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Notes will be updated from time to time, information listed is not meant to be an exhaustive source of data.
Rule of Thumb: Criteria for Consideration
- The Market Need
- The Mission
- Knowledge to Start
- Capital Required
- Timing to Start
- Special Challenges
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Fueling Green Energy
(1) Fuel Cell Backup Power
- Provide fuel cells for backup power, emergency power, and mobile power
- Business to sell and/or distribute
- Capital - $$
- Timing to start - months to years
- Find a product to sell and/or distribute, and target the right market
Additional notes:
ABI Research, Power Air Corp (Zinc Oxide) - zero/low emissions, US Fuel Cell Council, ufcc.com, Wintergreen Research - Stationary Fuel Cell Market Opportunities, Strategies, and Forecasts, 2006 - 2012, wintergreenresearch.com
- Developing new technologies
- Distributing new fuel cells being produced
- Licensing technology to sell and adjust to new uses, targeting a specific market niche, such as fuel cells for office use, cabins, etc.
- Leasing of fuel cells and renting them on short-term basis as mobile power for special events.
- Marketing in urban areas worldwide where electrical power is uncertain.
- Suppling backup power to crucial computing and communication systems.
- Providing power for emergency response.
- Setting up cogeneration for fuel cells that produce significant heat, capturing both heat and power to increase efficiency.
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(2) Solar
- Mobile power, freeing people from power grid
- Build solar into ubiquitous mobile power source
- Knowledge to Start: Solar, electrical, design, engineering
- Capital - $$
- Months to years
- Finding a specific need and designing the right product for the market
Additional notes:
Sierra Solar Systems (solar charger), iSun (iPod charger), Solio (Berkeley CA), Powerfilm (Ames, Iowa)
- Developing solar bags, briefcases, etc.
- Integrating laptop solar chargers with high-efficiency laptops
- Using small solar panels in electronics and small appliances
- Retailing solar gadgets
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(3) Seeding Entrepreneurial Green Careers
- Reduction of a company's carbon footprint
- Businesses to outline their business risks related to environmental impacts and climate change (Ref: Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002): how do these business risks affect the rules of financial disclosure. Biz are required to describe their climate/carbon fooprint, what programs are in place to offset that footprint.
Additional Notes:
Google's Bill Weihl, Climate Savers Computing Initiative, Jason Kovak
- Minimize Environmental Risks
- Compliance
- Green business opportunities
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(4) Green Philanthropy Management
- Greatest environmental impact per dollar invested
- Non-traditional accounting system to measure value to society
Additional Notes:
New Philanthropy Capital (London), The Centre for Effective Philanthropy in Massachusetts, effectivephilanthropy.org , GiveWell, givewell.net, Holden Karnofsky, Elie Hassenfeld
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Karen Wayland, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), Roger Ballantine
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(5) *Green Technology Transfer
Additional Notes:
Aurora Biofuels, Matt Caspari, algae-derived biofuels, UC Tech Transfer, ucop.edu/ott,
The FLC Technology Transfer Desk Reference from the Federal Labouratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, May 2006, [ federallabs.org/pdf/T2_Desk_Reference.pdf ]
* Impt to form a consolidated database of green patents
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(6) Green Lawyers
Additional Notes: Bill Sloan, Morrison & Foerster (Cleantech Legal Practice), mofo.com, Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean, wendel.com
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(7) Building Green Buildings and Businesses
Additional Notes: architecture2030.org, cool roofs, Berkeley National Laboratory, reflective coatings (little or no VOCs), Endurance Building Systems (Houston, Texas), Carlisle Syntec, waterproofing & heatproofing membranes, Dinyari Inc., dinyari.com, Bill Shevlin, infrared pigments in green paints, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Bill Miller, Jan Kosny
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~ Work-in-progress ~
Notes to Self:
Construction of clean coal/biomass plant on Jurong Island begins
China Huaneng plant to draw new petrochemical investors
EDB says some have reserved land at Tembusu, but not started on projects
Ronnie Lim Business Times 12 Nov 09;
CHINA Huaneng Group's latest $2 billion clean coal/biomass cogeneration investment on Jurong Island - which is expected to shave 10 per cent off customers' utilities bills - will be a catalyst in helping to draw new petrochemical investors at the greenfield Tembusu sector.
The project will contribute significantly to the petrochemical island's integration strategy, 'especially as competitive utilities options are particularly critical to the energy and chemical industry, which is a large consumer of steam and power', said Economic Development Board (EDB) chairman Leo Yip at its groundbreaking yesterday.
While he did not specifically say so, the project should encourage chemical companies, which Mr Yip said, 'despite adopting a cautious approach during the recession, are continuing their project studies on new investments, in readiness for the upturn'.
A number of petrochemical investors have already reserved land at Tembusu, but have not started building their projects yet, according to Julian Ho, who heads a multiple portfolio including chemicals at the EDB, but he declined to name them.
Germany's Lanxess is, for instance, expected to start building its 400 million euro (S$832 million) synthetic rubber plant at Tembusu around mid-2011. Others in the wings include the Jurong Aromatics Corporation US$2 billion project and possibly Mitsui Chemicals.
Despite still-shaky economies, Cao Peixi, China Huaneng president and chairman of Huaneng Power International - which bought Tuas Power for $4.2 billion - said that the group was confident enough about the Singapore market to give the go-ahead to its Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex (TMUC).
'Investing in Singapore is an important part of Huaneng's global strategy,' he said.
'We will leverage on our expertise and resources to support Tuas Power's growth and maintain its competitive advantage in the Singapore energy market . . . at the same time, we also hope that we will be able to contribute to Singapore's energy diversity and security.'
The TMUC project - which will use low-sulphur coal (80 per cent of the fuel mix) and palm shell kernels and wood waste (20 per cent) - will provide 160MW of electricity and about 1,000 tonnes of steam per hour when completed. It will also provide chilled water and treat industrial waste.
Because of the use of biomass, the plant's advanced technology such as special circulating fluidised boilers, and careful handling of the coal and coal ash, TMUC's emission levels will even be lower than some oil-fired power plants.
Furthermore, as each unit of electricity is produced at a lower cost, it will translate to cost savings of about 10 per cent of a customer's utilities bill compared with energy generated by a gas-fired plant, the company said.
Lim Kong Puay, Tuas Power president and CEO, said that while the original plan was to build the entire project at one go, it will now do so in tandem with customer demand. This will see the project being done in two phases, with part of the clean coal/biomass cogeneration plant ready by 2012, and the rest by 2014.
Financing for the $2 billion project will come from equity from the parent company, as well as from bank financing.
While the 2,670MW Tuas Power currently has a 24-25 per cent share of Singapore's electricity market, Mr Lim declined to give a figure on what its targeted share of the utilities market on Jurong Island will be, come 2014. 'The Jurong Island market is big enough for a new player,' he would only say.
'We see the standalone TMUC project as a long-term investment commitment, and as is (with China Huaneng's go-ahead), we are already seeing renewed interest coming from potential customers there.'
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Construction of S$2b multi-utilities plant begins on Jurong Island
Ryan Huang, Channel NewsAsia 11 Nov 09;
SINGAPORE: Construction works have begun on the Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex - a S$2 billion facility on Jurong Island for generating steam, chilled water, electricity and treating industrial waste.
The multi-utilities plant is expected to help develop Singapore's petrochemical sector, as well as bolster the country's energy security.
"As a utilities provider, it is important to put in the necessary infrastructure in place, and this will provide the impetus for new investors to invest in Jurong Island," said Lim Kong Puay, president & CEO, Tuas Power.
The move is in line with the nation's plans to develop the Tembusu area of Jurong Island as a new petrochemical sector over the next five years.
The new plant is expected to be about 10 per cent more cost-efficient than conventional ones due to synergies from producing the various utilities. One example is the simultaneous production of steam and electricity.
The facility will be completed in two phases, and will be partially ready by 2012. The rest of the complex will be ready by 2014.
The facility will be run by Tuas Power, which is a member of China Huaneng Group. It represents one of the most significant Chinese investments in Singapore and is expected to further enhance the island's position as a platform for firms to go international.
Leo Yip, chairman, Singapore Economic Development Board, said: "We welcome the opening of Tuas Power's Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex to enhance the range of third party utilities options as well as competitiveness on Jurong Island.
"With Asia becoming an increasingly important consumer of energy and chemical products, Singapore is well positioned to be a strategic base for Chinese energy and chemical companies seeking to internationalise and access new markets to drive business opportunities."
- CNA/sc
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Cheaper power for petrochem firms
Jonathan Kwok, Straits Times 11 Nov 09;
PETROCHEMICAL companies looking to set up processing plants at the Tembusu area of Jurong island can look forward to around 10 per cent of savings on their utility bills, with the construction of Tuas Power's $2 billion multi-utilities plant there.
The plant, with an initial opening planned for 2012, will supply steam, chilled water and electricity, which when co-produced, will lead to higher efficiency.
These cost savings will be passed on to customers through more competitive rates, which will be around 10 per cent lower when compared to energy from gas-fired plants, said Mr Lim Kong Puay, president and chief executive of Tuas Power, at the plant's official ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday.
Tembusu is an as-yet-undeveloped area in the northwest of Jurong island that the Economic Development Board has earmarked for growing the petrolchemicals industry.
With a US$3 billion (S$4.17 billion) petrochemical cracker complex by Shell to be completed on Pulau Bukom by the first quarter of next year, Mr Julian Ho, executive director of energy, chemicals and engineering services at EDB, expects interest from downstream companies to set up processing facilities at Tembusu.
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Link to Article: http://s.hbr.org/b5yXsM1. Be open to romance, but court carefully. At the beginning of new relationships, selective perceptions reinforce dreams, not dangers. Potential partners see in the other what they want to see, believing what they want to believe. Hopes, dreams, and visions should be balanced by reality checks.
2. Know yourself. Build your strengths. An organization seeking partners should identify assets that have value to partners and strengthen them. Networks of the weak do not survive. The best alliances join strength to strength.
3. Seek compatibility in values. In rapidly changing environments, compatibility in values, philosophy and goals is more important than specific features of an immediate business deal. The basis for collaboration must be more enduring, and there must be a foundation for mutual trust to help weather inevitable changes or problems.
4. Treat the 'extended family' respectfully. Include other partners and stakeholders. Rapport between leaders of partner organizations is not enough. Other people and organizations who are the 'relatives' in each organizations' extended family must also be won over.
5. Put the lawyers in their place. Leader-to-leader relationships are important. Partnerships and network formation shouldn't be turned over to third-party professionals, such as staff analysts, lawyers, consultants, or deal-brokers.
6. Vow to work together until business conditions do us part. Commit to a first project, to exploring growth in the relationship, to monitor change, and to remain friends if changing conditions require a graceful exit.
7. But don't count on the contract. Formal agreements can't anticipate everything, and interpretations of the agreement vary — even within the same organization.
8. So keep communicating, face-to-face. Matters are more easily sorted out when partners' leaders keep talking long after their initial deal-making and dedicate people to watch over the relationship — a partner or alliance 'ambassador' (the equivalent of key account managers).
9. Spread involvement. Create more ties for more people. Alliances begin with a few direct connections among top leaders. As projects unfold, more people at more levels must get involved, and they need to feel connected, too — that they know their counterparts in their partner organization. The more people feel included, the more they have a chance to see the others face-to-face and come to know them, the easier it will be to implement partnership activities.
10. Build organizational bridges — formal structures. Active collaboration occurs when organizations develop structures, processes, and skills for bridging organizational and interpersonal differences and getting value from the relationship. Bridges include formal governance (a partnership board), joint project teams, and alliance ambassadors.
11. Respect differences. Alliances, partnerships, and networks are most helpful when they involve differences — when partners give each other something they do not already have. But differences in "specialty" desired by partners are accompanied by more "inconvenient" differences in behavioral style, motives and goals, operating methods, or cultural assumptions. Respect is essential. Time must be invested in understanding differences and transcending them.
12. Teach partners. Learn from partners. People from across the partnership network must become teachers as well as learners. Often the ultimate value of a partnership is the new knowledge and skill it brings. Organizations that derive greater value from their alliances tend to have greater communication internally, share more information, and promote an atmosphere of learning.
13. Be prepared to change yourself. Partners must be willing to be influenced by one another. To make linkages possible requires operating compatibilities, project by project and sometimes even in a larger sense. This can mean learning the other's language and style or inventing a new one; changing to the other's system or creating a joint one.
14. Help everyone win. Mutuality is the hallmark of organizational collaboration. Balancing benefits so that each partner gets something of equivalent value can be hard to do in the short run, but it is essential in the long run. The best alliances try to maximize the value of the whole relationship, which then makes it more valuable to each partner.
15. Get closer, change course, or exit gracefully. Like living systems, relationships evolve. Change should be expected. But the best guarantee that organizations will be closer in the future is success in what they try to achieve today. Success strengthens relationships.
To ensure that your partnerships are effective, apply these principles at every stage of the relationship.= = =Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of Confidence and SuperCorp. Connect with her on Facebook or at Twitter.com/RosabethKanter.
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