Green Blog - Green Investing Archives

Full Cost Analysis Needed on Green Power

2010-02-18T20:56:41Z

Full-cost analysis (FCA) examines both complete direct i.e. capital and operating costs and indirect i.e. environmental, health and social costs of private and public investments.

FCA, many of whose methodologies are still being refined, is a much needed tool to enable companies and policymakers to accurately determine the true ROI of projects. It will hopefully end the free ride 'enjoyed' especially by highways, airports and sprawl. And it should be used to carefully evaluate the power generation choices available.

It would be instructive to see the pricing at the end of the day between coal and where and how the coal is produced, tar sands and natural gas for electrical power. The environmental costs of blowing up mountains, creating huge tailing ponds and extraction and refining costs, and transportation and distribution expenses and their impacts i.e. trains, trucks, pipelines need to be put into the equations.

The same goes between fossil fuels, hydroelectricity and nuclear, all of which have their tradeoffs. For example, what are the true disposal costs of fly ash versus that of nuclear waste, per unit generated? FCA would allow power buyers to make effective decisions on where they get the bulk of their electricity.

There are also many nagging questions over green power especially as to whether it is truly environmentally sound. For example, small scale hydroelectric projects have been touted as alternatives to large ones.

Yet is this actually the case when FCA methodologies are applied, such as on construction of the dams and building new transmission lines? It is one thing to reuse an existing dam or dammed river near in-place distribution systems, such as on the Moira River in Belleville, Ontario; it is another to 'greenfield' a run-of-river plant in coastal British Columbia.

The same goes for wind and solar power. Do they cost-effectively produce the power for the investment and operating i.e. maintenance expenses required, for the land consumed?

Questions have been raised about ethanol thanks to FCA, and it is falling out of fashion as a result what with the trucks and trains to haul and the plants to process the material. It follows wood fuel that was also touted as an alternative energy source.

I got a perspective of wood fuel some 20 years ago when I worked as a reporter in a small British Columbia town. A power plant at the local sawmill that burned waste fuel often belched out soot. The particulate matter and other emissions from wood stoves and furnaces created harmful smog in local valleys in winter.

FCA also needs to be applied to smart grid strategies. I've heard the argument that smart grid investments makes sense where electricity costs are high i.e. Ontario and grid partners i.e. in Ohio are unstable as witnessed by the 2003 blackout, but the ROI may not be there in British Columbia or Manitoba where the rates are low and the infrastructure is stable.

FCA should also be applied when comparing how that energy is used i.e. power plants to create electricity for use in rail and urban transit or in internal combustion engines. That will help policymaker decide more accurately whether to go with clean diesel, CNG/LNG, hybrid, hydrogen and electrification.

Finally FCA should be applied to conservation versus added building or buying additional generation capacity. If conservation via changes in methods and processes, or investments in more efficient technologies proves to be comparatively cheaper then more people, and commercial and institutions will conserve. And that's win-win all around.

Greening The Data Center

2008-11-25T00:00:04Z

Data centers: data warehouse appliances and servers are the 'boilers' of the information revolution. They enable almost every business process from administration to customer service, decisioning, design/engineering, distribution, manufacturing, marketing/sales, and support. They also require a lot of electricity for operations and cooling to keep these units functional and to limit failures.

Carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter are the key harmful compounds and materials released when burning fossil fuels such as for electric power generation. Gartner reports that data centers account for almost a quarter of global CO2 emissions from information and communications technology, placing it on a par with the aviation industry.

Teradata, which makes data warehousing appliances and solutions, has devised, deployed, and is putting together technologies that reduce energy demand and emissions and which cut the size of building footprint. Among them:

* New cabinet designs that permit more efficient cooling

* Intel multi-core processors that permit more computing power with the same amount of energy

* On tap for late 2010/late 2011are new solid-state drives that are much more efficient than traditional electromechanical magnetic tape-drive units

Emerson Network Power has put together ten ways to get more out of data centers with fewer resources. Here are just a few examples:

* A relatively small investment in precision air conditioning and backup power

* Increasing data densities thanks to new cooling architectures can enable densities notably higher than average data center densities at a fraction of the cost of building a new facility

* Deploying economizers can be used to allow outside cool air to complement data center cooling systems and provide 'free cooling' during colder months

Take a look at these solutions and advice. What do you have to lose: other than high electric bills, wasted resources, and bad air?

--BR

America voted 'green'

2008-11-11T15:42:01Z

Last Tuesday a majority of Americans 'voted green'. They voted for, and the Electoral College is duty-bound to select Senator Barack Obama as President, whose platform contained an extensive list of green energy and employment initiatives, along with funding for Amtrak and mass transit along with highway improvements.

President-Elect Obama appears to be strong believer in technology, and has promised to place resources in R&D and in rural broadband. There is every reason to believe that of all the policy stances produced that he will deliver on this one, because technology delivered for him. He and his team successfully used advanced communications and marketing technology to create, mobilize, and bring on home one of the most successful grassroots-based election campaigns in modern times.

President-Elect Obama wants action on climate change but he also is seeking energy security, which according to an editorial in The (Toronto) Star may mean accepting Canada's 'dirty oil' from the Alberta tar sands in exchange for Canada adopting his tougher emissions policies.

(One wonders just how 'filthy' Alberta tar sands-derived oil really is: from source to refinery compared to shipping 'cleaner' crude from the Middle East on diesel-burning and pollutant-spewing tankers. Answers, please)

Americans also, in a majority of cases, approved ballot initiatives to finance mass transit, including new and expanded bus and rail systems and high-speed intercity rail. The American Public Transit Association reports that voters in 16 states approved 23 out of 32 transit-related ballot measures, or 72 percent, that authorize up to $75 billion in spending.

Examples include:

* A $10 billion bond issue to construct the first phase of a $45 billion high-speed rail line that will eventually stretch from San Diego to San Francisco, Calif. The project will require matching federal and private matching funds

* $40 billion in local transit and highway improvements in Los Angeles including light rail and rapid transit extensions, including at long last, links to LAX, to Santa Monica, and between the separate rail lines in downtown L.A

* A diesel commuter rail line in Sonoma and Marin counties north of San Francisco

* A $4.3 billion rail rapid transit line in Honolulu

* Proposition 1, a half-cent sales tax increase to supply nearly $18 billion in new and expanded light rail lines and improved commuter rail and bus in the Puget Sound (Seattle/Bellevue/Everett/Tacoma) region

The news was not all good. Kansas City voters rejected funding for a new 14-mile light rail system while St. Louis elector rejected a sales tax increase to continue financing its rail, bus, and paratransit network. This last one is a head-shaker: the St. Louis region's transit system is a star performer: its MetroLink LRT has imaginatively used existing railroad rights-of-way (including a downtown tunnel) to cost-effectively connect the metro region.

What makes these votes all the more significant even with the setbacks, are the overriding concerns over the economy and the ability of taxpayers to finance transit expansion. There are already growing reports of transit cutbacks.

Yet it is important to remember that keeping transit going represents a sound investment because it provides mobility for people who can no longer afford to keep the number of cars they do, or cars altogether, and that it provides good, clean, and green employment at a time when we need jobs, economic infusion, and take action on climate change.

--BR

Intel Pledges Green For Green's Sake

2008-01-30T14:07:47Z

TMCnet’s Stefania Viscusi has the latest on Intel’s purchase of over 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates as part of a multi-faceted approach to reduce its impact on the environment.

This commitment makes Intel the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The plan calls for Intel to purchase renewable energy certificates, which will comprise a variety of sources including wind, solar, small hydro-electric and biomass.

Intel has also successfully implemented energy saving strategies at their own facilities, and over the last 7 years, the company has invested in more than 250 energy conservation projects with resulting savings in excess of 500 million kilowatt hours.

California Rakes in the Green Tech Dough

2008-01-23T15:12:02Z

It’s no secret in the business world that the climate is now ripe for investments in products or services deemed “green”—that is, environmentally friendly—to bear significant fruit. As noted in this previous post, Greentech Group reported significant business investments in green technology during 2007.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, the group also noted that, in the U.S., California received the largest amount of investment for a single state: $1.79 billion. That represents 45 percent of all green investments in North America.

“Silicon Valley has moved much more rapidly than any other place on the planet,” John Balbach, managing partner of the Cleantech Group, was quoted as saying in the San Francisco Chronicle report, explaining why the state got so much green tech dough. “It's the speed at which the innovation economy in California is able to shift from one field to another.”

Investments in Green Tech Exceed $5 Billion for 2007

2008-01-23T14:55:53Z

The business world took “being green” seriously during 2007, not only by espousing environmentally friendly practices, but also by putting their money where there mouths are. Reuters reported that investments in green technology by businesses increased 44 percent (the same percentage increase as in 2006), to more than $5 billion, last year.

That number comes from Cleantech Group LLC, an organization whose members include venture capital firms, investment banks and other investors, Reuters said. The group also noted that venture investments in alternative energy during 2007 (for both North America and Europe) was $5.18 billion, up from $3.6 billion the year before.

Reuters listed – green market segments in order according to how much investment each received: energy generation, energy storage, energy efficiency, recycling & waste. Water companies and “green” building firms also were recipients of investments during 2007.

Reuters predicted that investment in the green industry will continue to grow by 20-30 percent annually, with an increasing amount of money going to companies in China and India.

Green Earth Gets Funding

2008-01-09T15:02:03Z

Green Earth Technologies Inc. has received about $2.4 million in investment funding from Founder's Technology and eight angel investors.

Green Earth Technologies, a consumer goods manufacturer, produces “G”-Branded green products made entirely from American Grown Base Oils based on cutting-edge nanotechnology.

The company’s products apply across several market segments, including automotive performance and appearance chemicals, marine performance and appearance chemicals, household cleaning solutions and lawn & garden chemicals.

The Menlo Park-based firm said the funds will be used to fund working capital requirements.

Silicon Valley VCs Seeing Green for Green's Sake

2007-12-26T15:46:08Z

USA Today has an item online that sheds some light on what some of tech’s wealthiest individuals are doing to help the world become a little greener.

The article describes Vinod Khosla, a leading venture capitalist, and how his children view his rising passion for renewable energy.

“They think it’s cool Dad is saving the planet,” he says.

The article goes on to laud the efforts of other notables such as Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Nobel-winning ex-vice president Al Gore, and eccentric billionaire Richard Branson.

It’s defintiely worth a read.

Investors Still Keen on Green

2007-12-19T12:31:28Z

A recent Investors Business Daily feature holds forth that venture capitalists are forecasting another solid year for investing in clean, “green,” technologies.

According to the report, based on a consensus estimate of 170 venture capitalists polled by the National Venture Capital Association, a full quarter (25%) of survey respondents forecast investments of $30 billion to $39 billion. The $39 billion number would represent the largest investment year since 2000.

The results show increased interest in clean technology investment, with 80% of respondents believing they will saying they will increase activity in the space.

For more, check out the article here.

IBM Goes Greener

2007-10-31T16:02:12Z

IBM has done a wonderful thing in finding a way to turn waste into the raw materials needed in the solar cell industry. One’s person’s junk apparently really is another person’s solar gold. TMCnet’s Tim Gray has the details in an article titled IBM's New Process to Turn Waste into Solar Energy.

Green Technology and IP Communications

2007-09-11T14:35:24Z

If you ever wondered how IP communications and green technology are similar, take a look at this blog post explaining how it all works. We hope to see you at Green Technology World conference very soon. The show kicks off in a few hors and we can’t wait to host you.

Codian

2007-09-07T16:39:34Z

As of the publication date of this interview with Codian’s Simon Downey, Norway-based video conferencing giant Tandberg announced that they are acquiring the high-definition (HD) video conferencing gear maker for $270 million in cash and stock. The deal, which is expected to enable Tandberg to more rapidly pursue current opportunities within its core videoconferencing and telepresence markets, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007.

Codian designs and manufactures advanced video conferencing products, which include Multipoint Control Units, ISDN gateways, Video Conference Recorders and Streaming Servers.

Rick Snyder, President of TANDBERG Americas, is scheduled to kick off the Green Technology World Conference program with a keynote address in Petree Hall D at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA, on Tuesday September 11 at 9:00am.

Snyder plans to describe in practical terms how adopting a strategy to reduce carbon emissions can increase a company’s brand value, driving competitive advantage.

“The key to engaging enterprises in the environmental movement is to identify CO2 reduction programs that can be implemented easily, do not sacrifice productivity, and demonstrate measurable ROI for an organization,” explained Snyder. “I am looking forward to sharing the experience of our customers who are reducing their carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary business travel and implementing visual telecommuting programs.”

While we will no doubt hear more about the two companies as the acquisition progresses, I’d like to share this interview I conducted with Simon Downey, senior product direct at Codian, about telepresence and the evolution of the IP communications space in general.

Downey will be presenting during the upcoming ITEXPO as part of a panel discussion titled The Dawning of Telepresence. The session is set to take place on Monday September 10 at 12:30pm. For more information on the event click here.

RT: Please outline your new corporate initiatives.

SD: HD is fast becoming the new standard in video communications, with telepresence emerging as the next big wave. Codian is at the forefront in developing solutions that deliver unrivalled quality experience that allows users to seamlessly integrate their legacy standard definition equipment with today’s emerging technologies, all without limitation or compromise.

RT: How is IP communications changing your company’s strategy?

SD: IP communications is core to Codian’s DNA. Codian is focused on delivering the best IP communications experience to users regardless of how they connect, where they connect and when they connect.

RT: How has SIP changed communications?

SD: To date, SIP has had little impact on the video communication market. It has accelerated the lower end of the IP communications market, both on voice and desktop video, but it has yet to be widely deployed across meeting room systems. However, as the adoption of Unified Communications gains momentum, we are seeing SIP emerge as the unified standard for IP Communications.

RT: What is the biggest request coming from your customer base?

SD: The rapid adoption of high definition and telepresence is increasing the demand to provide customers who have traditionally deployed video conferencing equipment with a solution that seamlessly integrates their legacy systems and today’s high end technologies while delivering their users a quality, “in person” experience. At the same time, as our customer base begins to deploy desktop solutions, they want the uncompromised experience and interoperability they’ve come to expect from Codian with their boardroom in a highly scalable solution capable to support thousands of their desktop users.

RT: How are you answering their demands?

SD: Codian will continue to meet the video communications needs of businesses with products that deliver unrivalled performance, quality and scalability.

RT: What do you think the future of the market is?

SD: IP communications has opened the doors to truly unifying communications across the enterprise, including mobile and fixed telephony, desktop collaboration and end-video communications. This opportunity will create significant challenges for network equipment providers, requiring an integrated solution that is not only scalable and high performing but maintains a superb level of quality and ease of use for the user.

RT: How does the growth rate in the U.S. compare to the rest of the world?

SD: We are seeing tremendous growth across the board with the U.S. in the lead, closely followed by Europe and then Asia.

RT: What do you think of Google and Apple entering the telecom market?

SD: It’s a testament to the increasing growth opportunities within the IP Communications space.

RT: How about Microsoft?

SD: Microsoft is in a great position to dominate from the desktop; however they have unfortunately chosen to remain partially proprietary rather than adopting a complete standards-based architecture which may slow their penetration. We believe that ultimately they’ll compete with Avaya and Cisco in the PBX business as well as with Cisco, Adobe and IBM in the Web collaboration space.

RT: How will wireless technologies change our market?

SD: The increased performance of mobile devices and the replacement of desktop computers with laptops are showing an increased demand for full mobility. As a result, more of our IP communications solutions need to address this notion of any device, any time, any location and over any network.

RT: How will communications evolve over the next five years?

SD: Your guess is as good as mine. While we don’t have the crystal ball, it’s fair to assume that the exponential growth in terms of performance and network throughput will continue. As a result, today’s high-performance requirements will expand far beyond the boardroom and out to end-user devices.

RT: What sorts of things will we be hearing about during your presentation at ITEXPO?

SD: Today’s telepresence solutions create an immersive “in the same room” experience for all; or so you think. More often than not individuals attempting to be part of this experience from their existing video equipment are completely isolated as a result of system incompatibility issues. That is not the case with Codian solutions which provides a no comprise quality HD experience while integrating with legacy standard definition systems. I will discuss how to successfully deploy telepresence and high definition communications across the enterprise network while avoiding potential pitfalls commonly encountered by IT managers.

RT: Why is your presentation a “Can’t Miss?”

SD: When it comes to infrastructure required for supporting HD and TP, Codian offers the only comprehensive and end-to-end HD capable solutions available in the market.

RT: What do you want the industry to know about your company?

SD: Codian is the fastest growing voice and visual communications company in the world and has set the standard by delivering today’s most advanced video conferencing infrastructure solutions.

Ultracapacitor

2007-09-07T12:20:45Z

Is the ultracapacitor the ultimate green technology? Capacitors charge and discharge rapidly but can can hold less energy. By contrast a battery charges and discharges slowly but holds more energy. The ultracapacitor is designed to be the best of both worlds allowing quick charges and large amounts of energy storage.

One company on the forefront of this technology is EEStor. The Texas based company could be on to something here and the automotive industry is certainly watching closely. Here are some details on the company, its founders and what could go wrong.

Green Technology Conference Doing Well

2007-09-06T20:57:12Z

Thanks to all the readers of TMC’s green blog for supporting the Green Technology World conference taking place next week in Los Angeles, CA. Our attendance numbers are far ahead of where we thought they would be based on the limited time we had to market this event. We now expect up to 2,000 people to register for the show when all is said and done. In addition there may be some of you who don’t want to use a computer to register just so you can lower your carbon footprint. We completely understand and that is perfectly OK.

For this particular show we will be using electricity in our registration system. We are thinking however that at the next event we may get a bank of Inveneo bicycle-powered PCs to handle this task. We are of course evaluating the carbon output of a human breathing hard versus just getting the juice from a wall socket. More to come later. ;)

Oh and by the way, I forgot to mention some of the attendees at the show. We have representation at a high level from Boeing, AMD, Alcatel-Lucent, Qwest, Toyota, British Telecom, Ericsson, Lockheed Martin, Texas Instruments, Cisco, Intel and The United Nations, among others.

Here are the sessions we will be focusing on next week in LA:

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Opening Keynote Address by Rick Snyder, President, TANDBERG
Top Ten Ways to be GREEN through Better Networking Presented by Cisco
Maximizing Benefits of a Virtual Workforce Presented by Arise Virtual Solutions
Empowering Teleworking with IP Telephony and Web Services Presented by BlueNote Networks, Inc.
Virtual Meetings: A Faster Path to Lowered Emissions Presented by Polycom, Inc.
Alleviating the Carbon Footprint of Corporate Travel though Conferencing, Collaboration and Video Conferencing Presented by IP Unity Glenayre
Green Case Study: Pat Lobb Toyota Presented by Pat Lobb Toyota
The Greening of the Data Center Presented by Digital Realty Trust, AMD, and Foundry Networks

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Keynote Address by Joan Vandermate, VP of Marketing, Polycom
Paving the Way for a Greener Approach to Deploying Telecom
Networks Presented by RadiSys
Advanced TCA -- Green Conferencing in Data Centers Presented by Polycom, Inc.
Truly Green Application Specific Computer Design Presented by Arlinx, Inc.
The Future of Green Technology Presented by Ericsson, BT Conferencing USA, and Cincom Systems, Inc.

Here is more from the press release.

Eco One

2007-09-02T20:57:55Z

I have a confession to make. I like sports cars. Does that make me a terrible person? Well the answer from an environmental perspective was a resounding yes – until now that is. While every auto maker is going green, I recently came across an extreme green racing machine. The Eco One is touted as the world’s greenest race car and is made from potatoes, cashew nut shells, hemp and rapeseed oil among other plants. (Boy is writing this article making me hungry ;) )

Now that I’ve snacked, I am not afraid to share the car has other food and plant derived components. The tires are made from potato starch for improved fuel economy. The brake pads are made from ground cashew shells and the brake oil is derived from plants.

What’s more, the body is created from hemp and rapeseed oil. And it runs on fuel derived from fermented sugar beet.

If I had heard about this car sooner I would have purchased one. It happens to be the perfect vehicle to get me to TMC’s Green Technology World conference which is just over a week away in Los Angeles, CA.

Assuming I got one tomorrow, I could log about 400 miles per day for a week on this little baby and be there before I know it. Actually, Google Maps tells me the 2,837 mile ride can be performed in one day and 18 hours of continuous driving. But then again, I am sure I can do it faster. Remember, the cofounders of Google each drive a Toyota Prius which the last time I looked is no Eco One. ;)