IN BRIEF
INGENIEUR
What Others
Say about
Clean Energy
By Samniang Saenram
E
nergy is a hot topic in most regional forums
and announcements in respect of fuel
security, climate change, energy efficiency,
renewable energy etc. The salient points of
interests relevant to the theme “Clean Energy” are
listed below for general reference.
BOAO Asia Forum: Asian Energy and
Resources Partnership
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The era of low price volatility is over and the
industry must develop new forms of energy
to fight against price volatility and carbon
emissions.
Technology innovation, breakthroughs, and
small advancements will drive the future of
the energy industry.
Natural gas and solar power are expected
to rise in demand and be more viable as
alternatives in the next decade.
A practical framework is urged for global
energy co-operation.
Dennis Barcy, CEO of the US-China
Clean Energy Forum, cited the launch
of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition,
an investment fund established by tech
leaders including Bill Gates and Mark
Zuckerberg to promote zero-emission
technologies. Energy CEOs believe that
technology will drive the future of the
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energy industry, and highlighted energy
storage, advanced and safe nuclear, energy
efficiency, and clean coal as investment
hotspots for possible breakthroughs.
BOAO Asia Forum: The Emerging Clean
Energy Revolution
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Like oil companies, electric utilities have
built their fortunes on a fragile business
model that ties their revenues and profits
to selling more electricity.
That wasn’t Thomas Edison’s original
concept. In the 1880s, he didn’t sell
electricity; he sold light. He charged
one cent to light a lamp for an hour.
But as electric motors became popular
and meters available, New York Edison
Company wanted to switch to selling kWh.
Edison knew that lamps would become far
more efficient, so to profit from their lower
operating cost, he wanted to keep selling
lighting services, not kWh.
He was overruled in 1892, and utilities
have been making the same mistake
ever since. As a result, greater customer
efficiency cuts their revenues, not their
costs. Utilities now sell a commodity, not an
infrastructure nor the services customers
want. So entrepreneurs are building