Ub News Press Release

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One of my hobbies includes the use of solar energy with my portable radio equipment. Until flexible solar panels came along, the more expensive fixed solar panels were the only choice for charging batteries used with portable radio equipment. Today, flexible solar panels have replaced the need for expensive, heavy silicon panels in a portable setting.

Not only are these flexible solar panels lightweight but they are made using inexpensive organic materials. Flexible solar panels can be made transparent, aesthetically pleasing, and environment friendly. Among other companies, Solarmer Energy recently made solar news because they designed an constructed a tent with flexible solar panels integrated directly into the fabric of the tent.

Although there were no photos or drawings of the Solarmer Energy tent interior, I imagined that there was some form of a 12VDC outlet or connection available where a cell phone or
other gadget could be recharged by the tent! Flexible solar cells are ideal for any application where smart fabrics and organic photovoltaics can be integrated.

Progress has also been made with the design of rigid solar panels. Dr. Yue Wu, Director of Research and Development at Solarmer Energy recently stated that advances in polymer materials and manufacturing of organic photovoltaics now provide for the use of rigid solar panels in cell phones, GPS Navigation systems, and laptop bags.

Fully transparent solar cells have also been in the solar news recently because the highly anticipated photovoltaic cells are very close to integration into window products. Transparent lightweight, flexible, plastic solar panels are expected to cost a fraction of the cost of silicon solar panels. It is expected that transparent flexible solar panels will continue to be in the solar news as they break into new markets that are out of reach with today’s expensive, rigid silicon solar technology.

As organic solar panels become integrated into mainstream manufacturing, solar news will first be about their use in portable digital electronic devices (such as cell phones and laptops) and outdoor lifestyle applications. Smart fabrics and photovoltaics that are integrated into building materials will also be making solar news very soon.

Waterproof flexible solar panel solutions are available today. These units fold to about the size of a paperback book to create a lightweight, portable power station for campers, hikers, boaters and others on the go. A flexible solar panel under full sun will charge lanterns, cell phones, GPS units, iPods®, cameras and just about any other device with a 12V car adapter. Flexible solar panels can be easily rolled up for a multitule of portable uses. Flexible solar panels are generally available in. 6.5, 12, and 25 watt capacities.

More reviews and news about flexible solar panels and other alternative energy sources will be featured soon at http://www.onthesource.com/solar-chargers/

Now, BLT Direct, the leading online providers of energy saving light bulbs, low energy light bulbs and light fittings are offering advice to make the big switch over as smooth as possible.

Providing visitors to their site with an extensive range of energy efficient light bulbs and alternatives to the light bulb in its traditional form, switching to more energy efficient bulbs, such as LED lightbulbs, will reduce your monthly energy bill.

A spokesman from the firm said, “if you invested in a 0.7W light bulb which had the equivalent normal wattage of 10W and you ran it for a day, you would save £12.22 annually. That may not seem like a lot but if you had one of those bulbs in each of your rooms and passageways, that could easily save you up to £100 every year, if not more!

“Customers should look carefully at their specific requirements in terms of the type and brand of bulb required. It is important to bear in mind that energy saving compact fluorescent bulbs only need about a quarter of the energy needed by regular bulbs. For example, if you are looking to replace a standard sixty watt bulb, then you should choose a fifteen watt compact fluorescent bulb.”

Whilst energy saving light bulbs may be more expensive than incandescent light bulbs initially, they will last for far longer and save you a considerable sum on your energy bill, which makes them the ideal long term investment.

About BLT Direct: BLT Direct are an online supplier of lighting solutions. They provide a wide range of lighting products, as well as light fittings and lamp disposal services, and are committed to offering energy efficient solutions to meet a wide range of home and business lighting needs.

A Concession Contract for the construction of a waste to energy power plant in Bamako Mali was signed November 26, 2009 between the Government of Mali and VICA Technologies LLC of Philadelphia USA. The Minister of Energy Hon. Igor Mamadou Diarra signed on behalf of the Government of Mali and Dr. Azuka Anyiam signed on behalf of VICA Technologies LLC.

The event marks a new dawn for the environmental and energy future of Mali. It opened the road for the establishment of the first innovative, state of the art waste to energy power plant in Africa. The technology employed is gasification with an Integrated combined cycle (IGCC). A 20MW capacity plant that will continuously export 132 GWH of electricity to Malian grid will be installed. By US estimate, this power is capable of powering 16,000 homes and businesses. Using a build own operate and transfer (BOOT) system, VICA Technologies LLC would finance a turnkey installation and operate for 15 years and transfer the plant to the Government of Mali free of debt. This project is described as Bamako Ecology and Energy Complex (BEEC) because of its unique energy and environmental characteristics. The project will create immediately 208 permanent jobs and another 1000 jobs over 5 years through the upgrade and improvement of the waste management system. The total capital cost is $118 million US dollars.

The Bamako Ecology and Energy Complex (BEEC) is a facility to be located at the site of Noumoubougou and which receives and processes municipal solid waste to export 15 megawatts of electric power to the grid and to manufacture other products.

The  process  converts  100%  of  the  waste  material  into  useful  commercial  product. There is no residual process waste to dispose of.   Process water will be continuously treated and re-used. There will be no aqueous discharge. The products are electric energy, construction panels, compost and recovered metals.

There two types of Vacuum degasser Types,one is called Vacuum tank degasser,the other is called Atmospheric Degasser,it is also called gas buster.

A Vacuum degasser is a device that removes air or gases (methane, H2S, CO2 and others) from drilling liquids. There are two generic types that work by both expanding the size of the gas bubbles entrained in the mud (by pulling a vacuum on the mud) and by increasing the surface area available to the mud so that bubbles escape (through the use of various cascading baffle plates). If the gas content in the mud is high, a mud gas separator or “poor boy degasser” is used, because it has a higher capacity than standard degassers and routes the evolved gases away from the rig to a flaring area complete with an ignition source.

http://oilfield.gnsolidscontrol.com/china-vacuum-degasse …

For small amount of entrained gas in a drilling fluid, the degasser can play a major role of removing small bubbles that a liquid film has enveloped and entrapped. In order for it to be released and break out the air and gas such as methane, H2S and CO2 from the mud to the surface, the drilling fluid must pass degassing technique and it can be accomplished by the equipment called degasser which is also a major part of a mud systems.

Vacuum Tank Degasser
(http://www.gnsolidscontrol.com/vacuum-degasser/)

Vacuum Type is the most common form of degasser. It can be horizontal, vertical or round vessel. A vacuum action is created to pull in the gas cut mud. When the liquid enters the tank it will flow and be distributed to a layer of internal baffle plates designed for the mud to flow in thin laminar film and is exposed to a vacuum that forces the gas to escape and break out of the mud.The vacuum pump moves the escaping gas from the vessel discharging it to the rig’s flare or environmental control system.

Atmospheric Degasser

This type of degasser processes mud by accelerating fluid through a submerged pump impeller and impinging the fluid on a stationary baffles to maximize surface and thus enable escaping gas vent to atmosphere.

The Fluid Systems Atmospheric Degasser removes retained gas from  drilling muds. Atmospheric degassers  process mud by accelerating fluid through a submerged pump impeller  and impinging the fluid on stationary baffles to maximize surface area and thus enable gasses to escape to the
atmosphere.  As with all processing equipment the  process rate is dependent upon solids  content and fluid viscosity. Processingrates are therefore dependent on mud properties.

Gas buster  [Well Workover and Intervention]
http://oilfield.gnsolidscontrol.com/gas-buster-atmospher …

A simple separator vessel used to remove free or entrained gas from fluids circulated in the wellbore, such as mud used during drilling operations. The gas buster typically comprises a vessel containing a series of baffles with a liquid exit on the bottom and a gas-vent line at the top of the vessel.

Dow Corning Corporation announced today several billion dollars of investment to provide critical materials to the fast-growing solar technology industry.

“Dow Corning and our Hemlock Semiconductor joint ventures hope to create a viable solar industry that produces new, high paying jobs, clean power technologies and a revitalized economy,” said Stephanie A. Burns, Dow Corning’s chairman, president and CEO. “We’re committing our resources, know-how and technology because we are confident that solar technology represents a tremendous opportunity for both clean energy and economic growth.”

Dow Corning will begin manufacturing high purity monosilane, a keyspecialty gas used to manufacture thin-film solar cells and liquid crystal displays (LCDs). This investment includes construction of a new monosilane manufacturing facility in Hemlock, Michigan, adjacent to Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation’s polysilicon manufacturing site.

“This significant investment to become a leading supplier of monosilane for thin film solar technologywill expand our feedstock offering and will further reinforce our position as a value-added material supplier to the solar industry,” said Eric Peeters, global executive director, of Dow Corning Solar Solutions.

The investment also includes up to $3.0 billion at Dow Corning joint ventures Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation and Hemlock Semiconductor LLC. The companies will expand Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation’s existing Michigan manufacturing facility and build a new site in Clarksville, Tennessee to increase manufacturing capacity for polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) – the cornerstone material used to manufacture most solar cells.

Construction of both the polysilicon expansions and the new monosilane site will begin immediately.

These announcements solidify Dow Corning’s significant role in the development of the two most common types of solar cells; crystalline-based and thin-film solar cells. Crystalline-based solar cells use sliced polysilicon as its main semi-conducting material. Thin-film solar cells are made by depositing a thin film of silicon, enabled by monosilane, onto a sheet of another material such as glass.

“The opportunity and need for solar energy is so great, there will be a need for many solar technologies to flourish to meet global demand,” said Peeters. “Dow Corning intends to offer options across the entire array of solar technologies, allowing our customers to innovate freely.”

Other recent solar-related announcements by Dow Corning include:

* In September 2008, Dow Corning introduced a manufacturing process featuring new developmental silicone materials – Dow Corning® PV-6100 Encapsulant series – that significantly increases the production rate of solar panels, effectively lowering the cost per watt of solar power.
* In June 2008, Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation announced the start-up of 9,000 metric tons of capacity at its newest polysilicon facility located at the company’s Hemlock site. That expansion was part of a $500 million phased investment announced in 2005 and 2006. Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation’s annual capacity will be approximately 19,000 metric tons by the end of 2008, and the Hemlock Semiconductor group plans to bring up to 10,000 metric tons of capacity online each year until the completion of these announced expansions.
* In May 2008, Dow Corning opened its Solar Solutions Application Center in Freeland, Michigan (U.S.), to enable collaboration with customers to develop, evaluate and pilot materials solutions used to manufacture solar panels. The $3 million, 27,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility represents Dow Corning’s intention to be an active, eager partner with researchers, producers and governments as we help develop affordable and efficient solar energy for the global energy market.
* In 2007, Dow Corning’s joint venture, Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation announced the largest expansion in the history of the polycrystalline silicon industry – $1 billion over the next four years to increase its polycrystalline silicon capacity by 90 percent.
* In 2006, Dow Corning introduced PV 1101 Solar Grade Silicon—the first commercially available metallurgical feedstock produced using large-scale manufacturing processes—which can be blended with polysilicon to offer options to solar industry innovators.

Dow Corning Corporation (http://www.dowcorning.com/) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s DOW CORNING® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is a joint venture equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States.

NEW YORK, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Platts, a leading global provider of energy and commodities information and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), this month introduced new Chinese domestic grade assessments for fuel oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to complement the organization’s existing coverage of imported grades. For fuel oil, Platts now assesses domestic-grade 180 centistoke (CST) 2.5% sulfur grade in South China’s Huangpu market, in addition to existing assessments for imported-grade 180 CST 3.5% and 1.5% sulfur.

“The new assessment is being introduced in response to the emergence of an active domestic grade fueloil market in China, which has eclipsed re-trade of imported product. The new assessment will position Platts well to provide relevant coverage of this key Chinese energy market,” said David Hanna, Platts Senior Market Director of China. A similar assessment has also been rolled out for the East China fuel oil market.

Platts has also introduced new assessments for domestically-produced LPG, basis FOB South China, as well as new price points for South and East China LPG to reflect cargoes with a propane-to-butane ratio of 50:50, in addition to existing assessments for 30:70 cargoes. Platts has also expanded its listing of wholesale Chinese domestic LPG prices.

The above assessments are being published daily in Platts’ proprietary Chinese real-time information service, Platts China Alert, in addition to the company’s popular English service, Platts Global Alert.

About Platts:

Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading global provider of energy and commodities information. With nearly a century of business experience, Platts serves customers across more than 150 countries. From 17 offices worldwide, Platts serves the oil, natural gas, electricity, nuclear power, coal, emissions, petrochemical, shipping and metals markets. Platts’ real time news, pricing, analytical services, and conferences help markets operate with transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk managers, analysts, and industry leaders depend upon Platts to help them make better trading and investment decisions. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.