Solar: From small-scale experiment to utility-scale solution

The US has set itself some tough targets to combat climate change, but which is the right solution? Officials have been experimenting with solar solutions, smart grids, tidal and wind power, but the latest polls – and market developments – have shown solar is the choice for the wise.

Solar power has been backed by leading executives at the Next Generation Utility North America (NGU NA) committee (hosted by GDS International), who will be meeting to hear from Julia Hamm, Executive Director of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) on the future of solar in the US and the ways which electric utilities must prepare. As the level of distributed solar increases there will be a need for photovoltaic (PV) systems to provide their host utility with much greater awareness, control and grid support functions than what is being implemented today. Utilities also need to explore business models that incorporate solar in a way that adds value for shareholders, stakeholders, and society at large.

In 2009, for instance, the solar industry continued to grow significantly, despite the economic downturn, which is an indication of the technology's staying power. From single-panel micro-systems and residential and commercial rooftops, to the opening of the country's largest photovoltaic power plant, the solar industry continued to expand to over 2 gigawatts of generating capacity in the US.

“We expect 2010 to be a breakout year for the US solar industry,” says the NGU NA committee, “The right policies and industry innovation continues to drive solar growth across America. Now we’re talking gigawatts of solar, not megawatts.”
The best strategies and how to implement them are sure to create much debate, and with energy giants clashing at the latest NGT NA summit, we wait expectedly for the results.

Great ideas have come and gone, and with environmental impacts top of the list for governments across the globe, the implementation of these ‘ideas’ need to be discussed amongst industry professionals.

SEPA is dedicated to helping utilities make smart solar decisions, which will decrease environmental impact as well as reduce energy costs in the long-term. With energy conservation and other green practices emerging as a critical part of day-to-day utility operations, SEPA hopes to lead the NGU Committee towards a more sustainable tomorrow.

ITC’s hold on powerful leadership

Currently the Midwest’s leading electric transmission company, ITC Holdings serves an area of nearly 80,000 square miles in five states. According to the statistics, the company’s service area has a population of more than 13 million people and the firm operates approximately 15,000 circuit miles of overhead and underground transmission lines, carrying more than 25,000 megawatts (or 25 billion watts) of electric power. In other words, ITC Holdings knows a thing or two about energy.

And none more so, it seems, than Joseph L. Welch, the company’s CEO, who reveals exclusively to MeetTheBoss.tv

his passion for the energy industry. Beginning his career in 1971 at Detroit Edison, Welch made a bold and impressive move in 2003 when, along with just 38 others, he parted ways with Detroit and started ITC Holdings.

Speaking from ITC Holdings’ new headquarters in Novi, Michigan, Welch explains to Adam Burns, Editor-in-Chief at MeetTheBoss.tv, his vision of the utility system in the US and how this led him to start-up ITC. He also details how being named as one of Ernst & Young’s US Entrepreneurs of the Year back in 2007, just two years after the company went public and Welch himself proudly rang the New York Stock Exchange bell, was a “humbling” experience.

“I said it then and I say it today,” he explains, “I got the award but the people who worked in the company, they deserve the award. The fact is that you can set the vision and you can set the tone, but it really does take a true team to have those kinds of successes in that amount of time.”

Speaking specifically about the state of the US utility system, Welch defines it as the “Achilles’ heel of the 21 Century”. He tells Adam, “I don’t think the utility business is hallmarked by people of passion. I think it’s hallmarked by people of ‘this is the way it is’. Everything is viewed as truly evolutionary. If you were to measure this as a one mile run, the people in the utility business look at one millimeter a year as being success. We need to make a change there.”

Welch is also a revered and well-respected business leader. At a time when he knew making a difference was imperative, he managed to persuade 38 people to leave their jobs and join him at ITC. That was 39 years ago, and Welch believes he still has around 30 of those people with him: which certainly goes a long way to defining the skill of his leadership style.

It hasn’t always been an easy ride though. He hasn’t always been steeped in praise. At one point Welch explains, “When I worked at another company I was told I didn’t have any leadership capability. That was a key moment in my life. That’s when I thought my career wasn’t going anywhere.”

Of course, when Adam later asks Welch if he knew this presumption of his leadership ability was wrong, he simply responds: “Yeah.”


To see the interview in full visit MeetTheBoss.tv

LEGO’S - ‘LETS-GO’ Attitude.

Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO of Lego has redefined the Danish toymaker. This is how he built the foundations for better leadership.

The Lego Group began its life in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund in Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. By 1934 the company was known as Lego – from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning “play well”. While the introduction of plastic moulding mechanisms breathed new life into Lego, giving us the now infamous multi-coloured plastic bricks of our childhood, over time the company found it was spreading itself too thin. As the world around Lego moved into an increasingly more digital era, the Lego Group appeared to be on its way out. A traditional family business had always been at the heart of Lego; but by the time current CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp – the first man outside of the founding family to head the company – came onto the scene, the model was no longer working.

In an exclusive interview for MeetTheBoss.tv - CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp shares his radical rethinking of the Lego Group and how he not only breathed new life into the company, but also saved it from near-destruction. Make no bones about it: Jørgen Vig Knudstorp is the man who rescued Lego.

Speaking exclusively to Adam Burns, Editor-in-Chief at MeetTheBoss.tv, Knudstorp explains some of his truly “out the box” ideas that helped make a critical difference at Lego. And, now that the brand is up and running again and is doing incredibly well once more, Lego is now facing a multitude of options for future opportunities.

“I think it is a golden rule in business that most companies don’t die of starvation, but die of indigestion,” jokes Knudstorp. “There is so much opportunity if you open your eyes to it. One of the rules I stick to is that you can really only build an adjacency to your core business every three to five years, because it’s such a major undertaking in terms of culture and in terms of capability.”

And Knudstorp knows what he is talking about. Not only is he responsible for the reimagining of culture at Lego, which has helped the construction toy maker to redefine its business model, but he also admits that “indigestion” is where Lego struggled before – and that the group won’t be making those mistakes again. “You run the risk that people will lose their focus on their core business as they pursue these new adjacencies that have become the ‘new and sexy thing’ to do.

“So for me, a major paradigm shift is that the core business is the most exciting and what we need to continue to do is reinvent every year and make sure we build our business on this in the future.”

Lego remains a staple of the childhood toy box. Currently approximately seven Lego sets are sold each second, and the world’s children reportedly spend 5 billion hours a year playing with Lego bricks. Children can buy Lego products in more than 130 countries, and the company has theme parks in four countries across the globe.

To see the video visit MeettheBoss.tv

Tesco’s Billionaire lifestyle for ‘Value’ Air miles

On the same day Tesco announces monster profits, they have played down any threat that may be caused as a result of the flight ban across Northern Europe because of their early adoption of green strategies. Tesco pride itself on having only one percent of their UK goods arrive by air, owing to an internal policy set up in 2008. In an exclusive interview with MeetTheBossTV, Tesco’s Global Technology and Architecture Director, Mike Yorwerth, reveals the secrets behind supermarket success in 2010.

“It all started with Sir Terry Leahy,” Yorwerth explains. “He sat down with 500 people and said, ‘I want to talk to you about climate change,’ and we all went, ‘Okay’.” What followed was the restructuring of Tesco’s green IT strategies, which has in turn led to soaring profits of GBP£3.4 billion and countless incarnations of Tesco – from Metro stores, to Express stores, to the Fresh and Easy brand – popping up across the world’s high streets. However, such growth has not led to a greater carbon footprint from the retailer, as Tesco has gone to huge lengths to reduce its emissions by 50 percent (on target by 2020).

"Tesco will be carbon neutral by 2050,” Mike confidently told MeetTheBossTV. But does it take yearly profits of GBP£3.4billion to achieve carbon neutrality, or can smaller businesses follow the example of the UK’s favourite supermarket?

“Going green is more about the attitude, and that’s where we [Tesco] started.” Mike offers. “For example, before this our Information Technology backbone was terribly inefficient; primarily because the IT department had no real understanding of its energy use, so if you start by talking about that, and people get their heads around it and actively reduce consumptions, there’s a massive savings opportunity.”

Carbon neutrality appears to be a detailed and meticulous method then, but one that all businesses can achieve. Mike believes it is wholly necessary process, and with the retail giant once again announcing huge profits, we are hard pushed to disagree.

Vodafone Qatar plans to go far

The recent announcement that Vodafone Qatar will finally be able to offer fixed broadband and telephone services has been a revelation for the Middle Eastern Telecoms industry and the NGT MENA conglomerate. The countries telecoms regulator has issued them with the countries second public fixed networks and services License.
Commenting on the license award, Vodafone Qatar CEO Grahame Maher told Trade Arabia: “Vodafone is delighted as this will strengthen our ability to make a world of difference for all the people in Qatar. The combined strengths provided by the mobile and fixed services will allow us to deliver total communications services to our customers, whilst delivering value to our customers and shareholders.”

Vodafone's final approval for the license has been dogged by delays due to complications with the fixed-line consortium's shareholding structure. But finally Maher will be able to deliver the long awaited news at the NGT MENA Summit (hosted by GDS International) to an expectant crowd including representatives from Du, Asiacell, Etisalat and Zain.

Vodafone Qatar has epitomized innovation since the UK telecom giant entered the market in 2009. They were the first to install hybrid powered Base Stations in Qatar, using an integration of solar and wind energy. This initiative is part of a wider green technology program led by Vodafone Group to deploy green energy sources in all of its affiliates worldwide it is no surprise that its competitors are gathering to hear how they have achieved such dominance in the competitive market.

Qatar’s economy has emerged as one of the fastest growing in the world. Telecoms Execs are ready to take advantage of this but can they follow the example set by Vodafone or be chasing the tails of the telecom Giant. ?

Healthcare Reform - Curse or Cure

Last month some of the leading names in the healthcare finance industry announced an urgent meeting in the wake of the new Healthcare Reform in Arizona at the CFO Healthcare summit (hosted by GDS International) . So what happened and how will this affect the industries Future?

Nearly two-thirds of the US CFO’s believe that it is of utmost importance for congress to address the cost of healthcare over security issues. Very few times has the American Government become so involved in private business? Executives at the CFO Healthcare Summit on the whole in agreement with the reform but openly discussed their concerns over the rising cost of healthcare.

"I can certainly see the benefits of making health-care more readily available to everyone, but as of yet we are still to see the real issue being addressed, a continued increase in healthcare costs”.

If we look at the performance of healthcare stocks over the year and the consensus of the CFO Healthcare committee, the chance that the reform will cut into profits is still regarded as “very possible”.

“to lower costs requires a combination of both fewer treatments or lower cost per treatment, neither of these solutions offer the same profit margins we have become accustomed to”……….

The committee was not all doom and gloom, they discussed in detail the indirect effects of the reform which could lead to increased cost savings. One such discussion looked at how hospitals will see less ‘bad debt’ from the services provided to those people who are not insured, they could see their rates fall from anywhere from 5% to 20%. Not to mention the reconciliation bill which was mentioned several times by the CFO committee, this allows for a greater variation in premiums for people who refuse to take part in ‘wellness programs’ and ultimately lead to a healthier population.

Hospitals have promised to cut more than $150 billion in costs over the next decade, and the implication is that they will need to pressure suppliers to lower costs to do so. Drug manufacturers have agreed to contribute $80 billion over the same time period to helping fund Medicare benefits. This was backed by representatives from such as Vince Schmidt SVP and CFO of Multicare Health System, Mark Spafford CFO and VP of Health Management Associates, Robert Booth CFO of Summit Medical Group, and Larry Dupper CFO of Valley View Hospital.

Can costs be managed or is the diagnosis terminal?

RIM’s Blackberry gives call to arms against iPhone for the Executive Market

Research In Motion's revenue and device shipments were up in the fourth quarter of 2009, but analysts worry the companies days at the top of the executive smartphone market are numbered as they succumb to pressure from competition.

"Weak offerings in touch (phones) and 3G leave the company heavily exposed to a slew of new smartphones now hitting the Executive market," Ed Snynder, an analyst with Charter Equity Research. "While it will certainly maintain its lead in email-based smartphones, we see little chance it can sustain its market share, pricing or margins long-term."

Stiff competition is forcing prices down for Blackberry and some analysts see this as a warning sign. But Research in Motion have just confirmed that their Senior Director Enterprise Rory O'Neil and VP EMEA Robert Dempsey will be announcing at this year’s illustrious CIO EU Summit a “call to arms” against iPhone for the lucrative executive market.

The CIO EU Summit (Held by GDS International in Vienna), is a closed union, hailed as the voice of the European IT industry, where (once again) the most exclusive and exciting advances are announced first to the illustrious body of only fifty attendees chaired by Mike de Boer, CIO GE Capital Global Banking, Bradley Yorke Biggs, CIO, Aston Martin, Raul Suarez, CIO, Pepsi and ‘probably the best in the world’ Herman Epstien, CIO, Carlsberg . The CIO Summit invited RIM to share their thoughts on leadership in Enterprise business.

“It is no secret that the future of all IT is essentially mobility. It's pretty clear that the trend toward anytime / anywhere computing is growing, as we topple technical and, perhaps more importantly, cultural & social barriers,” a spokesman for the CIO EU Vision committee stated.

No matter what the job, many professionals are now free to work wherever it's most convenient, comfortable and appropriate - from the office to the home, and from the back of a Taxi to a park bench. And the key to all of this is bringing the services of the network - whatever IT has to offer - to where they need to be and with Apple, HTC & Palm hot on their Heels, Blackberry remain certain they are the Business Mobility Device of choice for the Enterprise Market and feel "It is less about having an 'Ap’ for everything, and more about having the right 'Ap’ for you"!

Dowtec PTE sign letter of intent with First Crude Oil

The frightening reality of the world’s inevitable oil depletion is being faced at the pumps with prices sky rocketing, and with most of the existing oilfields entering a mature phase, oil companies are opting for secondary injection or tertiary EOR projects to extend the oilfields lifespan to meet demand.

To ensure a unified approach to the meeting senior executives such as Farouk Al Zanki MD and Chairman of Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Randy Clark CEO of Energistics and Hamed Ibrahim Karim, GM Exploration and PICO Petroleum met at the NGOG Summit in Doha to discuss the volatile future of the oil and gas industry and the depleting resources, which is attributable for the entire regions wealth.

The NG Oil and Gas Summit was once again hailed as the industry voice for the region, where here (once again) the exciting advances were announced first to the illustrious body of attendees. This included the unification of huge Asian and Norwegian companies DowTec and First Crude Oil Ltd who secured a working relationship as a direct result of the meeting at the summit.

First Crude Oil’s Jan Storm and Dowtecs’ Arief Razak were both invited as thought leaders to this year’s NG union, First Crude Oil shared their latest developments in subsea technology, revealing their new ‘ Aurora subsea production system’, which could revolutionize the face of the Middle East/North Africa oil industry.

First Crude Oil together with Dowtec Pte will finalize the development of a common system for the handling of drill cuttings and drill fluids. The system will be made available to the international oil and gas industry to solve the environmental problems which come with disposal.

Such a joint venture between First Crude Oil, and DowTec offers environmentally friendly subsea concepts for regeneration projects and will help alleviate the high demand for oil.

Fighting talk unites Pharma

The NGP union, held in the Netherlands last week saw over 50 visionaries gathered for the Supreme Court verdict against Myriad Genetics given on March 29th. They voted against their patent claims and a storm is brewing in the biotech community. The Court ruled that the patents should have never been granted because genes are “a law of nature.” With the majority of industry outsiders in agreement, how will pharmaceutical world reacted?

Now the NGP US summit (held by GDS International) has been called for the end of the month in Arizona. Jerry Lanchbury, EVP of Myriad Genetics will lead a discussion looking at the decision and the obvious effects it has given with Myriads Stock prices tumbling.

On ‘decision day’ Myriad saw its stocks fall by as much as 7% when patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer were revoked. The company remains confident that the verdict will not have a material impact on its operations, and with 160 remaining patents unchallenged they are confident in the company’s future. But are we to believe the PR Hype? The recent annulment of a company’s ability to hold patents over human genes does not just affect Myriad hence why Jeffery will be joined by such esteemed colleagues as Earl Sands, VP Research and Development Abbott Laboratories, Karen Smith, Global Product VP, AstraZeneca, Darrell Abernethy, Associate Director for Drug Safety, FDA and Steve Romano, VP and Medical Affairs Head of Primary Care Business Unit, Pfizer , who expect heated debates from typically competitive companies now fighting the common enemy.

Pharmaceutical Patenting has been a bone of contention between the industry and consumer for some time. Monopolistic policies do not work in favor of the general public. Those companies, such as Myriad, who own patents related to genes, will be able to control costs ultimately leading to increased consumer prices. From an industry perspective, without patenting a company is unable to cover the costs of research and development of key drugs and groundbreaking pharmaceutical advancements in medicine, this ‘swing and roundabout’ approach to business has lead to the birth of this key gathering - NGP US Summit.

With the first round over, and a ruling in favor of the consumer, the industry is preparing for more appeals. With the battle won the question begged to be asked is who will win the war?

BMW DesignworksUSA – Driving to Success

The presentation of the red dot award 2010 once again provides impressive confirmation of the outstanding quality of BMW Group design. Laurenz Schaffer (President BMW DesignWworks) talks to Meettheboss.tv on the company’s innovative approach to design and ‘out of the box thinking’ which repeatedly sees them beating the competition and driving ‘new thinking’ to design.

“A driven-ness to design, which ultimately speaks to the passion of design, the driving aspect, the essence of what we are about.”

The art of innovation is key for every business savvy company in the world, but it seems that few can claim to be quite so innovative as BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Last month crowned as the “#1 Most Innovative Company in Design” by Fast Company magazine and even more recently receiving further awards from Red Dot, the company simply brings a unique approach to design.

Red Dot accredited the unique quality of BMW Group design. This is based on a design philosophy which runs across all brands, enabling the character of each brand and each model to be accurately gauged so that the individual qualities of each are precisely reflected in its design. BMW DesignWorks explains to Meettheboss.TV the importance of receiving such awards.

“It’s a great reward for designers, because ultimately that’s proof, immediate proof, for success in the design community. Usually, design awards are done by expert circles, designers themselves, and a pretty high calibre of people. So having them select our designs is a big reward for us.”

Essentially a ‘mash up’ of Californian car culture and German precision and engineering, the company has let the thriving result loose on everything from yachts to mobile phones, to electric shavers to aircraft interiors, with exceptional results. Laurenz Schaffer, the group’s President, is leading the way, and in the exclusive interview with MeetTheBoss.tv, he explains how the organization’s overtly innovative culture is helping to redefine the very essence of design.

Laurenz continues to explain how the main asset of the company is not the materials being created, but the creative people behind the designs. He also explained how the “true differentiator” of the company is a “cross-fertilization” of ideas – a “basic belief that working across differing disciplines is what really makes up good ideas”, he said.

DesignworksUSA has already enjoyed over 30 years as a leading, award winning strategic design consultancy, and an enduring creativity seems to be bringing the firm enduring value. The future? Well, its design – at least – is in safe hands.

The Secret of Libya’s Liquid Gold

An infinite wealth of treasure lies in The Elephant Field, 800km south of Tripoli, which was discovered by the Italian company ‘Eni’ in 2006. The Elephant Field drew a renewed focus upon MENA oil and gas, and showed that there are new possibilities waiting to be found in the face of a global oil crisis.

Booming investment within China and India has created a vast amount of pressure on MENA oil reserves, but Libya could hold the solution. There are doubts over Libyan official records regarding their oil and gas reserves; oil and gas experts insist Libya has much higher amount than they are currently prepared to say. Although Libya hopes to reach a target of three million bpd by 2013, this is impossible without foreign investment. Therefore Libya might be a key port of call for the struggling oil and gas industry, which is set to be one of the items up for discussion at the illustrious NGO&G MENA Summit being held this week in Doha.

The heads of oil companies, and important industry players such as Farouk Al Zanki MD and Chairman of Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Randy Clark CEO of Energistics and Hamed Ibrahim Karim, GM Exploration and PICO Petroleum have united once again at the NGO&G MENA summit to discuss the volatile future of the oil and gas industry. Behind the closed doors of this union the various difficulties faced by erratic regulatory compliance laws, and the ever-important topic of finding more efficient ways to recover oil are up for discussion. Khalid Al-Faleh CFO of Aramco called for oil companies to financially share the burden of the investment required to meet expected demand for oil.

Libya is a magnet for oil discovery, and offers not only better routes to Europe and America than The Gulf, but it also could become the final frontier for the entire oil and gas industry. Industry leaders hope that the collaboration at the NGO&G Mena Summit (run by GDS International) will encourage Libya to be more transparent about their natural resources, and whether the technology solutions discussed increase efficiencies in established oil fields.