The top 10 solar companies
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/top-ten-solar-companies-3794/N3/
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
WE MOVED!
So as to adequately cater to an ever-expanding set of ideas of as to how information should be shared, I am now officially at:
www.newenergista.com
www.newenergista.com
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday Frites
TOWNHALL
Focus the Nation is using community organizing tactics to hold townhalls on clean energy. Pretty interesting.
According to a report by WorldWatch Institute: The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture famously found that US food travelled an average of 1,518 miles (about 2,400 kilometers) from gate to plate. Yet looking at local markets, such as Iowa, they concluded locally sourced food travelled an average of just 44.6 miles (72 kilometers). They calculated that the” conventional food distribution system used 4 to 17 times more fuel and emitted 5 to 17 times more CO2 than the local and regional (the latter of which roughly meant Iowa-wide) systems.”
Charge your phone using Waste Heat
At Last!
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming.
Focus the Nation is using community organizing tactics to hold townhalls on clean energy. Pretty interesting.MOOOO-VE: Just by how much does your dairy move ?
Charge your phone using Waste Heat
At Last!
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Nigeria's Thursday
Today's focus is on the Bonny Light Crude Oil producing nation of Nigeria.
- This Day, a leading media empire in Nigeria has released the Oil Outlook report. It is colorful with advertisments but it is worth a read especially the parts that talk about the future of Nigeria with(/out) oil. It is good to see Nigeria thinking ahead and now cutting spending within the government. The 3-tier government structure comes at a cost of 13 trillion Naira ($884 billion) per year.
- Rebel attacjs on the Trans-Niger pipe cut off 200,000 barrels of production per day until now that Shell has started repairing the mess. The global oil demand is about 84.2 million barrels per day. Due to an increasing weak demand in the global consumer market, oil did not rise that much but stayed put in the lower $50s.
- Interesting to follow the committee that has been formed to investigate the $180 million bribery scam involving Dick Cheney leaning Halliburton.
- This Day, a leading media empire in Nigeria has released the Oil Outlook report. It is colorful with advertisments but it is worth a read especially the parts that talk about the future of Nigeria with(/out) oil. It is good to see Nigeria thinking ahead and now cutting spending within the government. The 3-tier government structure comes at a cost of 13 trillion Naira ($884 billion) per year.
- Rebel attacjs on the Trans-Niger pipe cut off 200,000 barrels of production per day until now that Shell has started repairing the mess. The global oil demand is about 84.2 million barrels per day. Due to an increasing weak demand in the global consumer market, oil did not rise that much but stayed put in the lower $50s.
- Interesting to follow the committee that has been formed to investigate the $180 million bribery scam involving Dick Cheney leaning Halliburton.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Dear World Bank
Dear World Bank,
I appreciate the fact that you have taken note of Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority that intends to hook up 200,000 customers by July. At the end of the year, you have also noted the ambitious project to cover 2,000 kilometers (~1,300 miles) of wire.
But I am baffled by your offer of $80 million. Is this to cover this ambitious project? Did you note that rural Kenya is actually spread throughout the nation and not just in one area? Did you consider that most of the power from the 7-folk dams or from Ol Karia will be lost en route to Rural Kenya?
What is annoying is that these plans are way too ambitious and smell of the numerous white elephants that dot the country.
So if the 2000 km of wire is built, Kenya does not even have enough electricty to push through these wires. An alternative solution is needed.
I would suggest something that I have created in my head and called it modular infrastructure (M.I)
M.I is the solution to Africa's infrastructure problems. By localizing energy production, local development is encouraged. The reason I say this is that most of rural Africa still needs a small amount of electricity to jump start growth. Bringing in expensive fossil-fueled power to the rural areas, where the costs will be deemed too high, will not change anything. Instead, schools and communities need to team up and foot bills through structures such as a communal solar farm.
As the local economies grow, then that is when we can start thinking of a national grid. The reason why this off the shelf national grid does not fly is the fact that because of the barbaric incidences of tribal violence we have seen in the past, it is only fair that energy production is localized so that one part of the country does not dicate whether the rest of the nation will have power or not.
Just my two cents,
Oduor
I appreciate the fact that you have taken note of Kenya's Rural Electrification Authority that intends to hook up 200,000 customers by July. At the end of the year, you have also noted the ambitious project to cover 2,000 kilometers (~1,300 miles) of wire.
But I am baffled by your offer of $80 million. Is this to cover this ambitious project? Did you note that rural Kenya is actually spread throughout the nation and not just in one area? Did you consider that most of the power from the 7-folk dams or from Ol Karia will be lost en route to Rural Kenya?
What is annoying is that these plans are way too ambitious and smell of the numerous white elephants that dot the country.
So if the 2000 km of wire is built, Kenya does not even have enough electricty to push through these wires. An alternative solution is needed.
I would suggest something that I have created in my head and called it modular infrastructure (M.I)
M.I is the solution to Africa's infrastructure problems. By localizing energy production, local development is encouraged. The reason I say this is that most of rural Africa still needs a small amount of electricity to jump start growth. Bringing in expensive fossil-fueled power to the rural areas, where the costs will be deemed too high, will not change anything. Instead, schools and communities need to team up and foot bills through structures such as a communal solar farm.
As the local economies grow, then that is when we can start thinking of a national grid. The reason why this off the shelf national grid does not fly is the fact that because of the barbaric incidences of tribal violence we have seen in the past, it is only fair that energy production is localized so that one part of the country does not dicate whether the rest of the nation will have power or not.
Just my two cents,
Oduor
28 MW from Mumias Sugar
Though poorly written, this article from the Business Daily highlights how Mumias Sugar Company in Western Kenya is outsmarting the illegal import of sugar that has eaten into its sugar production profits.
The paper shies away from describing the actual bio diesel that would be used to run the plant. But this is the direction that the sugar companies need to go because after all, it would be hard to import cheap electricity from Asia :-)
The paper shies away from describing the actual bio diesel that would be used to run the plant. But this is the direction that the sugar companies need to go because after all, it would be hard to import cheap electricity from Asia :-)
Why fish farming makes sense for East Africa
The main breed of fish in Lake Victoria is the Nile Perch (mbutaa). The Nile Perch market generates close to 20 Billion Kenyan Shillings annually ($250 MM)
The issue that has arisen, however, is that overfishing, illegal fishing practices and immature harvesting have all seen the decline of this commodity from the lake.
It explains a lot about the conflict that exists around Migingo Island.
The Indian-ran processing plants have also colluded with fishermen, not giving a care about the consequences of this act.
With water and the right education, the arid lands in most of Western Kenya could be easily converted into huge fish farms complete with processing plants. This could up the production that has otherwise dwindled and at the same time, better the economy of those around.
Daily Nation reports on this story here
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