QUICK NEWS, November 2: CHINA SCANDAL SQUELCHES US-FINNISH WIND DEAL; WHEN A FARM IS NOT A FARM; EFFICIENCY FOR INDUSTRY

CHINA SCANDAL SQUELCHES US-FINNISH WIND DEAL
AMSC pulls out of The Switch deal
James Quilter, 31 October 2011 (Windpower Monthly)

"AMSC has announced the termination of its $265 million deal to acquire Finnish direct drive specialist The Switch…AMSC announced the deal in March. However, a month later AMSC announced its largest customer Sinovel had refused a shipment of turbine components…[forcing AMSC] to restate its revenue for the first and second quarters.

"…AMSC blamed…adverse market conditions for financing [for the cancellation of the Switch deal]…The Switch shareholders will retain the €14.2 million advance payment made by AMSC in July."

AMSC is active in an array of areas (click to enlarge

"…AMSC [said] strong synergies [remain] between [the] two companies and [they] expect to continue to work collaboratively on drivetrain solutions that increase wind turbine reliability and lower the cost of energy…

"…Complicating the picture is that The Switch's major customers include Sinovel's main Chinese rivals, Goldwind and Dongfang."


WHEN A FARM IS NOT A FARM
Solar power creates Fresno County land use controversy
Gene Haagenson, October 26, 2011 (KSFN Fresno/ABC)

The same sunshine that makes [California Central] Valley crops grow make the region ripe for solar power and attractive to solar power companies…30 solar projects are being planned…[O]ver five billion dollars [are] in the pipeline for solar projects…and the Board of Supervisors is concerned about the possible impact of putting these on farmland.

click thru for more info

…[M]uch of the land these solar farms will be built on is farmland, and much of that gets property tax breaks under the Williamson Act which is designed to protect farmland from development…[Some say] solar is industrial…not agricultural…[They say] it's insulting to farmers and farmworkers to suggest [it is agricultural]…

Some of the solar companies want to keep that tax break…[and say] they are industrial agricultural projects, like a dairy or turkey farm…[and should remain protected by] the Williamson Act…

click thru for more info

The Director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, Ryan Jacobson urged the [Board of Supervisors] to protect farmland, and said solar development should be to limited to land no longer suitable for farming…The Board put off deciding the issue and agreed to form a working group to figure out how to control the growth of Solar Farms.


EFFICIENCY FOR INDUSTRY
Energy Management Systems for Industrial Markets; Market Forces, Competitive Landscape, and Market Forecasts for Industrial Energy Management Software and Services in the United States
Thomas J. Machinchick and Clint Wheelock, 4Q 2011 (Pike Research)

"Energy management has been applied in the industrial and manufacturing sector for quite some time, but the industry is now entering a dynamic period of renewal and innovation. New technologies available today are allowing greater insight into energy procurement, energy use, and the management of energy as an input to the industrial process…

"…[C]ustomers, the general public, investors, shareholders, the supply chain, and other stakeholders are significantly influencing how the competitive landscape in the industrial sector will play out in the medium to long term. There is a definite shift taking place in the way industrial companies view energy procurement and use internally, and how its management and use is perceived externally..."

click to enlarge

"The U.S. energy management market offers significant prospects for both software and service vendors. There is a strong and growing need for assistance in putting programs in place to understand and manage an industrial facility’s energy consumption patterns. Pike Research projects demand for these products and services will increase rapidly…

"Energy management software and services spending in the industrial sector is forecast to reach $960 million in 2011 and over $5.5 billion in 2020. We estimate that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2011 to 2020 will be over 21%, with growth in the early years of the forecast period being significantly higher…"