Blog
April 8, 2011
India's Wind Energy Market is the 5th largest in the world and is the biggest renewable energy sector in India (non-hydro).Wind Power forms almost 70% of the Alternative Energy Capacity in the country and will have an important role to play to meet India's target of 10% Renewable Energy from Electricity by 2020.Wind Energy is very cost effective in terms of cost and is approaching Gas Electricity Prices.Combined with the favorable tax treatment,accelerated depreciation,subsidies by different sates,Wind Energy has become the favored Green Energy Sector for investment by large private sector companies.Wind Power Plants are increasing in number and scale as larger companies like Caparo enter the Wind Power Sector.Wind Turbine Manufacturers in India are fast expanding capacity and investment to capitalize on this opportunity.Suzlon remains the Bid Daddy of the Wind Industry in India,however a number of foreign and domestic Wind Turbine Manufacturers are giving it a run for its money.Global Wind Turbine Leaders like Siemens,Enercon,GE have started Wind Turbine Equipment Manufacturing in India in recent times to lower their costs.Here is a list of the Major Wind Turbines available in India of different types and capacities from the various Different Wind Manufacturers.
April 8, 2011
Motor insurance is an essential requirement for all new vehicles. This applies for both commercial and personal use. Under the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, all vehicles that ply in public places must have an insurance policy that at least covers "Third Party Liability" as specified under the Act. A Comprehensive Motor Insurance Cover in addition to the mandatory third-party cover also protects the car owner from financial losses, caused by loss or damage or theft of the vehicle.ost auto insurance companies in India have comprehensive policies to help their customers. Some of them have also tied up with top automobile manufacturers for a fast insurance process. Auto insurance companies have separate plans for two wheelers, four wheelers, commercial vehicles. Car Insurance Premium is calculated based on the car's Model, Age and the Registration City. Due to this Pricing Model, in some cases, the premium for similar cars could be higher as well. Some of the biggest Insurance companies in India are listed below:
April 8, 2011
Wind Power Plants has seen a phenomenal growth of around 33% CAGR in the last 5 years and the total capacity at end of 2010 was 11800 MW with most of the capacity installed in the state of Tamil Nadu which is the largest state in terms of Alternative Energy Capacity in India.GWEC has set an ambitious target of 65 GW for Wind Energy in India by 2020 which means an addition of 5 GW each year which seems too high given the wind power potential in India is only around 65 GW.However using low wind speed sites may increase the potential besides the use of offshore wind power in India.A number of Wind Turbine Manufactures in India have set up facilities attracted by the domestic market with Suzlon being the biggest Wind Company in India.
The Indian Wind Energy already has the 5th largest installed capacity in the world and is set to grow at a rapid pace driven by investments from the private sector attracted by the generous wind subsidies from the state and central government in India.Most of the Installed Wind Capacity in India is located in the southern and industrial states of the country.The other states like UP,Bihar lacks sufficient Wind Energy Capacity despite having high power tariffs and substantial electricity deficits.It can be said that Wind Power in India is being developed only in the progressive states like Gujarat,Maharashtra and others.To continue to grow at the same rate,the industry needs to diversify geographically but that would need the backward state governments to pull up their socks.
April 8, 2011
Anna Hazare who is fasting unto death in the capital of India has called for Indian citizens for fill jails on April 12 as the government has refused to key demands in the formation of the Committee to write the LokPal Bill.With millions supporting Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption amongt public officials in India,the ruling Congress Party is under tremendous pressure.However it is trying to wiggle out of this situation by making token concessions like giving half of the committee to civil society but refusing to give it "Official Notification" and not giving the chairmanship as well.
April 7, 2011
Solar Carports are a relatively new Solar Energy Product compared to other Solar Products like Solar Heaters and Solar Cooking.Solar Carports are fast catching on as their dual use of protecting,shading a car as well as providing electricity to nearby offices and buildings.It makes use of real estate that would go waste so it provides a lot of value add besides helping in protecting the environment as well.
April 7, 2011
It is surprising to see the US Media jumping about saying the General Electric will build the biggest solar factory in the US when it is completely factually wrong.There are other companies that add 400 MW in a single quarter these days (eg.LDK). By the time GE builds its 400 MW Cadmium Tellurium Solar Panel facility,there will be around 20 players in the world with more than 1000 MW capacity.GE has been claiming high efficiencies for its Thin Film Solar Panels but the claims that it will be able to dethrone First Solar as the Leader seems far fetched currently.Note First Solar will have almost 7 times more capacity worldwide by the time GE builds its first solar panel facility.GE has been long been developing the Cadmium Tellurium Technology buying up Prime Solar.
April 7, 2011
Seoul witnessed Radioactive Rain as winds blew from neighboring Japan which has witnessed the second biggest nuclear energy accident after Chernobyl.Though the the Rain contains cesium and iodine particles they are well within the safety limits according to the South Korean Nuclear Safety Regulator.South Korea has already protested against the lack of information about the Nuclear Emissions and the Deliberate Dumping of Toxic Seawater by TEPCO.However many schoolchildren stayed at home as worried parents were concerned about the impact of the radiation.China the other major close nation in proximity to Japan has also detected low levels of iodine in spinach in 3 provinces.China had earlier reported trace levels of radiation in Guangdong and Shanghai.Note Iodine has a very low half-life so that problem should not persist for long.However cesium is another matter as it can lodge inside human body and keep emitting for a long time internally.
April 7, 2011
India launched its Solar Mission by the name of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) with a lofty target of 20 GW by 2022.The Solar Mission has been divided into 3 phases and promotes solar energy installation,solar industry,solar heaters and off grid solar.Note the Solar Mission provides subsidies and incentives to promote the use of Solar Energy from the Central Government.Different States such as Gujarat have enacted laws to support solar energy on their own which is seperate from the Federal Target for Solar Power.I think the 20 GW target for 2022 is very low and will be easily exceeded but that is a separate discussion.The Solar Mission is not a rigid document but is a work in motion as the second and third phases will be implemented taking in the feedback and success of the first phase of the Solar Mission which has already announced the Solar Project Winners.
April 7, 2011
Seeing the rapidly mounting support for the movement,the government has tried to cut losses sending ministers to hold talks on ending the fast.Thousands of schoolchildren,executives,college students has spontaneously joined the Anti-Corruption Movement at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and millions more in different cities across India.It was the first real chance to protest against the endemic corruption and brazen arrogant behaviour of the ruling classes.Many politicians sensing the wind were trying to associate with Hazare.Shashi Tharoor the sauve face of modern India who had been discredited by his unethical conduct in IPL too tweeted that he supported Hazare ( don't know what that means,use your position to gain money unethically in IPL and Commonwealth Scams and support anti-corruption).For now its a success for the Indian democracy but the ultimate success will be when a strong Lokpal Bill is passed.
April 7, 2011
Solar Industry is a fast growing exciting industry with its inevitable growth pangs as well.The first phase of India's Federal Policy has seen many hurdles and its success is in doubt,on the other hand Gujarat has managed to attract investment and power plants through a forward looking subsidy.States like Uttar Pradesh,Delhi,Maharashtra are also tentatively coming up with their own incentive policies.The Industry will see many ups and downs before it becomes a major billion dollar industry.Note Solar Power Industry has become the fastest growing in USA where it doubled last year and looks set to double this year again.The Nuclear Accident in Japan has given fresh energy to Solar Power with China set to double its target to 10 GW by 2015.
April 7, 2011
Anna Hazare the eminent social activist fast unto death may become a major turing point in India's history with massive spontaneous support for the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by respected members of the Civil Society.The Ruling Congress Party which tried to disparage Hazare through usual political stunts like calling him a Opposition Party Puppet has become unhinged in its respone.While 2 days ago,the Congress Spokesperson Tewari was saying that they did not really care about the hunger fast by Hazare,now the Congress Ministers are rushing to placate him.While Kapil Sibal is calling for more time ( don't know what they did for the last one year when one after another scam was revealed),Moily says that changes will be incorporated.
April 6, 2011
Medical Billing Companies in India have grown tremendously like other outsourcing function in India such as Legal Outsourcing,IT Outsourcing etc.The growth in Communications and Internet has been the biggest enabler of the Cost Arbitrage between Developed Countries and India.The Globalization of Capital,Information and Trade has not been accompanied by a true Globalization of Labor.However the irrepressible force of capitalism searching for higher profits has made Medical Billing to India a big success leading to a win win relationship.Medical Transcription Companies in India are still quite small compared to their giant IT counterparts like Wipro,TCS etc.Most of these Medical Billing Companies will probably not achieve that scale either being eventually absorbed by the Biggies as they look to expand their Domain Expertise to Medical Companies.Here is a list of the major Medical Billing Companies in India
April 6, 2011
India is a talent-rich country. India has technological agility, quality, cost control, time-to-market and competitive advantage. India exports software to 95 countries around the world and is home to the biggest IT services companies globally in the form of Wipro,Infosys,TCS. India enjoys the confidence of global corporations with 82% of the US companies ranking India as their first choice for Outsourcing - Medical Transcription, , Call Center, Litigation Services, and Data Conversion & Data Capturing Services etc. India as of now stands out as a major outsourcing center with facilities available to handle both high end as well as low end services. Most Indian outsourcing service provider companies are quality certified with international certification like ISO-90001 and have resources to handle entire process lifecycle.Companies across the world outsource work to India to stay competitive.
April 6, 2011
American Superconductor (AMSC) which is one of the top rated wind stock in the US crashed by more than 40% as its largest customer AMSC is mainly a seller wind turbine core electrical components and full wind turbine electrical control systems (ECS).It has also made pilot sales of high capacity super conducting equipment to some customer like Tres Amigas.Sinovel which is also the 2nd biggest Wind Power Company in the world refused to take contracted shipments of wind turbine core electrical components and spare parts.The reason given was high inventory levels but the company failed to explain why Sinovel which is a multi billion dollar company has refused to pay AMSC for certain contracted shipments made in fiscal year 2010.Note $56 million in payments related to Fiscal 2010 quarters have been not paid to AMSC ( which would have been recognized as revenue).None of this was disclosed till now leading to a class action shareholder lawsuit against the company.It is quite perplexing why your largest customer will not pay you for past shipments and then cancel shipments as well.Is it because of some acrimony or is just Sinovel using its massive size to squash a small supplier.
April 6, 2011
The Lok Janpal Bill has received a tremendous response from India's Civil Society which is totally fed up with the endemic corruption and a government which refuses to do anything as most of its ministers are caught in numerous scams themselves.One of its former ministers is already cooling his heels in Jail after India's Supreme Court was forced to take over the investigation as the government refused to take action.The Anti-Corruption Bill which has been formulated by eminent citizens and social activists has been rejected by the government (what a surprise) and the ruling party Congress has refused to talk.Here is a Guide and Summary of the Main Points of the Draft of the LokJanpal Bill.Instead the ruling party has brought in politics into the picture saying that Anna Hazare has become a puppet for the opposition.
April 6, 2011
Solar Energy in India represents one of the best Energy opportunities in the 21st Century.However the growth at least in the initial stages will be geographically unequal.This is due to the fact that Solar Power requires strong government support and subsidies currently.The Indian Federal Government has already given it a strong push targeting 1000 MW by 2013 and 20 GW by 2022 under the JNSSM.While the Subsidy Program is facing some initial hurdles due to debt financing and aggressive project bidding,individual States are forging ahead to push Solar Energy on their own.Gujarat has been a trailblazer in this regard with The State has already recieved proposals for setting up around 365 MW of Solar Power.Gujarat through its own RPS and Feed in Tariff incentives is targeting 1000 MW by 2013.Rajasthan too is trying to exploit is massive solar insolation potential but its state policies have little clarity or direction yet.The state has signed around 1524 MW of Solar Project with 49 Developers.The Solar Policy Draft Proposal is mostly vague with a target of 10-12 GW in 10-12 years with around 500 MW in the next 2-3 years.Rajasthan is set to see massive solar installation despite its government's vagueness from the Federal JNNSM subsidy.Other states in India like UP,Delhiand Maharashtra have recently started making some moves but remains to be seen how good they are at implementing.While the UP solar subsidy is clearly quite ridiculous,Delhi seems to be on the way to implementing a smart policy of promoting small roof top solar residential installations.
April 6, 2011
Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells is the dominant Solar Cell Manufacturing Process in which a highly purified form of Polysilicon is converted through a series of process into a small Solar Cell capable of converting solar energy into electrical energy.Note Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells are closely related to Mutlicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells differentiated only in terms of efficiency and cost.Monocrystalline Solar Technology uses a single crystal of Silicon which means less defects and higher efficiency in solar cells built from Monocrystalline Solar Wafers.
April 6, 2011
The ongoing problems at the stricken Japanese Nuclear Plant at Fukushima may see new problems given the prolonged cooling by water.Note it has already manifested itself as 11,500 tons of radiated water was dumped into the Pacific leading to protests from South Korea and dangerously contaminated fish.Further problems may arise as NY Times reports from a nuclear assessment report on each of the 6 reactors at the Dai-ichi plant.The tons of seawater being used to cool the temperature could result in a dangerous structural damage to the containment vessels of the reactors.Note this unconventional cooling of the Nuclear Plant may give rise to unthought of problems and complications.The spent fuel rods where hydrogen is being generated may react violently with oxygen in the air leading to violent explosion as was seen in Reactor 2 in the early part of the crisis.Salt has also been accumulating in the reactor from the seawater which may prevent circulation of newly added water.
April 6, 2011
Phillipines is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy requirements as it lacks sufficient domestic resources of coal or oil.The country which already has […]
April 6, 2011
Islands mostly are depended on diesel generators for their electricity requirements which is considerably costlier than the normal coal,hydro,gas and nuclear forms of energy.Unless you are Saudi Arabia and can get oil at $4/barrel,the price of electricity from oil based energy sources is one of the costliest.Hawaii in USA pays around 30c/KwH for electricity because of the high cost of transporting and buying fossil fuels for its power plants.These islands have a huge incentive in moving towards renewable energy because it not only reduces costs,carbon emissions but also helps in energy security.Hawaii has installed a large number of wind farms,is building a big energy storage facility and promoting other alternative energy forms like solar as well.Hawaii Feed in Tariff has been implemented despite opposition by the utilities.
April 6, 2011
USA has been sorely lacking in the fight against Climate Change and Global Warming.Greenhouse Gas Emissions by the US has increased tremendously from 1990 the benchmark year when countries under Kyoto Protocol pledged to reduced their Carbon Emissions.However US has refused to do anything and has not even signed the Kyoto Protocol.The hopelessly rudderless leadership in the US has failed to pass any Clean Energy Laws like Cap and Trade ( not my favorite),Federal RPS etc.Some states have been showing proactive leadership like California despite massive opposition by the powerful oil and gas lobby (Valero,Koch Brothers).Their efforts are being stymied by the very rich who don't care about global warming as they can easily use their money to mitigate any affect on them and the powerful fossil fuel lobby with their thinktank puppets.
April 5, 2011
India’s Civil Society has brought out the Jan Lokpal Bill that has been drafted has been drafted by eminent members of the civil society like Prashant […]
April 5, 2011
PV Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Solar Cells are the building blocks of Solar Panels which are used to generate electricity from the Sun in residential or commercial establishments.Solar Cells are made of crystalline silicon the same substance that is used to make semiconductors which go into making of electronic products.Note Thin Film Solar Cells are not found for practical purposes as Thin FIlm Solar Production generally is a one step continuous process in which the whole solar panel is produced.On the other hand c-Si production is a 5 step process in which Solar Cells is the intermediate product of the 4th stage and goes as input to making of solar modules/panels.Solar Cells can be bought and made into Solar Panels as PV Solar Cells don't have much of a standalone usage.Note Buying Solar Cells and making DIY Solar Panels does not make much sense as it adds little value and does not save money.You are better off buying Solar Panels from affordable solar panel manufacturers.
April 5, 2011
The total installed nuclear generating capacity in the world is around 375 GW (WNA) with another 170 GW in planning g state and another 170 GW being proposed. The largest nuclear power is Europe with an installed capacity of 131 GW, ie. 34% of the total world capacity. The second largest country is the USA with around 27% of the world nuclear capacity. The installed capacity of USA is 101 GW. These figures are projected to accumulate to 144 GW & 136 GW respectively by the end of year 2035, according to the EIA. Japan & Russia are the 3rd & 4th in the list with an installed capacity of 49 GW & 23GW respectively.
April 5, 2011
The Jan LokPal Bill is supposed to be the answer to India's massive endemic corruption which strikes daily in the form of a new scam or scandal.The government has proven to be woefully inadequate in taking on the corrupt politicians,bureaucrats and businessmen.This corrupt nexus has been repeatedly exposed and its structure exposed through the Nira Radia Tapes.The Indian administration has shamefully failed to take action only promising to do something without doing anything worthwhile.The Indian Judiciary has also castigated the government numerous times for its abject failure in the 2G Telecom Scam,Black Money Scandal etc.However the government instead of strengthening anti-corruption measures has only put obstacles in the way.Its no wonder when the committee meant to look after the Bill comprises of ministers tainted with a number of scams themselves.Anna Hazare has held a fast unto death to put pressure on the government to pass the draft bill but the Minister appear unconcerned.Here is a short summary and guide to the main points of the Jan LokPal Bill which IMHO deserves the support of the whole Indian civil society.
April 5, 2011
Nuclear Power has come under assualt in the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident with Nuclear becoming a four letter word.However Nuclear Energy cannot be ignored becauses its benefits are unique in some applications and cannot be substituted by any other means.Nuclear Power also cannot be replaced in the short term from its most widely used application of generating Electricity.Note Nuclear Power accounts for almost 15% of the Global Electricity and in some countries is the major source of energy.For example France which has 80% of its power coming from Nuclear Fission,its impossible to think of shutting down nuclear plants like Germany which gets around 20%.Note even for USA which has the largest installed base of nuclear reactors shutting down almost 200 GW of Nuclear Capacity is quite unthinkable.Besides Nuclear Energy has massive uses in medical and other applications.This cannot be substituted by other means at all.For example its possible to replace Nuclear Electricity by other means like Solar,Wind even Coal and Gas though its costs will be astounding.But you can't replace Nuclear Energy in Medical Applications like Scanning and X-Rays.Here is a list of the main uses of Nuclear Energy.
April 5, 2011
The massive dumping of radiation seawater by TEPCO into the Pacific Ocean has triggered outrage amongst various stakeholder groups.Fishermen are angry at is will massively affect the marine life who are bound to get poisoned by the 11,500 tons of radioactive water which is 100 times over the legal limit.A fishing industry group in Fukushima prefecture has asked Tepco to stop releasing toxic water into the sea near the power plant as Radioactive iodine and cesium were found in fish caught off the coast of Ibaraki, north of Tokyo.The Fishermen are already facing a bad time are bound to get hit even worse from this.Green Groups are protesting this deliberate ejection and say that it might be unethical to dump the water if not illegal under international laws.Green Groups are protesting the fact that more efforts could not have been made to store the water in ship tankers or overland facilities instead of taking the easy way out and dumping it in the Pacific.Note the radioactivity spewed from the Japanese Nuclear Plants is affecting nations globally.South Korea which lies very close to Japan has expressed concerns over the toxic water being dumped into the ocean.
April 5, 2011
Note none of the Indian automakers has a decent EV or a Hybrid selling in the Indian market.Foreign markets on the other had are seeing fierce competition amongst major auto makers to gain a first mover advantage.GM,Nissan,Toyota are the leader in this market with other car makers also in the process of getting in.Hectic alliances and JVs are being forged as this market segment promises to be the fastest growing as the governments give massive subsidies and push.It remains to be seen whether the government in India can push given its record.
April 4, 2011
Increasing Oil Prices is the biggest Achilles Heel of the Indian Economy heavily dependent on imported oil products.The government will have to either raise the prices leading to adding fire to the already high inflation or compensate the badly bleeding half privatized Oil Companies like IOC,BPCL and HPCL.These companies generally make massive losses despite having private investors apart from the government.Compensating these losses would lead to a higher fiscal deficit which would add to the inflation pressures anyway.Note a recent survey revealed that the Indian Middle Class has cut its expenditure on shopping,eating out and entertainment by a whopping 65% due to the high inflation.However the Indian Stock Market has seemingly discounted all these factors going up by 10% in 10 days on the back of a global rally.Bernanke Fueled Cheap Money is Circulating Hungrily across the Globe and currently India seems to be the fashion trend of the month.Note these hot money flows can reverse equally quickly leading to a sharp market crash just like the Jan-Feb one as fundamentals hardly support this kind of rally.With government intervention and distortions becoming the overriding factor in the stock markets,Free Markets and Fundamentals have taken a backseat.
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