Summit Notebook
Exclusive outtakes from industry leaders
60-hour work weeks, all in the name of climate change
Some politicians may be accused of dragging their heels when it comes to dealing with climate change, but you can’t say members of the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism’s executive board aren’t clocking in the hours.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an emissions trading scheme under the Kyoto Protocol worth $33 billion last year according to the World Bank, allows companies and countries to outsource their greenhouse gas reduction efforts by investing in clean energy projects in emerging countries like China and India, where making emissions cuts costs less.
Projects are submitted to the CDM for registration and a staff of over 100 examine and scrutinize each one to ensure environmental integrity.
The whole scheme is supervised by a 20-member executive board, chaired by Lex de Jonge of the Netherlands’ environment ministry.
“The members are all employed by governments and assigned to the board. They don’t get a salary from the UN but they receive a daily subsistence allowance to pay for meals, hotel and travel costs,” de Jonge said at the Reuters Climate and Alternative Energy Summit.
“As chair of the board, I spend 75% of my time on CDM issues and 25% on domestic issues relating to my actual job,” he added.
The CDM’s executive board holds some 7 to 8 week-long meetings a year, up from 5 meetings in 2005, the year international emissions trading really began to take shape.
Google’s Green Energy Czar on investing in renewables
Bill Weihl, Google’s Green Energy Czar, sat down at Reuters’ Global Climate and Energy Summit in San Francisco and talked about Google’s solar thermal project, infrastructure costs and where he sees the energy mix heading in 20 years.
Here he chats about emerging clean tech hubs and what the United States should do about investing in renewables.
(Editing/video by Courtney Hoffman)
I think this is a good thing. Google has the horsepower to get the word out on new technology. We and the rest of the world need to stop burning fuel to make our power and run our machinery. It will take time, but we will make the switch.
Silver Spring Networks shows grid smarts
Scott Lang, the Chief Executive of Silver Spring Networks, sat down at Reuters’ Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco to talk about building and expanding within green tech sector.
Here Lang discusses how his company’s technology for reporting power consumption to utilities also finds problems quickly.
(Editing/video by Courtney Hoffman)
BrightSource CEO talks about building carbon-free future
John Woolard, the chief executive of solar thermal energy company BrightSource, sat down at Reuters’ Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco to talk about energy efficiency, project financing and the future of carbon-free power.
His advice: build fast!
(Editing/video by Courtney Hoffman)
Last month, all renewables combined (wind, solar, biomass and mainly waterpower) exceeded nuclear in power generated. Globally, wind is being added at several nuclear plants a year, but that will greatly accelerate in the US. Why? Because between the Atlantic, Great Lakes and Great Plains, the US has enough undisputed wind space to double in average terms its currant average power draw of 430,000 MW. Also, current new nuclear has a wholesale power price (per recent EU report) of 9.7 cents/KWH. But that dies not include future escalations in that nuclear power cost. Wind can survive quite nicely on 9.7 cents average on a 20 year fixed price contract, providing we change our technology to lower cost gearless reliability, which China is fast doing, already with two factories producing gearless turbines. We have none, but that can change dramatically and fast with my new gearless turbine and fast offshore deployment barge IP (both to be announced soon). New software, very high voltage dc grids, better wind power planning with new weather forecasting tech to predict day ahead wind capability when and where will all revolutionize wind so that it can dominate the grid power feed. It has to; we can’t depend just on nuclear (because it’s next impossible to get approval and construction accomplished) and carbon to meet 2050 power needs.
Apple’s iPhone takes slow boat to China
In China, Apple’s iPhone commands a strange presence. Perenially “coming out”, already widely available on the black market, viewed with trepidation by local telecom players but with undisguised lust by affluent consumers.
Sanford C. Bernstein Toni Sacconaghi thinks the wildly popular device will arrive in the Middle Kingdom before the end of the year, after a long haul of negotiations with state-run telecom carriers keen to control the content to be sold over the gadget.
Some sticking points thus far: Sacconaghi says Chinese typically spend $10-$15 per month on data services — everything from stock quotes to weather forecasts — wheareas your typical iPhone user in the developed world now spends $70. That limits the Chinese carriers’ ability to subsidize the iPhone. But the analyst thinks that in one to two months Apple may unveil a cheaper version of the device that can lower the cost of the phone to lower-paying Chinese customers.
“You’re struggling with how to monetize the iPhone”, he told the Reuters Global Technology Summit. “It could be used to let carriers pay less.”
Though conceding that negotiations on that front between the consumer electronics giant and carriers in the world’s largest telecoms arena have been “opaque” at best, Sacconaghi thinks Apple is getting tougher.
“It’s a testament to the fact that they’ve been negotiating pretty tough” that the iPhone’s introduction had been delayed,” he said.
Problem is, Apple may be underestimating the Chinese government’s tendency to want to control content — especially mass consumer content — and its distribution. Apple, which also jealously guards ultimate control of the applications or programs sold through its Apps store, may have finally met its match.
Apple will continue to have trouble breaking into the Chinese market, not only with the iPhone but with their computers as well. Although Apple’s computers are popular there with those working in the arts, or people who like the company’s design over function, many Chinese websites, especially e-commerce sites, have compatibility problems with Mac. Whether that will change on the web designer end or Apple’s software changes remains to be seen.
Facebook’s Zuckerberg talks MySpace, Twitter
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke to the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Tuesday and while he wouldn’t touch TechCrunch’s report about financing and valuation, he did opine about a few of Facebook’s Web peers:
On the difference between Facebook and MySpace:
I think MySpace defines themselves as more of a media company and a media portal. A way to see the different content that is going on, or a way for a News Corp parent company to spread content through the network. Facebook has always been more focused on helping people build out their identity, helping people maintain their relationships and communicate really efficiently. We have talked about ourselves as a technology company a lot as opposed to a media company.
On the difference between Facebook and Twitter:
We respect Twitter and we think they are a great company. I think Twitter’s focus different is markedly different from Facebook’s. They are not really at all about a user’s identity. They are more about real time communication. People are sharing more and more information…and on a more frequent basis. If you extend that out then there is a good amount of information that is being shared in real time. That’s where a service like Twitter comes in, and that’s why that’s also one piece of what we want to do. If your friend does something important…there is no reason why you don’t want that update immediately. Real time is clearly one of the growing trends but i don’t think it’s the whole picture.
Photo: Reuters
Facebook, twitter integration would be ideal rather that the way facebook is taking on a twitter approach with its real time wall. I would make use of it.
from Global Investing:
Reuters Funds Summit: The end of equities?
Another in our series of one-minute managers. This time it is Ken Kinsey-Quick, who heads up multi manager investing at Thames River Capital. He reckons the old days of buying and holding equities over the long term are gone for good. Is he right?
http://mediacdn.reuters.com/blogs/2009-03-17/15.35.01-5ac85fbc2d5285b81a38cf9e9808e94f.flv
First, the planet’s climate has always changed and will always change. Next, do politicians really think the best thing to do is freeze people to death? By raising the price of electricity that is what they are doing. Every stopped construction of a new nuclear plant or new coal facility means less electricity for heat. I do not have air and I do not care if people have to pay more for electricity for that but when I have to read about a mother using her electic stove for heat for her and her two children..and therby burning down her apartment, shame on you global warmists. Everyone who believes they are harming the planet by using fossil fuels should stop using them.