Tag Archives: development
Inter-American Development Bank Study Points At Latin America As The Future Of Renewable Energy
By Patricia Rey Mallén on October 17 2013 Renewable energy has been the subject of never-ending debate: Is it profitable? Is it better? Where is it headed. There may be no answers yet for those questions, but a report by the Inter-American Development Bank points out where the future of the energy may be: in Latin America. The region concentrated 6 percent in 2012 of the world’s investment in green energy, or $16 billion out of a total of $268 billion. Analysts from the IADB point at Latin America and the Caribbean as the “new frontier” for investment. “The lowering of prices and the better climate for investment makes Latin America an interesting and affordable market,” said Greg Watson, project specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank. According to the report, the political climate is also improving, as 110 green energy policies are identified, including tax incentives, feed-in tariffs, and other policies. “Policy frameworks are expanding and strengthening in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Nancy Lee, general manager of the bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund. “The rapidly falling costs of clean technologies such as solar and wind power combined with an improved investment climate means that clean energy generation in the region is now truly affordable.” The favorable political climate has helped production capacity grow enormously. In 2007, the region had 1.5 gigawatts of renewable capacity, which has grown 296 percent since, reaching 26.6GW in 2012. Most of the investment went to Brazil, which received around $9.2 billion, although the percentage is lower than in previous years: It used to get close to 80 percent of the investment, and in 2012 that rate dropped to 55 percent. The reasons, as pointed out by the study, are that Brazil reduced its budget for clean energy 36 percent. Chile, on the other hand, multiplied its green energy budget by four, from $500 million in 2011 to $2.1 billion in 2012, making it the most-invested country in the region. Other countries that increased their investment in green energy are the Dominican Republic, which raised the investment from $47 million in 2011 to $248 million in 2012, and Uruguay, which raised it from $28 million to $118 million in the same time. The study singles out a geopolitical factor that explains the region’s interest in developing renewable energies. “Many Latin American countries want to stop importing oil, coal and natural gas, so they do not depend as much on other countries,” said Ethan Zindler, head of policy analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a provider of data, research and news on the clean and low-carbon energy sector. “That makes them want to invest more in energies they can produce themselves.” Continue reading
BlueFire Renewables Adds Pellet Production To Miss. Facility
By BlueFire Renewables Inc. | October 03, 2013 BlueFire Renewables Inc., a company focused on changing the world’s transportation fuel paradigm, has integrated a synergistic wood pellet production plant to its facility in Fulton, Miss. The reconfigured design will be a 9 million gallon per year ethanol plant integrated with a 400,000 ton per year wood pellet plant. The pellets will be sold under long term contracts into the European mandated renewable energy market. “This restructure provides a more robust economic model for the Fulton facility with a significant increase in projected revenues. It has become apparent in our attempts to obtain financing for the project that the right synergies and revenue model would be needed to build this first of a kind facility,” said Arnold Klann, president and CEO of BlueFire. “The optimum use of biomass in the integrated facility strikes a much better balance of revenue with costs and a better utilization of resources. The more profitable use of capital and the enhanced security of projected revenue streams more closely match what the banks have been requiring in the very conservative and restricted credit markets.” Traditionally wood pellets are used for electricity generation and can be sold under long-term, fixed-price contracts to credit worthy utilities thereby adding financial stability to the project. Blended with lignin from BlueFire’s process, the wood pellets create a market advantage under the international mandates for renewable energy, especially for power in the European Union. BlueFire has previously announced start of construction and has completed the preliminary site work for the ethanol facility. The engineering and other development activities needed are already under way to add the pellet plant. Synergistic partners will be announced once the definitive agreements are signed. Continue reading
Government focuses on skills of Emiratis
Government focuses on skills of Emiratis (Wam) / 8 October 2013 His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has asserted that the development of the UAE Government starts with developing the national capabilities; the success in achieving the government objectives is directly linked to the qualification of the workforce; and the maintaining our leading position globally requires the development of our national experts to the international standards. Shaikh Mohammed’s statement came during the graduation ceremony of the first batch of the Performance Management System for the employees of the Federal Government. The ceremony was held in the Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace and was attended by Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Addressing the performance experts after the ceremony, Shaikh Mohammed stated: “We want our government’s work to be developed by the hands of our national experts and consultants. Government system is a contemporary science, and our objective is to develop specialised national competencies. We cannot keep competing internationally unless we qualify our national cadres to the international standards and make them an active part in the daily work cycle. “Uou are the starting point and the model for other government employee. We believe in you and we want you to share with your colleagues what you have learned. We expect you to engage actively in developing the performance in your departments. We want you to contribute in realising our vision and strategy. We want you to continue your education as knowledge evolves by practice.” His Highness concluded: “Building national human capacity was and still is one of the fundamental pillars that our country stood on. This principle, proven to be valid and successful in developing the United Arab Emirates, government development will continue with your efforts and with all the teams that are equipped with science, knowledge and skills. All those who participate in our development are considered leaders and team members.” The Performance Management System graduation ceremony was attended by Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Lt-General Musabbah Rashid Al Fattan, Director of the Dubai Ruler’s Office; and Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director-General of Dubai’s Protocol and Hospitality; and a number of senior government officials. The graduation of the 22 national experts in the field of government performance system is conducted in cooperation with the best European universities as part of the Performance Management System for the employees of the Federal Government. The programme aims to qualify domestic experts and consultants to integrate sustainable quality performance indicators in the daily engagements of government departments. The programme, started in 2010 pursuant to directives from Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid, in collaboration with the British Cranfield University, aims to prepare national Federal Government experts to enable government entities to develop and enhance government services. Moreover, the programme establishes the process through which performance is evaluated in comparison with the main objectives and indexes according to the international standards. The ultimate objective of the programme revolves around building confidence, applying best international practices, enhancing government communication and increasing customer satisfaction. It also develops participants’ skills and knowledge about modern management principles and disciplines and reflects the Federal Government’s determination to enhance government services and institutional performance. Continue reading
