My 6 Most Useful High-Tech Hardware In 2009

December 31, 2009

Unlike most, trying to be smart – or dumb – about predicting next year’s trends, I wanted to reflect back on the most useful high-tech hardware in my life this year.

  1. First and foremost is my laptop. In this case, it’s an old Apple Macbook (2 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2 GB Ram) that I upgraded with a 500 GB hard disk drive from Western Digital. It still works fine for editing videos, photos and stories. There was a crack on the Mac’s case (next to the screen) and the Mac repair shop changed it (it was a known defect) and installed a brand new keyboard… all for free (I think it’s still under warranty)!
  2. A Logitech Performance MX mouse that works virtually everywhere, even on glass, thanks to its Darkfield technology. The only downside with this mouse was that they is no trap inside it to store the tiny wireless receiver when I need to free up one of the USB port. I’m always afraid to loose it as it’s so minuscule. Also I must always remember to bring the USB cable that ships with the mouse as it’s needed to recharge it;
  3. Livescribe‘s Pulse Smartpen was a lifesaver for me. It records everything I write and synch it with the audio recording. I never miss a word, during an interview or even a long-form presentation. Even more critical for me, I’m able to go back to a particular speech/interview by just tapping on my notes associated to it. It makes my reporting so much more accurate and faster. I couldn’t do without it anymore.
  4. iPod nano, 5th generation with the audio and video recording. I use it to record short interviews, instead of using the bigger video camcorder; as well as audio conversations/presentations when I don’t have my Smartpen handy. I wish the nano had an external microphone jack like the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video camera which might replace in 2010, both the iPod nano and my hard disk based camcorder. I would have to check the battery life though;
  5. Google G1 smartphone. If you heard me complaining about my phone, you might be surprised to see it mentioned here. But despite its dismal keyboard, which I somehow got used to!, the G1 got even more useful when Google released its Navigation app. With Google Map Navigation I don’t need a seperate GPS system anymore. The G1 is now my one stop shop for voice, watch/alarm, email, Web browsing, calendar, twitter, occasional photo/video recording and lately, navigation. I’m not using much of the Facebook app yet but that might change next year;
  6. Last but not least, the Roku Netflix player was the most important device in my home entertainment centre, just after the plasma TV but way more than the DVD/VHS player or the intermittently connected Mac mini. Hopefully, Roku will open its media player up (as well as the USB port) so it can play content off a USB key/drive and from more Internet video sources like Hulu. One can dream!

Voila, that’s it for me. Have a wonderful holiday and see you next year!

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Clean Tech Investing Is Weak In Fourth Quarter As Jitters Continue

December 31, 2009

Venture capitalists appeared to defy expectation in the fourth quarter by cutting back on clean tech investments despite an infusion of government capital.

With the federal government pouring billions into green tech firms developing advanced batteries, solar cells, electric cars and smart-grid technologies, venture capitalists were expected to follow suit. Private money was supposed to follow public, giving a boost an industry that hopes to wean the nation off energy generated from fossil fuels.

But an early look at the investment figures show otherwise. The National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource will release their market assessments in several weeks. But Greentech Media offered a first take on Thursday, and the picture wasn’t pretty.

Venture firms invested about $910 million during the fourth quarter, down from $1.9 billion in third quarter and $1.2 billion in the second. First quarter investing during the height of the recession was $836 million.

The weak quarter suggests continued uncertainty at venture houses such as NEA, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital, NGEN Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson, among the nation’s top green tech investors.

In a press release, Greentech Media tried to put a brave face on the results. It pointed out that overall investing for the year came to $4.85 billion, down from $7.6 billion in a record 2008, but that the total number of deals in 2009 – 356 – actually grew.

It also pointed out that solar deals again captured the interest of the moneymen, attracting almost a third of the dollars. Next in line were biofuels companies, which took in $976 million.

But the weak quarter will put pressure on the sector in 2010, if it hopes to regain the momentum it saw in 2007. Many venture capitalists cite green tech as the most attractive opportunity around. But that excitement hasn’t yet translated into check writing.

For that to happen, the price of oil may need to inflate another $20 or so. Or at least VCs need to believe it will.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Overcapacity In China Could Lead To Cheap Solar Cells And Wind Turbines

December 30, 2009

Manufacturing overcapacity in China could lead to lower prices for wind turbines and polycrystalline silicon.

Wind turbine makers are projected to use just 50% of factory capacity in 2010

According to a report by the National Development and Reform Commission, excess capacity is a growing concern among many manufacturing sectors in China, from steel to aluminum to methanol. The nation’s producers of polycrystalline silicon, the raw material for making thin-film solar cells, are a case in point. They were using only 20 percent of their capacity.

Wind turbine and equipment maker fare better. They are projected to be using 50 percent in 2010.

In both cases, an effort by the state to create jobs and put factories to work would increase supply and pressure world prices.

Excess capacity has been an issue in China for years. For instance, the nation used just 76 percent of its steel making capacity in 2008 and 73 percent of its aluminum making facilities.

So far, this under utilization has not pulled the rug out from under the domestic economy. Rapid growth covers up many ills by stimulating employment and permitting inefficient manufacturers to survive. This may continue, even as some facilities go off line, though China has been unwilling to mothball even its oldest factories.

The manufacturing capacity of wind equipment and poly-silicon in particular could be soaked up by China’s unfolding plans to sharply expand alternative energy generation.

But China is an export driven economy. So at some level production is supported by purchases abroad. That can only mean one thing: excess supply and lower prices.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Google, T-Mobile Confirm New Android Smartphone “Nexus One” Launch Next Week

December 29, 2009

Google invites the media on Jan 5th to show its Nexus One

The mystery surrounding Google’s Nexus One Android smartphone launch date is finally solved: it will be Tuesday, January 5th.

Today, Google sent out a media invite to attend an “Android press gathering” at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

“With the launch of the first Android-powered device just over a year ago, we’ve seen how a powerful, open platform can spur mobile product innovation. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible,” reads the invite.

In a related news, TmoNews reported that wireless carrier T-Mobile confirmed the upcoming Android device will be “sold solely by Google via the Web,” and that “support for this device including troubleshooting and exchanges will be managed by Google and HTC [the maker of the Nexus One].”

Pricing is not known yet.

Just like Apple in prior years, Google’s announcement will certainly steal some thunder from CES (Consumer Electronics Show) which officially opens in Las Vegas, 2-days later.

TmoNews managed to grab this screen capture from T-Mobile's internal site confirming the launch of Google's latest smartphone

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Start-up Hopes To Generate Energy From Canals And Streams

December 29, 2009

Green tech is a young business. Sure, large, well-capitalized leaders are beginning to appear in many fields: wind energy, solar and biofuels.

Global Energies of Montana is working on a hydraulic waterwheel only 22 feet in width

But the fluidity of the market and its rapidly evolving technology is the product of tens of thousands of tiny start-ups in all corners of the industry.

One of these is Global Energies of Great Falls, Montana, which believes it has an idea for revolutionizing energy from water.

The three-person company designed a hydraulic waterwheel that it says will turn the water flow in canals and streams into electricity. The costs of the electricity, the company says, could be below that generated from fossil fuels.

CEO David Brockes says getting the money to build prototypes is his biggest hurdle. Two angels are looking at its technology (names withheld) but so far no check has been written.

The prospect of mining energy from the motion of water is not Global Energies’ alone. High profile tidal energy projects have recently kickoff in Scotland and at the Bay of Fundy in Canada.

But the scale of these large initiatives contrasts with the more modest – perhaps more accessible – plans of Global Energies. The device the company hopes to build is 22 feet in width, 9 feet high and fits into a canal of about the same size. The machine should generate 150 KW by pumping hydraulic fluid to a generator on shore.

Brockes says Montana has given him permission to test the devices in two canals – if he can build them. The wheel should be fish friendly because it spins more slowly than the current of the water, permitting fish to swim through with ease.

Like start-ups elsewhere, Global Energies believes it has found a device that can change the world. All it needs is money. Like a thousand start-ups elsewhere, it hopes to keep the clean tech industry the dynamic place it is.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Freighter Test Fuel Cell To Cut Greenhouse Gases 50%

December 29, 2009

As far as commercial transportation goes, shipping is more environmentally friendly than many others, say air transport or trucking.

Freighters carry large loads of goods at steady speeds across the oceans of the world. Carbon emissions per item are relatively low.

The Lady Viking's fuel cell runs on liquified natural gas and could be configured to use methane

There are ways to make them even lower. A Norwegian ship dubbed the Viking Lady is the first to run a liquefied natural gas fuel cell with the aim of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The Viking Lady was described in a recent story published in Scientific American. While the fuel cell is still in testing and not yet turning the propellers, it holds promise. Estimates are that carbon emissions on the ship should fall 50 percent – more if the cell is configured to run methane.

The new technology requires some reworking of the marine environment. Storage tanks for the hydrogen and CO2 necessary to start the fuel cell sit at the stern of the 277-foot ship, as do machines to turn the liquid fuel to gas.

The Viking Lady, painted a bright orange, also uses natural gas to fire separate on-board turbines that today drive the boat by providing electricity to its engines.

If also goes well, the fuel cell could begin taking over propulsion duties by next year. It will be eagerly awaited. Shipping contributes 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with one ship equal to about 22,000 cars.

The new approach to maritime trade could change this.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Report Shows Strong Green Job, Business Growth Thru 2008, But Avoids Recession

December 28, 2009

Green jobs and business creation gave a boost to the California economy during the 13 years ending in 2008, a new report shows. But the study fails to measure the impact of the great recession of 2008 and 2009.

California is among the greenest of the 50 states. So it is no surprise both the number of new businesses and employment would jump. What comes as a surprise is the broad dispersion of the jobs across the state. They are not limited to the heavily populated coast.

The study, from  Next 10, finds the state had 159,000 green jobs in 2008, or less than 1 percent of total statewide employment.

Still, the total was up 36 percent during the period, while overall employment rose just 13 percent. During the 13 years, green businesses multiplied 45 percent.

The state capital, Sacramento saw the greatest rise in positions, followed by San Diego, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and Orange County.

While the San Francisco Bay Area had the greatest number of solar energy related jobs, the San Joaquin Valley was biggest in wind energy, Sacramento showed a focus in geothermal and southern California favored alternative fuels and motor vehicles.

Unfortunately, the study didn’t try to assess the impact of the sour economy of the past year. The growth of jobs has likely come to a near halt.

Regional Job Growth, Source: Next 10

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Posted by Mark Boslet

NIMBYism On The Rise Against Solar And Wind Developments

December 24, 2009

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Panoche Valley is a treeless expanse in central California with 90 percent of the solar intensity of the Mojave Desert.

The Audobon Society is complain Panoche Valley is not appropriate for a solar farm. (Photo Mercury News)

Several endangered species make their homes there: the San Joaquin fox, the blunt-nose leopard lizard.  One hundred and thirty species of birds come and go.

The unusual wildlife may not make waterless valley the ideal spot for one of the world’s largest solar farms. But the available sunshine does. So where does the 420 MW project – about 60 miles south of Silicon Valley – stand? It is opposed by the Audubon Society, which complains the environmental impact of large-scale developments isn’t known.

Earlier this week, the environmentally conscious Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a bill creating two national monuments in the Mojave Desert. The legislation, if adopted, will have a similar squelching affect on the development of alternative energy. It will effectively chase a dozen planned solar and wind farms from the parch, sunshine intensive landscape.

NIMBYism is on the rise against alternative energy at a time when the nation needs to be rushing toward non-fossil-fuel-based energy. The danger is that this not-in-my-backyard sentiment will make renewable energy targets hard to hit and put American competitiveness at a disadvantage through continued reliance on oil and traditional energy sources.

The list of projects under attack is lengthening. In West Virginia, the endangered species act was wielded to squash a wind farm when environmentalists feared the habitat of the Indiana bat would be encroached.

Proposed legislation will chase a dozen proposed wind and solar plants from the Mojave Desert

In Michigan, neighbors began howling when a massive wind farm was planned for Lake Michigan. The gargantuan 1 GW farm is proposed for a 100-square-mile tract of the lake, with some turbines only a few miles from shore.

The consistently strong winds of the Great Lakes make them one of the nation’s top sources of renewable energy. However, according to the Detroit Free Press, residents complained that the 100 turbines would create an eyesore and chase away tourists.

With the growing grassroots rejection of renewable energy, the nation will have a harder time playing its part in the fight against global warming. Already environmental leaders such as Robert Kennedy have spoken up, complaining the Mojave Desert shouldn’t be barred from development without a thorough environmental review.

But many battles will be fought at the state and local level. There, compromises are probably going to need to be made. After all, the alternative is more coal and natural-gas fired power plants – and more imported oil.

Only the oil companies are in favor of that.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Are Electric Cars More Energy Efficient Than Gasoline? The Answer Is Yes

December 23, 2009

A lot of hype is charging up prospects for the electric car. Some of it is clearly justified.

In a perfect world, the pure, electric, plug-in vehicle appears to hold the key to the future. Power it with renewable energy from a solar or wind farm. Run it on a new generation lithium battery capable of 500 miles between charges (still several years away). What’s not to like?

Electric car efficiency depends a great deal on the source of the electricity. More efficient natural gas makes for a more efficient car

Unfortunately, that world has not arrived. Typical batteries get 100 miles or less. Solar and wind aren’t built in sufficient quantities to make a difference.

“Honestly, there is more hype than substance,” says Jacob Grose, a senior analyst at Lux Research.

Still, electric cars can make a difference. Depending on the source of electricity – coal versus more efficient natural gas – their energy efficiency is significantly to modestly above that of internal combustion engines.

Here is how the efficiency calculation plays out (thanks to Grose). Start with a natural gas power plant running at 60 percent efficiency. Figure that 7 percent of the power gets lost in transmission. So the power coming to a residential outlet is about 55% efficient.

Now figure that 95 percent of the electricity makes it into the lithium battery – overall efficiency drops to 53 percent.

The final piece of the calculation is the car’s electric motor, which runs 90 percent efficient. The overall efficiency of an electric car is therefore 48 percent.

The efficiency of an automobile running on gasoline is 25 percent. A significant difference!

Working in the favor of electric cars is an energy efficient engine

The efficiency of an electric car drops to 32 percent if it relies on energy coming from a less efficient coal-fired plant (only 40 percent efficient).

Yet, if deployed in significant numbers, electrics can make a difference in the nation’s energy efficiency – and help wean the country off its addiction to oil.

The dismaying piece of the puzzle is the solar. Solar cell efficiency is just 15 percent. That drops auto efficiency to 12 percent. On the bright side, no carbon is generated.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

OpenHydro Seeks $43 Million In New Funding

December 23, 2009

A month ago, Irish tidal energy company OpenHydro lowered a 400-tonne underwater turbine into the Bay of Fundy.

Now it seeking 30 million euros (about $43 million) in new funding to expand its production capacity as well as take on new projects.

OpenHydro's tidal turbine sits on the seabed of the Bay of Fundy

The company confirmed in an e-mail that it is seeking to raise the money from new and existing shareholders.

So far, OpenHydro has raised approximately $80 million. Investors include Brendan Gilmore, a financial consultant and hotel investor, Pershing International Nominees, a London-based affiliate of the Bank of New York, and Davycrest Nominees, part of Davy Stockbrokers in Dublin, and Emera of Canada.

Early reports from the Bay of Fundy installation suggest the turbine is generating electricity, though it is not yet connected to the Nova Scotia power grid. The company also has a project underway in Washington State.

The challenge for tidal energy companies is to produce electricity at competitive costs.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

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