Renewable energy in Germany an outlook

1. Germany continues to export electricity despite closing seven nuclear reactors. The renewable energy expansion in Germany is driving down power prices...its reverse in India   :-(

2.  In  2010, Germany produced nearly 12 TWh  of electricity, which is 2% of national electricity.

3.  By 2013, it is expected to add 7,000 MW of wind and solar generating capacity. This exceeds the projections for 2012. This massive expansion  is Good news for us...isn't it?
 

4. The installed solar base(18 GW as on May'2011)  in Germany is growing rapidly... mainly to due to feed-in Tariff (FiT) support from government.
 

5. The FiT costs 1 billion euros per month to subsidize new solar installations and the cost is spread across all rate-payers....Where India stands?...any guess?
 

6. The German government has set a target of 66 GW of installed solar PV capacity by 2030.
 

7. The Finsterwalde Solar Park is  the world’s largest photovoltaic plant with 80.7 MW (as of November 2010)
 

8. 6.6%  of energy comes from Solar out of total renewable energy production in Germany.
 

PS: Compiled a big one, but due to readability and time, presenting in bullet points.

Renewable Energy may beat the expectation

 7 Reasons for the Renewable Energy may beat the expectation



1.  Emergence of new economies (Out side G8):

Renewable energy will lead developing nations out of energy poverty. So it stands to reason that in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and India, renewable energy will find a growing market. One look at a solar insolation map shows how vast and untapped large-scale solar is as a global energy source.

2.Grid Parity and New Technology(Smart Grid):

We won’t have to wait until 2035 to find grid parity, considering it’s already here in some select areas. Pricing will truly be the transformative force that redefines the world’s energy mix. Once we’re at true grid parity, it will become a matter of retiring existing fossil fuel plants.

3. Nuclear Menace:

The Fukushima nuclear crisis may go down as the single natural event that’s had the greatest impact on our energy future. The political fallout from the tsunami-stricken plant has moved two of the industry’s biggest supports — Germany and Japan — to re-evaluate their energy policy without the use of nuclear power. As a result, both nations have positioned themselves as leaders in renewable integration into their current mix. Siemens,  Germany decided to  pull out of the nuclear industry. In India too people started protesting against Nuclear plants, the upcoming kudangulam plant work is stopped due to the concerns raised by local public- Thanks to Fukushima.


4. Retiring Coal Plants and Statutory regulations:

In the U.S., environmental concerns are likely to force the closure of some of the most inefficient coal plants. Solar and wind are likely to compete or partner with natural gas as the replacement source once the older coal plants go off-line.


5. Military Leading the Way:

The American military has always been an incubator of technology. Now, the U.S. military is seeing solar, wind, ocean and biofuel technology as key components of the nation’s security.  Innovation on U.S. bases and the battlefield alike could eventually be sold to other nations that also seek energy security, thus spawning growth that would reverberate into the commercial market over a period of time.

6. Building Standards and New construction guidelines:

Often the debate is about the cost of adding solar energy to existing systems. But what if the energy system was integrated into the design from the beginning? What if you didn’t need to calculate how much it would cost to add solar panels to your roof because all roofs already incorporated solar and this was a mandate for all new construction? Oftentimes, integration means that the costs of the solar embedded into the roof or the walls is offset by savings in construction materials. Renewable energy standards built into a policy structure would make new construction more energy efficient and more cost-effective long-term. Hawaii already mandates solar hot water on all new homes built in the state.

7. Lessons from Crisis and Growth:

It’s an unfortunate reality that change happens through crisis. The Chernobyl disaster is credited with sparking the Green movement in Germany. Public backing of renewables has certainly been bolstered by oil spills from Exxon Valdez to BP. We’re seeing hotter weather, bigger storms and more extreme droughts in many areas, and climate change is growing in acceptance across the globe, if not in the United States. Whether it’s a man-made occurrence or a natural disaster, these events often tick the needle closer to renewable sources of energy and farther from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Birth Day Celebrations

I have different view on the birthday celebrations.  In the first place, why are we celebrating birthdays? Is it a mark of any achievement? The answer is ‘Certainly not’ in most of the cases. Why do we cut cakes? What is the message behind?  Why not something else?  I have asked this to many people, but did not get proper justification.  Even Atheists celebrate birthdays by inviting friends and cutting cakes.  What happened to their sixth sense?  Why have they not questioned this?  Why only using sixth sense to question all religious belief?

In India, our ancestors used celebrate birthdays in a meaning full way. Normally they do some special pujas and offer prayers like doing Homa and other stuff.  The special Homa is performed to thank God for gifting this life and to take resolution to be good to all in the world.  Also there used to be some sort of charity done on the day of birth to the needy.  Slowly this concept is diluted and after the British invasion and westernization of our culture, we forgot our own values and adopted the cake cutting formula. 

Now a days, the birthday parties are very costly affair, one has to shell out more money and throw a lavish party to show off your status and life style.  Where are we heading….? Due to societal compulsions, many are forced to do all these, though they are not inclined to this way of celebrations.  To me the Birthdays are like any other day….just it’s a reminder call that we are getting older and few days are left in store for achieving our life goals.

Need for physical activity

I still remember, when I was small, we used to walk quite a lot and never used to hire Auto/Taxi for commuting from home to bus stand or any other place, but as a kid I always used to demand for hiring at least a manual rickshaw…never succeeded.  Today you cant see any manual rickshaws in city.  We are so addicted to comfort, that we started abusing our health by not doing any physical activity for the sake of luxury.  Our homes are fully equipped with all sorts of appliances and machines for anything and everything to ease our work at home.

         In modern days to do exercise and keep up fitness, we are going to Gym by paying expensive membership, because our affordability increased!!!  Our elders, just before one or two generations, structured their life in a way to help the body and maintain fitness. We simply complain lack of time and take excuses for not doing exercise. Here are few ways to restructure our way of life for better and healthy life.

1. Stop or Reduce using elevators, just climb up by stairs, be it home or office.
2. Avoid ordering home delivery of provisions through phone, try going and buying from shop, this will give you more choice for selection.
3. Start using cycle for short distances, instead of bike or car.
4. Commute to office by using public transport to the possible extent, this will make you walk for shorter distances.
5. Walk while you talk over mobile (what an idea sirji?)
6. Go on foot for nearby places.
7. Practice deep breathing while walking.

If we can practice all or some of these, it will help to maintain good health and immediate results can be witnessed, like reduction in Blood Pressure, head ache, Blood Sugar, back pain….and so on.

 Indirectly these practices will help our environment too.  Our electricity bills will come down, monthly fuel expenses will be reduced, hence increase in financial wealth.

Some of the Benefits of Exercise

1. Physical activity "burns" calories. When we burn more calories than we take in, we automatically reduce weight. No balloon belly…..

2. Activities involving physical effort (even climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator) strengthen muscles and bones and increase the body's endurance during periods of sustained activity. Think of taking part in city marathon next time….. J

3. Movements involving stretching of various body parts promote muscle and joint flexibility, and help the body feel relaxed. They also reduce the risks of muscle and joint injuries (e.g. pulled muscles, sprains).

4. Sustained physical activity (between 15-30 minutes) such as brisk walking, running in place and dance, improve the functioning of the lungs and heart, stimulate the blood circulation and increase the body's endurance during periods of sustained activity. No Huff and buff…

5. Physical exercise enhances overall bodily functioning and strengthens immunity against illness. Bye to daily pills….

6. Regular fitness activities improve the quality of life, bring increased strength and stamina, reduce tension and anxiety, promote healthy sleep and relax the body and the mind. No more shouting at home & Office….

                          

Let us start from today…..better late than never….

Bull, Bear and Stcok market....what is Common?

           

Today Indian stock market tumbled due to slow industrial growth during July’2011. Indian Industry Production (IIP) number for July’2011 is 3.5% against an expectation of 6.1%. Now the trend is following steep downward, hence the panic among investors.

If market is falling, then it is called bearish or bear market.  On the otherside, for a rally, its termed as bullish or bull market.  I used to wonder, why these two animals are associated with stock market trends?  Why not our king of forest Lion, Tiger or so? as usual I did googling…. This is the greatest ever invention…. all are addicted to it…Thanks to Google Inc. Here come the reasons…..

No one's quite sure how the two animals came to symbolize the market, but there are a few theories floating around. According to Motley Fool, a bear market earned its name because bears tend to swat at things with their paws in a downward motion (as in "the market's going down"). A bull market, on the other hand, got its name because bulls swing their horns upward when they strike (as in "the market's going up").

Another theory proposes that the animals' personalities are behind the symbolism. Bears move with caution, while bulls are bold and like to charge ahead. So a "bearish" investor thinks the market will go down, while a "bullish" investor thinks it's headed up.

Certainly no one can argue that both animals are intimidating and best avoided. Maybe they're meant to serve as a warning to investors: Unless you know what you're doing, you could be headed for pain.

 The fighting styles of both animals may have a major impact on the names. When a bull fights it swipes its horns up; when a bear fights it swipes down on its opponents with its paws. When the market is going up, it is similar to a bull swiping up with its horns. When the market is going down it is similar to a bear swinging its paws down. I hope this gives reasonable explanation. You can see the statues of these two animals as symbolic representation of market trends in front of Frankfurt stock exchange.

Less known Engineering wonder – Pykara power station

         

     Pykara power station is among the oldest hydro power station located 5350 feet above sea level.  The pykara power station is commissioned in 1932 and still is in operation,  imagine its durability…successfully nearing completion of 8 decades of power generation and marching into 9^th .   The total installed capacity is about 70 MW. 

C.P Ramaswamy Aiyar, former advocate general of Madras Presedancy, was instrumental in forcing the then British regime in India during 1920-1930’s for the implementation of this project.

 

For more information about “C.P:” please visit the URL:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._P._Ramaswami_Iyer

   Finally the British India government agreed for this project and formed a team of engineers under H. G. Howard from Electricity department of Madras presidency. The team under able leadership of H. G. Howard executed this project beyond the expectation and still stands tall as an engineering wonder. You can see a statue of H. G. Howard in the entrance of power station, who was chief architect of this marvel.

       Pykara power station is one of the main area for punishment transfers in Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. The word punishment is added mainly due to the fact that, normally no one would opt to work in this particular location  for its remote locality and lack of other facilities. Hence engineers will get forced transfer to this location for different reasons. 

       This power station was declared as a heritage site in 1997 by Government of India. The reservoir and power station on the Pykara river is located in Nilgiris district and 40 Km from Ooty in Tamil Nadu province. (Southern part of India).  During 2002-05, a renovation and modernization programme was carried out at a cost of about Rs. 21 crore.

       Plan your next vacation to this beautiful place and enjoy the hilly terrain with majestic pykara falls along with the 8 decade old power station which is still in operation to the full capacity.

A glimpse of Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer Kt. at Trichinopoly   Microhydro: Clean Power from Water

 

Gadgets

                                                                    

      Everyday we are introduced with new technology and new products.  I still remember the happy moment when I bought my first mobile Nokia 2600 and 512 Mb USB flash memory, in fact I was dreaming to own these for a long time.  But today things have changed drastically and I have updated my dream list with the latest additions. This list is growing big, bigger everyday.  Here is the Un-frozen list. (This will never be frozen…bound to grow)

1. I-Pad
2. Amazon Kindle or Nook (I am fed up with paper backs )
3. DSLR camera (Inspiration from PC Sriram)
4. I-phone or Galaxy
5. X-Box with motion sensor
6. Digital photo frame (To showcase my proficiency with item no. 3)
7. LED TV with built in USB port
8. 1 TB Hard drive USB powered
9. …………..(to be filled)

I always dream on possessing all these and enjoy in air.  Some time I question myself, why don’t I buy these? Do I not deserve for?   After a brief pause….will realize the reality….that you need not be deserving to possess any gadget…have to be rich enough to buy…. Simple wealth is sufficient to own.   

All these gadgets will bring happiness only in dream, add on problems will not come in dreams.  In real life it may not be all that exciting! You may end up spending all your free time with these gadgets and your human interaction will come down.  You may not spend time with your near and dear. 

(Like this I will console myself ).

                                       Hope you will agree with me!

Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Pearl Display  Barnes & Noble NOOK Color eBook Tablet Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, Black) NEWEST MODEL

Wife's are richer than Husband's in India

Yesterday PMO released the wealth details of some of the cabinet members.  There is one thing  common among all the ministers, you know what?  all ministers wife's are richer than the ministers. How come this is possible? what is the logic behind this? these are the few basic questions striking my mind.  If you ask these sensible questions...no wonder you may be served with breach of privilege  notice!!! :-)

http://pmindia.nic.in/rti.htm (the site is not at all user friendly...India is one of the leaders for software minds..but poor PMO could not get any good one)

Our rulers/leaders are expert in finding loop holes to their convenience, so that you can not take any legal action against them...they will have any amount of wealth...most of them disproportionate, any number of wives..but there are only followers taking them as precedence, no fighters against these odds.

These rich ministers are in public service, and fully dedicated for the poor public's of  India. you know...they talk in full length about austerity...but majority of the ministers got multiple cars,  SUVs, kilograms of Gold, shares in companies....etc...etc.     

Where are we heading?  India 2020 will  still be a dream? if not, we will make it India 2040...and will keep changing...because we are not changing :-(.

Note: Very few exceptions are there in the list. (I mean poor ministers)

Indian Government and PoliticsIndian Comedy Tour

Debut and Retirement on Same day @ 38 Years

                                                            THE WALL

      Retirement was announced before  Debut....isnt it strange?  That too debut at the age of 38 years and after having 15 years of international experience.

I hope by now you would have guessed about whom this post is?  yes you are right this post is about great "The Wall".  But Rahul Dravid himself told he is indifferent about this tag attached to him... time and again it was proved he is the "The Wall" for Indian cricket.  Many a time I was irritated in watching him...for the slow pace the runs were scored...but you know one thing...thats an art, its not all that easy to stay at crease..when at the other end people are doing march past.... :-) (Indian players are good in that)

I like Dravid very much more than others for his style of stroke playing and determination towards his game...awesome. In his only T20 international appearance, the 3 consecutive sixes were punching reply to his critics....for criticizing him that " He is not fit for shorter version of the game".

Poor guy not knowing to play politics...was taken for granted always. He has been asked to open the innings,  and was asked to keep the wickets, he did all as a team player and was flexible. But being former captain and senior member of the team, he was not at all consulted before his inclusion  in ODI and T20 squad for the ongoing England tour.  Do you think...the same will be the case with other seniors...definitely not.  He timed his resignation from captaincy wrongly...and it was not wise move and not doing any good to his career.

He deserves much more recognition than what he has got today.  He will be the good inspiration for the budding cricketers.

The lesson from his career is "Being competent is not enough, have to be smart"!!

Batting and fielding averages

 

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	157	273	32	12775	270	53.00	30090	42.45	35	60	1602	19	207	0
ODIs	339	313	40	10765	153	39.43	15124	71.17	12	82	941	42	196	14
T20Is	1	1	0	31	31	31.00	21	147.61	0	0	0	3	0	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	157	5	120	39	1	1/18	1/18	39.00	1.95	120.0	0	0	0
ODIs	339	8	186	170	4	2/43	2/43	42.50	5.48	46.5	0	0	0