Mistaken Beliefs about Cancer

Many people live their lives hearing and believing almost everything causes cancer these days: cell phones, aspartame, radio waves, power lines, etc. A study produced on August 27th, 2008 at the International Union Against Cancer’s World Cancer Congress in Geneva confirmed that people tend to inflate environmental factors and ignore the threat of behavioral patterns that are known to promote the risk of cancer.

Researchers interviewed 29,925 people across the globe last year to compare data on perceptions about cancer risk factors among high-, middle- and low-income countries. Those people surveyed in high-income countries down played the risk of drinking alcohol, which is proven to raise risk of cancer. They instead believe that stress and air pollution along with not eating enough fruits and vegetables are all factors in being at risk for cancer. The truth is that stress has not been linked to cancer, eating fruits and vegetables is far less of a help than the hindrance of alcohol consumption and the damage from air pollution is a minor contributor. As the income scale goes down, the people are more likely to know and believe that alcohol is a risk factor.

Middle- and low-income countries were more likely to be resigned to “fate” believing nothing could really be done about cancer. And 75 percent of those surveyed in low-income countries said that the doctor should make all treatment decisions while 72 percent in the high-income countries said it should be solely the patient or between patient and doctor. Everyone was more readily to accept environmental causes than those they could control themselves, like being overweight, which is an established risk factor.

The UICC hopes this information will spur education to clear up the misconceptions of cancer and its causes around the world. For more information visit the National Cancer Institute website.

Solar Panels for sale at Sam’s Club

Sam’s club will offer solar panels and an array of energy saving products at nine Southern California locations. Sam’s Club has created Home Efficiency Centers with a focus on green products to better their consumers’ homes. The solar panels will be on display, sharing information about solar energy and solar systems [not like our planetary system!]. Discount offers will be available, but there are no details on what the discounts will entail.

Sam’s Club [a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.] is partnering with Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. and BP Solar for this project. Borrego designs solar systems and BP Solar provides photovoltaic panels. The partnership does offer a discount on the systems in addition to federal, state and local tax credits and rebates on the systems.

“While homeowners and businesses continue to embrace solar energy at a tremendous rate, this growth is somehow restricted by the relatively limited number of consumers who are exposed to solar in their daily lives," said Aaron Hall, CEO of Borrego Solar Systems Inc. "By providing these informational kiosks in these regional locations, Sam's Club is demonstrating exceptional leadership in bringing solar energy to the masses."

Other energy saving products that will be available to customers include: Energy Star appliances, low-flow toilets, high-efficiency shower heads, compact fluorescent light bulbs and next-generation LED energy efficient lights for the home.

These nine sites will be in the following Southern California areas: Corona, Chino, Fountain Valley, Glendora, La Habra, Long Beach, Murrieta, Ontario and Torrance.

Harvesting Waste Heat

Heat waste is produced from a number of different sources, one of which is smokestacks. Our common drive to maximize energy efficiency is inspiring new ways to harness energy and reuse heat that would be otherwise lost to the air. The thermoelectric technology that converts heat to electricity is being outfitted for everything from furnace flues to vehicle exhaust pipes. This is a sign that energy efficiency, and more specifically energy recycling, is growing in popularity.

GMZ Energy, formed from researchers at Boston College and MIT have developed a nanomaterial-manufacturing process that improves the efficiency of existing thermoelectric modules. Thermoelectric devices can work in two ways: passing an electrical current through the module creates heat on one side and cooling on the other. Working in reverse, or applying heat to the device, will generate electricity. GMZ Energy intends to sell the process to companies to cool server racks and small refrigerators, but will eventually branch out to those wishing to convert heat waste into electricity.

The goal is to make the process of heat waste conversion to 10% efficiency. That may seem a bit low, but running at that efficiency a home could produce enough electricity to power itself with the heat on.

Read more about this fascinating new trend here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10019347-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTech

Connecticut Announces Solar Lease Program

Connecticut has a new program to help low- and moderate-income residents acquire photovoltaic solar power systems. This program is the first of its kind in the nation. Through the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund [CCEF], a combination of tax credits and rebates can be used to lower the cost of leasing solar systems and eliminate high initial costs, helping more residents obtain clean, renewable solar energy.

“With the national economy in a slump, with energy prices at frankly ridiculous highs and other prices--including food prices--headed for the sky, our families are looking for alternatives," Governor M. Jodi Rell said. "The Clean Energy Fund is making solar energy a real possibility for many more Connecticut households by combining the success of its solar rebate program with the unique characteristics of this solar leasing program."

CCEF is investing $38.6 million and hopes to help approximately 1000 households in the next three years by teaming up with financial institutions to leverage federal tax credits in order to make renewable energy more affordable.

Residents with qualifying credit and whose household income is less than or equal to 150% of the median income in their area are eligible for the program. A Hartford family of four with a total household income of less than $121,000, for example, would qualify for a complete solar photovoltaic system with no down payment required.

“This program is the latest initiative by CCEF to make clean, renewable energy accessible to Connecticut's families," said CCEF President Lise Dondy. "By combining CCEF's solar rebate program with the financial power of leasing, we have created an affordable way for Connecticut homeowners to adopt solar energy without the high upfront cost."

CT Solar Leasing, LLC, a non-bank subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, will finance the purchase and installation of the systems. By owning these systems, CT Solar Leasing can take advantage of federal business tax incentives presently unavailable to consumers. With the CCEF's Solar PV Rebate Program and the federal tax incentives there is no need for a down payment. CT Solar Leasing's monthly payment for a typical 5-kilowatt system is approximately $120 on a 15-year lease.

Original Article: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/16603

Massive Solar Plants coming to California

Two utility-scale solar power plants are contracted to open in the next two to three years under Pacific Gas and Electric [NYSE: PCG]. These plants would produce a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy which is equivalent to one coal burning power plant. The two plants will cover 12.5 square miles of California real estate with photovoltaic solar panels.

The two plants will cumulatively deliver 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually, or approximately enough energy needed to power 239,000 residential homes each year.

Pacific Gas and Electric has an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms, LLC of OptiSolar Inc. for 550 MW of thin-film photovoltaic solar panels and signed another contract with High Plains Ranch II, LLC, a subsidiary of SunPower Corp [Nasdaq: SPWR] for 250 MW of high-efficiency photovoltaic solar panels.

The chief operating officer and senior VP of Pacific Gas and Electric states that “these landmark agreements signal the arrival of utility-scale PV solar power that may be cost-competitive with solar thermal and wind energy.”

The photovoltaic solar panels convert direct sunlight into electricity and produce the greatest amounts of power during the afternoons when then demand on the grid is high.

Both contracts are counting on the extension of the federal investment tax credit for renewable energy and processes to expedite transmission needs. Over the past six years Pacific Gas and Electric has created more than 3,600 MW of renewable energy, 2,500 MW of it being solar power. Pacific Gas and Electric now has almost 25% of their future power deliveries from renewables, including biomass, wind and geothermal. They are certainly setting a trend for other utility companies to follow.

The project in conjunction with Topaz Solar Farm will deliver 1,100,000 megawatt-hours to San Luis Obispo County in California by utilizing relatively low-cost, thin-film photovoltaic panels manufactured in Sacramento and Hayward by OptiSolar. The project is expected to start delivery in 2011 and be at full power by 2013.

SunPower’s planned ranch would also be located in San Luis Obispo County and deliver approximately 550,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually. This project is projected to start supplying power in 2010 and be fully operational in 2012. In addition to the crystalline solar cells, the system will have solar tracking to tilt towards the sun as it passes over the field, increasing the energy captured by the panels and saving acreage.

Endangered Species Act Endangered

Bush is attempting to pass legislation that will remove the need for environmental protocols when creating and building new government projects. All projects funded, built or authorized by the US government would no longer have to undergo the same environmental reviews meant to protect wildlife and habitats. This means the government is giving itself special treatment by eliminating the need to assess green house gases as well as how the project may impact the environment.

Developers and Republicans claim these current reviews are “needless delays,” and the supposed argument behind changing the law is so that people don’t abuse the review system to create global warming policies. The Bush administration was upset over a recent attempt to list polar bears as endangered species due to habitat loss from climate change. The Republicans have been trying to enact this kind of policy change for years, and they might finally realize their goal – at the cost of habitats and the creatures that reside there.

Carl Pope of the Sierra Club had this to say about the announcement made on Tuesday:

"The new rules take decision-making on endangered species listings out of the hands of scientists and wildlife professionals at agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and instead put those decisions in the hands of agencies working on projects that may be adversely affected by a listing."

Taking the consideration of our delicate ecosystems out of experts’ hands and throwing them to the way-side does not auger well for the environment.

Eagle Set to Shake Monkey Off its Back

Eagle Broadband Inc. (OTCBB: EAGB) recently announced financial results and briefed the investment community on plans to expand IT Services Sattellite Group operations in Dallas, TX.

Although Eagle took a body blow in regards to its net loss from operations of $7.3M, the company seems to be shaking it off and pushing forward with improved margins, cutting gross margin loss nearly in half (-18%) for the Q on a YoY basis.

Here's a quick look a some recent developments at EAGB and their potential impact on future profitability:

1. Eagle's leading hospitality customer has ordered $6.4 million worth IPTV set-top boxes;

2. OEN has agreed to pay Eagle $1.9 million for a portion of its fiber network over a period of 13 months with a clause for an additional $800,000 if OEN is purchased by a third party or sells the network to a third party; and

3. The IT Services Satellite Group exceeded expected revenue (>$525K) in its first three months and is now expanding in Dallas - a hotbed for high-tech services over the past two decades.
(Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas)
4. Eagle is targeting the emerging (expected to hit $40 billion by 2010, with 50 million subscribers by 2009) IPTV market with what has proven to be, believe it or not, an industry leading solution. In the past few months, EAGB has entered into relationships with:

a. InfoValue Computing, Inc. (InfoValue), an expert in high-performance video streaming that got Eagle's IPTV top-boxes implemented in what the co. describes as "the world's largest hospitality HD deployment" at the opening of the Ritzy Wynn Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; and

b. SecureNet, LLC - EAGB's 3rd IPTVComplete(TM) customer. Also a provider of High Speed Internet and IP telephone services that when combined with Eagle's IPTV solution, provides a triple-play of IP services designed for the exclusive residential market in the San Francisco Bay Area.

That adds up to quantifiable, potential incremental revenue increases exceeding $7.8M if all goes well, in addition to a number of unquantifiable prospects that could translate into some major sales volume with one big deployment. That would, in theory, take care of the $7.3M net loss from ops reported in Q3 '07.

I'm not saying that this is what's going to happen, but if EAGB does follow through with plans and continues to improve margins, a price of less than $.05 could represent an attractive, relatively low, entry point to consider.

Business Never Better at Nighthawk

With the U.S. Dept. of Energy estimating an investment of approximately $412 billion dollars (or roughly the Federal Deficit in FY 2004) will be required to provide enough additional electrical generating capacity to fuel the country over roughly the next quarter century - the need to conserve power is reaching epic proportions.

Another Big (Repeat) Order

In a world where conservation is crucial, Nighthawk Systems Inc. (OTCBB: NIHK) is cashing in on its proven ability to develop Telemetry or M2M products capable of remotely controlling virtually any electronic device in the world - from your kitchen light to a diesel generator.

Announcing a deal today with El Paso Electric (one of NIHK's largest historical customers) as part of an ongoing automation program, the company continues to log progressively larger orders and revenue figures with a growing number of repeat and first time customers. Simply put, business has never been better!

Big Names - Big Contracts

For those of you that are new to the deal, just one year ago, NIHK closed at $.04 (3/31/06). Since then, the stock has trended upwards, reaching a high of close to $.25, before settling back into the dime range where its sits today.

The run up has been by no means artificial. Nighthawk is now experiencing record revenue growth and positioning itself for very bright future in the surging M2M space via partnership with a terrific trio of telemetry partners in Verizon Wireless, American Messaging (formerly SBC Global), and Skytel (a division of Bell Industries).

Improving Utility Efficiencies

As electricity consumption increases (EIA estimates 40% bump in usage by 2030), trumping today's record levels - electrical utilities are still faced with an age old problem: Even as costs skyrocket and demand increases, it's the utility not the consumer that feels the pinch.

This is evidenced by electricity prices failure to keep pace with inflation during 1985-2000 (1.1% vs. 2.4% per yr.) as well as consumption reaching record levels today as average household spending declines.

In effort to optimize efficiencies and not get buried, the industry invests heavily in improvement. With electrical companies expending an estimated $1.9 billion on Demand Side Management (DSM) programs in '05 and saving enough electricity during 1985-2000 to power nearly 74 million average U.S. homes for one year - the willingness to pay for infrastructure enhancement is quite evident.

A Diamond in the Rough?

Although other options exist for quenching America's growing thirst for natural resources exist - such as simply ramping up current production levels and developing alternative/renewable energy sources - becoming more energy efficient is by far the most economical choice and seems to be where the industry is placing its chips for the time being.

This is where NIHK is poised to build a much improved position in the surging M2M marketplace - and remember - electrical utility optimization is just one of many potential cash cow applications at Nighthawk's fingertips (check the 7/11/07 on cell tower automation deal w/Verizon)

With Nighthawk expecting to report "its highest quarterly revenue results in four years, with revenues increasing more than 50% over the first quarter of 2007 and approximately 35% over the same quarter in 2006" and all industry trends pointing towards go, we think that NIHK is on the verge of building a blockbuster M2M hardware company