at energybugja@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/