Monday 20 September 2010

OPPORTUNITY Knocks

Opportunity knocks once, and if the door isn’t answered, moves on to another door. We all have those moments in our personal histories, where we took on a challenge, or where we sat still, debating whether this opportunity was real, not moving and later regretting.

In 2010, Opportunity is knocking loudly, for the many countries on this planet, that will lead and dominate the future. And we, in Australia (and the US) are still in debate mode.

Thomas L Friedman, quoting Peggy Lui in his New York Times OP-ED, says it all:
“There is really no debate about climate change in China,” said Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit group working to accelerate the greening of China. “China’s leaders are mostly engineers and scientists, so they don’t waste time questioning scientific data.” The push for green in China, she added, “is a practical discussion on health and wealth. There is no need to emphasize future consequences when people already see, eat and breathe pollution every day.”

And because runaway pollution in China means wasted lives, air, water, ecosystems and money — and wasted money means fewer jobs and more political instability — China’s leaders would never go a year (like we will) without energy legislation mandating new ways to do more with less. It’s a three-for-one shot for them. By becoming more energy efficient per unit of G.D.P., China saves money, takes the lead in the next great global industry and earns credit with the world for mitigating climate change.

So while America’s Republicans turned “climate change” into a four-letter word — J-O-K-E — China’s Communists also turned it into a four-letter word — J-O-B-S.


Do you hear opportunity knocking on your door? Is your business/country in debate mode or are you opening doors to the new energy era?

Climate Change = Opportunity, so fill in the missing letters in your part of the world….
OPPORTUNITY = J-O-?-? .


Pic Ex Flickr OPEN DOOR by yewenyi

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Turbine design drawn from Gliders

At a recent AuSES meeting in Sydney, we were treated to an insight into a new design for a medium sized vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) with versions rated at 3.5kW and 10kW. These VAWT’s were designed in Australia by a local company called Radotec . The prototype is being vehicle tested to simulate wind conditions in turbulent environments.

The talk was presented by Radotec’s Managing Director, Walter Radovich. Walter spoke about how the turbine design evolved from the engineers’ knowledge of aerodynamics and glider wings.

As this manufacturing company has engineering design and composites skills, the turbines will be made in Sydney, taking concept to reality locally in Australia.

With electricity prices on the rise, I look forward in the future to driving around Sydney’s windier industrial estates and to seeing these elegant energy producers on factory roofs and in the car parks and wherever the wind resources are sufficient to make these units contribute to business sustainability.

Pic courtesy of Radotec