MBITA welcomes new member Solsustech Inc.

Deborah WalliserConsumers today are concerned about what they eat and where and how their food is produced.  Concerns over contaminants through pesticides, fertilizers and foreign markets are creating a savvy clientele for vegetables grown locally in an environmentally friendly atmosphere.  Consumers want to be assured that their produce is safe to eat and that they are getting the best possible product for the best possible price while helping the environment.

Employing ‘smart’ technology through a proprietary hydroponic system, Solsustech Inc. in Arizona, USA, is able to provide its customers superior product at the most competitive prices in the industry while lowering carbon emissions 365 days a year.

MBITA hosted a small delegation of ‘key’ principals from Namibia after their award of a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as part of the U.S.’s efforts to spread democracy to African countries that meet specific democratic principles set forth by the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). 

The purpose of their visit to California was to develop business relationships with leading organic ingredient, vitamin, herbal, fair trade and aroma therapy companies to help them grow their organic ingredient industry.

Dave Cole (MCA-N Manager: Indigenous Natural Products, INP) and Steve Carr (National Botanical Research Institute of Namibia (NBRI) Senior Agricultural Researcher) was accompanied by one of MCC’s lead consultants, Judy Chambers throughout the tour.

To date most Namibian natural products are exported to Europe, while the U.S. natural products market represents a largely untapped opportunity for Namibian products.  With this in mind the main objectives of this “study tour” was to become familiarized with market opportunities and entry requirements into the U.S. market as well as to introduce Namibian natural products to selected research institutions, product formulators and product manufacturers.

The “study tour” was organized by Judy Chambers and Professor James Simon, Director of New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University.  MBITA hosted the Northern California portion of the tour.

In addition to visiting Northern California the Namibian duo travelled to New Jersey, Washington DC., Expo East in Boston, Mass. and Rutgers University who offer varied opportunities for capacity building in ‘Good Agricultural’,  ‘Collection Practices’ (GAP) and ‘Good Sourcing Practices’ (GSP).

We look forward to more developments from Namibia in the organic industry and hopefully our domestic companies and institutions can be an integral part of its growth and evolution.

By Donald Steiny

President, Donald Steiny Consulting

What was the largest portion of the technology part of the stimulus package?  $4 billion for the “Smart Grid:” a 20 year effort that will not only require an estimated $2 trillion in investment by the government and utilities, but will spawn countless business in many industries.  It will add computerized control to our electrical system and because of its huge IT component it is arguably the biggest thing to ever hit Silicon Valley (the entire Vietnam War, a huge stimulus to Silicon Valley, was about $584 billion).

What is the Smart Grid?  It depends on what one is trying to sell, to Cisco and IBM it is an IT project; to government officials, it is policy and standards; to alternative energy advocates it is conversion to microgeneration; and to power companies it is a more efficient way of delivering power.  They are all right, it is large and multi-faceted project.

There are three main parts of the current power system: generation, transmission and distribution. Generation is currently centralized but alternative power sources are helping make it more distributed. Transmission gets the power over distances. While there is much talk about local generation, the DOE guesses that by 2020 10% of power will come from “alternative” sources (not coal, gas and oil).  Even if they are off by 100% and 20% is created that way, it is a long way from fulfilling our energy needs, so transmission will still be important. 

To have alternate generation the system needs to be two way and there needs to be a way that power can easily come from a house to elsewhere, so the grid needs to know how much power the house is generating.  This can be achieved by 'smart meters.'  In addition, there can be smart appliances. 'Smart' energy save money.  Different prices can be charged for electricity at different times of day and it is estimated that the average savings will be $500.00 per year.

The smart grid needs to be rolled out in phases and it needs to be directed by government policy.  The US is working closely with Canada, Mexico and even China to adopt common standards. Canada and Mexico will share a grid.  The US and China will be able to sell to each other.  At each phase, new business opportunities will present themselves, both locally and in international trade.

Donald Steiny will be speaking at the MBITA Global Smart Energy - Bilateral Trade and Investment Opportunities to be held in Monterey, CA on November 13, 2009.

A majority of the building control systems in operation today are extremely limited in their ability to achieve higher efficiencies. Newer technologies use open systems, open protocols, and higher levels of interoperability, all of which have been proven to cost effectively provide competitive solutions.

Better energy efficiency and improved operational costs start with better visibility and control of the myriad of systems within a facility. They must communicate together in a way that enables greater functionality and lower costs.

Incentives are needed for owners, vendors, integrators, and engineers to design more highly integrated smart systems. Total Facility Control must be considered as we look at the entire building envelope as well as the rest of the facility systems. Included in the mix are HVAC, indoor lighting, security, access, sun shading, indoor air quality, sound masking/annunciation, elevators/escalators, appliances, power conditioning, irrigation, energy metering, outdoor/parking lot lighting, street lighting, co-generation stations, and much more.

Open systems enables facility operators to have a single seat visual and control interface to all of the systems and can make local and global control adjustments simply and effectively. The need and desire for the silo-based approach to building systems is expunged.

Without a holistic view into the operation, valuable efficiencies are lost. The technology exists today to retrofit existing facilities in a cost effective manor, however further incentives are needed to pave the way for broader adoption. Saving energy is a key motivator, a simple 30% energy savings from such a system has been proven time and time again and a 50% saving is easily achievable with additional integration.

We believe legislation incentives will help foster a spurt of growth in the smart, integrated, open systems approach which this industry is in dire need of, while providing new green-collar and green-tech jobs bridging control, IT, operations, and economics.