Clean and Renewable Energy

When many countries realize the effect of global warming may endanger future human life and environmental damages, they look at natural and renewable sources as energy alternatives such as water, ocean, wind, sunlight, solar, geothermal, biofuel and biomass which are quickly replenished and clean. Most of energy is derived from the sun and with its heat used to generate energy. These applications are believed to be more suitable to human life and environment in the future. Greenhouse gases might be reduced gradually because with the new renewable technologies could emit less gas or even zero gas.

Wind power is commonly used in several countries as an electric generation and it is very safe because it produces no greenhouse gas. Since it depends on heat and wind strengths are vary, this would be the weakness to supply continuously power. Therefore wind power can only be allocated in area with stronger and constant wind. Furthermore, wind power needs a huge landscape. Water power or known as Hydropower is widely used to generate electricity. It has been said that the water power is the oldest energy sources since long time ago. But because of poor technology in the past, it was only able to supply power in the very limited range. Though water power contributes very little impact to the greenhouse gas but some environmental impacts may take in account. Such as building dam or reservoirs often slash forest, affect natural habits, ecosystem or even human right abuses. The Yangtze Three Gorges Project would be the largest hydropower ever made, probably is the best example of benefits and impacts of using hydropower energy. Solar energy is derived from the energy collected from the sunlight which can be converted into form of energy such as electricity and heat. This solar energy is very useful to heat homes, water, swimming pools, agriculture and other applications. However, its limitation due to the amount of sunlight received is depend on climate, location and time, solar energy needs more landscape to be able to capture significant sun energy. Solar power in its production has resulted no air or water pollutions. Geothermal energy is the heat generated within the earth. This steam and hot water from inside the earth are continuously replenished by rainfall. Therefore, this would be suitable for power plants and heaters because geothermal energy is unaffected with the weather changes and contributes very low greenhouse gas. Geothermal reservoirs are often founded in geyser, volcanoes and hot spring. It has limitation because only found in selected areas and the reservoirs might get cooler in the future. Biomass is produced by natural plants and recent death animals. By process photosynthesis, plants adsorb sun energy and convert it into chemical energy. Biomass fuel includes wide range of renewable sources such as woods, crops, manure, organics and even waste or garbage. It could be altered into ethanol, biodiesel, biobuthanol, biogas and etches. Landfill which produces methane gas but by burning it to produce steam can supply heat and power plants. However, biomass trash or garbage must be renewable such as animals’ or plants’ trash and other food scraps, lawn clipping and leaves.
Probably by mixing conventional and renewable energy sources gradually would be able to reduce greenhouse gases and save our earth for further destruction. Though, energy alternatives must avoid unrest such as food crisis and human rights abuses.

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Lead at Glance

Lead is a dense, ductile, very soft, malleable and bluish grey metal. Lead’s best properties such as corrosion resistance has made it to be suitable for manufacturing, construction and chemical industries. Metallic lead occurs in the nature and it is found in ore with other metals such as zinc, silver and copper. While galena is the most common lead mineral which contains about 86.6% lead beside cerussite and anglesite. Lead has been used for many applications but lead is also poisonous and it has negative impact to health effects. Therefore, lead in some products were discontinued or banned due to health concerns. Formerly lead was used in paint, plumbing, toys and leaded fuels but today these applications have been gradually replaced. Today, lead is mainly almost 70% used in the automotives manufacture of lead acid storage batteries. Others lead uses in pigment and chemicals, sheet and extrusions, ammunition, cable sheathing and alloys.

Annual lead consumption may reach 7 millions ton per annum in 2004. Lead sources are indicated to be limited and it could be run out in 42 years or less. However, lead is recycled and more than half of lead currently used comes from recycling. Lead price has ever touched to the highest price at about US$4,000 per ton in 2007 until ultimately sink to US$1,779 per ton (20/8). But when it compared with price before 2001, lead at that time was extremely cheap at below US$500 per ton. It has been said that higher lead price recently was provoked by supply shortages rather than buoyant demand. In addition, plastics, aluminium and tin are used often to substitute lead usage. Today, the world largest lead producers are mainly from Australia, China, USA and Peru. While the top lead producing companies are Xtrata Plc, BHP Billiton Ltd, Hecla Mining Corporation, Teck Cominco Ltd, Zinifex Ltd and Anglo American Plc.

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Time Break ?

Energy and commodity prices seem to sink further (11/8). While U.S. dollar continues to strengthen against majority foreign currencies. Soft commodities such as soybean, corn, wheat and palm oil have retreated from their peak prices. Soft commodity are on the hot spot because they are the most crucial to feed billion of people in the world. Corn future traded at below US$500 a bushel, soybean drop to US$1,250 a bushel, palm oil future sink to RM2,580 per ton, oil price (WTI) slump below US$115 per barrel, metal and precious metal also stumble from the record. No speculative news anymore to support bullish on energy and commodity. The main key is when the crude oil price has been steadily sinking from the record and this has also affected strongly on commodity prices. Will oil price continue to fall further until below US$100 a barrel ? But record price at US$147.27 a barrel was touched last July 08, it could be easily back or outstrip the record in near future.

Many news and comments but there were no significant explanation why the oil price blew to the record in the history. Fundamental or speculative action was spotted to be endless issue. Higher energy and commodity prices recently have revealed how important supplies ready to fulfill possibility demand soar in the upcoming year. However, limited sources, higher exploration costs, population burst and climate changes may affect tremendously to energy and commodity prices. If in one decade population add about 1 billion people, we should consider what will have happened in the next decade start from today. While technology developed and successfully push mortality down but birth control fail to be anticipated, demand for energy and commodity also grow more shocking. In my opinion, recent energy and commodity booming were earlier warning and also test case for the world that we are now in red alert. Add more supply means more drilling for energy and planting more grains which definitely support environmental damages faster. In the next few weeks, I think we are going to watch volatile prices and this downturn might only time to recess before proceeding the race.

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Silver at Glance

Silver is a non toxic chemical element with ductile, malleable metallic element and the best of transition metal. Among other elements, silver is the highest electrical conductivity and the highest thermal conductivity when compared with other metals such as copper. Silver is found in native form and the other principles sources are copper, copper-nickel, lead and lead-zinc. Because of silver best properties, it has an excellent compound and alloys with other metals. Today, silver is often used almost 95% in industrial uses, photography, jewelry and silverware. Silver in industrial uses could achieve 35% of annual silver consumption. It can be used in electrical appliances, dentistry, solder, brazing, switch panels, medicine, medication, computers and many more. While photography and jewelry may consumes 30% each of annual silver consumption and the rest silver usage in coins and medals.

Silver as a precious metal has been used since ancient times. Among other precious metal, silver is valued after platinum and gold. Therefore, investors may seek silver as an investment alternative and speculation beside diamond, platinum and gold. Silver price almost touched at US$21per ounce in March 2008 as the highest price in history. In addition, silver price jumped almost 500% from the lowest price at US$3.6 per ounce in 1993 and today, silver is traded at US$16.5 (6/8). Top silver producer in the world are Peru, Mexico, China, Chile and Australia. Some countries are also considered to be the largest silver producers such as the USA, Canada and Germany. Because silver ore is often occurs in native forms or associated with other minerals, it can be said that the silver has the largest resources among precious metals. Therefore, in term of price silver is much lower than platinum and gold. Recent high price on precious metals has pushed silver price up and broke the record in the history. The world biggest silver producers are BHP Billiton, Industrias Penoles, KGHM Polska Miedz and Volcan Compania Minera.

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Property Watch

Investment in property is one of the best most wanted strategy to raise investment’s value. Today global investment is more attractive as international barriers are diminished. We can often find that overseas property agents are more aggressive to attract foreign investors to invest in the overseas. Most commonly they are coming from Singapore and Australia, because these both countries have experienced astonishing property’s growth. House and rental pricing in these countries have been incredibly moving up. Singapore is a small country with total land area 699.4 sq km and approximately 4.5 million resident populations. However, Singapore economy is remarkable and it has relied on financial services, commodities exchanges, manufacturing, exports, tourism and educations. Strong economic performance and limited land have also boosted property and rental prices in Singapore recently. Though, demand residential property has shown of slowing down but long term prices still move ahead especially beyond two giant casino projects. The Casino projects will be officially launched by the next year and this occasion is believed to be the hottest scenario to attract foreign investors. Therefore, when properties around the world have been facing massive prices downturn but prospective buyers may look disappointed in Singapore.

Australia is the sixth largest country with total land area 7,682,300 sq km and about 21 million resident populations. Australia’s property is more attractive and alternative options to invest. Instead of condominium, investors may look at vary alternatives such as mansions, houses, townhouses and land. Moreover, property growth in Australia has spread across capital cities from Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin. Magnificent economic performance in the recent years has brought Australia as the leading developed nation especially in the Asia Pasific. Australia has depends on tourism, educations and financial services to its GDP. In addition, Australia is one of the leading commodities producer and exporter in the worldwide such as coal, alumina, mineral sands, cobalt, copper, uranium, wool, sheep, diamond, zinc and lead. Other exports commodities such as lamb, beef, sugar, wheat, nickel and iron ore are also dominant in the worldwide trading. In term of fossil oil or energy sources, Australia is a net importer of oil and its refinery products. However, Australia has also crude oil and non conventional oil shale reserves. Coal in Australia is abundant and today Australia is the biggest coking coal exporter in the world. Moreover, Australia has substantial natural gas reserves. Booming commodities prices recently have absolutely brought exotic yields for producers, investors, communities and the nation. As a result, residential property was also affected by doubling its prices in the decade. While housing price plummet in the United States but Australia may still has another housing price boom in the near future. Today, property market in Australia may get slowdown as a result of higher lending rate and price also needs healthy correction.
But is it the right time to invest in property? For some people, this occasion might the right time to invest.

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