September 29, 2006
Our baby grows up....
This week is precisely 18 years after I founded ICP in 1988. How fitting therefore that today is the day in which we concluded an agreement to open up shareholding of ICP Solar to all team members and the public at large. Through a proposed merger with a publicly traded company, ICP Solar will heretofore become a shared-ownership entity, with thousands of partners to whom myself and colleagues will be accountable for the deliverance of value.
I think that this day begs a word or two of appreciation, for it is appreciation and respect that keep us humble. Where to start? Perhaps with those who gave me the fire, tenacity and genes as a head-start in the business world in which I chose to enter. There is no doubt that those that know my father recognize a trait which drives his eldest son to pursue his dreams and visions. Let there be no doubt that I recognize him for that gift, amongst others. As for my mother, it is clear that when I think of "seeing the positives" in challenging times, then she is clearly one of the inspirations that believes that the sun is always behind the clouds.
Then there is the person who has been at my side, shoulder to shoulder, for over 20 years, helping me believe in myself no matter the difficulties of our challenges. My wife and partner is one incredible source of energy, which I am blessed with. Thanks Renee, I know who the "wind beneath my wings" has been...
And as I went through the roller coaster of preparing ICP Solar for this day, there have been numerous people who have helped shape its future. To my pleasant surprise, the most influential person in this regard joined ICP just 10 months ago. Without a partner like Arlene Ades, I could not have gotten through the demands of the past year, as we restructured our organization and drove to success and excellence through the adoption of business practices she brought with her after decades of corporate training at Pitney Bowes. Just one month into her mandate, Arlene's belief in our vision was one reason why I refused what looked like an attractive take-over offer, yet pales in comparison to the exciting event which has taken place today. As for the rest of the "Team ICP", I thank all of the extended family (blood or not) which has been by our side through any part of the past, with particular mention of my younger brother who has helped me in many ways.
So today the child becomes adult. We'll make a more substantial announcement in the next few days. It's a new day for ICP Solar, as OUR company will be strengthened to take on even greater opportunities that lay awaiting us in this rising industry, and quite frankly, a day which I have quite openly desired for years. Happy Birthday ICP Solar! It's time for you to fly...
Solar regards,
Sass
PS. To the new team of stakeholders, accountants, lawyers, investors and anyone else who helped us get here today.. a big THANKS for believing in our dream!
Posted by sass at 12:24 PM | Comments (2)
September 20, 2006
California Carbon Concerns
California has decided to sue automakers over carbon emissions thereby holding them accountable for damage to the environment. This is a new step in the efforts to reduce global warming which could have serious repercussions for industry as a whole.
Why stop at the automakers? How about manufacturing plants, power plants, boat makers, RV makers, fireplace makers, etc...? Frankly I wonder at which point we overstep the bounds of reasonable conduct and get into a situation where rather than focus on enforcement of limits, we "blame" others for the issues we fail to control. Sounds a lot like legal beagles getting the best of a process.
I would personally prefer to see California make it illegal to sell cars with MPG's below a certain level or maximize the size of engines in the vehicles sold (per class) or enforce an ethanol strategy across the spectrum of vehicles. I'm not a fan of legal pursuit to achieve objectives. I've seen tons of money poured into legal pursuits and have found its rare that they result in a positive outcome...except of course for attorney pocketbooks!
So although I commend Governor Arnold for promoting an aggressive stance within his team against global warming, I believe this is not necessarily the manner in which I'd want to be helping to control carbon emissions in my home state.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:14 PM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2006
The Dark Side of our Freedoms..
As many of you know by now, there was a tragedy in Montreal, Canada this week, with the killing of one innocent woman and the serious injury to 19 others, through the act of one single, deranged person with guns in his coat.
This tragic event underlines the need for our society to truly examine the effects on our children of the "dark side" of entertainment, media and the internet. I separate the three as follows:
Entertainment in the form of Marilyn Manson and the like of "dark side" entertainers must be questioned for its value to our society. What is it about us that requires such people to be labelled "entertainment"? Can someone please explain to me how the allowance of such "fun" helps us create responsible, open-hearted, positive and constructive members in our society? Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
Media in the form of KKK and NeoNazi websites or gothic ones like where the killer of this week posted his blogs and the like, give value to our society? What is it about us that requires us to permit such hatred to be spread to our children? Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
Internet is a subset form of media which is so engulfing, that I'll categorize it separately for the purpose of this commentary. It is completely democratic, in that there requires no formal structure or resources to post whatever it is we wish to. So we have a helter skelter, "do as you wish", "write as you wish", "hurt as you wish", approach to the ability of webhosts to create sites which push those like Kimveer Gill even deeper into the dark side. Is it all in the name of "freedom"?
I once challenged someone to tell me who, in the West, we think we are to impose our definitions of "freedom" on countries like Cuba and others who are considered "pariah" states. As far as I know, children in Cuba have no fear of guns when they walk into their schools, predators of children are dealt with in terms that would be unthinkable in the "free West", and guns are not "fair trade" for anyone who cares to register one. Drugs are not tolerated and crime is punished most effectively.
Two children of friends of mine were in the buildings at Dawson College when the shooter began his rampage this week. I am thankful that they escaped unharmed yet I cannot sleep well knowing that it is US as parents that permit the kind of thoughtless entertainment or media (print or internet), which simply pushes people who are on the edge and in need of help, to the dark side which welcomes them with open arms and no limits to express their darkest thoughts and in many cases, gives them encouragement to act them out.
I fear for our children that we do not realize soon that freedom is not to be defined within the thin passage of the type of government we have, yet rather by the true freedoms of life that we should enjoy. I know this is an edgy subject and I may incur the wrath of gun lobbies, civil liberties unions and the like. My answer: "Frankly my dear....."
What can we do as individuals? Perhaps start by knowing our children better. By helping them understand right from wrong, and hey here's a thought..holding parents responsible for the acts of their non-adult children in situations where harm is caused. Now just think how that might change people's manner in life if they knew that they could simply not produce children like popcorn and then put them out into society to deal with the damage done through their lack of attention or caring for their produce. I know this would not have helped in the case of this week's events since the killer was 25 years old. I just think we are not sufficiently held accountable as parents for the things we permit in our own homes. He did live at home and did take those pictures from his parent's home after all..
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:25 AM | Comments (2)
September 11, 2006
A day in Manhattan I'll never forget...
It was at about 630AM on September 11th, 2001 that I awoke in the Grand Central Hyatt Hotel in NYC, preparing for the day's energy conference sponsored by CIBC World Markets. The night before, we had visited Lehman Brothers, a major finance firm which wanted to get involved in solar energy companies. The meeting took place at 6PM in Tower 7 of the World Trade Center.
Arriving at the World Trade Center at about 530PM, I was in awe at its size. Although I had been to New York several times for personal reasons, this business trip was special. We had driven the company car down through New Hampshire where we had stopped for a meeting on the 10th AM, then continued onward to New York City. Simply walking into the buildings lifted your business spirit. We walked through Towers 1, then 2 and finally got to 7 after a bit of a detour. We'd never been, so frankly even getting lost in them was OK. We finally arrived at Tower 7 a few minutes late for our meeting which then ended at about 730PM.
Having breakfast at the Grand Hyatt on the 11th, we could not know how fateful it was to have scheduled the meeting for the 10th at the WTC, rather than morning of 11th. Since the conference started at 9AM, there was no way to miss it anyways. By 10AM, the conference was over. We were advised that the WTC had been hit by one plane, then another. Needless to say, we heard all the sirens going off and went straight to our rooms to glue our eyes onto the TV sets watching CNN's coverage.
It was all so unbelievable to us to watch what was going on the TV, until the sirens went off in our own building. There was a bomb scare at Grand Central Station and we had to run down the 26 flights of stairs because the elevators were unusable by patrons. The scare turned out to be a false alarm yet it was our first venture onto the streets. We could see smoke rising at the southern end of the island of Manhattan in a manner you just really aren't prepared for.
At around 330PM that afternoon we heard that the mid-town tunnel had been opened for those wishing to exit Manhattan. We packed up our bags and left onto FDR. As we headed north onto FDR the radio announcer then mentioned that the George Washington bridge was also now open. Since that was our best route to Montreal, we modified our trip plan and headed straight there. We were off the island by about 5PM and virtually alone on the road heading to the Canadian border.
We arrived at the Canadian border only 5hours thereafter (record time) to be greeted by 3 barricades and filters of authorities, each requesting our passports and asking us virtually the same questions. After some verifications, they let us through and we were homeward bound, arriving in Montreal at about 1030PM that night. Five and half hours for a trip which usually takes 6-7 hours of "legal limit" driving!
Through this all, my job (as I saw it) was to keep "cool". I had personnel of ICP Solar in planes above Pennsylvania and in the southern US. It took only a few minutes to confirm that one was OK in the south, yet several hours before we knew if the other was in that plane which was commandeered by its passengers to avoid being used as yet another missile. Luckily, he was not on that plane, yet not far away either. My wife was back home with young children and for the few minutes when the cellulars were dead and we could not dial out of the hotel, she obviously was fearing the worst. I finally managed to get word through my office to all my family that I was OK and in a "relatively" safe place. Who was to know what was safe and what wasn't, yet there was no sense in making anyone feel any worse than they already did.
Thinking back to 5 years ago, I know how lucky I am that our meetings were not for the morning of 11th at the WTC and how lucky we were to get out of Manhattan as quickly as we did. It simply wasn't OUR time to go. Each of us on this earth have been affected in some way, shape or form by Sept. 11th. All I know is that we all need to find a better way. Leading people to want to destroy each other to the point of killing thousands of innocent civilians in one single act cannot be what G-d meant for us when he created the Earth we inhabit. Some people danced in the streets the day of September 11th, yet I cannot help but feel sorry for them. Their plight in life must be so bad that they rejoiced at the deaths of others, simply because they have so little value for life themselves. When you have nothing to lose and blame this on others, your enemy's despair becomes your reason for happyness. How sad is that?
I don't pretend to have any answers. I simply ask that we focus some energy on the questions. It is the only way that one day, leaders will emerge that can resolve the issues that led to this event, (and others before and since), which are at the root cause of the evil we lived on that day. Some people feel that military force with its bombings and invasions will stop the kind of energy that created the evil which engulfed us on that day. I happen to see things differently.
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:50 AM | Comments (5)
September 07, 2006
Solar Schmuck
No, its not about somebody that we should stay away from; "shmuck" means "jewelry" in German, and for me that was the most innovative booth at the recent conference for solar industry in Dresden, Germany.
This was different from the last conference I attended in Hawaii, in May, whereby the availability of modules seems to be easing up and we may even detect some price stability or reduction. I have a feeling that those that booked up 2007 back in 2005 are well sold out, yet the new capacity or unsold capacity may be available if you look hard enough by players who have recently added capacity and did not have the history for big players to commit in large volumes to.
The major difference was the presence of a number of thin film booths. It appears that the projections show thin films taking 17% market share by 2010 (just three and half years away) and is a very telling thing when you consider that today, thin films account for about 1% of worldwide usage.
Once again, disruptives had a lot of promise, yet little delivery so far. It seems that they continue to develop in the lab yet are not quite ready for "prime time". Its either that or they are keeping a low profile until fully tested and see no point in advertising to the rest of the industry their progress.
In any case, 2007 is shaping up as a huge year for solar (and ICP Solar) as the markets continue to evolve and demand grows in new countries where grid programs are being launched this year and next. We were four representatives of ICP Solar at this show and I must say that the old adage "strength in numbers" played well for us. I believe we'll exhibit there next year as it seems that this is a very trade-oriented affair, whereas Intersolar in Freiburg is very consumer focused.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 03, 2006
Adios Andre Agassi...
You can't be sad for a guy who has such a fantastic attitude as his words today portrayed after losing in the 3rd round of the US Open. "I don't take pride in my accomplishments. I take pride in the striving."
Andre Agassi stands as a testament to all those that feel the same way, that their victory comes not from winning but from not quitting, from giving it your all and for believing in a dream to the end. Andre, you have inspired me as a tennis lover, my kids who watched you struggle through the week and so many more that will always remember your spirit for its giving, intense and honest nature.
Andre Agassi is a champion in my eyes not for what he has accomplished in the win-loss column, but more for how he did it. His "personal brand" is as eloquent and profound as it gets, as we all understand that when he speaks and operates, it is from an authentic position rather than trying to spin a shallow image in an ever-changing marketplace.
Never quit. Chase your dreams. Be real. The reward is on the road, not at the destination.
Sass
Posted by sass at 05:53 PM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2006
Toilet Travails
What could be more sacred than how North Americans "go to the washroom"? Well finally someone in North America has begun to market the fabulous japanese style toilets with their automatic washers and dryers built right into the toilet seat.
Personally, I love the things! Yet the question begs, are Americans ready to change the ways of generations who have been used to that swedish invention, the toilet paper roll? I believe this toilet's time has come. I am sure it will take some adjusting to north american realities (ie. size) yet this amazing invention will surely catch on. It will be disruptive at the high end first and then you'll find hotels using commercial versions like they do in Japan, if only for the cost savings of the paper rolls (roll cost, storage cost, labor cost to replace,etc...).
So how does this relate to solar? (you knew I'd bring it back here eventually!). Well it all has to do with how much we can expect people to change their habits to accomodate the convenience (or inconvenience) of a new technology, whether a solar charger or a toilet. I was amongst the first to market portable solar chargers for AA batteries back in 1999. Have they caught on yet? Not really! Why? Because we are still not ADDING SUBSTANTIAL VALUE to the experiences in which people may need these things (ie. camping trips) at a cost where they believe it has that valuable "je ne sais quoi" to be worthy of purchase. In other words, we are still not at the point where the cost-benefit analysis has turned in solar's favor when it comes to portable power. People still will go buy a bunch of AA batteries to power their flashlights or radios rather than bring along a flexible or foldable solar charger, at a cost of at least $100US to recharge their devices. And with camping trips shortening each decade (our friends at Coleman tell me that its down from an average of 10 days to just over 4-5, then the real value of solar "disruptive technology" is changing from the ability of masses to charge devices in several days to the ability to charge them "as they live their experiences". In the end it comes back once again to lasting value and our ability to enhance the lifestyle of our customers.
I will sit on my seat on this one :), until they invent the toilet seat which holds my daily newspaper and changes the pages upon command...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2006
From the world leader in solar...
The leader in solar by far, in terms of capacity is Sharp. So when their leader speaks, people listen.
According to him, solar will be competitive with nuclear by 2030 and fossil fuels will be out of the running. I think that's a very very very bold prediction. He even anticipates that solar's cost will be halved within the next 3.5 years (2010). I believe these are very aggressive targets, yet not atypical of Japanese industry leaders trying to push envelopes and drive their team towards goals that may be unrealistic yet still within the scope of possibility.
The article I quote just appeared as the industry heads to the largest solar conference in Europe in Dresden, Germany next week. We'll see if the industry consensus is that he is right or not.
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)