Hydropower Highlighted at POWER-GEN International

It has become a regular feature at POWER-GEN International.

Hydropower and its role in America’s plan to boost the use of renewable energy was the subject of much discussion this week in Orlando, Fla., the site of POWER-GEN International 2010.

Specifically, experts highlighted the need to build more pumped-storage hydro projects in the U.S. to maintain a reliable grid. The need stems from the increasing use of wind and solar power, intermittent sources of energy that will require reliable backup generation.

Pumped-storage projects provide grid-scale reliability. Without more pumped-storage, it will become increasingly difficult to balance load on a grid connected to increasing amounts of wind and solar power, said Rick Miller, senior vice president of the Hydropower Division at HDR/DTA.

“Reinvigorating pumped storage in this country is critical if we’re going to be successful in integrating and expanding our variable energy resources,” Miller said during a panel discussion on hydropower technologies.

Europe has done a better job of incorporating pumped storage in their plans to boost the use of wind and solar power, Miller said.

“They’ve integrated storage as a part of their overall integrated resource plan,” Miller said. “We haven’t done that in this country. We only have energy only.”

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering about 60 preliminary permits for the construction of pumped-storage facilities in the U.S. However, those projects may never be built because of an uncertain market and reluctant lenders, Miller said.

“There’s a lot of capital out there ready to be loaned,” he said.

The problem is, the development of a pumped-storage facility is a 10-year process, from concept to construction, Miller explained.

“There is not 10-year ahead market and that’s why we can’t get them financed,” he said.

For more information about hydropower technologies and trends, be sure to read the January issue of Hydro Review magazine and visit www.HydroWorld.com.

Russell Ray is senior associate editor of Hydro Review magazine. Russell has 11 years experience as an energy journalist, covering the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma and the growth of solar and nuclear power in Florida. He served eight years as the energy reporter for the Tulsa World. He held the same position at the Tampa Tribune for two and a half years before joining Hydro Review in 2009. 

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Leading Developers Continue Building Large PV Projects

The first came from SunEdison, which broke ground on a 54-MW plant in New Mexico. This comes weeks after completing a 70-MW project in Italy. The 5-site power plant, which is being built by SunEdison and the utility Xcel Energy, should be connected to the grid by the end of next year.

The companies expect the 54 MW project will generate more than 2 million MWh of electricity over a twenty year period.

The second was from SunPower Corp., which closed a first-of-a-kind solar bond with two European banks to finance the completed expansion of a project in Italy from 44 MW to 72 MW. SunPower says the project will be able to produce about 140 GWh of electricity per year when fully complete.

The others were in Ontario, where NextEra Energy Resources agreed to purchase 40-MW worth of projects developed by First Solar. The projects will be split up into four 10-MW developments with 172,000 First Solar cadmium-telluride thin film panels at each site. All the systems should be operational by the end of next year.

Also in Ontario, Canadian Solar and SkyPower Limited signed an EPC agreement to build two solar projects totaling 18.5 MW of capacity using Canadian Solar modules. The construction of both projects should be done by mid-2011. Together, they are expected to generate approximately 19 million KWh in their first full year of operation and almost 400 million kWh total over the next 20 years.

View the original article here

Growth Energy Responds to Forbes Magazine

For the third time in nine days, Forbes Magazine has published a misleading and negative editorial about the only viable, affordable, high-tech alternative to oil today: American ethanol.

Not surprisingly, while these editorials fail to reference a single alternative to ethanol, they also gloss over the truth of what industry is the biggest fuel recipient of taxpayer dollars in the United States: oil.

At Growth Energy, we work to educate the press, opinion makers and the general public about the benefits of domestic ethanol. American ethanol, as anyone who is paying attention knows, strengthens our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, helps our economy by creating U.S. jobs, and helps clean the environment because grain ethanol is at least 59 percent cleaner than conventional gasoline.

We have sent two letters to the editor of Forbes in an effort to set the record straight with the facts about domestic, renewable ethanol. Growth Energy has yet to hear back on whether they will run our letters – and so we have decided to publish our responses on our blog for the public to read.

Below are our original letters to Forbes.

Response # 1:

December 6, 2010

Dear Editor,

Henry Miller’s recent commentary suggests that former Vice President Gore’s support for ethanol was a “whopper” of a mistake (Gore, Gobbledygook and Global Warming, Dec. 6). But the real whopper here is Miller’s omission of the facts.

First, the concept of “food vs. fuel” is nothing more than a myth perpetuated by vested interests, with no basis in fact, that has been dispelled by numerous objective economic analyses, including a recent World Bank paper which proves that the skyrocketing grocery bills of two years ago were not caused by ethanol, but rather, by rampant market speculation and record fossil fuel prices.

USDA chief economist Joseph Glauber confirmed as such when he testified before the U.S. Senate, stating that ethanol demand had, at most, a “moderate” impact on food prices.

Second, not one kernel of food fit for humans goes to ethanol production. The corn used to make ethanol in this country is field corn. In fact, a co-product of ethanol production are the Dried Distiller’s Grains which go right back into the food chain in the form of a high-quality livestock feeds. So, ethanol production does not take food away from people.

Finally, Mr. Miller conveniently omits the only reason that the “food vs. fuel” rhetoric gained traction with the general public: a multi-million dollar misinformation campaign waged by the Grocery Manufacturers Association with one of Washington, D.C.’s premier public relations agencies, Glover Park.

Facts are facts. And there is no credible “food versus fuel” debate, except in the minds of Big Food and Big Oil.

Sincerely,

Tom Buis
CEO Of Growth Energy

Response # 2

December 9, 2010

Dear Editor,

If Matt Kibbe wants to do away with “runaway spending” (Let Ethanol Subsidies Expire For Good, Dec. 9) let’s include Big Oil.

Globally, more than $280 billion in taxpayer dollars are given to Big Oil and other fossil fuel producers every year in the form of subsidies and other financial incentives, according to recent DTN and World Energy Outlook analyses, not factoring in the estimated $50 billion in U.S. military spending to protect the shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf.

The main reason the ethanol industry needs government support today is because we are denied access to all but ten percent of the fuel market which is tightly controlled by the oil industry. Growth Energy’s Fueling Freedom plan would redirect tax credits to build out a national ethanol infrastructure including “blender pumps” and “flex-fuel” vehicles, to allow access to fair and open market.

Every year we pay $300 billion annually – the equivalent of a thousand-dollar-a-person tax—to foreign countries for oil. Increasing the production of ethanol that is produced right here in America will reduce the role that foreign oil plays in our economy and in our national security. Every gallon of clean burning ethanol that we produce in this country decreases the demand for foreign oil, keeps our hard-earned money here at home and helps create good jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.

Ethanol is 59 percent cleaner than gasoline, and the latest studies from the United States Department of Agriculture show that ethanol is more energy efficient to produce than conventional gasoline. Furthermore, for those repeating that disproven “food v. fuel” fiction, I can only urge them to look at the series of academic, economic and government studies, including a recent World Bank study, that have all debunked this myth. Wall Street speculators, high oil prices and the costs of manufacturing, packaging and transportation all have far more impact than ethanol on the grocery prices that everyday Americans pay.

Ethanol is the only available, affordable alternative to oil today and in a truly open market, ethanol can compete – and beat – foreign oil. Extending the current ethanol incentives today will provide certainty in the market and give Congress the opportunity to consider longer term reforms, like our Fueling Freedom Plan, next year. As a result, consumers would have real choices. Our air would be cleaner. Our prosperity would be enhanced. And our security would be strengthened.

Sincerely,

Tom Buis
CEO Of Growth Energy

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Consumer Markets Will Lead the Way to a Solar-Powered Future

Before the dawn of the PC era, electronics companies were dependent on do-it-yourself enthusiasts and high-end consumers looking for kicks.

That's the way markets work. The bottom of the “s” curve is littered with false starts, with ideas that look crazy in retrospect, but which turn-on a few and lead to better things.

Today, that means solar chargers. Prices keep coming down, and capabilities keep going up.  The best news is that while solar chargers today only support low levels of power, increasing numbers of electronic components only need small amounts of power. So the utility of such devices is increasing exponentially.

Most American consumers just plug in when our iPhones need a charge. Most solar charger buyers right now are people who are vacationing off the grid but who want to bring their gadgets with them.

Given these limits, the preferred output is USB. Smart phones often support USB for charging. They're trickle-chargers, as this press release from one such maker, SunTactics, makes clear. Many older units include an internal battery that charges from the solar panel. For 2010 two watts was the norm for output. Newer units are now being introduced at 5 watts.

Beyond campers who want to keep their iPhones and GPS devices charged when out in the woods, there is also a market in the developing world, where the grid does not exist. Things like the Solar Ear – a specialized device for recharging hearing aids – are starting to gain traction.

What comes next? As was true 40 years ago, military necessity is leading the way. The U.S. Army is evaluating things like the PowerShade, a collection of thin-film cells sewn into a command tent. The most powerful of these solutions, dubbed the TEMPER-Fly, is rated at 750 watts of output. The company which makes it, the Tactical Solar unit of Energy Technologies Inc., Mansfield, Ohio, is a great place to bookmark for future developments. Their most powerful unit weighs 450 pounds and currently tops out at 2 kilowatts.

There will be more, which will weigh less, cost less, and deliver more power, by this time next year.

Of course, 2 kilowatts is not a ton of power. It's a laptop, a low-powered radio, maybe a few of them at the high end. But remember, this is 1970 in renewable energy time, and since we have the Internet all around us, things could move even faster this time than they did then.

View the original article here

Why Tax Credits Make Lousy Renewable Energy Policy

This is part of a series of posts on distributed renewable energy that will be posted to Renewable Energy World. It originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's New Rules Project.

For two years, solar and wind energy producers seeking federal incentives have been able to take cash grants in lieu of tax credits.  The stimulus act program helped keep the renewable energy industry afloat as the credit crunch and economic downturn dried up the market for reselling tax credits to banks and other investors with large tax bills.

The cash grant program is set to sunset at the end of this year, but solar and wind energy advocates are hoping it will be extended, for good reason:

In fact, the tax credits were always an awkward tool, some argue. Rhone Resch, the head of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said that many of the companies doing the installations were not making a profit either, so these tax credits were sold as “tax equity,” a secondary market, at a loss of 30 to 50 cents on the dollar to the seller. [emphasis added]

The tax credits were worth 30% of a project's value, so the transaction costs of reselling the credits meant that renewable energy projects without sufficient internal tax liability were 13 to 21% more expensive than projects that could use the credits themselves.

This is dumb policy.  Ratepayers pay a higher price for renewable energy because incentives filter through the tax code instead of the general fund.

But the cash grant v. tax credit issue is just one symptom of a larger disease affecting American renewable energy policy.  Transaction costs are increasing the cost of renewable energy in nearly every state with a renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

Under most state RPS policies, utilities put out requests for proposal to acquire renewable energy to meet the state mandates.  These solicitations attract thousands of developers who all have to front their project development costs.  But in California, for example, 90% of projects don't make the utilities' shortlist for the solicitation, stranding over $100 million in development costs.

Some of those projects may eventually get online, but most of that money is flushed because the U.S. prefers to let utilities act as gatekeepers to clean energy rather than open the market to any potential producer. It's not the only way.

There's a renewable energy policy that's responsible for 75% of the world's solar and half its wind power.  It has the lowest transaction costs because there's no fiddling with the tax code and no parasitic costs from auctions or solicitations.  Instead, utilities are required to interconnect and take the power from any developed renewable energy project, and to provide a price sufficient to provide a reasonable return on investment (just like the utilities enjoy in rate regulated states).

The policy is funded entirely through the electricity system, so renewable energy doesn't have to compete with other budget priorities.

It's called a feed-in tariff.

The U.S. can extend the cash grant program, but it merely treats a symptom of the disease.  A better policy awaits.

Contact John Farrell at jfarrell@ilsr.org, find more content at energyselfreliantstates.org or follow @johnffarrell on Twitter

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Unraveling Plant Cell-Wall Construction for Biofuels Research

In a paper published the week of December 13, 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe details of how precursors to lignin, one important cell-wall component, are transported across cellular membranes prior to linking up. The key finding, that the process requires a class of energy-dependent transporter molecules, may provide a “chink in the armor” that opens a way to alter plants’ lignin content.

“Being able to manipulate lignin biosynthesis would have a great influence on our ability to produce renewable biofuels from plant cellulosic feedstocks, and could also have a large effect on many other agricultural and industrial processes, such as the production of paper and more digestible foods for grazing animals,” said lead author Chang-Jun Liu, a Brookhaven biologist.

Prior to cell-wall construction, lignin precursors known as monolignols are made in the cell’s interior cytoplasm. Some precursors may be sequestered in internal vacuoles for storage, while some move out of the cell to link up and form the lignin component of the cell wall — a protective and supportive barrier around the cell. In both cases, the precursors move across a membrane, either out of the cell or into the vacuole. But no one was certain how the process occurred — whether by simple diffusion or via some active transport mechanism.

The Brookhaven team unraveled the mystery by isolating portions of cellular and vacuolar membrane from Arabidopsis and poplar plants, making them into closed vesicles that resemble bubbles, and mixing in pure monolignols and ones that have been chemically modified to form monolignol glucosides, which are commonly observed in some plants. They then monitored which type and how much of each precursor moved across the two kinds of membranes and into the vesicles under a range of conditions, including in the presence of inhibitors for different kinds of transport molecules.

The range of assays revealed that pure monolignols move across the cellular membrane while monolignol glucosides move preferentially into vacuoles. But most importantly, very little of either precursor would move across either type of membrane without the addition of ATP, the molecular “currency” for energy in cells.

“ATP is the energy molecule that is well known for providing the driving force for a group of transporters called ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters on cell membranes,” Liu said.

To prove the point, adding an agent that specifically inhibits ABC transporters completely blocked uptake of lignin precursors by both types of membrane vesicles.

With these experiments and additional evidence, Liu and his colleagues demonstrated that ABC-like transporters on cell membranes are responsible for the transport of lignin precursors.

Now that the scientists have identified a class of transporters likely involved in sequestering and transporting lignin’s building blocks, they’ll pursue detailed studies to identify exactly which members of the class are involved.

“If we can identify those particular transporters we might be able to control their expression to reduce the precursor deposited into the cell wall, and thus lower the cell-wall content of lignin —or, selectively control the particular type of precursor deposited to change lignin composition and produce more easily cleavable biopolymers,” Liu said.

View the original article here

Power Engineering Names Renewable Project of the Year

Best Renewable/Sustainable Projects

Tekeze Hydropower Project

The Tekeze Hydropower project in Ethiopia, located on the Tekeze River, a tributary of the Nile, is the Project of the Year for renewable/sustainable projects. The $350 million project, funded by the government of Ethiopia and owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp., adds 40 percent more electric capacity to the country and was the largest public works project in Ethiopia’s history at the time of construction. Due to the lack of natural resources and the cost of imported fuels, power generation in Ethiopia comes primarily from hydroelectric sources.

The Tekeze Hydropower project is the tallest arch dam in Africa at 188 meters. The 300 MW facility includes a double curvature concrete arch dam, a method of design that minimizes the amount of concrete used. It created a reservoir 70 kilometers in length. An underground powerhouse containing four 75 MW Francis Turbines sits 500 meters downstream of the dam and is fed by a 75-meter-high intake structure connected by a 500-meter-long concrete-lined power tunnel. A 230 kV double-circuit transmission line 105 kilometers long was constructed through mountainous terrain to connect to the Ethiopian national grid.

The project’s beginnings date back to 1995 when the Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources conducted a study identifying the site as one of two preferred dam sites for hydropower development. MWH joined the project in 1998 and made modifications to an existing design for the dam, powerhouse and tunnel system, resulting in cost savings.

A multi-stage impoundment approach was implemented during construction, which allowed the river diversion to be closed in May 2007, nearly two years prior to dam completion. This allowed for more than 3 billion m3 of water to be retained, advancing generation by more than one full year. The value of the water captured via early impoundment was worth approximately $40 million. In addition to power generation, the Tekeze dam enables regulation of river flow, allowing downstream communities year-round access to the water supply.

A 10-year 2000m3/sec flood on Aug. 9, 2006 was an unexpected test for the dam. The dam proved its ability as a gravity structure and no damage was incurred to any of the permanent structures.

Local community infrastructure was improved as a result of the project, including construction of more than 40 kilometers of roads and installation of the first communications links from the area to the outside world. Also as a result of the project, education was improved in the area as the wife of the MWH chief design engineer spearheaded efforts to build a new school near the village of Seboko. The school was financed by contributions from engineers, contractors and staff working on the project, local residents and a supportive local government.

On-the-job training was also provided to locally-hired employees. Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. implemented programs to provide education and training to local workers. Programs included education to combat AIDS, malaria and other safety, health and welfare issues affecting the local community.

Honorable Mentions

Canoe Creek Hydroelectric Project

Canoe Creek Hydro is a 5.5 MW run-of-river hydroelectric facility on Vancouver Island that provides power to a remote community on the island and helping the island become less reliant on mainland power. The facility is owned and operated by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and located in the heart of the Nation’s Tribal Parkland. The Barkley Project Group Ltd., along with Amnis Engineering and Hazelwood Construction One, worked with Vitaulic, a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining solutions, to develop Canoe Creek. Construction started in May 2009 and ended in May 2010. The plant went into service in June.

Canoe Creek Hydro operates by diverting stream flow into a penstock at a high elevation – up to 84 percent grade – intake. This made construction a challenge, as did the facility’s location in the Pacific Rim Rainforest, where annual precipitation is amongst the heaviest in the world, particularly in the winter months when construction took place.

Constructing the 4-km-long penstock line in these conditions using welding techniques would have proven difficult. Instead of using mechanical welding on the penstock, the companies used mechanical couplings. In the field, the couplings proved advantageous in many ways. For example, couplings could be installed in any weather condition with no special requirements. Couplings also reduced the amount of excavation, bell holing and dewatering that would be common with welding.

Couplings also improved site safety. As the pipe was already on site, Hazelwood grooved and re-coated the pipe prior to sending it up the single-lane logging road for assembly. In addition, the replacement of welding with mechanical joints allowed for a reduction in the number of laborers required on the job site. Canoe Creek also employed local laborers.

Environmental benefits were also gained by replacing welded joints with mechanical joints. Welding one kilometer of straight-run 36-inch pipe produces about 40,338 kg of CO2 emissions using a diesel-powered machine and 9,463 kg of CO2 emissions using an electric-powered machine. Grooving and coupling that same run of pipe produces 62 kg of CO2 emissions. The use of couplings also reduced the amount of x-raying required on site, reducing radiation emission. PM, CO2 and radiation were reduced, as well as electrical energy use.

Biogas facility owned by PurposeEnergy, Inc.

This biogas facility project at the Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, Vt. allows the owner, PurposeEnergy Inc., to use organic waste streams and generate biogas. The biogas is then used by the brewery’s steam boilers and/or PurposeEnergy’s cogeneration plant. In mid-2008, Pizzagalli Construction Co. was selected as the design/build partner for this $3.4 million project at New England’s largest craft brewery. This brewery waste recovery system was developed by CEO and founder of Purpose Energy, Eric Fitch.

Underground process piping, stone aggregate piling for the digester, structural excavation and backfill and all of the concrete work began in December 2009. A 1,600 square foot mechanical building was built and a digester tank was installed. The piping process was completed by May 2010 and the facility began operations in June 2010.

PurposeEnergy’s Biphase Orbicular Biodigester was designed for brewery by-products and enables the conversion of high solids content brewery waste into carbon neutral, renewable biogas. This system is also designed to utilize the waste heat from the generator’s exhaust, coolant and engine oil to heat the digester and preheat the water used in the brewing process.

The PurposeEnergy project has brought many benefits to the facility and environment. By diverting the waste stream created during the brewing process, the brewery’s operating costs have been reduced as Magic Hat Brewery no longer needs to pay for waste treatment surcharges, thereby reducing traffic, noise and air pollution that would result from the transportation of the waste. In addition, the use of this technology creates a clean, carbon neutral energy source that decreases the effects of greenhouse gases on the environment.

To read which coal-fired, gas-fired and nuclear projects of the year Power Engineering named, read the full article here.

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Solar Energy International to ring in the new year with Solar Business and Technical Sales course

SEI is listening.

In response to the demand for comprehensive solar business training, Solar Energy International introduced its new PVOL206: Solar Business and Technical Sales online course in November 2010 for those working in the solar industry or hoping to work in solar sales. The course has been so popular, SEI is offering PV206 starting Jan. 10 online. Solar Business and Technical Sales has been developed from the ground up with a strong focus on business principals and topics directly aligned with the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) PV Technical Sales Task Analysis. Through insightful presentations and instruction from working experts in the field, SEI's Solar Business and Technical Sales online course covers marketing and sales techniques you need to be successful. The six-week course runs from Jan. 10 to Feb. 20 at $695.00.

Register here.

Concepts discussed in detail in PVOL206: Solar Business and Technical Sales include: customer qualification, solar site analysis, creating conceptual design proposals, system costing, incentives and rebates, cost-benefit analyses, financing options, and the non-financial benefits of photovoltaic systems.

While certain aspects of the  course will be a review for students who have previously taken SEI's PV204 or PV205, this workshop offers a broad curriculum based on the NABCEP PV Technical Sales Task Analysis to help prepare participants for the NABCEP PV Technical Sales Certification.

We recommend taking PVOL206 in conjunction with SEI's technical training workshops - PV101 and PV202 (Click here for descriptions PV workshop and courses). Those completing ALL THREE courses will have the technical training necessary to help direct a potential solar PV site from initial analysis to successful design and installation.

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for PV206, however we recommend that students take at minimum PV101 or PV101 online to obtain a baseline level of technical PV training.

Register here.

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Wind power forecasting in the US

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February 06, 2009Wind power forecasting in the USAs the prevalance of wind power increases, so does the importance of being able to answer the question, "Is the wind going to blow?" As this article on wind power forecasting points out:

An unexpected lack of wind in the US can cause blackouts. This is oneproblem that many regions in the United States of America may face onthe short and medium term as a consequence of the country's growingdependence on renewable energies, particularly wind power.

With that in mind, a project is underway to make wind power forecasting more accurate.

With this project, it will be possible to achieve more precise windpower forecasting in a timeline that can go up to three days.Errors in wind power predictions "can have more severe consequencesin the USA than in any European country" due to the country's temperateand subtropical climate and local geography...

It is expected that a less uncertain wind forecasting in a givenlocation will have a considerable impact on the North-Americanelectricity industry, thus allowing a reduction of wind power prices inthe United States.

--

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Comments

We need to do everything in our power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.We have so much available to use such as wind and solar as well as technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. There could be no better investment in than to invest in energy independence. Create clean cheap energy,create millions of BADLY needed new green jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.The high cost of fuel this past year did serious damage to our society and economy. Record numbers of jobs and homes have been lost due to the direct impact on our economy.Oil is finite.We are using it globally at the rate of 2 X faster than new oil is being discovered. Added to the strain on our supplies foreign countries are bursting in populations and becoming modern.China and India alone are expected to add another 3 million vehicles to their highways in the next 2 decades. I just read a fantastic book called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now by Jeff Wilson.Great Book!
http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com

Posted by:Sherry |February 06, 2009 at 08:50 PM

sounds like a good thing to me.

Posted by:Texas Electricity |February 08, 2009 at 10:22 PM

Wind energy seems to be the wave of the futre, i look for ward to hearing more

Posted by:J Nooone |February 10, 2009 at 12:08 AM

Wind energy is where its at. I mean its such a great alternative. I get really excited when wind energy comes up. It gets me pumped up. Check out my link.

Posted by:Frank Negolfka |February 12, 2009 at 07:58 AM

Wind energy is where its at. I mean its such a great alternative. I get really excited when wind energy comes up. It gets me pumped up. Check out my link.

Posted by:Frank Negolfka |February 12, 2009 at 09:27 AM

hybrid versions of renewable energy projects are more practical when we put up solar power projects.

With obama's vision on green energy I think US is soon establish their Carbon Vally as they build up Silicon Vally

Posted by:Thushara |February 15, 2009 at 07:24 AM

The part about wind powered electric generators being used is great, as for the downtime, that part is horrible and can easily be fixed so that all wind powered generator facilities can produce large amounts of electricity 24/7/365. The solution is a new species of green technology that works far greater than solar, water, wind, or waste powered methods to generate electricity. To find out more information about this avant-garde green technology simply visit my blog. Thank you.

Posted by:Avant-Garde Green Energy Solution Engineer |February 19, 2009 at 08:30 PM

There is a lot of information about renewable energy: what is it, who can use it, where does it come from… I tried to put it together so I’d be happy if my website can help at least a few people to change their lifestyle and start living off the grid.
Please be my guests on
http://www.renewableenergyfan.com

Keith

Posted by:Keith |March 24, 2009 at 03:19 PM

wind power is such a great thing. I saw some wind mills at the coast of north carolina and they look cool. why don't we push this technology more.

Posted by:oilfield equipment |April 03, 2009 at 11:32 AM

raivo pommer-www.google.ee
raimo1@hot.ee

NORDBANK-drei million euro

Demnach hatte die Bank im Vorgriff auf die ursprünglich geplanten Ausschüttungen in Höhe von 64 und 200 Millionen Euro zum Zeitpunkt von Wiegards Angaben bereits gut acht Millionen ausgezahlt.

Der Minister habe sich auf Auskünfte der Bank verlassen müssen, weil es sich um rein operatives Geschäft handele, sagte der Sprecher. Das Ministerium überwache nicht den Zahlungsverkehr der Bank. Es habe sie nun aber aufgefordert, die Vorgänge zu erklären.

Die HSH Nordbank hatte im März angekündigt, aus EU-rechtlichen Gründen auf die Ausschüttung zu verzichten. Die ausgezahlten Summen würden daher zurückgefordert, heißt es in der Antwort auf die Kleine Anfrage des Hamburger Abgeordneten Stefan Schmitt (SPD).

Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein helfen ihrer gemeinsamen Landesbank mit einer Kapitalspritze in Höhe von drei Milliarden Euro sowie Garantien über weitere zehn Milliarden Euro aus der Klemme. Die Parlamente beider Länder hatten dem Rettungsplan in der vergangenen Woche zugestimmt.

Posted by:raivo pommer-. |April 09, 2009 at 04:59 AM

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raimo1@hot.ee

UBS NUTZE

Die Schweizer Großbank UBS zieht mit einem radikalen Stellenabbau Konsequenzen aus einem weiteren Milliardenverlust im ersten Quartal. Den Planungen des neuen Konzernchefs Oswald Grübel zufolge sollen 2010 noch 67.500 Personen für den Konzern arbeiten, 8.700 Stellen werden im laufenden Jahr gestrichen. Ende März dieses Jahres beschäftigte die UBS rund 76.200 Mitarbeiter. Seit Jahresbeginn hat die Bank bereits 1600 Stellen gestrichen.

In der Schweiz gingen 2500 Stellen verloren, erklärte ein Sprecher. Die Großbank nutze zudem die natürliche Fluktuation. Es bestehe ein Sozialplan. Bis Ende 2010 will die Bank 3,5 bis 4,0 Milliarden Franken im Vergleich zu 2008 einsparen. Die Kapitalquote sinkt vermutlich auf zehn Prozent, nachdem es zum Jahreswechsel noch 11,5 Prozent gewesen waren.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |April 15, 2009 at 06:21 AM

Until something is discovered that can help reduce the problems we are all experiencing, the best thing that everyone can do to help the situation is to try to cut back on their energy usage on a consistent basis. Research has shown that if everyone just took the time to turn off the lights in their homes when they were not in use, that it would help to cut back the amount of energy being used by up to twenty five percent.

Posted by:Beverly Clarke |April 24, 2009 at 05:15 AM

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raimo1@hot.ee

Frankreich Rezession

Frankreich ist mit dem zweiten negativen Quartal in Folge offiziell in die Rezession gerutscht. Das Bruttoinlandsprodukt sei im ersten Quartal 2009 um 1,2 Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorquartal geschrumpft, teilte das Statistikamt Insee am Freitag in Paris mit.

Die französische Wirtschaft war im vierten Quartal 2008 bereits um 1,5 Prozent geschrumpft. Premierminister François Fillon hatte sich zuvor skeptisch zur Entwicklung der Wirtschaft geäußert. Europaweit sei erst 2010 mit einer «langsamen Erholung der Konjunktur» zu rechnen, sagte er. Fillon sprach sich gegen weitere Ausgabenprogramme und Steuererhöhungen aus.

Posted by:raivo pommer-. |May 15, 2009 at 02:55 AM

Die EU-Kommission hat die geplante Verstaatlichung des angeschlagenen Immobilienfinanzierers Hypo Real Estate (HRE) genehmigt.

Eine Übernahme durch den staatlichen Rettungsfonds SoFFin werde den wirksamen Wettbewerb «weder im europäischen Wirtschaftsraum noch in einem wesentlichen Teil desselben» erheblich beeinträchtigen, teilte die Behörde am Freitag in Brüssel mit. Die Kommission verzichtet daher auf Auflagen. Zum ersten Mal in der aktuellen Finanzkrise sei die Verstaatlichung einer Bank bei der Kommission gemäß der EU-Fusionskontrollverordnung angemeldet worden.

Die Wettbewerbshüter nahmen besonders Überschneidungen zwischen der HRE und der Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) unter die Lupe, da auch diese staatlich kontrolliert wird. Die HRE war im Zuge der Finanzkrise in eine existenzielle Notlage geraten. Bereits im Oktober hatte die EU-Kommission eine Rettungshilfe für die HRE in Form einer staatlichen Garantie von 35 Milliarden Euro genehmigt. Die EU-Kommission ist die oberste Wettbewerbsaufsicht der EU.

Der SoFFin wurde im Oktober vergangenen Jahres zur Stabilisierung des Finanzsystems in Deutschland eingerichtet. Mit dem Rettungsfonds können Anteile an einzelnen Finanzinstituten erworben werden. Der Fonds wird durch das Finanzministerium kontrolliert.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti. |May 15, 2009 at 07:47 AM

Landesbank LBBW für 175 Millionen Euro an die baden-württembergischen Sparkassen verkaufen.

Dies habe die Verbandsversammlung am Donnerstag einstimmig in Budenheim bei Mainz beschlossen, sagte eine Verbandssprecherin. Die rheinland- pfälzischen Sparkassen halten 4,9 Prozent an der größten deutschen Landesbank, für die eine Kapitalspritze von fünf Milliarden Euro geplant ist. Der Sparkassenverband Baden-Württemberg will am Freitag über das Angebot der rheinland-pfälzischen Sparkassen entscheiden.

Falls der Verkauf nicht zustande komme, werde sich der rheinland- pfälzische Sparkassenverband nicht an der geplanten Kapitalerhöhung für das von der Finanzkrise getroffene Institut beteiligen, teilte der Sparkassenverband Rheinland-Pfalz (SVRP) mit. Der Anteil der Rheinland-Pfälzer an der Kapitalerhöhung hätte 246 Millionen Euro betragen. «Für eine strategische Beteiligung ist der Anteil der rheinland-pfälzischen Sparkassen zu klein, um dauerhaft weitere Investitionen zu rechtfertigen», erklärte der SVRP-Vorsitzende, Landrat Hans Jörg Duppré. Unabhängig vom Ausstieg wollten die rheinland-pfälzischen Sparkassen die geschäftliche Zusammenarbeit mit der LBBW aber fortsetzen und ausbauen, sagte SVRP-Präsident Hans Otto Streuber.

Der rheinland-pfälzische Verband hatte der LBBW im März seinen Anteil von 246 Millionen Euro an der Kapitalspritze verweigert und erklärt, zunächst müssten mit dem Sparkassenverband Baden-Württemberg Gespräche über die künftige Beteiligungsstruktur bei der LBBW geführt werden. Mit der Kapitalspritze soll die wegen der Finanzkrise geschrumpfte LBBW-Eigenkapitaldecke aufgepolstert werden. Die LBBW hatte 2008 einen Verlust von 2,1 Milliarden Euro eingefahren.

Am Donnerstag gab die Stadt Stuttgart endgültig grünes Licht für die Milliarden-Kapitalspritze. Die baden-württembergischen Sparkassen wollen am Freitag endgültig über ihren Beitrag an der Kapitalerhöhung entscheiden. Das Land hatte bereits im März zugestimmt.

Posted by:raivo pommer-www.google.ee. |May 15, 2009 at 07:57 AM

Der Energiekonzern RWE trotzt der Krise und hat zu Jahresbeginn besser verdient. Umsatz und Ergebnis stiegen spürbar. Trotz der gefüllten Kasse ist der geplante Kauf des niederländischen Versorgers Essent noch in der Schwebe.

Gute Kunde unterdessen für die Verbraucher: RWE kündigte eine weitere Senkung des Gaspreises an. Zum 1. Juli sollen die Preise für Haushaltskunden um bis zu 15 Prozent sinken. Es ist die dritte Preissenkung in diesem Jahr. Zusammengerechnet würde Gas damit von Juli an ein Drittel billiger gegenüber 2008, teilte RWE bei der Vorlage der Quartalszahlen am Donnerstag in Essen mit.

Zwar sieht Konzernchef Jürgen Großmann die Wirtschaftskrise auch bei den Versorgern angekommen. «In unseren größten Märkten Deutschland und Großbritannien ist der Stromverbrauch gegenüber dem ersten Quartal 2008 um fünf beziehungsweise vier Prozent gesunken - so stark wie seit Jahrzehnten nicht», schrieb er im Quartalsbericht. Allerdings habe der Konzern bereits fast die gesamte Stromproduktion 2009 zu Preisen verkauft, die über dem derzeitigen Kurs an der Strombörse liegen. Frühzeitige Kontrakte sind in der Branche üblich.

Posted by:raivo pommer-www.google.ee |May 15, 2009 at 08:27 AM

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raimo1@hot.ee

BUNDESBANK

Nach dem rasanten Absturz der deutschen Wirtschaft zum Jahresbeginn sieht die Deutsche Bundesbank erste Anzeichen für eine Abschwächung der Krise. «Die konjunkturelle Belastung der deutschen Wirtschaft dürfte im ersten Quartal 2009 den Höhepunkt erreicht haben.»

Das schreibt die Notenbank in ihrem Monatsbericht Mai. Zuletzt gebe es immer mehr Konjunktursignale, die auf ein Nachlassen des Abwärtsdrucks in der Weltwirtschaft hindeuteten. «Es scheint, dass das verloren gegangene Vertrauen allmählich zurückkehrt.»

Auch die für die Export-Nation Deutschland zuletzt schmerzhaften außenwirtschaftlichen Bremseffekte dürften nach Einschätzung der Notenbank in den kommenden Monaten nicht mehr so stark ausfallen wie im zurückliegenden Winterhalbjahr. Das erstmalige Plus bei den Industrie-Auftragseingängen im März nach einer «sechsmonatigen, ununterbrochen steilen Talfahrt» dürfe im Hinblick auf die konjunkturelle Perspektive zwar nicht überbewertet werden. «Gleichwohl gibt es damit nun auch einen ersten Lichtblick von einem "harten" vorlaufenden Indikator», urteilten die Notenbanker.

Eine «rasche und durchgreifende zyklische Besserung» der Weltwirtschaft sei aber nicht zu erwarten, weil der durch die Finanzkrise ausgelöste globale Vertrauensschock noch nicht überwunden und die Bankbilanzen nun zunehmend durch eine rezessionsbedingte Verschlechterung der Kreditqualität belastet würden. «Die aufgelegten Konjunkturprogramme zusammen mit der sehr expansiv ausgerichteten Geldpolitik und den umfangreichen Maßnahmen zur Stabilisierung der Finanzmärkte werden zudem erst mit einiger Verzögerung ihre volle Wirkung entfalten», prognostiziert die Bundesbank.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 07:20 AM

Die Wirtschaftskrise schlägt zunehmend auf den deutschen Arbeitsmarkt durch. Im ersten Vierteljahr 2009 sank die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen erstmals seit drei Quartalen wieder unter die Marke von 40 Millionen.

Das teilte das Statistische Bundesamt am Mittwoch nach vorläufigen Berechnungen in Wiesbaden mit. Mit 39,9 Millionen Erwerbstätigen waren aber immer noch 48 000 oder 0,1 Prozent mehr beschäftigt als ein Jahr zuvor.

Mit einem ungewöhnlich geringen Rückgang der Arbeitslosigkeit im Mai rechnen Experten in einer Umfrage der Deutschen Presse-Agentur dpa. Die Zahl der arbeitslosen Männer und Frauen sei im zu Ende gehenden Monat im Vergleich zum April mit 3,585 Millionen Erwerbslosen um rund 50 000 gesunken, berichteten Volkswirte deutscher Großbanken. In den vergangenen drei Boomjahren war der durchschnittliche Rückgang im Mai fast viermal so hoch ausgefallen. Die offiziellen Zahlen will die Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) am kommenden Donnerstag (28. Mai) in Nürnberg bekanntgeben.

Die Statistiker in Wiesbaden betonten, ein deutliches Plus bei der Kurzarbeit milderten die negativen Effekte der Rezession auf die Beschäftigung ab. Im Vergleich zum vierten Quartal 2008 sank die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen zum Jahresbeginn um 905 000 Menschen oder 2,2 Prozent. Zwar sei eine Abnahme im ersten Quartal eines Jahres üblich. «Im Berichtsquartal ist die Erwerbstätigkeit jedoch deutlich stärker zurückgegangen als im Durchschnitt der entsprechenden Quartale der Jahre 2007 und 2008 (-525 000 oder -1,3 Prozent)», berichteten die Statistiker. Auch damals war die Erwerbstätigkeit im Winter durch das Ende 2006 eingeführte Saisonkurzarbeitergeld zusätzlich gestützt worden.

Zuwächse gab es im ersten Quartal in der Dienstleistungsbranche. Hier nahm die Zahl der Erwerbstätigen gegenüber dem Vorjahr um 119 000 Personen oder 0,4 Prozent zu. Dagegen verringerte sich die Beschäftigung im Produzierenden Gewerbe (ohne Baugewerbe) erstmals seit neun Quartalen, nämlich um 55 000 Personen oder 0,7 Prozent. Im Baugewerbe ging die Zahl der Beschäftigten um 23 000 oder 1,1 Prozent zurück.

Einig sind sich die Fachleute, dass sich die Lage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt in den kommenden Monaten weiter zuspitzen wird. «Es sieht weiterhin düster aus», betont etwa HypoVereinsbank-Volkswirt Alexander Koch. Bereinigt um saisonale Besonderheiten rechnet er wie die meisten seiner Kollegen im Mai mit einem Anstieg der Arbeitslosigkeit um rund 60 000. Dabei beunruhigt Koch vor allem das Tempo, mit dem der Arbeitsmarkt in den vergangenen Monaten abgestürzt ist: Seit Ende des Job-Booms im Oktober 2008 sei die saisonbereinigte Arbeitslosenzahl um rund 300 000 gestiegen. «Bei früheren Konjunktureinbrüchen seien es in diesem Zeitraum nur rund 150 000 gewesen», berichtet Koch.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 08:35 AM

Die japanische Wirtschaft ist im ersten Quartal angesichts beispielloser Exporteinbrüche so stark geschrumpft wie noch nie.

Das Bruttoinlandsprodukt der wesentlich vom Exportmotor abhängigen zweitgrößten Wirtschaftsnation der Welt sank zwischen Januar und März mit einer Jahresrate von 15,2 Prozent, wie die Regierung am Mittwoch auf Basis vorläufiger Zahlen bekanntgab. Damit zeigt sich einmal mehr, dass die Rezession Japan deutlich härter getroffen hat als andere Volkswirtschaften wie die USA oder Europa. Analysten hatten jedoch mit einem noch stärkeren Rückgang gerechnet. Manche vermuten, dass das Schlimmste für Asiens größte Volkswirtschaft vorbei sein könnte. Bis zur vollen Erholung werde es aber noch dauern.

Im Vergleich zum Vorquartal schrumpfte Japans Wirtschaft um 4,0 Prozent und damit mehr als doppelt so stark wie in den USA (minus 1,6 Prozent). Es war das zweite Quartal hintereinander, in dem Japans Wirtschaft auf das Jahr gerechnet einen zweistelligen Rückgang erlitt nach revidierten 14,4 Prozent zwischen Oktober und Dezember. Die Exporte sackten zum Vorquartal um 26 Prozent. Der private Verbrauch, der in Japan rund 55 Prozent der Wirtschaftsleistung des Landes ausmacht, fiel zudem um 1,1 Prozent. Die Unternehmensinvestitionen sanken um den Rekord von 10,4 Prozent.

Analysten halten es jedoch für möglich, dass Japans Rezession im ersten Quartal die Talsohle erreicht hat. Der aggressive Abbau der Lagerbestände durch viele Unternehmen habe die Grundlage dafür gelegt, dass die Produktion wieder zügig anziehen kann, sobald sich die Nachfrage erholt. Hinzu komme die in den nächsten Monaten erwartete Wirkung der von der Regierung beschlossenen staatlichen Konjunkturspritzen in historischem Ausmaß. Es gebe inzwischen Anzeichen für eine leichte Besserung, sagte der japanische Finanzminister Kaoru Yosano. Zugleich warnte er jedoch vor weiteren Risiken und verwies auf die zunehmend harsche Arbeitsmarktsituation.

Auch Analysten gehen davon aus, dass vor Japan noch eine schwierige Strecke liegt, bevor die Wirtschaft wieder auf Erholungskurs schwenkt. Takahide Kiuchi, Chefökonom bei Nomura Securities, rechnet damit nicht vor der zweiten Hälfte 2010. Nach der jüngsten Prognose der Regierung dürfte Japans Wirtschaft im laufenden Finanzjahr 2009/2010 (31. März) um real 3,3 Prozent schrumpfen. Im abgelaufenen Fiskaljahr verzeichnete die zweitgrößte Volkswirtschaft der Welt erstmals seit sieben Jahren einen Rückgang der wirtschaftlichen Leistung um den Rekordwert von 3,5 Prozent.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 09:44 AM

Der Umbau der angeschlagenen WestLB zu einer deutlich kleineren Bank mit einem profitablen Kerngeschäft droht ins Stocken zu geraten.

Die nordrhein-westfälische Landesbank muss weiter auf neue Milliarden-Garantien warten, die sie für die Auslagerung von großen Geschäftsaktivitäten braucht. Als einziger Anteilseigner der WestLB erklärte sich am Dienstag erneut das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen bereit, weitere Lasten zu schultern. WestLB-Chef Heinz Hilgert hatte seinen Rücktritt am Montag mit mangelnder Unterstützung durch die

Sparkassen in Nordrhein-Westfalen begründet. Die WestLB ist nach Vorstandsangaben trotz des Rücktritts von Hilgert handlungsfähig.

In Düsseldorf gingen etwa 600 Mitarbeiter der Bank auf die Straße. Mit Trillerpfeifen und Sirenengeheul forderten sie vor der Zentrale der Landesbank lautstark die Unterstützung aller Bankeigentümer und eine rasche Lösung ein. «Wir wollen jetzt auch Fakten sehen», sagte die Vorsitzende des WestLB-Gesamtbetriebsrates, Doris Ludwig. Der Kern der WestLB müsse erhalten bleiben. Eine Zusammenführung der WestLB mit einer anderen Landesbank sollte Vorrang vor einem WestLB- Verkauf haben. Durch die Bereitschaft des Landes zu neuen Garantien und die Mitarbeiterproteste geraten die Sparkassen in NRW zunehmend unter Druck. Sie sind die Mehrheitseigentümer der WestLB und setzen unverändert darauf, dass der Bund in die Bresche springen wird.

An der Absicherung der Ausgliederung müssten sich «alle Eigentümer anteilmäßig beteiligen», sagte Ministerpräsident Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU) in Düsseldorf. Das Land NRW, das mit durchgerechnet rund 38 Prozent größter Anteilseigner ist, könne die nötigen neuen Garantien nicht allein stemmen. «Die aktuelle Steuerschätzung der letzten Tage zeigt, dass das Land nicht in der Lage ist, die Verpflichtungen anderer Eigentümer zu übernehmen.»

Die Sparkassen hatten in den vergangenen Monaten deutlich gemacht, dass sie zu keinen weiteren Belastungen bereit sind und den Bund in der Pflicht sehen. Bei neuen Garantien müssten Rückstellungen bei den Sparkassen gebildet werden, die den Kreditspielraum einschränkten. In dieser Richtung äußerte sich der Sparkassenverband Rheinland auch am Dienstag. «Wir sind optimistisch, dass im Rahmen der Fortentwicklung des Finanzmarktstabilisierungsgesetzes Möglichkeiten der Absicherung erreicht werden können.» Die Eigentümer der Landesbanken dürften dabei nicht schlechter gestellt werden als Aktionäre privater Banken, betonte der Verband. Auch Rüttgers forderte den Bund auf, sich an einer Lösung für die Landesbanken zu beteiligen.

Die WestLB ist nach den Worten des kommissarischen Bankchefs Dietrich Voigtländer trotz des Führungswechsels «uneingeschränkt handlungsfähig». «Entscheidend ist nicht eine einzelne Person, sondern das ganze Team. Und das Team steht», betonte er in einem schriftlichem Grußwort an die WestLB-Mitarbeiter. Das Kerngeschäft der WestLB sei absolut zukunftsfähig. Mit der EU-Entscheidung zu den Staatshilfen habe die Bank Planungssicherheit. Der Aufsichtsrat hatte dem 50-Jährigen in einer Krisensitzung am späten Montagabend die Amtsgeschäfte von Hilgert vorerst anvertraut, dessen Stellvertreter er bislang war.

Die WestLB war ein Fall für die europäischen Wettbewerbshüter geworden, weil die Bankeigentümer Anfang 2008 Milliarden-Garantien für das Auslagern von Risikopapieren gaben. Nach den EU-Auflagen muss die WestLB um die Hälfte verkleinert werden und zudem einen neuen Mehrheitseigentümer bekommen. Ein großer Schritt beim Verkleinern und Neuaufstellen der WestLB soll das Auslagern werthaltiger Papiere wie Staatsanleihen mit einem Volumen von etwa 80 Milliarden Euro sein. Dafür sind weitere Garantien von bis zu fünf Milliarden Euro nötig.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 10:03 AM

Die Bankenaufsicht BaFin warnt vor zu erwartenden Kreditausfällen. Er sei sich ziemlich sicher, «dass unsere Banken in ein paar Monaten die volle Wucht der schärfsten aller bisherigen Rezessionen in ihren Kreditportfolien spüren werden», sagte BaFin-Präsident Jochen Sanio am Dienstag in Bonn.

Die Größenordnung könne er nicht abschätzen, sagte Sanio. Ein schneller Wiederaufstieg nach einem kurzen Höllenritt sei mehr als unwahrscheinlich. Die deutschen Banken sollten daher mit der größtmöglichen Eigenkapitalstärke ist die kommende schwierige Wirtschaftsphase gehen.

Nur mit ausreichend Eigenkapital könnten die Banken sich ihre Kreditspielräume bewahren, auf die die deutsche Wirtschaft angewiesen sei, sagte Sanio. Aber auch in Zeiten einer Wirtschaftskrise, in der die Bonität vieler Kreditnehmer sinke gelte: Voraussetzung für die Vergabe oder Verlängerung eines Kredits sei die Kreditwürdigkeit des Kunden.

Als Befreiungsschlag bezeichnete Sanio die geplante Schaffung der «Bad Bank». «Die Banken werden danach ihren Giftmüll kontinuierlich in einem geordneten Verfahren entsorgen können», sagte er. Es handele sich um ein legitimes Mittel der Schadensbegrenzung. Die betreffenden Papiere landeten in einem Sondertopf, den die jeweilige Bank aufgrund staatlicher Deckungszusagen nicht konsolidieren müsse. «Sind die Papiere erst einmal dort angekommen, dann können uns ihre Ratings und ihre erwarteten Cash Flows egal sein, denn die Verluste sind so zu bewältigen, wie sie tatsächlich im Zeitverlauf anfallen.»

Wegen des Untersuchungsausschusses zu den Problemen bei der Hypo Real Estate Bank reduziert die BaFin zur Zeit ihre Aufsichtstätigkeit. «Tatsächlich haben wir die Aufsicht reduzieren müssen in einigen Bereichen für einen beschränkten Zeitraum, um den berechtigten Anforderungen des Untersuchungsausschusses entgegenzukommen und diese auch zu erfüllen», sagte die für den Bereich Banken zuständige Exekutivdirektorin Sabine Lautenschläger. Der Ausschuss habe eine Reihe von Beweisbeschlüssen gefasst, die sich auch auch Unterlagen der BaFin bezögen. Die Akten müssten jetzt zu diesem Zweck aufgearbeitet werden. Das bringe eine Menge Arbeit mit sich und führe zur einer Reduzierung der Aufsicht in einigen Bereichen. Aber natürlich laufe die Risiko orientierte Aufsicht weiter.

Der Untersuchungsausschuss habe ein Recht darauf, die angeforderten Unterlagen so schnell wie möglich zu erhalten, sagte Sanio. Im Augenblick brenne es nirgendwo und die Behörde könne daher Arbeitskräfte für die Aufarbeitung der angeforderten Akten abziehen.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 10:16 AM

188 Millionen Euro eingefahren. Das sei um 60 Millionen Euro besser als geplant, teilte die Landesbank für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein mit.

In den ersten drei Monaten des Vorjahres lag der Verlust bei 91 Millionen Euro. Zinsüberschuss und Provisionsergebnis hätten sich positiv entwickelt. Im Ergebnis vor Steuern sind nach Bankangaben 28 Millionen Euro für Restrukturierungsaufwendungen und 20 Millionen Euro für die Inanspruchnahme und Bereitstellung der Garantien des Sonderfonds Finanzmarktstabilisierung (SoFFin) enthalten.

Der Vorstandsvorsitzende Dirk Jens Nonnenmacher interpretierte Zahlen positiv: «Das Ergebnis im ersten Quartal zeigt, dass wir auf dem richtigen Weg sind. Aber es zeigt auch, dass wir nicht nachlassen dürfen, die Neuausrichtung unserer Bank mit Hochdruck und Konsequenz fortzusetzen.» Jeder Tag zähle.

Der Zins- und Provisionsüberschuss der HSH Nordbank lag in den ersten drei Monaten des Jahres mit 534 Millionen Euro deutlich über dem Vorjahreswert von 435 Millionen Euro. Demgegenüber stand eine höhere Risikovorsorge im Kreditgeschäft von 424 Millionen Euro (61 Millionen Euro im Vorjahresquartal). Kräftig gespart hat die HSH Nordbank beim Personal. Die Aufwendungen sanken um 14 Millionen Euro. Die Zahl der Mitarbeiter ging seit Dezember 2008 um 440 zurück.

Bei einer Hauptversammlung sollen die Anteilseigner der HSH Nordbank an diesem Mittwoch über eine Kapitalerhöhung von drei Milliarden Euro beschließen. Nach einem Verlust von 2,7 Milliarden Euro 2008 benötigt die Landesbank bis Ende Juni frisches Eigenkapital.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Iceland hopes to start accession talks with the European Union by July, although the island’s government and its 320,000 people remain deeply divided over whether to join the bloc.

Prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, leader of the Social Democrats, announced late on Sunday that she had finally reached a compromise on EU accession with the Left-Greens, who oppose membership, that would enable the two leftwing parties to form a new coalition after their election victory two weeks ago.

The Social Democrats are the only Icelandic party that strongly backs EU membership, while most Left-Green deputies oppose even opening talks with the EU.

Popular support for accession has risen following the island’s financial crisis last autumn, with many voters hoping that adoption of the euro would prevent future economic turbulence. Last year the Icelandic krona lost 85 per cent of its value against the euro, pushing up inflation and increasing the burden of foreign currency-denominated mortgages.

As a compromise, the coalition will put a bill before parliament next week seeking authority to open talks with the EU but deputies will be given a free vote. The terms of the accession treaty will then be put to a referendum.

The Social Democrats believe they will be able to win enough votes from the opposition Progressive party to secure the bill’s passage, though they may be forced to consult regularly with the opposition on the progress of the talks.

“There is a parliamentary majority for EU membership talks,” Ms Sigurdardottir told a news conference.

Opinion polls show that currently 60 per cent of voters would support membership, but this could easily disappear if the island were to make big concessions on fishing rights in its accession talks.

Eight of the 10 cabinet ministers are continuing from the leftwing caretaker administration that took over in February after the Independence party-led government was forced to resign over the island’s financial crisis.

The new government’s immediate challenge will be to stabilise the economy by reducing the budget deficit – which it plans to return to balance by 2013 – restructuring the banking system and completing talks with creditors over the banks’ $80bn in foreign debt.

This should enable Iceland to get back on track with the $10bn stabilisation plan agreed with the International Monetary Fund. The IMF halted further aid following the collapse of the Independence party-led government.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 12:17 PM

WW CRISE

Pour 51 %, on n'a plus grand-chose en Allemagne, ces jours-ci. Porsche en fait la douloureuse expérience. Le fabricant de voitures de luxe s'était surendetté en 2008 afin d'acquérir une participation majoritaire dans Volkswagen (VW), son concurrent et compatriote dix fois plus gros. Les deux groupes, dirigés chacun par les représentants des deux familles rivales qui contrôlent Porsche, décidèrent finalement, début mai, de fusionner.
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Plus de 500 milliards de dollars sont destinés au FMI, au programme de recyclage des actifs toxiques et au plan pour aider Fannie Mae et Freddie Mac.
Point de vue "No, you can't", Monsieur Obama

Mais de manière inattendue, c'est la proie d'hier, VW, qui tient fermement les cartes en main - et qui vient, pour bien le montrer, d'interrompre les négociations dont l'ambiance ne serait pas assez "constructive".

Ferdinand Piëch, le président du conseil d'administration de VW, qui est en froid avec ses cousins, veut que Porsche fasse toute la lumière sur l'état réel de ses finances - et notamment le coût des options qui permettraient théoriquement au groupe d'acheter encore environ 20 % d'actions Volkswagen.

En face, Porsche, dont la dette s'élève à quelque 9 milliards d'euros, craint de ne devenir que l'une des dix marques de VW, parmi d'autres, au même niveau donc que les Skoda, Audi et autres Bentley. Or le fabricant des mythiques Carrera se heurte à l'alliance redoutable constituée par la direction de VW, les puissants syndicats du groupe, et le gouvernement du Land de Basse-Saxe. Celui-ci contrôle en effet 20 % de VW, ce qui lui confère une minorité de blocage permettant de s'opposer à toute décision d'ordre stratégique.

Depuis que Porsche s'est lancé dans son offensive, M. Piëch a joué avec habileté de cette pilule empoisonnée, et s'est assuré du soutien syndical pour renforcer sa capacité de résistance. Le soutien de ses alliés lui confère l'autorité dont il use aujourd'hui pour dicter ses conditions quant à une éventuelle fusion - sur le siège du futur groupe (qu'il veut maintenir à Wolfsburg, siège de VW), sur son directeur général (ce serait celui de VW) et sur la valorisation de Porsche dans la fusion (que M. Piëch, sans surprise, a tendance à minorer).

Mais le président de VW a pour sa part besoin de se faire une idée exacte des finances de son actionnaire. Car au final, c'est ce qui déterminera toute la mécanique de la fusion.

Il a lui-même sa propre idée, qui aurait le mérite de la simplicité : un rachat pur et simple des actifs automobiles de Porsche par VW. La dette de la holding cotée du groupe de luxe, Porsche SE, disparaîtrait ainsi par la même occasion. Mais la principale obsession de la direction de Porsche semble de vouloir éviter de perdre la face. A moins que le refus de transparence sur les options d'achat ne signifie qu'il y a bien quelque chose à cacher.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 20, 2009 at 12:46 PM

As India and France continue with their attempts to forge a strategic partnership, French President Nicolas Sarkozy congratulated
Manmohan Singh on his re-election as PM saying that his country wants to provide further impetus to their relationship in the near future.

Sarkozy also invited Singh to visit Paris as chief guest for France's national day (which falls on July 14) celebrations. "Through the elections which were recently concluded and which constitute a remarkable testimony to their attachment to democracy, the Indian people have chosen to repose once again their trust in the representatives of the Congress party and the alliance that it leads,'' Sarkozy said in his message to Singh.

"In this I discern a deep tribute to the action that you have undertaken at the helm of the government of India since 2004,'' Sarkozy said, adding that he wants India to become a privileged partner of France.

"I would be very pleased to welcome you in Paris on July 14 on the occasion of the ceremonies marking the National Day of France, at which I wish to make India the chief guest this year,'' he said.

Sarkozy had also written to President Pratibha Patil earlier this week congratulating India for successfully conducting the general elections. France was one of the key countries which helped India acquire last year the NSG waiver which allowed India to take part in civil nuclear commerce. A few weeks later, it became the first country, even ahead of the US, to sign a pact for civil nuclear cooperation. It has also backed India for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti. |May 23, 2009 at 03:34 AM

Gordon Brown’s authority is openly challenged today, as a senior minister tells him to leave Hazel Blears in her Cabinet post.

Caroline Flint, the Minister for Europe, says in The Times that Ms Blears, a fellow Blairite, should stay in her job amid growing fears among her friends that she may be the top-level sacrifice for the expenses fiasco.

Ms Flint risks angering Downing Street by saying that Ms Blears had technically done nothing wrong, despite Mr Brown’s branding her behaviour “completely unacceptable” after she failed to pay capital gains tax on the sale of a flat.

Friends of Ms Blears are annoyed that Mr Brown appears to have been far tougher on her than other ministers. He swiftly cleared Geoff Hoon and James Purnell of wrongdoing over allegations that they had not paid capital gains tax on their London homes.

Ms Flint also sides with Ms Blears, the Communities Secretary, in her recent criticism of the Government’s communication effort — seen widely at the time as an attack on Mr Brown.

Ms Flint says that Ms Blears is “one of the last people who would ever come into politics to gain some kind of financial benefit”.

Ministers rarely risk trespassing on the Prime Minister’s autonomy over reshuffles, particularly so close to the event. The show of ministerial indisciple is a further sign of how far the expenses controversy is altering the normal rules of political behaviour.

In a further sign of the febrile atmosphere at the top of government, some ministers are now speculating that Mr Brown could be persuaded to call an autumn election. They say that, with Labour apparently heading for certain defeat next year, the only way Mr Brown could rescue his party would be to be bold and go to the country on his plans to take Britain out of the recession and clean up politics.

One minister said that David Cameron’s hopes of a smooth ride towards the election had also been upset by the expenses revelations, which have reminded voters of an old-style Tory party “moats and all”.

“Of course it’s hitting us badly, but all the signs are that UKIP will hit them just as much as they hit us in the European elections,” the minister said.

Ms Flint, who is in charge of Labour’s campaign for the European elections, said that the party was “going to take a hit” at the June 4 polls. A government reshuffle is expected widely soon after.

The Times has been told by informed sources that Lord Mandelson will not be moved to the Foreign Office, and that David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has been assured that this is the case.

Posted by:raivo pommer-eesti |May 23, 2009 at 04:00 AM

As more and more wind farms are built, the cost of manufacturing and construction is coming down. Hopefully this trend will make wind energy even more cost effective. With that in mind, all of the good "wind locations" will eventually be taken up and it will not matter where a lot of them are located as long as some wind is produced.

Posted by:Alternative Energy |May 29, 2009 at 12:28 AM

Wind energy is definitely on the rise, and best of all, its not super expensive to afford a wind generation system for your home. There are alot of systems out there where you can get a 2kW generator for under $2k.

Even better, it is not difficult to build your own system, you can take a few simple power tools and some 70lb pull magnets and build your own system. My website details some of it if you ever want to check it out and get some free information.

Posted by:Homemade Wind Generator |May 29, 2009 at 02:09 PM

Most people think that it will cost a fortune to install solar panels on their own house, but that is simply not true any more! Here's a link to a site that gives you step by step instructions on how to build solar panels and windmills for your home, and the best part is, it's not expensive! Check it out at:

www.howtogreenyourenergy.com

Posted by:Tom |June 17, 2009 at 09:15 PM

Renewable energy is defintley the way to go in the world, its good how many different countries are working on renewable energy sources and energy efficency schemes,

mike
www.energyrenewals.com

Posted by:Michael Formby |July 07, 2009 at 06:12 AM

News is from the Toronto Star. It states that wind speeds are dying down across the United States because of Global Warming. Can't post the link so Google it

Posted by:Cancerman72 |July 07, 2009 at 07:06 PM

Wind powered energy is the wave of the future, in fact it is the wave of now. We need to make change before it is too late.

Ben
CEO
http://idigibuzz.com

Posted by:Wind Turbine Electricity |July 10, 2009 at 12:34 AM

Wind and solar power, power sources that just won't run out! (at least not on human time scales).

There is always going to be opposition to the aesthetic appeal of such technologies which is a subjective issue. I personally think wind turbines look quite nice on the tops of rolling hills, or how about we get them painted with attractive images and motifs?

Then there is the other option of course, using home-based energy producing devices like roof-mounted solar panels or small wind turbines. This is becoming increasingly popular and more economic, check out my site for more details!

Posted by:supersolarpower |July 24, 2009 at 08:44 AM

Texas is now the leading wind power state in the nation and, in part thanks to T Boone Pickens, is building even more wind generation.

Posted by:Texas Electricity |September 02, 2009 at 07:58 PM

That is a great article. Thank you for sharing.

Posted by:George |September 09, 2009 at 08:18 PM

Someone told me about this site, is very interesting. http://www.zintro.com/topic?name=Wind+Energy

Posted by:Ashley |September 24, 2009 at 08:35 AM

It's good to hear that efforts are being pushed for the betterment of our mother earth.

Posted by:shamisen |October 19, 2009 at 08:30 PM

I agree with being too dependent with foreign oil. It just puts us in a situation where we can get ripped off socio economically. AT any rate, I think we should be exerting more effort in trying to help save the environment rather than sending troops in some far off desert.

Posted by:Richard |October 28, 2009 at 06:31 PM

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New studies say biofuels make greenhouse gases worse

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February 08, 2008New studies say biofuels make greenhouse gases worseThis post is brought to you by 
Curt Rosengren ~ Passion Catalyst TM 
 "Love your work. Change your world."

Two new studies are giving biofuels a big fat thumbs down when it comes to their impact on greenhouse gases. This article gives a nutshell description of what the studies have to say:

These studies, published in the prestigious journal Science, for thefirst time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effectsof the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to croplandglobally to support biofuels development.

The destruction of natural ecosystems — whether rain forest in thetropics or grasslands in South America — not only releases greenhousegases into the atmosphere when they are burned and plowed, but alsodeprives the planet of natural sponges to absorb carbon emissions.Cropland also absorbs far less carbon than the rain forests or evenscrubland that it replaces.

Together the two studies offer sweeping conclusions: It does notmatter if it is rain forest or scrubland that is cleared, thegreenhouse-gas contribution is significant. More important, theydiscovered that, globally, the production of almost all biofuelsresulted — directly or indirectly, intentionally or not — in new landsbeing cleared for food or fuel.

"When you take this into account, most of the biofuel that peopleare using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasessubstantially," said Timothy Searchinger, lead author of one of thestudies and a researcher in environment and economics at PrincetonUniversity.

--

01:20 PM in Biofuel | Permalink

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Comments

Everybody should learn about electric cars as a solution. It’s amazing how far the technology has come. One of the main electric car companies, Zap, has delivered over 100,000 EV’s. (source: zapworld.com). EV’s cost 1 to 3 cents per mile to run, compare that to regular cars!

Posted by:PM |March 18, 2008 at 12:06 PM

Everybody should learn about electric cars as a solution. It’s amazing how far the technology has come. One of the main electric car companies, Zap, has delivered over 100,000 EV’s. (source: zapworld.com). EV’s cost 1 to 3 cents per mile to run, compare that to regular cars!

Posted by:PM |March 18, 2008 at 12:06 PM

The oil companies wrote that article. They say this video about how Algae is the next fuel and are getting nervous....Here is the link:

http://www.greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx#1472348255

Tommy

Posted by:Tommy |May 13, 2008 at 11:40 AM

I don't buy it. I love to debate the premise and promises of biofuel. Like most things there are pros and cons but overall I'm for biofuel. Check out my forum if you want to discuss further!

Posted by:biofuel |June 16, 2008 at 09:07 PM

However, consider the very small niche in the biofuel economy which plans to use non- food raw materials to generate energy, even though that by itself can never solve our energy needs. FalseA lot of these videos are full of green goodness but let this criterion guide your voting and rate below. gr, remcowoudstra

Posted by:making biodiesel |June 27, 2008 at 01:59 PM

We can all learn something from what Al Gore had to say the past few weeks. Unless we become self reliant for our energy requirements, we will never again be an independent democratic nation.

We can start with a fundamental change in our driving habits that is now required.

The Automobile Industry is going to be in the same position as the Airline Industry in the next few months. Unless we get away from gas combustion vehicles, including Hybrids, the automobile industry (as we know it) will die.We need to make drastic moves. America needs to move to ELECTRIC. The vehicles are not as fast, not always as fun to drive, but the move will save Americans money (Billions) and help bring change to our automotive companies. Let's "Be Green"!!!!!!!!!!!! BG Automotive Group Ltd. has a car that will travel 80-100 miles per charge for $15,995. Finally a car that most Americans can afford. Did you know that 80% of all drivers, drive less than 50 miles per day? This new car will cost an equivalent of $0.20-0.25 cents/gallon (depending on electricity rates in your area). Why send $700 Billion per year to OPEC (now buying up U.S. companies) when we can use this money for our schools, health care, social security for all Americans, etc, etc, etc. We can make the difference if WE change.

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Posted by:Mike |October 07, 2008 at 06:57 AM

Forget the economy crisis...

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launches on monday and is advertised to cut 80% off your electricity bill.

Posted by:Efficient Planet |October 10, 2008 at 06:38 PM

It is pretty scary to learn that biofuels make greenhouse gases worse. We better watch out. Thanks a bunch, Rick L.

Posted by:Rick L. |November 17, 2008 at 09:44 AM

That is quite shocking. We really need to re-think bio-fuel and it's impact.

Posted by:Texas Electricity |February 18, 2009 at 07:47 AM

very interesting articles.. I love reading this.

Posted by:tnomeralc web design toys |March 23, 2009 at 06:17 AM

i have never heard of this before. wow it makes the gases worse. this is hard for me to believe.

Posted by:oilfield equipment |April 03, 2009 at 11:32 AM

this is so hard for me to believe.

Posted by:run your car on water |April 17, 2009 at 10:48 PM

this is definitely the future.

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Posted by:Single Father |October 16, 2009 at 08:40 AM

Well, I also think that extracting biofuel from different sources of the environment may cause an instability in their respective ecosystems. I still think that solar, wind and hydro power are the ways to go green. Totally!

Posted by:Richard |November 03, 2009 at 06:09 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

Recent PostsExxon-funded scientist says CO2 increase is goodT. Boone Pickens using social media to promote Pickens PlanWind power forecasting in the USHow wind farms work50 ways to improve your gas mileageGM says RIP to SUVT. Boone Pickens voices alternative energy supportPower-generating clothesUS government missing the boat on alternative energyNew studies say biofuels make greenhouse gases worsePassion Catalyst HomeIt's time for a career that energizes and inspires you!

My blogsThe M.A.P. Maker [Meaning, Abundance & Passion]The Occupational Adventure (sm)HappyRantThe Sustainable FutureAlternative Energy ~ Renewable EnergyAdd me to your TypePad People listSubscribe to this blog's feedWhy this blog?Find out hereMarch 2009SunMonTueWedThuFriSat12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031    ArchivesMarch 2009February 2009November 2008August 2008June 2008February 2008September 2007August 2007July 2007June 2007More...

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