Solar panels solar power

First, the amendment proposes sub-franchisees, presumably private, in an attempt to usher in markets through the back door. Going by past privatisation experiments, private sub-franchisees are likely to cherry-pick the more profitable segments of the DISCOM’s jurisdiction. The Electricity Bill 2020 containing the proposed amendments is silent on whether a private sub-franchisee would be required to buy the expensive power (averaging out the idle fixed costs) from the DISCOM or procure cheaper power directly from power exchanges. If it is the first, the gains from the move are doubtful since the room for efficiency improvements is rather restricted in the already profitable regions attractive to sub-franchisees. If it is the second, DISCOMs will then be saddled with costly power purchase from locked-in PPAs and fewer profitable areas from which to recover it. … [Read more...] about A jolt to national energy security

The government cited the analysis while accusing Labor of planning to put a “wrecking ball” through the economy. The then opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the report should be filed under “P for propaganda”. In a piece for Guardian Australia, Frank Jotzo, a climate economist and professor at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy, said Fisher’s modelling was based on ridiculous and outdated assumptions and ignored opportunities for cheap cuts. … [Read more...] about Coalition quietly adds fossil fuel industry leaders to emissions reduction panel

Google’s parent company Alphabet is shutting down Loon, a high-profile subsidiary spun out from its research labs that used hot-air balloons to deliver cellular connectivity from the stratosphere.Nearly a decade after it began the project, Alphabet said Thursday that it pulled the plug on Loon because it did not see a way to reduce costs to create a sustainable business. Along with the self-driving car unit Waymo, Loon was one of the most hyped “moonshot” technology projects to emerge from Alphabet’s research lab, X.“The road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped. So we’ve made the difficult decision to close down Loon,” Astro Teller, who heads X, wrote in a blog post. Alphabet said it expected to wind down operations in “the coming months” with the hope of finding other positions for Loon employees at Alphabet.The idea behind Loon was to bring cellular connectivity to remote parts of the world where … [Read more...] about Google’s hot-air balloon project, providing cell service, is closing down

One of the world's largest indoor ski resorts, Ski Dubai, is on his doorstep and has been critical to his business. "It's 15 minutes away from us," Nouhra points out. "It's open the entire year, there is snow all the time; it has the perfect condition and temperature for testing." … [Read more...] about The snowboard-making giant based in the desert

The Sustainable City is also introducing electric car-sharing for all residents and it's exploring prototype projects to harvest humidity and make water out of the air. El-Jisr says cities are full of spaces, such as rooftops and basements, that can be repurposed to play a role to play in the circular economy. … [Read more...] about For one year, this man is eating only what’s grown at Dubai’s Sustainable City