July 30, 2008
OIL SCHMOIL...
The US is deciding whether or not to open up new areas for more oil exploration on the hope that it can save a few pennies in several years? You have to see right through this as a last ditch attempt by Mr. Bush to satisfy his friends who want more money in the oil companies coffers rather than a true attempt to resolve the current "energy crisis" being manufactured in the US for political purposes.
I suspect they know that if a Democrat comes into power, their chances of opening up these fields disappears...for a while. So rather than spend that money on more renewables, he'd rather take a last stab at this crazy scheme which really won't make a dent in american's pocketbooks.
How sad that energy policy in the country which uses the most is being so myopic at the highest level.
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:08 PM | Comments (2)
Ice Break...
The biggest piece of ice to break off the arctic shelf is now reality. The trend is scary and won't stop until we reverse the effects on our environment. Imagine an arctic without ice...it will change you life in ways we still don't understand.
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2008
Winds of Change in the US and China...
T Boone Pickens. Ted Turner. Seems like America is being driven to renewables by some pretty big names.
Now comes word that the US and China are leading the world's charge into wind power. Who would have ever thought?
When we read the fact that they are putting their money where their mouth is, we know that guys of this caliber are doing it for returns that are not just about making us feel good. It means that the business of renewables has hit the big time and is recognized to be the ONLY future we can bank on for energy.
And to think this is happening in Texas...kudos to you guys!
Sass
Posted by sass at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2008
Performance Problems
China has removed cars from Beijing streets in anticipation of the Olympics in order to reduce pollution.
This is yet more proof that the rampant economic development, without a care for the environment, risks choking the very economies that created the issue. Comes back to balance doesn't it? Anything out of balance doesn't last and the double digit growth rates in China had to come back to bite it given that not a care has been given to environmental concerns during this phase.
Now athletes are pondering whether or to cancel appearances because of their concerns over their performance levels. Its amazing that so little has been done so late and that the organizing committee took
for granted that China would make good on its word to have the air ready.
The night is darkest before the dawn I heard in the Batman Movie, and so it is true for the summer olympic games. I am sure they will do as good a job as last minute attempts will permit and by the skin of their teeth
get away with it. Yet this darkness for the games means that future ones will be more vigilent in verification
of environmental status prior to committing games to an area where athletes chances of breaking world records will be reduced, not because they can't, yet because they won't be given a fair chance.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2008
Green Nissan
Today we announced that we have concluded sales with Nissan, one of the top auto makers in the world.
This marks a new milestone as we had not landed another major car maker since first beginning to supply VW, almost 3 years ago. Nissan is the fist of many others we intend on capturing in this captive market which needs to protect 12V vehicle batteries from ongoing drained when parked either in corporate or dealer lots.
Kudos to a team which had to jump hoops in order to land this account. The fact is that we have proven that our team is the best when it comes to providing solar solutions to the automotive industry. The saving grace of our solution not only reduces Nissan's carbon footprint, it reduces landfill and maintenane issues related to the old way of maintaining batteries (replacing them!).
Well done Team ICP!
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2008
Green Messenger
Pope goes green. Nothing more to add!
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
Consolidation...really?
The word in the financial community is that consolidation is likely to start occurring in our industry. Really? Didn't I write about that almost 18 months ago? Yet frankly it will start to really speed up when the cost of acquiring companies is cheaper than the cost of expanding capacity.
With current stock prices relatively high, when compared to other more mature industries, the current sentiment seems to expand internal capacity in a race to the finish, rather than to buy out competition. This will change as the industry swings become more predicatable and less volatile.
For ICP Solar, we're in a unique position in that we go with the flow. If cell prices continue to look to drop, our customers benefit. If cell prices increases, we raise prices like everyone else. The barrier to entry into our market is more complex, although admittedly less expensive, than the commodity end of the market. We offer services beyond products and innovation is the key in our part of the business, whereas cost per watt is the focus on the mainstream players side.
With several new channels now being targeted by us, and with a consistent reduction of non-profitable business being shelved, our turnaround is focusing on high margin and high volume opportunities, far beyond what we have targeted to date. Expect innovations to focus on mass appeal targets and simplified adaptability. The key to our success will lie in how much better we use the microchip, not the actual microchip speed or cost. These are secondary in a market which is still quite open (tiny penetration) to a company which continues to service its clients better than anyone in the market.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2008
The reality of our future with oil..
The reality hits home. Use of oil to grow by 50% in next 22 years! So what happened to the "green revolution"?
The fact is that while the developed world has its luxuries..the underdeveloped one is just getting started. And when you consider the population which does not yet benefit from fuel-based transportation, it is huge. So when you put together an increasing revenue based for those countries and the need for convenience and the lack of an affordable alternative...oil is here for a long, long time to come.
This does not mean that eventually we will completely eradicate this need. It does not mean that if we invest heavily in battery and renewable technologies we can't shorten oil's remaining lifetime as a power supply. It simply means that we should not delude ourselves into believing that we can do it as quickly as we wish.
Where there is a dream there is hope. And when you look at things positively, the things that you look at change for the positive. So keep going, make a change to your life today, even if its for your pocketbook. One way or another, renewables will one day become the standard.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2008
Global Vision or Myopic Contrition?
The G8 has made an announcement...they have a common vision. Fantastic! Great! Amazing!...or is it?
We've heard so much about vision yet the truth is that until execution matches the vision and until India and China are willing to agree to specific targets, there will be little delivery. The fact is that these two major countries will contribute huge amounts of carbon emissions in the coming decades, and we must understand that we need to think about their positions. Basically, these two countries argue that developed countries have been permitted to spew out greenhouse gas emissions for decades without paying anything...so why can't they?
At first glance, it is a reasonable position, yet frankly they must take into account the fact that nobody knew they were damaging the environment to the extent that they have. Ignorance is not an excuse, yet we can not excuse countries that now know the damage, and continue to invoke the past. We must all look forward and cannot use the ills of our past ways to determine our future responsibilities.
All countries understand this, the issue is one of negotiation. Its about what India and China can extract from the other countries as part of a settlement of "allowance". They basically want an exclusion to some extent to permit their countries to continue rabid and uncontrolled development. Anyone whose been there can tell you that the air is hardly breathable in some cities, that the land is full of garbage and that the environment has been the least of their concerns. When you are trying to bring up your population's standard of living, you do what you think is right. However what is right changes as information evolves.
The governments of these countries know full well the damage they are doing to their environments. They understand very well the concern of others. They are simply posturing, to the detriment of their own people, in order to extract something out of the developed world.
Its only a matter of time when self-service will take over and these countries will have to fall into the fold. That is why the G8 is in no rush to make that happen, despite appearances. They know that all will come into line eventually with much less "payoff" than required today. Its all a game...and the only people who lose are you and me. Pity...
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)
Thank you Mr. Oil Man...
News from around the world that gas-saving gadgets are hot sellers, including of course our solar chargers.
World communities now going towards green not because its good to do, yet because its the smart thing to do. This price level for oil might do more to energize renewables than any moralizing or preaching about environment that we could ever do.
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2008
Killing me softly with carbon...
G8 world leaders get together, tap each other on the shoulder for doing so great, make superb announcements of intent, and then fail to deliver because the targets are then said to be "too ambitious". Sound familiar?
I believe there is progress being made, yet I often feel like there is a mutual self-love club amongst these leaders who rarely openly challenge each other in a manner so as to force the other to come off their stools. Kyoto was supposed to deliver something, now the G8 says another. Is there one country in the world which has met its carbon reduction targets to date? If so, kudos to them. If not, it is indicative of either not enough effort or too ambitious plans, often verbalizes for political scores of the day.
Although I offer no solution to the self-proclaimed leadership issues, I believe that we are at least on the right track now, and this should accelerate should an american administration begin to take the environment a bit more seriously. Oil has its place....for now. The question is not whether or not it will be replaced by carbon neutral energy sources, but when it will be eradicated.
It begs the question...what will the middle eastern countries which depend on oil revenue do once their revenue source is cut off? hmmmm....
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)