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Ecoseed has an article on Singaporean efforts to develop a cleantech industry in the country – Singapore ramps up clean energy R&D investment.

The Singapore Economic Development Board (E.D.B.) will spend about 680 million Singapore dollars ($483.3 million) to build a clean technology ecosystem over the next five years as part of the country’s plan to become a global research and development hub.

The fund is expected to establish a more conducive environment for innovations in research, test-bedding and commercialization that will advance Singapore’s solar industry.

The board allocated 350 million Singapore dollars of the total investment to develop the country’s clean energy sector, with a focus on solar energy. Having a tropical climate, Singapore is a prime location for companies that wish to enter the Asian solar market.

Suntech Power, for instance, intends to expand its operations in the country because of the strong government support and exceptional technology capabilities. Bosch Group also opened its new headquarters in Singapore to better manage its newly acquired companies in Southeast Asia.

In addition to its linkages to leading Asian solar markets, Singapore has the capabilities to manufacture solar wafers, cells and modules, which will give the country a head start in the solar industry, the board said.

It’s been interesting to watch the analysts change their positions over the course of the last few months.  Two of my favorite analysts Andrew Garthwaite at Credit Suisse and Teun Draaisma at Morgan Stanley came into the year with remarkably similar outlooks to my own: the economy would remain strong in H1, but would weaken as the year wore on.  Both were much more bearish on the full year outlook than most other analysts on Wall Street.  Interestingly, both of them folded on their bearish outlooks as the equity markets chugged higher into April.  At that time, I was revising my H1 outlook, building my first short positions in two years and becoming more bearish as the problems in Greece appeared like a true game changer.   A few months later Draaisma and Garthwaite are looking terribly wrong, but Garthwaite isn’t swaying from his bullish outlook.  In a recent note he provided 5 reasons to remain bullish.  Perhaps he will redeem himself:

1)   Market is too pessimistic on global macro outlook: the collapse in bonds yields, along with this week’s decline in the gold price and yesterday’s sell-off in the Australian dollar versus the Yen (7%), suggests that markets are discounting a big deflationary shock. Yet, we do not see this. All the best lead indicators are strong, though they will likely roll-over owing to stock market weakness. The global PMIs are consistent with 4% GDP growth (see page 5 for all charts) and the best two lead indicators of US growth – ISM new orders and consumer confidence expectations – are consistent with growth about 3%. Our economists forecast global GDP of 4.4% next year (2.4% in Europe and 2.9% in the US).

2)   Valuation: The US equity risk premium (ERP) is 6.1% if we just use two-year forward IBES numbers and then revert earnings to trend (see Figure 7 below). The long-run average ERP is 3.5%, while our target (or warranted) ERP is 4.5% (the warranted equity risk premium depends on ISM and credit spreads – and assumes a modest deteriorating in both: ISM falling to 55 from 60 and BAA spreads widening to 3% from 2.4%- clearly if we were assuming a recession then ISM would fall to 40 and the BAA spread widen to 5% and the target equity risk premium would rise to 6.2% but as stated already we are not assuming a recession). Even if we revert S&P 500 reported earnings back to their post-1920 trend of $64 (compared to 12-month forward operating earnings of $87.5), the ERP is now 4.5%, almost at our target level.

3) We note that the CDX HY spread at 670bps, is only 0.4 standard deviations above its average, the same level it was at when the S&P 500 was at 1,300. Furthermore, the 5 year / 5 year forward inflation rate is 2.2%, versus a crisis low of nearly zero.

4)   Global earnings revisions are at an all-time high (see Figure 23 below). Consensus revenues estimates are, we think, still too low. For Europe as a whole consensus revenue is 5% below nominal GDP in 2009 and 2010 when aggregated and more so for cyclical sectors. Additionally, the weakness of the Euro, if it hits €/$1.20, should directly and indirectly add nearly 14% to European EPS as well as 1% to GDP. To gauge how worried the markets are about earnings, we can look at dividend swaps market, which are discounting a 13% decline in DPS between end 2009 and 2013 in Continental Europe (and a 4% rise in the UK). This seems too pessimistic too us.

5)   Investors are still conservatively positioned we think. Mutual funds have 45% of their total assets in equities compared to a long-run average of 51%. Money market funds are still 20% of market cap (versus a long-run average of 18%). Since the low in the equity market, we have seen retail buy 99bn of bonds, while they sold $88bn of equities.

Source: Credit Suisse

This guest post previously appeared at The Pragmatic Capitalist >

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McLaren Automotive celebrated the 20th anniversary of the start of the F1 program by inviting F1 owners past and present to a celebration dinner at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The owners were treated to a display of 21 McLaren F1 road and race cars, the largest number of F1 cars ever assembled in one place.

It all started in 1988, when McLaren made the decision to expand from Formula One and design and build what it called “the finest sports car the world had ever seen.” In March 1990, the team created to build that car came together for the first time.

Just two years later, the McLaren F1 road car was launched on May 28, 1992, in Monaco, with the first production car delivered to its owner in December 1993.

Now in its 20th-anniversary year, many still consider the McLaren F1 one of the greatest cars of all time. McLaren says its exclusivity, technical innovation, racing provenance, revolutionary packaging and extraordinary driving experience have made it an icon.

Hard to argue with that.

The F1 defined the McLaren road car DNA: low weight, efficient packaging, superb quality, innovative design and an outstanding driving experience. The car was launched at a price of about $750,000 in 1994, and over the course of the next four years 64 F1, five F1 LM and three F1 GT road cars were produced, together with 28 F1 GTR race cars. An additional six prototypes were produced.

In 1994, after pressure from owners, McLaren developed a racing version of the F1 road car to run in the FIA’s GT1 class. The F1 GTR won the 1995 GT1 Championship as well as Le Mans. In fact, McLaren not only won but dominated the rain-soaked endurance race, finishing in first, third, fourth, fifth and 13th.

The F1 GTR secured for McLaren a unique position in racing history, as the only manufacturer to win the Formula One world championship, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

McLaren decided to celebrate the extraordinary Le Mans result by creating five F1 LM road cars, one for each F1 that finished. Launched in McLaren Orange, as used on Bruce McLaren’s race cars the 1960s and ’70s and with a derestricted race engine, the LM is not only the most powerful of all F1 variants, but also the most valuable. F1 fans will recognize this as the car which Lewis Hamilton has set his heart on owning.

By 1998, there were a total of 106 built, and its production run was complete.

McLaren’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the F1 will continue throughout the year. McLaren enthusiasts will have the opportunity to see more F1s at this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place at the famous English motorsport venue July 2-4.

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Source: Car news, reviews and auto show stories

The guys at Washington DC are sure striving hard to keep their city clean and green, and the streets sparkling. The SmartBike program, the first of its kind in the United States, a bike sharing program, is all set to expand and grow. To be based on Montreal’s Bixi, there will soon be ten times more stations and bikes in this program. Currently, the SmartBike program has just 120 bikes and 10 stations, though the new initiative will extend to 1,100 bikes and 114 stations, spreading around the district and into Arlington County too. The costs of memberships will double up too, increasing from the current $40 to $80 for a year.

A monthly membership will cost around $30 while a daily membership fee costs $5. The first 30 minutes of usage will be free, with fees charged after the 30 minute mark. Also, Clear Channel will no longer head the initiative. Bike sharing sure needs to spread across the United States and the world for greener and cleaner commute.

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“A big hit,” is how Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn predicts its all-electric Nissan Leaf will be when it is offered in the US. The Leaf is the first affordable, mass-market all-electric vehicle that will be made available in the US.

Since last month, Nissan has recorded 13,000 reservations in the US. To reserve a vehicle, customers only have to deposit $99 (a refundable amount). In Japan, Nissan has received 6,000 reservations for the vehicle. Ghosn spoke with reporters after a speaking engagement at the Detroit Economic Club at the Cobo Center. He also shared that these reservations are from individuals and not for corporate fleets. Nissan is still taking orders for production in 2011. Pricing for the Leaf, which will arrive in the US in December, starts from $32,780, but after a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 is applied, it could cost $25,280. Electric vehicles figure prominently in Nissan’s strategy. Ghosn said that within a decade, electric vehicles are expected to comprise 10% of global vehicle sales. By 2013, Nissan and Renault expect to reach its goal of producing 500,000 electric vehicles, covering eight models.

[via freep]

Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots

Making a little craft flower isn’t the only way to reuse and recycle pencil shavings now. You can make an eraser out of it too! Pull your jaw back on and get a hold of this. Designed by Hao Gin Weng, Siang Yin Ke, and Che Hao Li, this little machine uses the shavings from a pencil to make erasers. Now there are a few doubts as to how exactly would bits of wood combined with lead help erasing pencil marks off paper, but the designer has thought about that too while putting this baby together. So all you need to do is, draw out a picture, then somehow break the pencil point, stick it into the sharpener, turn the crank, have a sharp pencil, and an eraser too!. A great way to put to use all those bits off wood shopped out of your pencil by the sharpener. This indeed is the best way to recycle, at your study table.
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Made out of paper (yes, the stuff from dead trees—I wouldn’t lie to you), these WowWee Paperjamz guitars plug into speakers or headphones and let you play actual chords (accompanied by backing tracks). More »










Guitar – Music – Stringed – Arts – Electric

In case you missed the memo, Charlize Theron is the ultimate hottie. The South African-born Oscar-winner will be crowned with the “Decade of Hotness” honor at next month’s Spike TV Guy’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

“Spike TV’s Guys Choice will honor Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron with the Decade of Hotness Award, one of the evenings highest honors, given to a legendary beauty we love for all of the right reasons: she kicks ass as a superhero, she’s an Oscar winning actress and a world class beauty….” read a release from the network issued on Tuesday.

The fourth annual award show — taping Saturday, June 5 at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City — premieres Sunday, June 20 (10PM – Midnight, ET/PT) on Spike.

We can’t wait to hear her acceptance speech!

This tidbit should come as music to the ears of actor Keanu Reeves — The Matrix star is reportedly dating Charlize, who split from longtime beau Stuart Townsend late last year.

Ever wondered what would come between the A1 and the A3? Well, Audi now have the new A2, waiting to be unleashed. The new A2, unlike all the other A series cars will be a green and clean one though. The car will be a fuel electric vehicle, to give the BMW Megacity and a similar Mercedes-Benz a bit of competition. The previous A2 was phased out by Audi five year ago and used an aluminum space frame construction. The new A2 however will use traditional steel, to instead of aluminum, due to costs. The car will also borrow some of its styling from the older version, meaning that it might retain its tall one-box design structure and narrow tracks. Audi is sure to take the EV industry by storm with the new A2.
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We’ve covered some creative bicycle wheel LEDs on Gizmag recently, so when we discovered the amazing Anipov project on display from Suns & Moon Laboratory at Tokyo Make Meeting this past weekend, we couldn’t help but take a closer look…
Continue Reading Amazing bike-wheel LED art at Tokyo Make Meeting

Tags: Art,
Bicycle,
Bike,
Japan,
LED,
Make Magazine

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Eco Factor: Eco-friendly mobile phone designed to harvest renewable energy.

The Aeolus Phone concept by industrial designer Cyrene Quiamco has been created to reduce the burden on the grid and allow users to charge their devices anywhere at any time. The concept uses renewable energy such as wind power and solar power to charge its onboard battery.

The device is equipped with a power generating fan that will capture even the slightest breeze to produce energy. When the wind isn’t blowing, the phone uses onboard solar panels to recharge the battery.

The device features a simple, single color and an energy-efficient LCD screen. The designer claims that the device can be built from renewable materials. The Aeolus can also be attached to a bicycle or on the window of a car with a special tripod to help the fan generate more energy.

Via: Product Design Forums

The automobile industry is slowly but surely turning towards the greener horizon, with green designs, cars and technology being developed on a regular basis. Well, Sanyo has made its mark in the Guinness World Records now with some of their electric vehicle technology. Sanyo pepped up a Mira EV, powered by a Sanyo lithium-ion battery, and set out to break the world record for the longest drive in an electric vehicle on a single charge. And that’s exactly what happened, with the car travelling 1,003.84 kilometers without charging the battery. The Japan EV Club drove 555.6km last month on a single charge, from Tokyo to Osaka. This time the distance was doubled, using a Sanyo lithium-ion designed by 8,320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries. The Mira EV ran for 27 hours at a speed of 40km/h, completing the journey and breaking the record. An awesome efficiency indeed, hopefully our future electric cars go this far on a single charge.
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Budding music mogul Ellen DeGeneres is well on her way to becoming pop’s next P. Diddy after launching her own record label.

DeGeneres is setting up a label with plans to unveil new artists to the world. So who has the comic snagged as her first signee? Well, none other than cute-as-a-button YouTube sensation Greyson Chance, 12.

The Emmy-winning talk show host, who joined American Idol in January, will announce on her daytime chat show — The Ellen DeGeneres Show — on Wednesday that she is starting a label set up in collaboration with Telepictures Productions — eleveneleven.

Chance, a Justin Bieber-lookalike from Edmond, Oklahoma, was spotted by DeGeneres after a video of him playing the piano and singing Lady Gaga’s hit song “Paparazzi” at a sixth grade church music festival went viral this month. He was then invited to appear on the DeGeneres’ show on May 13, sparking huge interest in his video which has now been viewed over 20 million times.

“Greyson inspired me to start a record label called eleveneleven. He is my first artist and we are making a record together,” DeGeneres said in a statement released on Tuesday. The quirky talk show hostess says she will continue to use her hit show as a platform to break new artists for eleveneleven.

Greyson will perform his original song Broken Hearts, which will be his first single, on Wednesday’s Ellen — but he still can’t believe how much his life has changed in just two weeks: “It’s crazy thinking about 30 million people (checking it out). It just makes me happy. It really just hasn’t sunken in yet… It’s awesome.”

The hit show, Dancing With The Stars, aired the finale show with all eyes on the celebrities. Fans and viewers of great celebrities had their own guesses as who would be the winner. The DWTS show received a great number of viewers worldwide as the show kicked off. The show might have surely given a tough time to the judges as the results were published. A survey or vote count taken from the fans of the show, Dancing With The Stars 2010, most of them were of the view that Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough would be the leader and announced winner.

Scherzinger, from the band Pussycat Dolls and lady of the great F1 Driver, Lewis Hamilton, won the contest easily. Her singing and dancing abilities was always counted as a plus point as the lady outdid others. Critics more announced the contest as one sided as the lady had clear advantage over others.

“Scherzinger was not just the most beautiful woman on the show, but was also the best performer….”, wrote a leading magazine.

Erin Andrews, even being placed number third, she won millions of admirers.

Dancing With The Stars Season 10, was one of the most viewed show this year on television. Nicole Scherzinger and her partner Derek Hough won the contest, prized the Mirror Ball Trophy, with their scores being:

• Nicole and Derek-115

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When you look at these pics don’t you just feel like crying? This poor and injured Ferrari 458 Italia was spotted in Wroclaw, Poland after it’s young driver crashed into a Volkswagen Bora.

According to an eyewitness, the Ferrari was driving between 60-70 mph on “Armii Krajowej” street which has a posted speed limit of 30 mph. When the Ferrari approached the intersection, a small bus abruptly made a left turn in front of it. In an effort to avoid crashing into the bus, the driver of the Ferrari veered slightly to his left and bang … the result is Italian mincemeat.

Source | wreckedexotics.com via topspeed.com

Quite a few of us have been cursing the sun for burning into our skin and scorching our lives this summer. So to keep the sun away and cool you down, designer Tyson Steele came up with a design of a Solar Arch to cover roads. Well, keeping the sun at bay isn’t all that the Solar Arch system does. It also generates electricity that can be used to power up highway lighting and satisfy the electricity needs of areas nearby. And when the weather changes and the sun hides away, the Solar Arch comes handy yet again, by helping reduce icing problems in winter. The designs have been compiled with AASHTO Standards for US interstate bridges and passageways with a ground clearance of over 18 feet and have a width of 40 feet with 10 feet long sections. The Solar Arch will be a welcome addition to roadways around today.
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Metals conduct electricity because of their structure. If you take a block of any metal, it would be made up of a lattice of atoms surrounded by a sea of electrons that should have been in the outer electron shell.

Nufkin

There is a reason for this behaviour. The metal atoms are so large that the outer electron shell is very far away from the nucleus. The positive charge on the nucleus pulls the electrons into a cloud around it. If the distance between the positive and the negative particles (electrons) is very high, the strength of attraction between them would also be very weak and thus the electrons move out of the orbit and into a sea of electrons around all the atoms of a metal. That is also why metals have a large affinity to lose electrons in any chemical reaction.

This sea of electrons carries a negative charge. When electric current is applied to one end of any metal body, these electrons take the electric charge up and carry it to the other end. That is how metals conduct electricity.

Give a modern artist to create a wind turbine and he’ll probably come up with something like this. Eddy is a modern art rendition of a wind turbine, and no, it’s not meant for an art museum. Instead, it’s made to sit comfortable atop your home. The turbine manufactured by Urban Green Energy uses the vertical axis design, enabling it to harvest the power of the wind from all directions. Eddy measures 1.38 meters wide and 1.6 meters tall. The system weighs just 81 kilograms. The vertical axis design of the Eddy wind turbine makes it ideal for use in urban areas where buffeting occurs due to obstructions and obstacles. The turbine boasts a rated power of 600 watts with a cut-in speed of 3.5 meters a second and a maximum safe wind speed of 120mph and above. The blades made of carbon fiber and fiberglass spin at a maximum of 200 revolutions per minute. Eddy is designed to live for 20 years, a whole lot of time to generate enough green energy to power up your homes.
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’s mass transit system goes greener by the day and will be at its greenest by 2025. The entire bus fleet, about 1,300 of them in all, will go electric by the time 2025 looms. And if all goes as planned, Montreal will be the first North American city with an all-electric bus fleet. Currently, The Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM) awaits the arrival of 380 high-efficiency diesel buses, ordered to replace the old exhaust spewing aged ones. The city is also eager to add hybrids to its fleet in the near future. By the start of 2012, all the fleet additions will either be electric or hybrid, with electric bus testing beginning in 2011. These electric buses will be powered up by overhead wires, similar to trams, and will commute on the cities busy routes. By the year 2025, the cities 1,300 strong bus-fleet will be clean and green, with zero emissions. Other cities around the world should follow this sparkling green example by Montreal.
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Google Chrome has come a very long way since it was first released. It’s several times faster, boasts a feature set more than comparable with Firefox and the general level of polish has gone way up. No wonder then that Google believes its browser is ready to shed the beta label on all the platforms it’s available on and has released a stable version fo… (read more)