Berkeley-Stanford Clean Tech Conference 2012

This year's Berkeley-Stanford Clean Tech Conference takes place April 12 at the Stanford Campus and Vinod Khosla is the Closing Keynote. Panel examples include: Design for Affordable Cleantech Development and Greening the Global Supply Chain.
As a Clean Tech and Green Business News Reader you receive a discount, and more information is here.

Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education Released!

Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education has been released! 

The document can be downloaded from the  U.S. Global Change Research Program's website at, www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators.

More information on the History, Process and Implementation described by the Department of Energy (DOE) is below. I was honored to be one of the DOE Energy Literacy Stakeholders involved as part of the San Francisco 2011 meeting. Please let me know your thoughts on the Materials.

DOE Announcement Details:

Development of this guide began at a workshop sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the fall of 2010. Multiple federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and numerous individuals contributed to development of the guide through an extensive review and comment process. Discussion and information gathered at AAAS, WestEd and DOE-sponsored Energy Literacy workshops in the spring of 2011 contributed substantially to the refinement of the guide. Please spread the word.

Information

• What we're doing & why - To better educate Americans, DOE is leading a collaborative effort, the Energy Literacy Initiative (ELI), to define and promote energy literacy. If more people had a basic understanding of energy, resources, generation and efficiency, families and businesses could make more informed decisions on ways to save money by saving energy. More broadly, people would better understand the energy landscape, allowing them to better understand local, national and international energy policy. Current national and global issues such as safeguarding the environment and our nation’s energy security highlight the need for energy education.

• The model for the framework - Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education, follows a model established by previous literacy projects such as:
  • Atmosphere
  • Ocean
  • Climate

•  What is in the document? - The document provides context, background and definitions, along with identifying the essential principles and fundamental concepts that underlie energy literacy. An inherently interdisciplinary topic, energy education involves civics, geography, social studies, history, economics, sociology, technology, engineering, and the natural sciences. Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education touches on all of these subjects. The guide highlights what is essential for all citizens to know. The fundamental concepts have been drawn, in part, from existing education standards and benchmarks.

• Who and what is the document for? - Although everyone is encouraged to read and use Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education, it is specifically intended for the energy educator. The document will be used in multiple contexts and as a guide for energy education at all age levels. For example, formal educators such as K-12 and university educators will use it as a resource for curriculum design, and for standards and assessment development. Community, museum and library educators will use it as a resource when designing education and outreach opportunities specific to their venues and audiences. Ultimately, the goal of the our energy literacy effort is to foster a culture of smart energy decisions in business, at home, and throughout our communities on a national level.

• Our energy literacy community - DOE’s energy literacy efforts bring together stakeholders from federal agencies, universities, community colleges, professional societies, national labs, power utilities, museums, community organizations, business and industry, interested members of the public and more. Through public meetings and online collaborative tools, these stakeholders have contributed a great deal, informing the document and demonstrating a passion for energy education. Stakeholder input helped create a thoughtful, measured approach to energy literacy and a quality document.

• We have the document, now what? -  Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education is not a curriculum, thus a second phase to our efforts is essential. This next phase will focus on developing education and outreach materials to accompany the framework, establishing alignments between existing materials and the energy principles and concepts, and providing energy education opportunities for people across the nation. DOE is calling on educators, academic institutions, federal agencies, industry, organizations, and beyond to increase support for energy education. Success in meeting the energy education challenge depends on the involvement and efforts of institutions and individuals nationwide. 

WorldWatch Institute Report: Sustainable Energy Roadmaps Chart Course to Healthier Economies and Societies

The WorldWatch Institute has just released a new report: Sustainable Energy Roadmaps Chart Course to Healthier Economies and Societies saying that a mix of GIS, technical and financing advice helps countries shift from high-carbon imports to low-carbon domestic energy.
Here is the Full Announcement:

By embracing an integrated mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and grid technologies, countries can put their energy systems on a more sustainable path while developing economically, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. The report, Sustainable Energy Roadmaps: Guiding the Global Shift to Domestic Renewables, lays out an innovative, targeted approach that details how countries can take specific technical, policy, governance, and financial steps to help make the shift to sustainable energy a reality.

"Still today, an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide lack access to electricity, and another 1 billion have unreliable access," said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch's Climate and Energy Program and the lead author of the report. "But expanding fossil fuels is not the solution to the world's energy challenges. We need solutions that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable----many of which are now at hand.Implementing our Sustainable Energy Roadmaps will enable decision makers to pursue strategies that are in the true interest of their people while protecting Earth's climate."

To develop a Sustainable Energy Roadmap, Worldwatch analyzes an area's potential for energy efficiency gains and undertakes detailed GIS mapping of local renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, and biomass. The Institute also produces an infrastructure inventory that assesses solutions for grid renovation and energy storage. In addition to technical analysis, the Roadmaps explore the socioeconomic impacts of diverse energy pathways, including the potential for sustainable energy development to create jobs and reduce healthcare and electricity costs. Worldwatch's Roadmaps can be applied almost anywhere----in industrialized and developing countries----and at multiple levels of political organization, from the municipal to the regional.

"When governments, energy specialists, and the public join in a guided conversation to consider their country's energy status and potential, they can see more easily the options for freeing themselves from dependence on imported fossil fuels," said Worldwatch President Robert Engelman. "The Roadmaps show a route to sustained long-term economic development, universal energy access, cleaner local environments, healthier populations, and carbon-free energy systems. It's impressive that some developing countries are now poised to make this shift more rapidly than many countries that are much wealthier."

The burning of coal, oil, and other fossil fuels is a leading driver of global climate change and many other environmental and socioeconomic problems worldwide. Air pollution from fossil fuel combustion contributes to smog, water pollution, and acid rain and can trigger or exacerbate health conditions, including chronic respiratory and heart disease, lung cancer, and asthma. Many countries rely heavily on fossil fuel imports, making them dependent on foreign energy supplies and vulnerable to price fluctuations on the global market. Competition among energy-insecure countries over dwindling fossil fuel resources also contributes to civil or international conflicts, creating an unnecessary obstacle to development and prosperity in many regions.

Due in large part to massive subsidies to fossil fuels, the world's energy resources are not utilized as effectively or efficiently as they could be. Coal, oil, and natural gas still account for more than 80 percent of the world's primary energy consumption, despite the adverse impacts of these fuels on the well-being of both present and future generations. And although energy production from all major renewable energy sources----wind, solar, biomass, hydro, and geothermal----is booming, it remains far from its full potential. Developing local renewable energy resources, alongside job training and education programs, can provide quality long-term employment and help countries build strong economies with sustained growth.

In Sustainable Energy Roadmaps, Worldwatch emphasizes four key components that can help countries and regions transition successfully to sustainable energy use:

• Capture synergies from energy efficiency and renewable energy. Expanding both energy efficiency and renewable energy capacity simultaneously results in increased energy benefits. Reducing energy demand through efficiency measures means that renewable energy can displace fossil fuels more rapidly. At the same time, many sources of renewable energy, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), have much higher efficiency rates than conventional energy sources. And, since renewable energy is often produced at or close to the location where it is consumed, less energy is lost in distribution through the grid.   

• Integrate multiple renewable energy sites and sources. One challenge to a rapid transition to a renewable energy economy is the "variability" of renewable resources such as wind and solar: power generation depends on factors like the time of day, cloud cover, and wind patterns. Such variability can be reduced greatly by harnessing renewable resources from both different areas as well as different energy sources. In the Dominican Republic, for example, wind resources in the north are strongest in the early evening and peak in the winter months, whereas wind resources in the south are strongest in the morning and peak in the summer. Integrating wind power from both areas into the electricity system can provide a relatively consistent level of wind power throughout the day and year. Similarly, wind and solar power can be integrated with the burning of combustible renewable fuels such as biomass and biogas, which can provide reliable generation on short notice during periods of particularly high energy demand, or at times of low generation from other renewable sources.    

• Promote strong and feasible policy solutions. Identifying both energy efficiency measures and strong renewable resource potentials are important steps to making smart energy planning decisions, but effective policies are vital to ensure that the benefits of sustainable energy are fully realized. A long-term vision for sustainable energy, concrete policy tools and incentives, and a streamlined and transparent governance structure are all important to creating a stable and profitable investment environment for scaled-up investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Analyzing the regulatory environment in a country or region is an important first step to understanding what policy tools are most effective and politically acceptable. A toolbox full of proven effective and affordable mechanisms exists, and best practices from around the world provide important guidance for action. But ultimately, policymakers must decide which concrete tools to apply.   

• Identify lifecycle costs and financing opportunities. Around the world, renewable energy is already cost-competitive with fossil fuels----if the long-term economic and societal costs are taken into account. But fossil fuels benefit from decades of subsidies and the support of powerful interests. It is therefore essential that energy developers seeking to pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy projects gain access to appropriate financing tools. Because the renewable energy industry is still relatively new, there is a general lack of knowledge on the part of investors and banks about how to effectively fund such projects. Capacity building within the financial sector is necessary to develop long-term loans for renewable energy development and to minimize the perceived riskiness of sustainable energy investment. Options within domestic public funds, multilateral lending agencies, and bilateral financing must be explored, and networks between the key finance actors must be actively promoted.  

In October 2011, Worldwatch released the first detailed country study implementing its roadmap approach, a wind and solar roadmap for the Dominican Republic entitled Roadmap to a Sustainable Energy System: Harnessing the Dominican Republic's Wind and Solar Resources. The Institute is currently developing national Sustainable Energy Roadmaps for the governments of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. Worldwatch recently embarked on its first project at the regional level, providing advice to the seven member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA). The Institute is actively exploring opportunities elsewhere to help decision makers pursue a strategy for transitioning to domestic sustainable energy solutions.

Governor Jerry Brown Discusses Renewable Energy at Wall Street Journal ECOnomics

Photo Credit: WSJ

By Mary Vincent
Twitter @MaryVincent

Governor Jerry Brown spoke on 40 Years of California Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Policy at the Wall Street Journal ECOnomics Conference Friday, March 23, 2012.

Brown has very unique insight, more than most governors because he was first elected Governor in 1974 and reelected in 1978 and 2010. He said he was the youngest Governor ever elected in the 20th Century and is the oldest Governor elected in the 21st Century. More information about his long history with California and worldwide is here.

Some quotes from his Wall Street Journal ECOnomics talk include:

• Ronald Reagan doubled the State income tax and that was one of the contributing factors to our $6 billion dollar surplus... or at least it wasn't an impediment.
• It was an exciting time coming out of the oil embargo and there was that sense of vulnerability so that gave a real impetus ..we have to do something about efficiency and alternatives to oil"
• (With regards to) Pollution,  California has always been a Leader... if we go back to it, it's not been a Democratic or Republican idea... it started with Richard Nixon in the White House and Ronald Reagan as Governor of California. California got special permission to be able to set its own vehicle emissions standards and that going forward allowed California to set the first greenhouse gas emissions standards for automobiles and ultimately that was adopted by the Federal Government after many lawsuits and lots of battles.

Efficiency Standards lasted through time via Title 24.

• By the mid-80s California had over 90% of the Wind Generated Electrical Energy in the whole world. Then the oil prices collapsed, solar energy became a "no-no" in certain quarters and we lost alot of ground. One thing that really did last though was the Efficiency Standards - that was Title 24.
• California adopted very strenuous building standards that were tailored to different climate regions in the state and those standards have been updated. As a result, I think reasonable estimates show that Californian's have saved about $50 Billion over that time ... lots of jobs created and we set the pace of the nation. 
• We did also lay the foundation for renewable energy co-generation which wasn't always renewables but it was 3rd party independent power, more deregulating the markets. So California, not only in alternative energy, but a different model from the utility model was definitely attempted and pushed in many ways. But again that was more than 30 years ago...
• The point is: you have to think big, thing long, but you don't get there overnight.

Here's a video excerpt below:


Additional ECOnomics 2012 Articles:
1. Governor Brown Announces $120 Million Settlement to Fund Electric Car Charging Stations Across California

Governor Brown Announces $120 Million Settlement to Fund Electric Car Charging Stations Across California

Photo Credit: CA.gov

By Mary Vincent
Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent

Great News!
I just spoke with California Governor Brown at the Wall Street Journal ECO-nomics Conference, and he just announced a $120 Million Settlement to Fund Electric Car Charging Stations Across California and an Executive Order to Help Bring 1.5 Million Zero-Emission Vehicles Onto California’s Roads.

Here are the details from the California Government website:

GOLETA – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined with the California Public Utilities Commission today to announce a $120 million dollar settlement with NRG Energy Inc. that will fund the construction of a statewide network of charging stations for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including at least 200 public fast-charging stations and another 10,000 plug-in units at 1,000 locations across the state. The settlement stems from California’s energy crisis.


The Governor also announced that he has signed an executive order laying the foundation for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California’s roadways by 2025.


“This executive order strengthens California’s position as a national leader in zero-emission vehicles,” said Governor Brown, “and the settlement will dramatically expand California's electric vehicle infrastructure, helping to clean our air and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."


The settlement announced today resolves ten-year-old claims against Dynegy, the predecessor company to NRG Energy Inc., for costs of long-term power contracts signed in March 2001. One hundred million dollars from the settlement will fund the fast-charging stations and the installation of the plug-in units and electrical upgrades, at no cost to taxpayers. The remaining twenty million dollars will be directed to ratepayer relief. For more information on the settlement, please contact the CPUC.


The network of charging stations funded by the settlement will be installed in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Los Angeles Basin and San Diego County. This new infrastructure network is a breakthrough in encouraging consumer adoption of electric vehicles and will contribute significantly to achieving California’s clean car goals.


“The settlement will launch a virtuous circle in which ever more Californians will feel comfortable driving EVs, and growing EV sales will in turn attract ever more investment in charging infrastructure to our state,” said CPUC President Michael R. Peevey. “It will create jobs in California, help clean our air, and support attainment of our greenhouse gas reduction goals.”


Added CPUC Commissioner Mike Florio: “This is a truly creative deal that offers tremendous value for California utility customers. In one stroke it closes out an unfortunate chapter in our history and propels us down the road to a clean transportation future. Through the settlement, EVs will become a viable transportation option for many Californians who do not have the option to have a charging station at their residence.”


Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board Chair (CARB), lauded the settlement agreement. “California has the most aggressive clean transportation goals in the nation,” said Nichols. “The automakers are already building clean electric cars. This infrastructure infusion will give consumers the confidence to go out and buy them, which is what needs to happen for us to clean our air, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on imported oil.”


In January, CARB voted to require the largest automakers to derive 15 percent, or about 1.4 million, of their annual California sales from electric vehicles and other zero or near-zero emissions vehicles by 2025.


The Executive Order issued today by the Governor sets the following targets:


• By 2015, all major cities in California will have adequate infrastructure and be “zero-emission vehicle ready”;


• By 2020, the state will have established adequate infrastructure to support 1 million zero-emission vehicles in California;


• By 2025, there will be 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in California; and 


• By 2050, virtually all personal transportation in the State will be based on zero-emission vehicles, and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector will be reduced by 80 percent below 1990 levels.


AB 32, the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, calls for a 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The goal of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 was set by an executive order signed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Last year, Governor Brown signed SB X1-2, which directed the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations setting a 33 percent renewable energy target.


Copied below is the full text of the Governor’s Executive Order:

EXECUTIVE ORDER

WHEREAS California is the nation’s largest market for cars and light-duty trucks; and


WHEREAS the transportation sector is the biggest contributor to California’s greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for approximately 40 percent of these emissions; and


WHEREAS California should encourage the development and success of zero-emission vehicles to protect the environment, stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life in the State; and


WHEREAS California is a leader of technological innovation, including the innovation necessary to produce commercially successful zero-emission vehicles; and


WHEREAS California attracts over half of the nation’s venture capital for clean technology and ranks high among the states in the number of workers and facilities supporting the clean-car industry; and


WHEREAS California is leading the nation in enacting laws and establishing policies and programs that are reducing greenhouse gases, protecting air and water quality, promoting energy diversity and supporting low-carbon alternative fuel technologies; and


WHEREAS zero-emission vehicles provide multiple benefits in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as reducing conventional pollutants, operating quietly and cleanly, allowing home refueling and lowering operating and fuel costs; and


WHEREAS California should support and encourage car manufacturers’ plans to build and sell tens of thousands of zero-emission vehicles in California in the coming years.


NOW, THEREFORE, I, Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor of the State of California, do hereby issue the following orders to become effective immediately:


IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that all State entities under my direction and control support and facilitate the rapid commercialization of zero-emission vehicles.


IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, the Public Utilities Commission and other relevant agencies work with the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative and the California Fuel Cell Partnership to establish benchmarks to help achieve by 2015:
• The State’s major metropolitan areas will be able to accommodate zero-emission vehicles, each with infrastructure plans and streamlined permitting; and
• The State’s manufacturing sector will be expanding zero-emission vehicle and component manufacturing; and
• The private sector’s investment in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure will be growing; and
• The State’s academic and research institutions will be contributing to zero-emission vehicle research, innovation and education.


IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that these entities establish benchmarks to help achieve by 2020:
• The State’s zero-emission vehicle infrastructure will be able to support up to one million vehicles; and
• The costs of zero-emission vehicles will be competitive with conventional combustion vehicles; and
• Zero-emission vehicles will be accessible to mainstream consumers; and
• There will be widespread use of zero-emission vehicles for public transportation and freight transport; and
• Transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions will be falling as a result of the switch to zero-emission vehicles; and
• Electric vehicle charging will be integrated into the electricity grid; and
• The private sector’s role in the supply chain for zero-emission vehicle component development and manufacturing State will be expanding.


IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that these entities establish benchmarks to help achieve by 2025:
• Over 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles will be on California roads and their market share will be expanding; and
• Californians will have easy access to zero-emission vehicle infrastructure; and
• The zero-emission vehicle industry will be a strong and sustainable part of California’s economy; and
• California’s clean, efficient vehicles will annually displace at least 1.5 billion gallons of petroleum fuels.


IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that California target for 2050 a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector equaling 80 percent less than 1990 levels.


IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that California's state vehicle fleet increase the number of its zero-emission vehicles through the normal course of fleet replacement so that at least 10 percent of fleet purchases of light-duty vehicles be zero-emission by 2015 and at least 25 percent of fleet purchases of light-duty vehicles be zero-emission by 2020. This directive shall not apply to vehicles that have special performance requirements necessary for the protection of the public safety and welfare.


This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.


I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Order. 


IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 23rd day of March 2012.

Additional ECOnomics 2012 Articles:
1. Governor Jerry Brown Discusses Renewable Energy at Wall Street Journal ECOnomics

March 19 2012 - UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) Informal Negotiations

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is publishing a comprehensive overview of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) Informal Negotiations taking place in New York this week!
See the Slideshare Link below to view a summary of Monday's meeting; the IISD Website Link is here.

IISD Summary of Informal Negotiations- Monday, March 19th 2012

View more documents from uncsd2012

Intel promotes new Ultrabooks

Intel is running a campaign called 'Temptations' to promote the new Ultrabooks. Some of the videos are quite humorous, though the actual events only seemed to take place in the Asia Pacific region, hopefully they'll come over here. The set of videos can be seen here.

Women in the World Summit, Hillary Clinton, Climate Change

By Mary Vincent
Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent
The Women in the World Summit recently took place in New York and many Women Leaders and Secretary Hillary Clinton spoke. Women in the World features many themes impacting Women, including the Environment  and Climate Change, providing examples of People and Organizations actively working on these problems.

The Women in the World Website states:
"As climate change, population growth, and urbanization march forward, women are feeling their impact in disproportionate and unforeseen ways. Deeply rooted gender inequality leaves women more vulnerable to natural disasters: when resources are scarce, women are less likely to be able to access the health care, food, or even information they need to survive.
A Report from the nonprofit Plan U.K. and the British Department for International Development found that young women accounted for 80 percent of deaths from the 2004 tsunami in Asia.

Women’s workloads may soar as temperatures rise. In most developing countries, growing food and fetching water is a woman’s job. (In South Africa, women collectively walk 12.8 million kilometers every day to fetch water for their households—that’s the equivalent of walking to the moon and back 16 times per day.) As the world’s clean-water sources slowly decline, women’s quality of life will likely suffer.

Yet women’s hands-on relationship with their environment also means they have the potential to teach us about careful land and resource management. Women have unique insight into growing techniques, healing plants, and adapting to variations in weather and climate. Capitalizing on this know-how benefits everyone."
Here is a Video of Secretary Hillary Clinton speaking at the Women in the World Summit.

"We need to be as fearless as the women whose stories you have applauded..
as audacious as those who start movements for peace when all seems lost."She's a Great Leader & Inspiring...
How is your Country, Business, and Communty addressing Climate Change?

REMINDER To Business and Political Leaders: Giving Tree By Shel Silverstein

Do You Remember the Book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein? It's a Message Everyone needs to remember at all times, including Business and Political Leaders planning and making Commitments for the upcoming Rio+20 Conference and your future business and political planning and operations.
Shel Silverstein tells the story of love between a boy and a tree. From the time the boy is young and needs shade as he plays to growing up and being allowed to climb in her branches to the time when he is older and wants something that may mean the end of the tree, the tree keeps on giving to him- out of love.
Even when the boy is an old man and long after the tree has been cut down, what is left of the tree is still giving. The old man now uses the stump of the tree to rest on....
In looking at our Earth, What Does the Tree (aka Earth and Oceans) Look Like Now? 
Here's a Movie of the Giving Tree Book Spoken by Shel Silverstein.
Please Share.

ARM introduces new 32bit CPU

ARM is known for it's big processors that are licensed to all and sundry for inclusion in products like the newly announced Apple iPad3 which uses an A5X CPU (dual core CPU cores running at 1GHz with a 4 core GPU) and many other licensees including Qualcomm for their Snapdragon range etc. ARM are also big into micro controllers that sit in the myriad of deices that require some form of control (toys, white goods, dumb phones etc), these also tend to be very low power devices. ARM's latest version is the Cortex-M0+ or Flycatcher which uses 9uA/MHz on a very cheap to fabricate 90nm process (Intel's latest CPUs are all on 22nm substrates) and use around 1/3 of the power required by existing 8 and 16bit CPU architectures. The Cortex-M0+ is software backwards compatible with the older Cortex-M0 range of processors so all existing software can be used. This is a potentially huge market and Ericcson estimate that there will be 50bn units with these types of processor in them by 2020 - which will make up the internet of things. ARM will also offer low power Bluetooth and other connectivity products which can be paired with the processors.

Ofcom proposes to vary Everything Everywhere's 1800MHz license

Ofcom the regulator covering media, broadcasting, telecoms, radio and postal services has announced a consultation on the proposal to amend Everything Everywhere's (EE) 1800MHz licenses to allow the use of LTE and WiMAX technologies. The original license only allowed 2G (GSM, GPRS, EDGE) and then 3G services (UMTS). If this variation is granted, it's likely that EE will be the first mobile network operator to offer LTE national services in the UK and this may distort the market, though Ofcom do not believe this to be true. The consultation closes on 17 April 2012 and stakeholders can respond on-line.

Ofcom consults on GPS repeaters

Ofcom is holding a consultation on the use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) repeaters which operate in the following band 1164-1215 MHz, 1215-1300 MHz and 1559-1610 MHz. These cover both the US Global Positioning System and EU Galileo GNSS. A repeater system consists on an external aerial, a transmitter and an internal aerial which would allow GNSS reception indoors where normally there would be no reception. Ofcom is proposing a light licensing regime whereby users of GNSS repeaters would have to register their location with Ofcom. This is to quell concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who believe there could be aircraft interference. This proposal is in-line with CEPT and EU recommendations. This does not cover any kind of mobile repeater use (unless operated by a licensed Mobile Network Operator) or any other technology which could cause interference and any such use would still be a criminal offence under the Wireless Telegraphy Act (WTA) 2006. The consultation (available here) closes 16th April 2012.

INTRO the networking app for professionals

he number of apps being developed to find friends or even stangers around you are growing rapidly and The Next Web have reported Hightlight and Glancee recently that will make life easier for South by SouthWest. Many of these apps are based on social features while a new app INTRO uses social but in a business context. It allows the user to specify the business types of people they are looking for and will notify them when the matches are in the vacinity. It uses the user's social graphs from Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Foursquare, so as well as showing you who's nearby who meets your criteria it also shows you why they are relevant. The matching algorithms are intellegent so you can be specific e.g. you’re looking for an app developer, co-founder, or investor or you'd just like to meet people in the London tech scene. As the app uses location data (but only ambient data, so it's not doing GPS lookups all the time) it's always looking out for those useful people around you. Recently INTRO has added a teleport feature so now you don't even have to attend SXSW you just teleport there through the app and it will then suggest useful business contacts who are there. So rather than spending huge amounts of money on tickets, planes and hotels - you just use INFO and still meet the the relevant people. INTRO is available from the iTunes store now

USRIO+20 Connection Technologies Conference Feb 2012 - How Will You Shape the Future?

Nigerian Ministers & Mary

By Mary Vincent
Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent

The US State Department and Stanford Business School sponsored the February 2-4, 2012 USRIO+20 Conference focused on Bridging Connection Technologies and Sustainable Development.

In a preparation meeting/briefing a day earlier at the San Francisco NRDC office, I met Jacob Scherr, NRDC Director Global Strategy and Advocacy, who has led a variety of global environmental initiatives over 20 years, including the phase-out of leaded gasoline worldwide.
He said, "It took 40 years to get lead out of gasoline; we don't have 40 years to address address climate change...we can't wait anymore...the time to act is now."

The Full Feb 2011 USRIO+20 Agenda is Here, and highlights, pictures and videos are below for your reference.

Thursday February 2, 2012
Introductory Session:

Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation, U.S. Department of State


Friday February 3, 2012
Welcome:
Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs



Opening Keynote Address:
The Honorable Lisa Jackson Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(Video in 3 Parts - Please increase your computer system volume)





Unconference:
Unconference Sessions were then held.
What is an Unconference?
I held my own Green Software Unconference in 2009 to bring together Engineers, VCs, Corporations, Startups, and Entrepreneurs together to talk about how to use technology to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and it included successful Case Studies from Carbon Accounting Software Companies, to Solar, to Facebook apps.
Here's more information on the Eventbrite page, as well as Great Writeups and Summaries from the Unconference Breakout Sessions. Btw, I ensured there was only Vegetarian and Vegan Food served to reduce the GHG footprint.

Unconference Board

The USRIO+20 Breakout/Unconference Sessions were held on a variety of topics including: Health, Environment, Agriculture, Sustainable Economic Growth, Big Data.
Health - Amy Lockwood, Deputy Director for Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health and Jae Chung, CEO & Founder of goBalto
Environment - Dr. Shalini Vajjhala, Special Representative, Office of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chris Turner, Director of World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Agriculture - Amy Klement, Vice President of Omidyar Network and Daniel Sumner, Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis
Sustainable Economic Growth - Sonal Shah, Tides Fellow and Saad Khan, CMEA Capital
Big Data - Chris Shipley, CEO of Guidewire Group and Nathan Waterhouse, Co-Founder of OpenIDEO

Unconference Board

A Statement made at the event was key: Technology shouldn't be the goal of Rio; The Agreements are more Important.
In addition to these great sessions, I attended the Global Registry of Sustainability Commitments and Accountability Session led by NRDC's Michael Davidson.
I was brought into this Project before the Conference and if anyone reading this Blog Post is interested in learning more, please contact me.
Environmental Ministers and Key Global Players were made aware of this Project during USRIO+20 and they're on the Stakeholder Team.

USRIO+20 Environmental Reps

A High Level Ministerial Roundtable then took place with Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary State Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, chairing the meeting.
Sha Zukang Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs' Introductory Remarks are here.

There was great thanks to the US State Department from multiple countries for hosting the meeting.
A few country representatives spoke, and here are some highlights:
1. Poland: Adapt technology to local requirements and have the government facilitate (instead of intervening). There is alot of Green Technology for Soil and Water.
2. Hungary: There is a database based on spacial information and includes water management. Incentives are needed for small and medium sized enterprises.
3. Sweden: Capture energy of innovators and businesses, other actors; we need to attach the energies of cities in the Rio outcome. The Government and Private Sector need to work together to address the global challenge. We need to have a big push; we need to find ways to get more innovation and investment in the global change process. We need a higher rate of change and create policy and regulation to get this pushed. We need to increase the rate of speed for change.
4. China: Provide incentive for private sector.
5. Afghanistan: Thanked countries for helping them become independent and very sorry for people who lost their lives. There's a mobile phone revolution..we need to invest in young people's future and involve young women and empower them. Our glaciers are melting at alarming rates and we may have wars over water. I would like to utilize the environment as an instrument of peace. i.e. the Afghanistan National Conservation Area is working closely with the Wildlife Conservation Society.
6. Brazil: We look forward to receiving Heads of States with the concept of sustainable development. It is sustainable development, not just environment. Rio+20 should look to the future instead of the past. The Goal should be an international reference of success.
7. Bangladesh: Innovation can also come from government and citizens. A unit was developed in the Prime Minister's office to try new ideas..education, health, disaster. The capacity to create innovation within government is what we work on. Trust needs to happe between the government and private sector. They take quick wins from the Innovation Labs and find a way to take some ideas and move them forward.
8. Croatia: Suggest a mini roadshow to capture hearts and minds on the issue.
Sha Zukang - Connection Technologies can help Countries keep their promises accountable; invest in infrastructure, build partnerships.

Philippine Nigeria Uruguay Reps w/Mary

Saturday February 4, 2012
Fabien Cousteau, Aquatic Filmmaker and Oceanographic Explorer
Fabian mentioned that "water is the circulatory system of life that affects us all. What we're doing to the planet and oceans we're doing to ourselves. How can we take care of an aging population when we can't take care of our oceans? How can we feed ourselves with our financial crisis. Fish don't have passports; The health of the planet is the health of the people.
Here's a 1 minute video of Fabian mentioning an El Salvador Community & Sea Turtle Success Story.

Michael Jones

Closing Keynote:
Michael Jones, Chief Technology Advocate, Google.
His slide says: 'Information is not a mirror to reflect the world but a hammer with which to shape it.'

Conclusion:
I was greatly inspired by the State Department, Global, Business, NGOs and World Leaders to make this conference a great forum to meet eachother and share some great information and synergies before June's Rio Conference.
Going back to Michael Jones' message above: How will you shape the future? 

Have you offered your help and assistance to your Governmental Representatives so we can get on the fast-track to addressing Climate Change and making and executing Strong Commitments at June's Rio+20 Conference?

Per the conference slide on the left:
"We've Got One World; We Better Get It Right."

Sub10 does 60GHz backhaul

Sub10 a company based out of Devon has been touting its 60GHz backhaul technology at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this year as a solution for mobile network operators (MNOs) as a solution to the massively increased bandwidth demands that modern smartphones put on them.

60GHz is license exempt in the UK (and Europe) and supports high data rates. The only disadvantage is that it's absorbed by Oxygen molecules so it can only travel a limited distance and it can be affected by rain. The disadvantage, however, is also an advantage as it means that signals from neighbouring links are unlikely to interfere giving the advantages of licensed spectrum.

Optimity based out of London's Silicon Roundabout area is already offering connectivity solutions based on 60GHz technology as well as traditional 5GHz solutions and are able to connect start-ups much more rapidly than competing fibre products.

The iStorage datAshur

iStorage manufacture secure storage systems and they've just released the datAshur which is a USB Flash Drive.

It's quite a large drive being 8cm by 2cm by 1cm, including the aluminum jacket which should protect it from most drops or even being driven over.

Pulling the drive out the sleeve reveals why it needs to be that big, there's a 10 digit keypad on it (numbers read 1 2, 3 4, 5 6, 7 8, 9 0, keys 2 through 9 also have a standard phone letters on then i.e. key 2 also has ABC).

In order to use the drive the user must first enter a PIN (between 7 and 15 digits) which unlocks the drive, then it can be inserted into a standard USB2.0 socket (though it will work with USB 1 and 3 devices too) and look like a standard Flash Drive. All data that is stored on the drive is AES 256bit hardware encrypted. If the drive is plugged into a system without being unlocked it wont appear as a valid drive and cant be mounted.

When the drive is ejected, it will then automatically lock again.

Corporate use

The datAshur actually has 2 PINs a user PIN and an admin PIN. If the drive is put into admin mode, then it will clear the user PIN first and expect the next action to be to set a new user PIN and if this isn't done it will go back into sleep mode (the drive cant be accessed as a Flash Drive).

This mode is useful in a business environment so the IT department can select an admin key and if a user forgets their key it can be reset (or if a user leaves, the user PIN can be reset and the data still be made available).

Hacking

If the the wrong PIN is entered 10 times, then the drive will automatically trash the the AES key and generate a new one (which means all data on the drive is also trashed and unreadable). Also both the admin and user PINs will be cleared.

Though big and bulky and not the prettiest of Flash Drives, the datAshur will be invaluable to companies or individuals worrying about carrying sensitive data around and even if the drive is lost, the data is unusable without a correct PIN making it pretty secure.

It comes in 3 sizes

4GB £39
8GB £59
16GB £79

and is available from iStorage

New Sony Xperia models

Sony have announced the Sony Xperia S, P, U (and Ion and LTE model).

The Xperia S is the thigh end, P middle and U consumer phone.

The S has a dual core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and 3d graphics accelerated GPU with Bravia and 32GB of storage. The display is HD and uses LED/LCD to produce an amazing display which very high contrast and bright colours. It also has the usual features of 3 axis accelerometer, gyroscope etc with WiFi and Bluetooth. When attached via HDMI to a SmartTV, the phone can be controlled through the TV remote, accessing all the phones connectivity functions and for viewing Full HD at 1080p resolution.

The P has a slightly less powerful CPU and less storage though still displays HD content. When connected to a TV it only supports Dh at 720p resolution.

Sony also announced the SmartWatch which connects to Sony's phones. Sony has pre-installed the SmartWatch app as standard, but the SmartWatch can connect to any Android phone by downloading the app from Android Marketplace. It has an OLED touch screen display and a metal surround. Various (coloured) straps are available for the watch, though it can removed and clipped onto a belt (or equivalent).

It has many features

* Find your phone - will cause the phone to ring, even if the phone is in silent mode.

* If the watch loses connection with the phone (i.e. say the phone is being stolen) it will buzz 3 times.

* It support social media streams and these can be viewed and simple actions taken (like retweeting) by touching the relevant part of the screen.

* It shows the time (taken from the phone).

* The Android App support plug-ins allowing mini-apps to be run on the SmartWatch.

Now Sony have lost Ericcson, they've gone back to making very pretty phones and the Xperia S has the potential to be a real contender the iPhone.

Orange Different Business

Sponsored Post

Orange a running a competition to find new Different Business and are looking for business or projects that has the following characteristics: -

• 
  a different approach to running the business
• 
  a robust business model
• 
  a clear strategy for the project/business
• 
  evidence of a market for the project/business
• 
  a pitch that demonstrates the applicant has the necessary skills to succeed
• 
  an idea that is worth funding and could be the UK's next different business

The prizes on offer are :-

• 
  business planning advice and mentoring from Kingston Smith
• 
  mobile communications devices and plans from Orange
• 
  marketing consultancy from Publicis Chemistry
• 
  legal advice from Lewis Silkin
• 
  investment capital

All that adds up to £200,000 and covers off a years worth of support, which can get pretty well any business off the ground.

Orange have been in operation since 1994 (when the main 2 players were Vodafone and Cellnet and nobody thought that a company named after a fruit/colour would do so well) and they've always made their mark by being different.

The competition, to UK individuals (over 18) and companies, is a great way to get noticed and for people who just have got good ideas to turn them into a reality.

There are various incubators in the UK now and winning this competition is like getting into a private incubator for a whole year. Even existing businesses will gain from entering.

Viral video by ebuzzing

UK Broadband offers LTE in London

Most LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks are being offered on existing 4G bands (which have been delayed in the UK and won't be available until at least 2013). Now UK Broadband is going live with an LTE network on their 3.5GHz spectrum.

UK Broadband (which is owned by Hong Kong's PCCW) gained a national 3.4GHz license in 2003 and later acquired the 3.5GHz license off Freedom4 (the joint venture between Pipex and Intel) in 2010 when Pipex was sold to Daisy.

The service is live in Southwark and is using TD-LTE and though 3.5GHz isn't good for wide coverage it suits macro cells suitable for urban areas. UK Broadband has 124MHz of spectrum (LTE bands 42 and 43) which is suitable for high speed services.

UK Broadband will offer a wholesale service and even create MVNOs. The equipment (both indoor and outdoor) has been manufactured by Huawei and a future device supporting both TD-LTE and 3G will be available in September.

If the technology is proven reliable, the current MNOs may be able to utilise this network to offload data from their current networks.

Mu USB charger, not quite what it should be

In 2009 design student Min-Kyu Choi designed a folding plug that became a big hit on the Internet, though many people were sceptical it would ever become a reality as it wouldn't meet the strict British Standards required for UK mains plugs.

Choi then joined forces with Matthew Judkins to form Made in Mind to develop folding plug systems.

The first product released is the Mu USB smartphone charger (though they say they'll be releasing a tablet charger later in 2012 followed by the folding plug designed to power laptops).

The Mu is actually 14mm x 55mm x 60mm, so almost square and quite thin (suitable for putting into a laptop case pocket). Unfortunately even when folded the earth pin protudes from the end by about 5mm - though it is plastic so shouldn't scratch anything - one of the live/neutral pins also extends just beyond the curve of the Mu and this could scratch something as it's bare metal.


The charger is very easy to use, just open the side flaps and twist the live/neutral pins through 90 degrees (so they move from vertical to horizontal, which also locks the flaps in place) and then it can be plugged into a mains socket.

The charger will support most low power USB devices such as smartphones as it supports 5V at 1A.


Not perfect

The protruding plastic earth pin isn't ideal and the protruding live/neutral metal in is definitely a flaw. If the case was 1mm larger then the metal pin wouldn't protrude at all and a 5mm larger unit would mean the earth pin wouldn't either. The earth pin could also have been linked to the opening of the flaps so it extended when they were opened and contracted when closed (the earth pin is plastic and is just there to open the live/neutral gates on a UK mains socket, it's not needed for the USB adapter to work in terms of circuitry).

Future

Though Made in Mind say they are going to produce a folding mains plug, the industry is still skeptical whether it will meet the very strict requirements of BS 1363 covering UK plugs.

The unit is available for order at TheMu and will ship on 28/02/12 and costs £25.