Advances in Solar Energy

Eli Yablonovitch was an employee of Exxon in the late 1970s. After the 1973 oil crisis, Yablonovitch began researching solar energy. His goal was to create more efficient and inexpensive tools for converting solar energy into power. Exxon supported his work until oil prices dropped and, once again, it became the most popular energy source.

Today, solar energy has become a major focus of the energy industry and people are realizing the importance of creating tools such as those Yablonovitch envisioned. Had his work been continuously supported, the U.S. would have made huge strides in alternative energy. However, China has now become the major contributor to the production of solar energy.

Yablonovitch's story demonstrates the importance of supporting alternative energy research. Had his work been supported in the 1970s, the U.S. and the world as a whole would be better equipped to produce and sustain alternative energy sources.

http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/03/14/sun-shines-on-yablonovitchs-research-but-it-took-years/?KEYWORDS=solar+energy

Oil Spill in South Atlantic

 A week ago there was an oil spill in the South Atlantic Ocean. The spill crashed into a very small island about 2800 km from the nearest large land mass, South Africa (NY Times). "The ship has broken in half and an additional 800 tons of fuel oil is believed to be leaking from the front section of the hull" (NY Times). The worst part of this story was that the island contains endangered penguins. This oil spill is threatening the life of the species.

While this oil spill is obviously nothing like the BP spill, it does raise more concerns about the safety of oil drilling and oil transportation. This oil spill will most likely exterminate the penguin species in the area. While this is not a huge issue, it is just another example of how dangerous and destructive these oil spills can be. This is why more money should spent on alternative energy. Alternative energy is much less dangerous and will not decimate species.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/science/earth/23spill.html?_r=1&ref=earth

China Wins the Wind Energy Race

The Wall Street Journal reported in January 2011, that China had increased their capacity for wind energy, beating the United States and the rest of the world in the process. As countries compete to create a green future, China became victorious in the wind energy round because of their dedication to doing so. Experts claim that a major reason behind China's success is the consistent policy support efforts to create alternative energy receives. Conversely, the United States is said to have fallen behind in renewable energy progress because of the lack of congressional support the cause garners.

This article highlights the universality of the energy industry. All parts of the world are being affected by our lack of renewable and alternative energy resources. As such, many are searching for new ways to create and sustain power. The article also highlights how the energy industry relates to all sectors of the country's infrastructure. In this example, the importance of politics on the industry is demonstrated. Without the support of world leaders, environmental awareness cannot be engrained into our global culture. In my opinion, more emphasis should be placed on supporting a sustainable and safe industry because it will affect the world as a whole.

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/01/25/us-china-who-will-sail-ahead-in-wind-power-race/?KEYWORDS=Wind+energy

Nuclear Power Debate

As Japan continues to recover from the devastating earthquake, the issue of nuclear power and radiation is still a huge issue. There are now four nuclear power plants that may have leaked radioactive material into the air. Obviously the Japanese government is doing all it can to prevent more leakage and more radiation. While this leakage is being taking care of, the nuclear energy industry is taking a hit. Many people are questioning the industry and it's safety.

In a story on NPR a couple of days ago, several of experts on nuclear power discussed the issue in Japan. Several experts still support nuclear energy even after this disaster. While the issue in Japan is troubling, they believe nuclear power is still the future of alternative energy. Gwyneth Cravens, an expert on nuclear power, brought up an interesting point saying these plants are the oldest on the market today. Nuclear power is continuing to evolve and the safety features continue to expand. Ms. Cravens, and other experts on the show believe the newer, safer plants could have withstood the earthquake. While I believe the newer plants are safer, there are still old plants all over the world. In the show they mentioned one in California with little protection from the ocean, making it very susceptible to a tsunami. If nuclear power is going to be successful, there needs to be an upgrade to the protection of these plants.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134568574/assessing-the-future-of-nuclear-power-in-the-u-s

"On Our Radar: Wind and Solar Stocks Surge on Nuclear Fears"

This blog post discussed one company's surge in stock in response to the nuclear power plant dilemma in Japan. The German solar-panel manufacturer Solarworld has reported a 32% surge in stock. To immediate impacts which the author goes into detail about are, (1) nuclear lobbyist will have a more difficult time lobbying for the nuclear energy, (2)a South Texas power plant, which was supposed to undergo a $10 billion dollar expansion, will probably have its funds pulled.

While this is not a scholarly article, it does highlight a growing trend within the energy industry. It shows that solar and wind power investment is rising, and will only increase quicker due to the incident with Japan's nuclear power plant. This event exemplifies the stark contrasts between nuclear energy and solar/wind energy. One is significantly safer and cleaner, while the other can be disastrous.


http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/on-our-radar-wind-and-solar-stocks-surge-on-nuclear-fears/?scp=5&sq=solar%20energy&st=cse

Differentiation

During the height of the recession, gasoline brands were hammered when it came to consumer perception scores. Shell's reasonable prices, travel-ready consumers, and the marketing of products and services have lifted most gasoline brands back on solid footing. "The "triple crown" winner is Shell Oil, with a quality score of 23.16, satisfaction score of 17.93 and recommend score of 16.29"

(http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i5aa07fe16321f4391e5516f14c58cb5a )

I believe that marketing is a huge aspect of any company. What Shell did achieve was bridge the gap between buyers and the seller in their market. I believe that marketing is a huge aspect of any company. Shell defined the basic need of the consumer, (which was prices during the recession) and took it into consideration.

Japan Earthquake Shows Weaknesses of Nuclear Energy

The earthquake in Japan has been the main topic in the news the last couple of days. The destruction and devastation has been massive throughout the country. But the news continues to get worse. There are nuclear power plants in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that are exploding and leaking radioactive material. The tsunami may have caused the failure of the cooling systems in the nuclear power plants. This failure then lead to the presumed leakage. Not only is this a pressing matter for thousands of Japanese who worry about their safety, this failure puts into question the stability of nuclear energy.

"Japan is one of the world’s top consumers of nuclear energy. The country’s 17 nuclear plants — boasting 55 reactors — have provided about 30 percent of its electricity needs." So this issue is going to create a lot of problems in the Japanese energy industry. While the Japanese depend on their nuclear energy, this natural disaster has showed that nuclear power is dangerous. Something needs to be done to make this energy safer. The leaking of radioactive material is a very serious issue. Something needs to be done, whether more safety precautions, or a slow shut down of nuclear energy all together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/asia/13nuclear-industry.html?_r=2&ref=global-home

Informational Interview- Shell

For my informational interview, I interviewed Mr. Youssef Abu- Youssef, a Treasury Supervisor at Shell. His main duties are managing group cash and cash forecasting. Abu- Youssef graduated from The Faculty of Commerce, in Cairo, with an undergraduate degree in commerce. Abu- Youssef stated that all kind of jobs are offered at Shell, including core jobs and supporting function jobs. However there are specific skills sets Shell looks for in potential candidates. These skills include analytical skills, good personal and communication skills and good performers across all educational levels. Abu-Youssef acknowledged that at Shell, the demand of all jobs is subject to market conditions. You can see more recruitment in some geographical areas where there is more expansion and therefore there is more need for physical and human capital. He said, “Last year, it has shown stable recruitment trend. However, with more recruitment in research and development function, the industry has more focus on meeting long-term growth plans and long-term future supply of current and new energy products.”

The employment trend Abu-Youssef perceives in the energy industry over the next few years is administrative support functions. He mentioned that administrative and support functions are being outsourced by most companies in order to be more cost efficient and gain competitive edge. Companies in the energy industry differentiate themselves by focusing on certain business lines in which they can compete, whether upstream (exploration) or downstream (lubes and fuel). “They are also focusing on research and development, hoping to find better energy solutions and holding new patents,” Abu- Youssef noted.

Informational Interview Description

I spoke with Matthew Johnson, a Policy Associate in the Energy and Climate Program at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, based in Washington, D.C. The EESI is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting policy solutions for a cleaner, more sustainable Earth.

Mr. Johnson spoke about the facets of the energy industry that he feels will receive the most attention throughout the next fiscal year. These areas are: the energy used within buildings and industries, vehicular energy, and solar energy. This is in large part do to Presidents Obama’s requested budget for the Department of Energy. Within the department, Obama has proposed an increase in funding for biomass, solar, geothermal, and wind energies. He has proposed a cut in water energy. The attention that will be paid solar energy is especially important because experts say solar energy prices can be drastically reduced. If the United States does not succeed in doing so first, another country will.

Vehicular energy is also very significant. The Department of Energy is dedicated to putting one million electric cars on the road by 2015. With this goal in motion, and President Obama’s budget allocations, the automotive industry will be a major focus of the energy industry in the coming years.

Mr. Johnson also explained how individual states are implementing non-profit programs created to save money by finding innovative ways to save energy. One such program is LoanSTAR in Texas. The efforts made by LoanSTAR and similar programs are helping to rebuild the national economy. They are also creating jobs for Americans by working with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Given Mr. Johnson's information, I think we should begin to focus more heavily on the automotive industry, as well as companies who work largely with biomass, solar, geothermal, and wind energies.