2011
July 5, 2011
India's Supreme Court took over the investigation of vast amoutnof black money stashed in foreign money accounts from the compromised government.The ruling Congress party has proven to be remarkably reluctant to take action against corruption and black money despite huge pressure from the civil society and the judiciary.The government itself has ministers who are highly corrupt with a telecom minister in jail and the textile minister who may be on the way as well.Other ministers like the Agricultural Minister Pawar has repeatedly surfaced in numerous scams rocking the country.The Supreme Court has also taken the government to task for granting a retail banking license to the Swiss giant bank UBS.Note UBS had not been given a license as it was under suspicion for facilitating the movement of ill gotten money into Swiss bank accounts
July 5, 2011
Air conditioning has almost become a necessity in India, owing to the hot and humid weather conditions in India. Almost all the electronic and home appliance companies now are manufacturing and marketing ACs. Gone are the days of the primitive & huge window ACs in India, the modern day ACs come in a wide range from split to cassette, packaged unit to slimpak etc. There are also internet enabled & sensory ACs.
Prices of Air Conditioners
In India the lowest priced ACs can be had at Rs 12000-13000 which are of a 1 ton size and can be bought from good brands like Samsung and LG.The price range can go upto Rs 30-35000 for better Japanese brands which have higher energy efficiency and premium features.This is the general price range for ACs in India though you some companies like Sharp,General sell even higher priced ACs touting their better quality.But India being a highly price sensitive market lower priced ACs sell more.Earlier Spilt ACs used to be priced much higher but with companies lowering the prics to the Rs 18-20000 range,split ACs have been selling more increasing their marketshare in India.
July 5, 2011
Renewable Energy is a sunshine industry in India right now and a number of non traditional players are getting into the clean energy industry right now.Companies with surplus cash or lack of growth opportunities are turning to solar energy generation to fuel growth.The JNNSM first phase saw a large number of companies bidding and some unknown players winning the auction.While a large number of these solar companies will never their projects see the light of the day (pun intended),some will survive and thrive.More companies are getting into the solar power busness attracted by the long term potential of solar energy in the country.Kanoria Chemicals which recently sold off a large chunk of its chemical business is sitting on a huge pile of cash.The company has decided to get into renewable energy generation by setting up a 2-3 MW solar plant.Note Kanoria Chemicals has little to any relation between its core operations and solar energy.
July 5, 2011
Sharp which was the biggest solar company in 2010 in terms of revenues is being finally forced to move its production away from Japan to low cost countries in Asia.Note the relentless cut in prices of solar panels by Chinese solar panel companies has made life impossible for high cost panel companies in Europe and Japan.While US Companies like Sunpower and First Solar always had the majority of their production in low cost locales like Malaysia and Philipines,European solar firms had also started shifting their production overseas with Q-Cells moving to Malaysia and REC to Singapore.The current glut in solar panels has let to massive bloodletting in the solar industry with some established companies like Evergreen,ENER on the verge of bankruptcy.The sharp cost improvements and increased supply of crystalline silicon solar panels is set about to bring radical changes in the solar industry after a massive boom in 2010.The Second Wave of Thin Film Technology Bankruptcies has already started and we can expect more of that soon.Most of the production bases in Europe should be shuttered as well as costs have become higher than the selling prices.PV Crystalox and REC are already in a lot of trouble,cutting production and forecasting losses in the second half of 2011.
July 5, 2011
Nuclear Power Plants around the globe are being closed at a furious rate particularly in Europe.The Fukushima Disaster has caused a nuclear winter in the nuclear power plant industry.Even Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Leaders like Toshiba are changing their strategy to concentrate on Renewable Energy.Even new Nuclear Power Plants being built in India and China are facing massive opposition.New Nuclear Power Plants being built at Jaitapur and Tamil Nadu have met massive organized protests by local citizens throwing the future of nuclear power plants in jeopary.The Communist Government in China too is going slow on the biggest rollout of nuclear power plants in the world.High Cost Escalation and long project delays had already made building new Nuclear Power Plants in the Developed World almost impossible.Japan and Germany which are two of the largest nuclear countries have decided to shut down all nuclear power plants.Switzerland and Belgium too have decided to kill the nuclear power industry in their countries.In this light it becomes very important to examine the pros and cons of nuclear power plants.A cost benefit analysis of nuclear energy is crucial as new plants cost billions of dollars and can cause massive costs if things go wrong as was the case with Chernobyl and Three Mile Island Disasters in the 1980s.
July 5, 2011
In early days, painting your home would mean buying paint and putting it on the walls without worrying about anything else but in today's world, Painting would just not mean simply coloring your house. It comes with a long list of added functionality, which makes it even more better. The modern day paints have additional functions like - Being Very durable, Glow finish, Covering hairline cracks, Fighting fungus, Giving a rich sheen, Dirt Resistance, keeps your home u cool, repelling water, water proof, extra tough, glossy finish for metals & many more.
July 5, 2011
xit Sign is an important legal safety requirement, in case of any emergency like fire in any building. An LED exit sign is an illuminated sign that uses LED light to illuminate the word “EXIT. The traditional incandescent & fluorescent technology that are used, consume large amounts of energy & also require frequent maintenance. Since these signs operate 24*7, there is a need to replace incandescent bulbs with efficient models with long lives to help reduce maintenance cost and effort. They offer savings of up to $300 per sign in reduced energy, materials, and labor costs as compared with standard incandescent models. LED exit signs are an array of very small LEDs either red or green in colour arranged in a line or circularly. Many exit signs come with a battery backup since they need to remain lit at the time of emergency, when a building's power is interrupted. It is a good option that buyers should look for. LED exit signs work at 120V or 277V. Exit sign manufacturers have made these products available at very competent prices. They are also easy to install. LED exit signs need to be approved for use by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and should be compliant with local and federal building codes.
July 5, 2011
Solar energy usage is an excellent, eco-friendly and cost-effective way to "Go Green". It is a very effective measure to save energy & money. We use the solar energy every day in many different ways.Solar Energy is indirectly responsible for other forms of Energy that we use as well like Coal,Oil,Gas,Hydro Energy etc.The biggest use of Solar Energy is in Agriculture where Sun Light is used by plants to grow and provide food for us.Solar Energy despite many years of development is not used in the generation of Electricity due to its higher costs.However that is going to change as Solar Energy is the only form of Energy whose costs are continuously declining compared to other forms of Energy.This is one of the biggest advantages of Solar Power over other renewable and non-renewable forms of energy.Solar Energy forms just 0.1% of the the total energy supply of the planet currently and analysts and decision makers don’t think that Solar Energy can form a big chunk in the future as well.However I differ strongly in that aspect.The main reason for my very bullish opinion on Solar Energy is based on the simple fact that Solar Energy is the only form of Energy whose costs are declining rapidly on a secular basis.In a world facing the prospects of “peak commodity”,solar energy remains vastly abundant and it remains upto human technology to capture it at the lowest costs
July 5, 2011
Solar Panels are sold by hundreds of companies around the world ranging from small to very large and comes in various shapes and sizes as well.Besides this solar panels are also made of very different materials for example silicon solar panels and thin film solar panels.So comparing solar panels and choosing a solar panel is a very difficult process if you want the best solar panel according to your needs.Note solar panels for the most part are brought by the solar integrators or solar installers that you employ to put up solar panels in your house or office.So you are not generally a part of the decision making process in case of solar panel buying.However to ensure that you get a good deal on your solar array installation,you should ensure that you get good quality solar panels and solar inverters.The solar panels should ideally have certification from quality organizations such as TUV,ISO,Clean Energy Council and others.Same with Solar Inverters that you are going to use.
July 5, 2011
Every home these days is full of modern appliances that are available in the market. With every day that passes by, technology is getting evolved and so are the home appliances. Hence in the present age of technology it is extremely crucial that a home has most of the necessary appliances of the modern day. These appliances have made our life a lot easier and comfortable. More importantly the lives of the people at the present are very much fast paced. Thus at times like this the advanced home appliances help us to save time as well as energy. The common appliances that we use in our everyday lives are juicer, mixer, micro wave ovens, grinders, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, TVs etc.The Indian market is growing at the fastest pace in the world right now with the growng middle class spending rapidly in acquiring these appliances.Some Companies like LG and Samsung have made massive inroads into the Indian market winning huge marketshares.Japanese and US electrical appliance companies have been slow to get off the blocks giving the first mover advantage to the Koreans.Domestic Indian companies like Godrej,Onida and others have also lost out in the marketshare despite giving a good fight in the initial stages.However the massive size of the Indian market has made it imperative for every global electrical appliance company to invest in India.However sales and distribution remains the most important thing to penetrate the Indian electrical appliance market.
July 5, 2011
The Indian telecom industry is the world’s fastest growing industry with 792 million mobile phone subscribers as of February 2011. It is also the second largest telecommunication network in the world in terms of number of wireless connections after China. The industry will reach around $80 billion in revenues by next year showing an astounding CAGR of over 25% and will employ a stupendous 1 crore employees making it one of the biggest value creators in India in recent times. The introduction of mobile phones brought a major revolution in the industry. Mobile phones have become a modern day necessity. Be it a professional, a trader, a housewife or a student, everyone has one. The availability of cheap mobiles in the Indian market, is also a major factor in making it available & affordable to the common masses. Today's mobile phone is not just a phone, it has a built in camera, music system, games & internet enabled networking. These facilities entertain you as well as make you available to work as & when required.
July 5, 2011
PWND is a good Wind ETF with strong weighting on China and Wind Utilities.Note the center of Wind Energy Manufacturing and Development has shifted towards China from the Western world with almost 50% of the world's wind power installations happening in China in 2010.8 out of the top 15 Wind Turbine Manufacturers are now from China which makes it very important that Top Wind Energy Investments have a substantial weighting on Chinese Wind stocks.PWND has a good combination of Wind Utilties and Wind Turbine Stocks from China which gives exposure to the biggest wind power market in the world.It has also got a decent investment in top Wind Utilities in Europe which still have the biggest wind farm portfolios in the world.With 30 stocks,it has not over diversified as well with good concentrated holdings in top wind power stocks.While 0.75% expense ratio is slightly high it is not a deal killer.The 2010 and 2011 performance of Wind Energy has been dismal to say the least with the Copenhagen Global Climate Change Meeting going to the dogs in 2009 end.However there remains little alternative to Wind Energy as Coal,Gas and Oil get increasingly scarce,costly and are continuing to pollute the environment.With only $19 million left as the corpus PWND may not continue long,however if it does it might be the best time to invest in a good WInd Energy ETF when the sector is so unloved.PWND is the best Wind Energy ETF and probably the best wind stock investment out there
July 5, 2011
In 2007 the World Crude Steel output reached 1343 million metric tons and showed a growth of 7.5% over the previous year.China remained the world’s largest Crude Steel producer in 2007 also (489 million metric tons) followed by Japan (112. million metric tons) and USA (97 million metric tons). India occupied the 5 th position (53million metric tons) (Source: IISI). According to an estimate by Credit Suisse, India’s steel consumption will continue to grow at nearly 16% rate annually, till 2012, fuelled by demand for construction projects worth US$ 1 trillion. The scope for raising the total consumption of steel is huge, given that per capita steel consumption is only 40 kg – compared to 150 kg across the world and 250 kg in China.
July 5, 2011
A growing population has increased the demand for drinking water and rapid urbanization has required increasing sewage treatment. Many industries have been forced to adopt water-recycling systems due to the scarcity of water. Growing public concern, media pressure and renewed legislation has left industries with no option but to install water treatment equipment. The water treatment companies offer sustainable solutions that serve as the economic basis for a region and provide enhanced quality of life for people. They aim at the conservation and ecological utilization of water. However, Indian companies have limited capabilities and technology for the design of water treatment plants. There is a distinct opportunity for U.S. companies to offer technical consulting.
July 5, 2011
A solar cooker uses solar energy to heat food or drink to cook it . The vast majority of the solar cookers presently in use are relatively cheap devices though expensive devices are more prevalent in developed countries. Solar Cookers use no fuel and require little maintainance, they can help reduce fuel costs for the poor which are mainly depended on firewood for cooking.This will reduce pollution and lead to saving of the forests.
July 5, 2011
According to reports coming from Europe where the summit of major European leaders took place to resolve the growing debt crisis,a deal has been reached on Greek debt.The Euro 350 billion debt which dwarfs the size of the negatively growing Greek economy has been a major source of instability in the last 2 years.The private holders of the Greek government bonds have agreed to take a 50% writeoff on their holdings.This means that if they hold Euro 100 of bonds they have become Euro 50 now as the rest has been written off as bad debt.Not that it was not apparent as Greek CDS and Greek bonds were touching all times lows in the secondary market.In fact the only buyers of Greece bonds were the European Central Bank and the Greek banks.The capital markets had been going up in the last month in the hope of some sort of resolution.The deal does not look like a win win as there will be some big losers in this deal (though they were already losing for some time).Nicolas Sarkozy announced the deal which would be voluntary in nature so that the CDS would not be invoked.Here are the winners and losers from this deal
July 5, 2011
Health Tourism can simply be defined as people traveling across borders to obtain or to give health care services. It is a combination of health treatment & tourism. Over 50 countries have identified medical tourism as a national industry. Services typically sought by travelers may include specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care and even burial services are available. The reason Health tourism is gaining momentum include the high cost of health care, long waiting time, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in many countries.Many surgery procedures performed overseas cost a fraction of the price they do in America. Health tourism providers have developed as intermediaries to unite potential medical tourists with provider hospitals and other organizations. They also provide assistance to patients with pre- and post-travel medical issues & resources for follow-up care upon the patient's return.
July 5, 2011
July 5, 2011
Solar Energy is the fastest growing industry in the USA and has been one of the fastest globally as well with solar demand rising by more than 150% in 2010 fueled by massive cuts in prices of solar panels especially those from China.While this has led to a major drop in solar energy stock prices this has also led to a massive boost in volumes due to demand elasticity.Only the top solar companies will be able to survive this brutal consolidation that is taking place with some companies like Solyndra already consigned to the death list.Solar Industry is a global one and has a big supply chain as well.This means that looking at only one stock market will deprive you of better opportunities that might exist in other stock markets.There is also a big supply chain associated especially with crystalline solar panels.There are companies that exist only in Polysilicon,Wafers,Cells,Modules.There are also companies that are suppliers of material like encapsulants and metal alloys to these industries.This article will give you a very broad idea on the complete list of solar energy stocks that exist in each part of the supply and different parts of the world.You can also look at the 2 solar ETFs that trade on the US stock markets TAN and KWT .
July 4, 2011
Japan has decided to from 5 consortia of three to nine companies to bid for large solar projects in Asia and Africa.The Japanese government will support these consortia with subsidies and diplomacy to take on the Chinese solar companies.Note Chinese companies have soundly beaten the Japanese in solar company rankings despite the early mover advantage.Japanese zaibatsus are falling behind the Chinese in the global solar marketshare as low costs,cheap capital and huge subsidies have bankrupted European and American solar companies.Solar Energy in Japan has a long future dating back to 1994 when the government introduced capital subsidies to boost solar energy installations on rooftops.Till 2004,Japan was the largest solar market in the world after which it was overtaken by Germany.After 2004,the growth in the solar industry tapered off as the government reduced the subsidies for solar panels to almost zero.The huge domestic market gave rise to Japanese companies like Sharp,Mitsubishi,Kyocera,Panasonic-Sanyo become top solar panel producers in the world.However the low cost Chinese solar module producers have pushed back most of the Japanese companies
July 4, 2011
LG Solar Review of Multicrystalline and MonoCrystalline PV Cell Panels Modules Prices and Comparison
The LG Group is producing solar products through two Group Companies. LG Solar Energy was formed in 2007 to produce polysilicon which is the most important raw material for the production of solar wafers.It is already selling solar modules in the South Korean and European markets and plans to rapidly expand capacity to One Gigawatt by 2012.LG Electronics , plans to invest 1 trillion won by 2015 in its solar cell business and aims to generate revenue of 3 trillion won by 2015.LG plans to increase annual production of solar cells and modules at its plant in South Korea to 500 megawatts next year and 1,000 megawatts by 2013, from 330 megawatts today.LG plans to have a completely vertically integrated business in the Solar Power and plans to install massive solar power plants in the USA as well.
July 4, 2011
.The cost of the solar panel can also vary a lot depending on the retailer,size of the solar panel,technology and the brand.This makes buying solar panels a confusing problem though most residential and commercial buyers are not involved leaving the decision to the solar installer/EPC company.The advent of Chinese solar panels has made the Western and European solar panel companies lost marketshare rapidly.In fact most of the European companies are shutting factories to open plant in Asia where the costs are much lower.Japanese solar companies however continue to keep their manufacturing in developed countries as they get a premium for their solar panels which are considered of superior quality.
Kyocera is one of the oldest solar panel manufacturers and is second only to Sharp amongst the Japanese companies.It also manufactures industrial ceramics, telecommunications equipment, office document imaging equipment, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools, and components for medical and dental implant systems.Kyocera Solar Corp. in Japan was founded in 1996, and Kyocera Solar, Inc. in the U.S. in 1999.The company has production bases in Japan, Mexico, Europe and China and is planning a factory in California as well.The company plans to reach 1000 MW of production by 2013.
July 4, 2011
Sharp,the Japanese Zaibatsu known more for its Electronics Products is also the world’s No 1 Company in terms Solar Module Revenues.Sharp has been the solar world leader since the past 4-5 years despite stiff competition recently from upcoming Chinese Crystalline Solar (c-Si) players and Thin Film Leader First SolarSharp’s c-Si division is not cost competitive with the Chinese and Taiwanese companies as its cost structure is almost 30-40% higher than the cheapest Chinese producers.Though the quality of Sharp’s crystalline silicon modules is considered much better,the cost difference has become too big in a rapidly commoditizing industry.While companies like Masdar are abandoning their Thin Film plans,Sharp has started shipping a-Si modules from its 1 GW capacity plant in Sakai.With its established distribution strengths and technological abilities in LCD Technology,Sharp is one company that can survive the c-Si onslaught.
July 4, 2011
Some very basic terms & their definitions used in context with the Indian Income Tax are given below:
ASSESSEE - is any person who is required to pay Income tax or any other sum payable under the Income Tax Act being interest, penalty etc.
ASSESSMENT YEAR - is the period comprising of twelve months starting on 1st of April & ending on 31st March of the next year. Assessment year succeeds the financial year. For eg. For the FY 2011-2012, the AY will be 2012-2013.
July 4, 2011
India has become the third country in the world to start a National Green Tribunal (NGT) which is a judicial body exclusively meant to judge environmental cases.Note Environment has become the one of the most important issues in the country affecting the broader society.Alongwith Land Acquisition,environment has become the most frequent conflict flashpoint.There have been numerous case where large industries have been confronted by local people fighting for the environement.Recent cases like the Vedanta Bauxite smelter in Orissa,Thermal Power Plants in Andhra Pradesh,the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Maharashtra have seen huge controversy and protests.Note Vedanta Resources has found itself in the centre of controversy over mining bauxite in Niyamgiri Hills which are held sacred by the Dongria Kondh tribal group.With powerful political and bureaucratic patrons,Vedanta has managed to ride roughshod over Tribal Rights.
Having a National Green Tribunal (NGT) has become essential for the country so that development can proceed with peace between various stakeholders .Note normal judges and courts don't have the expertise to understand the massive complexities and intricacies involved in billion dollar industrial projects and their impact on the environment.The NGT will have each judge having an environmental expert to guide him/her on the ecological issues so that they can come to an informed judgment.
July 4, 2011
Solar Panels are rapidly becoming a widespread commodity like shoes and clothes and will even become more of a consumer product in days to come when solar panels in offices and homes becomes a common sight.Just like other consumer products there are a wide type of solar panels on sale.Note in Germany solar panels are already frequently seen on the roofs of most houses.Prices of solar panels have fallen tremendously in the past couple of years due to declining costs amongst Chinese producers of solar panels.Just like Chinese made clothes,toys and electronics have captured most of the market globally,so to Chinese wholesale solar panel sellers have captured most of the global market.While Sharp,Sunpower and a few other Western,Japanese companies have managed to survive,the majority of the global supply of solar panels is now done by Chinese solar panel wholesale providers.
July 4, 2011
Dye sensitized solar cells are next-generation solar cells based on innovative technology. Unlike conventional silicon-based solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells consist primarily of photosensitive dye and other substances. A dye-sensitized solar cell is a low-cost solar cell. This cell is also known as the Gratzel cell & was invented by Michael Gratzel and Brian O'Regan. It is based on a semiconductor formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a photoelectrochemical system. It belongs to the group of thin film solar cells.
July 4, 2011
India's Supreme Court took the matter of hundreds of billions of dollars of Black Money stashed into foreign bank accounts into its own hands as the government has repeatedly failed to take any action stalling the case.The Indian government led by the Congress Party has been repeatedly blasted by the Supreme Court for not acting against corruption matters.Recently the Court in an unprecedented move took over the supervision of the CBI in 2G Telecom Scandal Case Investigation.Note CBI is under the Home Ministry and like other investigations was being tardy to take action government ministers.The 2G Telecom case has resulted in top ministers and corporate CEOs being jailed with prospects of more being convicted.
July 4, 2011
Green Banking in India has started increasing at a rapid pace as concerns over Global Warming increase.Most of India's Banks are pushing for Clean Technology in their separate ways.Though there is lack of regulation on funding of environment friendly projects,Banks are pushing ahead on their own anyway.India's Financial Sector has seen the writing on the wall as the largest bank SBI is using Wind Energy for captive consumption to reduce its carbon footprint.The Bank is also reducing the interest rates for Green Projects beside helping in carbon consulting of customers.SBI is also implementing thousands of Green Kiosks to reduce the need for paper.ICICI Bank is helping funding research in clean technology using TFD while Canara Bank has funded almost 50,000 units of Solar Lighting .