Marshalls national utility company
A major expansion of alternative energy use in urban and rural areas of the Marshall Islands has received the green light from the cabinet, according to the general manager of the national utility company.
The cabinet last week endorsed a series of Marshalls Energy Company-proposed alternative energy plans for Majuro and three outer islands, said the utility’s general manager David Paul.
The utility will now move forward with converting the current diesel-powered plants on Wotje, Jaluit and Rongrong islands to “hybrids” that use biofuel, reducing the use of diesel. Paul said the utility will be seeking funding support from the International Renewable Energy Agency.
While in recent years, the Marshall Islands has focused on installation of home and community-facility solar units in remote islands, the utility plans to seek funding for installation of nearly one megawatt of solar equipment to connect to the current power grid to reduce the use of diesel. Paul said the plan to increase Majuro’s reliance on solar to about one megawatt would result in cutting the use of diesel by 100,000 gallons annually. At present prices, that would cut utility costs by more than US$300,000.
A third plan that is now in motion is to set up a revolving fund to support installation of solar systems for households in Majuro, the capital. This would be tied to a package of energy audits of households and improving efficiency of appliances. “The aim is to tailor funding for a two-step process,” said Paul. “The first step is to help people get efficient use of energy for lighting, refrigerators and air conditioners, and once this is optimized provide solar panels that will provide power during the day.” Power-plant-produced electricity would be provided at night and on rainy days.
Paul said the home systems would be designed for dual-sourced power, from solar and the power plant.
“The people will win,” he said, adding they will lower the cost of power both by using energy-efficient appliances and by using solar-produced energy — and these savings will support paying off loans for equipment.
Corning Inc, the world’s top LCD glass supplier, yesterday forecast its flexible Willow Glass would feature in touch sensors, solar and lighting products next year.
Harrison Smookler, a commercial director for Willow Glass,Know about led high bay conversion kit and Bi-xenon HID kit. said customers including touch sensor makers and display manufacturers are testing Corning’s bendable product.
As touch sensor makers use roll-to-roll processing technology, which is similar to the manufacturing process used to make Willow Glass, it would be easier for touch sensor makers to reach optimal yield rate, Smookler said.RGB LED Color-changing led grow light headlight accent light system for headlight halo effect.
However, display makers produce displays using sheet-to-sheet processing technology and they have to overcome this technological change, he said.
Smookler said the product would be a cost-saving touch sensor solution. The glass can be used even in low-cost applications aimed at emerging markets, as well as in automotive displays, helmets, or other wearable devices,The world’s most efficient and cost effective hid lights? but Smookler declined to disclose which device will be the first to be equipped with touch sensors using the glass.
James Hollis, director in charge of Corning’s Gorilla Glass sales and engineering, yesterday said more than 30 PC brands including Dell Inc have adopted the company’s Gorilla Glass for touch-enabled laptops since its launch in June.
Though some analysts blamed expensive touch modules for the lower-than-expected penetration rate of touch-enabled laptops, Hollis said that from the touch module’s standpoint, Corning did not bring a large incremental factor to the cost of the functionality.
He said Corning’s glass only accounted for 2 percent of touch-enabled notebooks’ selling price.
Hollis was optimistic about the demand for Gorilla Glass NBT as the company’s research unit forecast that unit shipments of touch-enabled devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets would triple in 2016.
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