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So I have a 20KW solar array. Love it. But it has one big problem for me that is surprisingly hard/expensive to solve: If the grid power goes off, so does the solar array.
That's because the solar array feeds into the grid with me taking what I need first. But if the grid isn't up, the solar array has to shut down because it is no longer connected to the "circuit". Besides that, you wouldn't want to run your house where the power could go on and off randomly based on clouds moving in the sky.
The solution is to have a battery sink for the solar array. The solar panels feed the batteries and if the power goes off, the house uses the batteries until they run out with the solar array feeding the batteries as best they can. However, it turns out that those batteries can be expensive. Very. Very expensive. As in tens of thousands of dollars expensive.
My house has a backup generator already in the event that power goes out. But in a true Zombie apocalypse scenario, my solar array would be worthless.
You are learning the way, young Luke....
Deep cycle Pb-PbO2 cell array. Ask an electrician to come set up the pan and inverters for you. You'll need to pour a cement pad (1000 lbs of cells here), and you'll likely want to build a small building or enclosure around the station. I'm guessing you're in for 100kW-hr/day type of usage, so 5 of these puppies will set you up for a 3 hour inerrupt operation. Probably prefer to have ~20% depth of discharge, so more like 15 cells for good performance/coverage. Gel electrolyte is safer, less likely to go into thermal runaway, resistant to overcharge. Good down to about -20C or so, so okay for Michigan. Insulating the building would be better, or getting the cells protected from the elements. Plan on changing them out every 5 years. Cost will be about ~7K total.
5000lb of lead-acid battery....replaced every 5 years?
Think of the environment...buy a torch instead...
The guy's running a 20kW panel set, likely Si SC based; they're throwaway with a ~15 year life. P/N junctions are likely B/P junctions, which means a Diborane/Phosgene implant somewhere in China. Pb-PbO2 plates are largely recyclable, especially with gelled electrolytes; dendritic growth is minimized, so no Pb shavings to deal with. My little cell pack ain't the environmental no-no in this scenario.
Lead... the 'original' heavy metal.
Let's face it....'environmental no-no' is relative....and lead manufacture and use is 'slightly' high on the 'no's' [pun intended].
Cleaning/decontaminating a site from lead just to enable future habitation [housing] will make sane people think twice about having tons of it around the house.
What's it called these days....'renovators' disease' ....something like that. It's the discovery that children of home renovators have reduced brain development due to their parents stripping lead-based paint all for the cause of 'renovation'.
I won't bother responding about 'gelled electrolyte'.... it's bound to be entirely safe around children...
Okay, I think we're confusing lead, found in paints from the 50's as an additive, and lead/lead oxide sealed gel electrolyte cells, which is in bulk solid form, non respirable, and is a straightforward recylable metal (and in fact, most is). However, this does point out why I've by and large stopped coming to these forums, which is people will argue with just about anything, even when folks are trying to be helpful. You have my recommendation; best of luck to you.
I am happily connected to the 99% non-fossil fuel french electricity net. At 4.5 Eurocents a kw/h it would take me triple the lifetime of a solarpanel to get the investment back even whilst living in an area with 300 sunny days per year.
Further north towards Germany solar panels crank out a whopping 8% of their rated capacity. Not exactly the best of idea's.
Too bad on the battery issue - I guess things have progressed in Solar which is great. If memory serves me, I thought Bus batteries could be used?
If you had a stream near you I have heard a micro hydroelectric generator is a clean solution to low power production..don't know much about it other than someone I knew a long time ago was installing one with funding from local University.
Still saddens me that living on the grid is something people just take for granted until it stops. Then all hell breaks loose when they realize how dependant on power they are.
The thing with the panels not being usable for self consumption if the grid goes down shouldn't be a binding technical issue but a regulatory one due to feed in regulations / contract though?Do your panels directly feed into the grid? Is the electricity grid in your county DC based or AC-based?Whould be interesting to know what the reason is?Since from in our neck of the woods (germany) the inverter (the device changing the DC electric power into a grid-conform AC at above 95% overall efficiency if its not broken, YMMV depending on specification ect.) can depending on software and technical setup be easily switched over to self consumption (there was even a short period of about 1 year where part of the payment for renewable electricity was diverted to self consumption.).If the setup is Panel (>possibly inverter) > Grid > house and the grid is rather unstable that whould explain it (sorry if you explained it clear enough for a native speaker, isn't clear for me.).(Over here its usually Panel>Inverter>House < > Grid with im- and export to the grid dependant on size of the generator and light-conditions as well as possible other renewable or storage options in / near the house and the last 2-3 years also electricity price for the end consumer since its become cheaper due to both rising electricity price rises and cheaper panel end-installation prices.)In case of a zombie apocalypse taking some private jet /landbased / Seabased vehicle and liberating a storage option with enough capacity to power your home permanantly sounds like a good idea anyways. (trading for it with food or other life sustaining stuff with other survivors while your at it if you are nice which I guess is what you whould do )Could of cause liberate a walled place with a big solar generator on the roof while you are at it to put your liberated storage option to good use (China, Japan, Germany and Italy might be prime locations for such an endavour Possibly some places in the States as well you might know those far better than I) Easily defensible + more or less reliable power is a rather safe place in comparison. (Sure a few hours of outage each day whouldn't be the biggest worry in such a situation.)Whouldn't want to rely on a coal or especially a close nuclear station in such a case either though. shutting down a nuclear plant without (or with zombified) workers might not work soon enough before a meltdown occurs (given that a zombie apocalypse isn't exactly likely to induce controlled and selfless behavior possibly even among trained personal. Especially while being munched on by the walking dead. ).Plus the poor people holding the grid stable (which is no trivial task either) will probably also not be immune to zombification (and the grid thus will shut down first, not last).The very existance of a grid is the very thing allowing an electricity supply-system based on large fossil-nuclear power-stations on a big national scale at all (and is one of the big luxuries of developed countries).Not so much for especially solar + Battery (for extreme example see the devices in outer orbit where solar and possibly nuclear are the only current options. With nuclear ruled out for mostly obvious reasons). The alternative in the real world in many real grid-less (and often poor) places are kerosene lamps and diesel (or other liquid-fuel fed) generators. The technical comparison between those options and Solar+Battery even for lighting alone is so big it its bordering the absurd (even excluding the health ramifications of burning kerosene in the place people live / learn / sleep / eat / breathe). (also economically. Grameen Shakti helps people of Bangladesh and other places without a relibale grid install solar home systems which have a ROI of a few month currently and sinking. Even at the hefty micro-credit interest of about 10% they take. Because burning fossil also means burning large ammount of money there.)Technical comparison from 2 years ago:http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph240/machala1/In both cases the comparison has further shifted in favor of solar due to the solar + battery + LED option becoming quite a chunk cheaper (Solar +LED) and developing further (battery + mainly LED) with the kerosene option becoming quite a bit more expensive and kerosene possibly harder to come by.That trend is likely to continue.Solar+Battery might not be as reliable as perma-firing a generator or burning kerosene each evening (might be even, generators aren't error-proof either and spare-parts may be hard to get, haven't been to 3rd world with firsthand experience, the number of solar-home-systems installed by grameen Shakti and others sure looks convincing). But it sure is cheaper (to the point of enabling normal life beyond toiling for light and food at all) and offers possible utility beyond light in case of kerosene lamp alternative.People whouldn't apply that option en-masse (over a million) there if it wasn't viable for them (see http://www.gshakti.org/ Solar System for number of installed Solar Home Systems just by this one micro-financeer and development over the years).On the other side of the spectrum is middle europe where the grid-based power-supply not least thanks to the stable local, federal and national as well as the pan-european grid (both ways each) is so stable in some places its fit enough to be easily and by far the best emergency and back-up option by itself for generators even when looked at by critical institutions (at downtimes of electric power of average 1 hour per Year for the regular end-customers in the large metropolitan regions in the last decade its better then even the best generators individually can offer. Must run-units or not. For critical consumers which are shut down last its at most a few minutes and those are regulated to always have back-up options, not very likely ore desirable for them to have a power-outage any time soon.)Kudos to the people keeping that grid stable here (in spite of not being in favor of fossil nuclear myself grid-stability is not an issue in the system here to be criticized even at 25% gross anual renewable electricity generation/consumption, with large regional differences with some places allready exceeding 60% of yearly gross production currently and one federal state aiming at becoming a whopping 400% renewable electricity generation and export powerhouse in about a decade. And I have good trust in those grid-maintaining people to also cope with 40% or 60% renewables which will financially break the back of the large power generating units which are by and large very old to the point of going down for maintenance often anyways and will have to be replaced in the next decade by something (fossil-nuclear or renewable). At 25% renewables those big plants are allready in dire straits and whould burst the grid if not for the option to export into other European countries (which is usually done). Shutdown often isn't a technical much less an economic option for them since midday peak is fastly turning into midday valley. Flexibility Options whould be nice and are technically possible with gas-fired stations but in the all out raging economic, political and market regulatory-framework battle those options fall by the wayside in spite of probably mid-term neccessites (long-term storage and flexibility options are possibly going to win in a world powered by fluctuating renewable electricity). End of the year after general elections things might clear up. Currently its possibly outgoing current gouvernment + 4 big power supplier-utility oligopoly (well, to be honest its 3 now since one fell into the hands of a federal-county green-working party coaltion right after fokushima thus re-accessing its stance currently with another one possibly falling due to political and economic reasons in the coming month to a year) vs. will of majority of the local electored / parliament / federal house. With lobbyists, companies and media mingling in on various fronts. old generation vs. new since the old players have well and clearly understood that it might be their last stand if they should lose. With no guarantee that even with a first clear victory in this battle ever they might survive long term. Tense times for all involved. As usual in existential conflicts both sides loose badly since solar companies are hanging in the ropes just like some of the old powers that be are. Cell- and Module-Producers from China along with the local people installing renewable generators on their roofs or in their fields here and small-middle local installing companies might very well be the laughing 3rd when the dust settles. Beyond the Chinese everyone will sustain grave wounds economically and psychologicaly.)On a more serious note: You might want to wait for a few years and look another time for storage options then. The technical possibilites are manifold but unlike with renewable power generation (where the fluctuating generators of wind and especially solar seem to be the unlikely but clear winners) the storage options haven't reached mass-scale industrial production yet (meaning if all runs well and in five years time the systemic switch to renewables here and in China will run in full swing demand might araise along with mass-production and prices are set to fall till after another 5 years the best options might emerge).Electricaly induced electrolysis and / or following methanation (+ re-electrification and usage of exess heat from methanation step and re-electrifictaion step, only current long-term storage option which is technically ready also covers heat generation partly. Handily we also have a rather comprehensive methane gas distribution and storage network here which can be filled with either natural gas or hydrocarbons synthesized with the help of renewable electricity making it a likely systemic contender mid-term), natrium-sulfur (might be a good option for stationary applications unlike lithium ion which is (yet) comparably expensive or different lead-based options which have major environmental and direct health ramifications + might not be the cheapest in short order.), redox flow (which is a liquid chemical which can be transported comparably easily from what I understand) and mechanical storage (compressed air, fly whell) , just to name a few (to describe the options as plenty whould be quite an understatement) are all possible and promising candidates.Main Questions to be answered for you are what time of an outage do you want to cover (short-term, long term,seasonal).Combining mid-large-scale wind with solar PV alleviates most of the solar / wind (respectively) downtimes (but that is on a systemic scale might not help you localy) to a few days a year.But if the race for the best generation technology is anything to go by we can't with certainty guess which will come out top (who even of the most visionary thinkers in the renewable energy community as short as 5 years ago whould have thought that solar PV will very likely be the cheapest electricity generation option bar none sometime between the middle and the end of this decade? Possibly even beating Wind-power at about 2016 and subsidized and! written off! Lignite well into the start to middle of next decade. Since China has decided to markedly up their short term targets for solar prices are bound to fall further possibly even faster than guessed which is the norm since all estimates in the past have been way to conservative, usually by far.Prices for a KW/h of electricity generated by a newly installed solar PV-plant delivered to the consumer may well be hovering below 5 cent (euro a bit more for dollar-cent) before 2020)With Wind onshore comparably stagnating in price (high 1-digit percent-range reduction each yer) but on a very low level (development there mostly takes place in size of the generator / tower might change though) since concrete and steel don't get cheaper (unlike solar-grade polysilicate while at the same time experiencing current overproduction of panels in stock.) and probably reaching 6-7 cent till then.That is with just the evolutionary optimization constantly seen in the last 10 years with revolutionary developments in those two fields possible if not likely. (But who knows the future? Predictions have been widely off as I have alluded to, usually to pessimistic with regards to renewable electricity. Power from renewable energy in all its forms may be abundant and even freely available to citizens and companies alike reaching the state of an allmende good by the mid of this century or maybe even in many corners of the globe and possibly beyond. Like many things got with time when society evolved and things turned cheaper / commonplace / taken for granted.)If you really like to throw money at experimental storage-tech have fun but as a sound economical investment storage doesn't seem viable right now here either (neither much neccessary here short term until about 60-80% electricity share is generated by renewables. Cutting some 1% access power from point of view of the power generator or exporting it like we do with our fossil-nuclear exess energy that can't be turned down fast either are alternatives to storage among others.)If you are genuinely and highly interested in development of storage options for renewable power even at its current (wildly variying) states IRES (Internetional Renewable Energy Storage Converence and Exibition) 2013 in Berlin, Germany November this year might be of interest to you (@Moderators: feel free to delete that part if its seen as spam. Not sure if it blurs the line since while the conference itself is mostly cost-covering and Eurosolar as organizer is a non-profit organisation by local law, its your forums and you may view it as such...)That is peek at our little space of land over here (with each other european country having wildly different ideas of how to generate their future electricity. Eager to see which System is set to come out top. My bet is on fluctuating renewables + flexibility + grid + storage with efficiency being a nice idea but not often implemented into practice)Savor the luxyry of a more or less stable grid / electricity, its something which shouldn't be taken for granted indeed but here and for now it is (YMMV might be different in the states, care to elaborate happy to hear how it is on the other side of the pond.). A power outage over here is a rare and strange occurance indeed (and due to the short time and mandatory backup + tiered shutdown for critical consumers nothing which is worrying anyone besides a few media lunatics which preach the blackout while electricity is flowing outward because we generate way more than we can use and rising.)
Problem with Germany is that it went down the wrong path and is trying to get out of it without too much loss of face/money. They are overloading the european grid with their massive windcharges to the point their neighbors cut off their flow so as not bear the brunt.
German electricity gets sold for negative prices during high winds, which is why the renewable surcharge in Germany keeps on mounting. Germany is in fact subsidizing the electricity of their neighbors with taxpayers money. One would have thought someone would at least looked at the Danish fiasco before dumping 140 billion euro's and rising in a dead-end project.
At least it's clear now why Germany has opted for shale fracking, they need the gas to keep prices somewhat reasonable and not look like total nutcases burning (brown)coal to be 'green'.
Oh, you can freely let us take our own path. Thank you very much. Lets just agree to disagree in our perceptions on what is the right path for our respective countries (and not muddle opinon since you seem to imply clarity of fact for our country as a whole when it seems rather opinion from the outside.).And go your path in france as you may desire (heard that your current president wants a share of 25% renewables sometime in the next decade. Of course look from the outside may be way off). I won't tell you what I think of that for peaces sake and since I have enough to do with our situation here. We'll see which economy had the better idea 10 and especially 20 years from now (when renewable energy plants built now will be written off, no longer burdened by the electricity consumer and long paid for but still contine to run if existing long-term experiences are anything to go by.)Since its not a choice between equal products even if the end result is electricity from a plug.Something which the taxpayers or more correctly electricity consumers (since unlike you have outlined taxpayers profit from expansion of renewables since its a big positive for state budget side of things unlike past, present and future subsidies for fossil-nuclear, while the cost for renewables is burdened directly by the electricity end-consumers and small-to medium enterprises. Since our model of the EEG is not tax-subsidy-based like it was in Spain but consumption based, with huge commercial consumers now being exempt. One of the many tries to attack the core of the EEG. So in the end roughly simplified the electored and local business pays for it directly per Kilowathour.) here have well understood and are endorsing by and large the higher initial cost of new renewable generators compared to old and written of plants soon reaching the end of their lifecycle (and are being kept alive well beyond their intended run time since its the only lifeline left to our 3 left big utilities opposing the complete switch to renewables. Since they can't reach the profit margins which their investors).Technically we don't overcharge the european grid with windloads but with the fossil loads which are connected to the highest levels of the grid and have a very hard time technically as well as economically to be switched off. (Wind-Power which is mostly connected to the lower and mostly middle-voltage layers of our grid with solar mostly connected to the lowest layers and a bit to the mid voltage layer. Limitless transforming upwards / downwards is not technically feasible. Net stuff is so extremely complicated though to warrant its own thread. All I say about that here is very very simplified.) Let alone any interest in their operators to switch them off since running a written off old plant is like printing money for them.Fluctuating renewable sourced generators can easily be switched off since the regulation for getting grid access at all demands it for them.by law renewable electricity has preference in grid access (something not even our current gouvernment dares touching. So don't expect that changing anytime soon).But grid stability takes preference so in the case you outlined even renewable generators might be switched off (can't give a fair overview / insight of that since I'm not from a law profession).So feel free to cut any lines you have and prevent us from exporting our fossil and nuclear stuff. Allright by me since it whould finish off our oligopolists (but unlikely to happen in reality, its a lot of saber rattling between countries as usual but mostly the grid is open in all directions in reality. Since all sides profit from added stability and cheap power, preaching of blackouts is mostly scaremongering. At least here. Don't know for france. Might be a bit different though I somehow doubt it.).Your opinion is one which our government whould and the strong lobbies behind it whould wholehartely agree with (to be fair about it, on the other side of the specturm 75% of our populace according to representative surveys [which should always be taken with a large pinch of salt] + the federal house of parliament [Bundesrat] is not exactly a weak lobby either...). Btw the info that we voted for large-scale eploitation of shale fracking is a misinfo (a small part of our gouvernment might want to enforce trails but we are nowhere near mass-exploring or exploiting anything like this. Getting any fossil exploration or generation running is next to impossible on the ground here sice local protest brings anthing of the sort beyond small- middle gas plants to a standstil which are not economically viable unlike most renewables which are with a few exceptions usually welcomed.).Synthetic Methane from exess renewable electricity (in peak times) is the much more likely option mid-term here for generating large ammounts of CH4 (shale gas is likely also just a mid-term option here if at all due to people here not liking it. To put it very mildly)Governments current policy seems to be rather large scale implementation of Lignite-fired stations (or brown-coal for poeple not understanding the technical term which are almost as unlikely to pass local protests as new nuclear plants.)Gas fired plants as I outlined are currently falling by the wayside since they are the most expensive source of power by far and midday-peak prices are fastly turning into midday valley prices. Currend gas-fired stations are usually cancelled since they can't even now get the economically neccessary run-hours.You might want to split what is the opinion of the government and what is the opinion of the federal, and regional governments and the electored. Which is very different here (and a luckily a block to what our gouvernment is trying with axing renewables).Meaning. Its currently unlikely that our government gets its will in that regard. Hard as they might try.Generalisation is of the mark and any clear picture is a mirage in the thik fog of battle. From someone standing right in the fog. The picture from outside may be even more way off (its hard enough to even get a clear picture right at the place of the action).Our main "problem" currently is that the path ahead is not clear. But that might change sooner or later (likely in favor of renewables since a clear majority of voters will can only be ignored for so long). And is to be expected in a bitter struggle for existence on both sides. Politically as well as economically.Oh and about the "danish fiasco" as you so eloquently put it: Might want to research what the leader of the danish government axing wind-power-shft there says in retrospective about his own gouvernment policy. He sure seems to have learned something different than what you seem to have learned from it.Synopsis: We are mostly happy here with our "wrong" choice. Not all of us sure. As I said raging battle with no clear outcome.
20 trillion dollars of recoverable shale oil in Australia will likely change the world's 'dynamics' re Oil and its exploitation as a global 'power' of influence.
It's in a part of the planet where fracking may even be 'tolerated'....
I make equipment used for geothermal and fracking. Go geothermal if you want to hug the environment and not sit in a car battery lined house waiting for the sun to pop out so you can surf for porn while eating Cheetos and a ding dong. Only issue you may have to move... to find a suitable geo-t site... oh well. And yes I too have orange fingers.
Not likely. Hydro-fracking wells have steep falls in production, and huge ecologic costs
It is mainly a new investor bubble, as were algae biofuels, corn biofuels, etc. No silver bullets for the mess we are in.
That's America, not Australia....
Alright! Now we get to invade Australia! Always knew they were connected to alquadia.
Germany's Offshore Fiasco: North Sea Wind Offensive Plagued by Problems
German renewable surcharge to rise by 47 percent
Sunny Business: Germans Cough Up for Solar Subsidies
"Energiewende könnte bis zu einer Billion Euro kosten"
and last but not least Danmark:
A Problem With Wind Power
In 1998, Norway commissioned a study of wind power in Denmark and concluded that it has "serious environmental effects, insufficient production, and high production costs."
Yep, sounds like a real good deal to me. And France talks the talk because it has to (EU directive) but for sure isn't going to walk the walk being completely broke and doesn't need to since it relies on 98% clean energy production.
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By "clean energy" you mean nuclear fission? Riiigggght...
Nuclear fission is actually extremely clean with proper recycling of the waste products. You can feed an insane percentage of the wastes back into the reactor after they're recycled.
As Spardason21 says, about 98% of the energy content is used. Per kw/h generated fission is to date the safest,cleanest,least expensive,most reliable form of energy production in existence.
France is 80% fission, the rest hydro and other forms of clean energy. 1.something percent is for gasfired backupgenerators.
Therein lies the fun part. Up here in my neck of the woods we've recently had 6 nuclear waste storage tanks leaking into the ground. The government's answer is to ship it to an even more remote location in New Mexico.
I'm all for nuclear energy. I agree that it's one of the best options for power generation in the near future and is probably our best bet to kick the crude oil habit. I know that it has a lot of advantages to it (like being cheap, relatively safe and reliable).
I view nuclear power like airline travel. Airlines are statistically the safest way to travel, but when something goes wrong on an airplane, something usually goes really wrong. We still travel on airlines for the convenience, safety and reliability, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't care about airline safety procedures.
You can say nuclear power is "clean", and while going off of just emissions is it technically true, I'm not sure you or I would want one in my backyard, especially after Fukushima.
To put your mind at rest here is the WHO fukyousima report: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1828618/fukyousimaWHO.pdf Nobody died yet, nor is likely to.
As for leakage, yep that's bad. Not as bad as most people think, since it all depends on the nature of the stuff and when it's stored just like that it's not that toxic. What most people fail to realize you get a way higher dose of radiation in your won home if you live in a modern well insulated ecological house then the average nuclear worker.
And... even then the 'safe' level of radiation per day is really really really ridiculously safe. Way beyond safe, it's absurd.
Well, if your Gouvernment is broke (I assume you mean french national budget) its likely they will also walk the walk. Since feed-in tarifs are consumtion based not state finance based (I assume the french feed-in tarif moddel works like ours, if your government pursues the spanish model of state financed feed in tarifs your guess that it can't work is understandable. But that is unlikely for the very reason of your state finances) meaning frenchs national budget and regional budgets whould majorly profit as do ours (usually here regions going all or majorly renewable massively profit from it, hence the places where renewables are actually built fastly up their targets substantially).While the cost of electricity for individual households is likely to rise steeply by expanding the installed renawble capacity (since its relatively low in france. On average at a bit over 10 Eurocents per KW/h)Here overall consumer electricity prices are set to fall mid-term not rise since they are so high (on average at about 26 Eurocent per KW/h with quite a lot of individual variation and steeply rising each year) due to our oligopolist structures on selling electricity (meaning no private consumer ever sees the rather low production costs for fossil.), the (profit) premium slapped by our 3 remaining old-thinking utilities for conventional energy is very high here (one reason why customers desert them in droves).The allready paid state-budget-based (or alternatively alleviation of taxation and subsidies) for nuclear might very well be the reason why your national budget is broke.A trillion (1 000 000 000 000 for my fellow countrymen and those of other countries which might mix up the words since our "eine Billionen" is translated into english "one trillion") € might sound alot but that is a pirme example how scaremongering is done. Since the trillion (which isn't paid up-front, but with each actually delivered KW/h when its actually delivered by the private electricity end consumer) is actually very cheap (in fact so cheap I think its somewhat unlikely by todays predictions in price decline for renewable generators which might as usual/ever be to conservative by quite a bit so comming around being a possibility.)Here is why: The trillion for completely switching to 100 % renewables (including most of the research, infrastructure, flexibility options as well as profits for the operators) is for getting 20 Years of all (or nearly all) of our electricity from renewables which means: that the trillion is divided by 600 TW/h (600 000 000 000 KW/h) germany as a whole (very roughly) consumes annually divided again by the time (20 years) it is paid for.(Or to put it to be clearly and easily understood the way it is paid: 1 000 000 000 000 € divided by 600 000 000 000 KW/h divided by 20 years of this ammount delivered annually equals a whopping 0,083(period 3) € per KW/h so a tad above 8 cent per KW/h and thus even below the price the average private consumer in france pays, according to your statements with large variation since you just pay about 5 Eurocent)Aferterward the renewable plants (especially solar panales which unlike what you have assumed in your initial post in the thread don't by and large technically break on average after 20 years, its just the time the feed-in tariffs are guaranteed if electricity is delivered during that timeframe) will have been paid for but still be running not much unlike the old conventional plats which run way longer than initially intended (since written off plants are a huge moneymaker for their operators). With two important differences: those plants don't consume fuel (minus biomass which is getting more and more marginal here for just this reason and others) and if something happens to the plant the investor carries the risk not wider society (since no more money flows if no more electricity flows that is also true during the 20 Years not just after and the overall risks are marginal).That's especially cheap compared to the 600 billion (600 000 000 000) € which nuclear has cost us in Germany initially, is costing us currently and will cost us in the future taken together (and that is shouldered indeed by the taxpayer + a big chunk of it was shouldered up-front unlike with renewables where the electricity end-consumer foots the bill.) for the measly 25% of our electricity nuclear provided to our mix before a good number of the plants where switched off in the aftermath of fokusima. A loss of a key former conservative federal state to the greens cemented the societal concensus to exit nuclear at 2022 at the very latest, likely much earlier (after our current renewable hating and formerly nuclear loving government both spectacularly failed to push through an exit from our prior nuclear exit strategy in 2010/ early2011 and then 1 year later and more spectacularly failed to push through an exit from solar expansion in spite of them badly wanting to. Parliaments and especially people didn't let them. The very people who foot the bill for renewable btw. Talk about clear sign of intent to pay the bill if there ever was one...).But Mr. Altmeier is quite apt at putting up perfectly low sums as something scary by summing something up which isn't paid in one (if the same thing was done for fossil-nuclear here the sum whould be about 3 times higher for the same timeframe. With a much larger chunk being the profit margins of the operators.).No politically non-suicidal politician in Germany publicly declares his / her support for nuclear anymore. So its not even worth discussing much here from a german perspective (and whould also be vastly off-toppic in a thread about grid-connected solar plants). The next and possibly final battle will be about / against coal and especially lignite here (since anthrazithe coal is no longer feasible, not as bad for operators as gas but still to bad to do without usage / monetisation of excess heat).The major faliure of offshore wind in its curent form is elating since its an incompetent effort by our government and 3 left big utilities to force the old paradigms (tax-based, pre-payment, society foots the bill if something fails) onto renewables which doesn't work by and large to the luck of the electricity end-consumer (and whould have been exessively expensive if widely implemented the way our government and 3 big utilities had planned).Also offshore windparks as planned (and failed) are centralized (both financially and technically) and take larger (and higher layers of the) grids to transport the power to places of consumption as well as producing power more spread out than onshore wind and relying on that power being consumed / paid for to be financially feasible thus being incompatible with fluctuating renewables (putting that money into onshore whould have been much more sensible but it doesn't work for our 3 big left utilities since the profit margins are much lower for them there. Whould have still been worse than going the regular feed-in-tariff model anyways. Good riddance.).So from all angles incompatible with the new energy system germany will have in the next 10 to 20 years (depending on how vigorously our governments resist the shift to renewables which any of our governments in the last one and a half decades has done less or like currently more.) which will be based on mainly fluctuating renewable energies (solar PV from small to large as well as onshore wind are the very likely winners of the race for best generators of power)Putting large ammounts of a technology very early in its development cycle (offshore wind is basically an utterly different technology and technically where Solar was 10 years ago and Wind about 15 years ago.) is not the best of ideas (yet). Better starting small (which regular feed-in tarrifs allow and foster as seen with wind and solar as well as other technologies) and go up from there when problems have been fixed and prices have lowered considerably. Another failed try of our 3 big untilities to take over renewables by force and profit from it. Another Nail in their coffin (not a big one mind you, having to switch out their old written off nuclear plants has hurt them so much more.).Doesn't show that renewables as a whole are a failure though, just shows that our government and 3 big utilities don't get how broad-scale implementation of renewables works.The reuters article you quoted (while a bit flawed here and there) reported on the core reason for our most recent renewable surcharge rise (with the renewable surcharge itself being a gross misrepresentation of how renewables work whichs implementation has caused much damage especially to operators of the neccessary gas plants. The mechanism was implemented by our current government with futile hope to integrate renewable electricity into a non-existing market not achieving anything set out to do while costing alot and not adding a single KW/h to our grid. Feed-in tarrifs worked much better without it. But one could say that was the main hidden intent.): The disproportionate exemption of our large-scale electricity consuming industry to the hurt of the end-consumer (that part doesn't have to do the slightest with getting more renewable or any kind of electricity into the grid. Exemption from net-usage tarrifs has recently been declared illegal by the EU which is bound to lower the burden consumers have to pay).Quoting studies from one and a half decades ago (the denmark one) doesn't sound like a solid base for discussion in a world where in energy technologies realities change in a few months time (especially if said study was a base for a policy which the then acting prime minister of Denmark today defines as one of the worst choices of his term in gouvernment. Proof how politically charged studies can yield abysmal results in reality) Lastly digging up press articles from renewable critical journalists in Germany(and "Der Spiegel" famos for its "Man bites Dog" journalism in terms of reporting on energy is about as loony as they get summoning up the myths of renewables couldn't contribute any substantial part of our electricity supply, to implying that prices for renewable electricity per KW/h whould go up, raising the spectre of blackouts as well as offering a broad platform for climate change sceptics makes them a proven source of misinformation about renewables and energy as a whole, no matter how important their other rather more serious contributions to our media landscape are on the line between Boulevard and serious journalism) won't get this thread anywhere (besides being even more off topic than even the discussion about nuclear) since there is abundant material backing all positions there so we could fill another 2 or 3 threads 10 times the size of this one with citing german media opinion about the issue (which is largely irrelevant for the people on all sides struggling for the new system + is obsolete all few months since the battle rages and what looks likely today might look much different tomorrow.)Unless of course you fully indend to kill this thread and frogboys search for bakup options complementing his solar plant which he outspokenly likes (as stated in his OP) and discussion about it (Or are you seriously implying he should operate a small nuclear plant in his cellar to cover his grid outages)?If you like nuclear in your own country so much why not make a thread in this section of the forums all of its own about the (in your opinion) wonders of nuclear power?Rather leave out references about germany (whichs populations majority was from the very start anti nuclear power about the state japans society is in after fokusima, while being radicalized much more after the latest meltdown) and japan though since we can speak / think and fight out our economic coices by ourselves without generalizing statements which are bound to draw flack (as are nearly all statements about other countries politics.). I don't go and declare other countries (notably france's) citizens as loons for their economic choices (no matter how much I deslike said choices in case of nuclear for example. Even less in threads which have nothing to do with nuclear) for a reason. Doubt that is even fully covered by the rules of this forum.We will see which country had the better idea 10-20 years from now. Any prediction is bound to very likely to be anyways (as have all previous ones, to conservative in the case of renewables.)
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Yesterday I shared with you how my life purpose came to me. It came only after I realized, on that camping trip of prayer and fasting, that God really didn't need my accumulated education, skills or experiences. He only wanted me, specifically my love for Him.
Here is the rest of that story.
The very next day, one of my Wheaton professors told me about a job opportunity that seemed tailor-made for me and all of my seemingly unrelated life experiences. It was a position in service to the poor with a consortium of relief and development agencies in Haiti. And, you guessed it, Compassion was part of that group of agencies.
That was 35 years ago. Decades have passed, and I've never once regretted my decision to dedicate my life to the mission of Compassion. God has blessed this organization greatly over the years. He has blessed me, too.
But every once in a while I stop and realize that nothing has really changed. He still doesn't need me to lead Compassion in order to bless the poor. He can do that all by Himself. He still wants only my love.
I've made it a habit to pause daily and ask myself,
"Do I really love Him today?"
I encourage all of us in this Compassion family do the same. Had I not discovered that truth — that what He wants from me is my love — I am convinced I never would have found my life's purpose.
If you will love God with your whole heart and trust fully in Him, He will direct you. He wants to use your gifts and experiences to accomplish His perfect plan for your life. Where will loving God lead you?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that we can trust You with our lives. Thank You that when we commit to put Your kingdom first, all these other things, including our path in life, are added to us. May we live lives pleasing to You today.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.

subset: commoncrawl


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Completing a project to build 3 million homes for its suffering population is the next big initiative Venezuela wants to finance with its digital currency, the petro. The socialist government in Caracas says there is enough money and materials to fulfill the main objective of the "Great Housing Mission."
Also read: Crypto-Friendly Statesman Takes Over Swiss Presidency
Minister Urges Construction Companies to Accept Petro
The Venezuelan Ministry of Housing is now joining forces with other government institutions to revive a state-sponsored program focused on the building of new apartment blocks for the masses. The leftist administration of President Maduro hopes to boost Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela (GMVV) using the oil-backed national cryptocurrency, the petro.
During the first government meeting in 2019, the housing minister Ildemaro Villarroel invited both state-run and private companies to support the ambitious plan, the Prensa Latina news agency reported. The official emphasized that using the sovereign digital coin to fund the construction projects will also help consolidate the economic independence of the South American country.
Villarroel insisted that GMVV has both the necessary budget and the construction materials needed to reach its target – the completion of 3 million housing units by the end of this year. The new homes will be distributed among Venezuelans from different walks of life with priority given to professionals, young people and senior citizens.
The minister added that over 2.5 million new homes have already been delivered and another 1 million have been renovated as part of the "Great Housing Mission Venezuela." The program has also allocated over 1 million plots of urban land.
Mission Far From Accomplished
Faced with pressing economic challenges, hyperinflation and foreign sanctions, the Venezuelan government has put great hopes on the success of its cryptocurrency. Authorities in Caracas launched the public sale of the petro in October last year, but all buyers have been able to get so far are so-called "petro certificates," not any digital coins.
At the same time, Nicolas Maduro's administration has made a number of loud announcements about the petro. The digital currency was adopted as official unit of account along with the country's redenominated fiat, the bolivar. Wages and pensions have been calculated in the state-issued cryptocurrency. The Venezuelan president promised special economic zones to stimulate its circulation and assured Venezuelans they'll be able to purchase homes and property with the petro.
Venezuelan officials have been trying to convince partnering countries and organizations to accept the crypto for international trade deals. The Russian Federation, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the members of the regional "Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America" (ALBA) have been offered the petro, so far with little success.
The large-scale housing projects may also soon grind to a halt. According to а recent report, Russian and Chinese construction businesses have already pulled out of the country. Caracas owes over $110 million to the Belarusian state-owned Belzarubezhstroy, one of the few foreign companies still building in Venezuela. Minsk, however, has been reluctant to accept the repayment of the debt in petro.
Do you think Venezuela will be able to finance housing projects with its digital currency? Tell us in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Belzarubezhstroy.
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The post Venezuela Wants to Use Petro to Finance Large Housing Program appeared first on Bitcoin News.
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Camilleri: The mystery within
I've haven't read the entire series, of which ten novels have been translated into English, and the ones I have read, I've read out of series order. But I'll make a tentative guess that Camilleri began to emphasize the personal, tender touch with Excursion to Tindari, fifth in the series.
Montalbano, the novels' third-person point-of-view character, is as much a mystery, a puzzle, and a surprise to himself as the murders he is called upon to solve. "He realized he was awake," the novel begins, "as his mind was functioning logically and not following the absurd labyrinths of dreams." The first subject of Montalbano's investigation is Montalbano.
Perhaps the most mischievous personal touch is Camilleri's choice of the mystery novel that Montalbano tries to read but is continually distracted from ever finishing. In The Smell of the Night, that book was by Georges Simenon. Here the novel is by the author for whom Camilleri named Montalbano: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. This is a puckish yet heartfelt an act of tribute and self-reference as I can think of in crime fiction.
© Peter Rozovsky 2009
Labels: Andrea Camilleri, Italy, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Montalbano and sympathy, Sicily


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How Can Role-Playing Improve Peer-To-Peer Feedback?
This is a guest post by Boise State professor, Yu-Hui Ching.
I am an assistant professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University. I have been using VoiceThread for discussions and ice-breaking activities in my online courses for two years. My students and I enjoy VoiceThread because we can see and hear each other, which helps us build a more connected learning community.
In my recently published research article, I tackled a problem that concerns many online instructors – how to guide students to provide quality peer feedback. Peer evaluation is a very useful formative assessment strategy (i.e., soliciting feedback while the course is in session) that has been used extensively in our graduate online courses. In such activities, students will typically share a draft of their assignment, and provide feedback to assist in improving the quality of the work of their peers. Ideally, I would like students to provide constructive feedback, but in reality, without support from the instructor, many students only provide comments at a superficial level, such as, "Great job!" or "I agree with you." Previous research has found that not all students are capable of providing quality feedback due to various reasons. Some students lack the needed domain knowledge to evaluate the work of their peers, while others feel anxious as they don't want to appear to be overly critical.
In this research study, role-playing was used as an innovative strategy to help scaffold the process of providing peer feedback. This research was situated in a case study activity where students were asked to analyze a complex case scenario related to the subject matter of Instructional Design. They created an audio/video presentation to showcase their analysis of the case, and shared the presentation with the class. Students were then asked to take on the role of a stakeholder in the case scenario and comment on their peers' analysis based on the stakeholder's perspective.
For example, in a case situated in an elementary school setting, many learners chose the associate principal's role from which to construct their feedback. Students were further guided to address two questions: (1) How does the analysis address your existing (the stakeholder's) concerns and/or needs? (2) What are some concerns you may have toward the analysis (and the solutions if there are any)? At the end of the activity, students revised their analysis of the case based on peer feedback and then submitted the assignment for a grade.
How did VoiceThread come into play? Because it is very easy to use and it allows multimedia presentation as well as audio/video comments, VoiceThread was selected as the discussion interface for this collaborative activity. Thanks to the audio/video comment sharing function, some students became quite engaged in the role-playing and tried to use different voices to reflect the characters of the role they played.
The research findings revealed potential positive impact of role-playing on learners' generation of constructive feedback. With the role-playing strategy, students identified more problems in the work of their peers, when compared to those who responded to peers without playing a role. As revealed in my survey results, 60% of learners perceived the role-play strategy as useful in assisting them in composing and providing meaningful feedback. Overall, 90% of learners reported peer feedback useful or somewhat useful. Some students reported that when playing a role, they were able to provide more focused feedback because they only needed to comment from one perspective. In addition, they felt role-playing helped relieve the feeling of criticizing or attacking their peers because they spoke from the role of the stakeholder.
Personally, I think the most interesting finding from my study is that the role-playing strategy alleviated students' anxiety when critiquing peers' work. Overcoming affective barriers, students were able to identify problems and concerns in peer analysis, which demonstrates the use of higher-order thinking – critical and evaluative thinking, in particular. Although not reported in this study, students and the instructor also recognized VoiceThread as a user-friendly and versatile virtual interface that empowers learners through meaningful and authentic asynchronous collaborative experiences.
If you are interested in reading more about this research, here is the link to the full-text article: "Exploring the Impact of Role-Playing on Peer Feedback in an Online Case-Based Learning Activity".
Finally, here is a link to another VoiceThread study: Collaborative learning using VoiceThread in an online graduate course.
Yu-Hui Ching earned a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems and her focus is on Instructional Design, Educational Technology and Learning. You can follow her on twitter at @ChingBSU.


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NETGEAR's New Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender Maximizes Wireless Coverage to Get the Most from Your Home Network
NETGEAR's New WiFi Range Extender Eliminates Dead Spots and Extends Both WiFi Bands for the Best Wireless Experience Anywhere in Your Home
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – January 9, 2012 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR),a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the worldwide launch of the Universal Dual-Band WiFi Range Extender (WN2500RP). The WN2500RP was designed specifically to extend the wireless range and optimize performance of any existing home network.
NETGEAR's Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender extends the coverage of both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi signals from an existing wireless router or gateway, providing consumers with the convenience of a flexible and improved WiFi connection. The WN2500RP offers simultaneous dual-band WiFi which runs both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands concurrently, doubling WiFi bandwidth and reducing WiFi interference. With NETGEAR's FastLane Technology for range extenders, consumers can opt to use a performance optimized operating mode that is ideal for HD video streaming and online gaming. In addition, the Dual Band WiFi Range Extender supports up to four wired to WiFi connections, turning any Ethernet-enabled entertainment or computing device into a WiFi-enabled device quickly and easily.
"With the proliferation of connected devices in the home, consumers today increasingly rely on the strength and stability of their home wireless network. NETGEAR's new WiFi range extenders make it easier for consumers to improve their overall wireless experience by getting the most out of their existing wireless network," said Damir Skripic, product line manager for connected entertainment at NETGEAR.
NETGEAR's Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender is easy to install and set up with no need for a CD or Ethernet cable.
Pricing and Availability
The NETGEAR Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender is available now in the United States starting at $89.99.
More Information
Learn more about the NETGEAR Dual-Band WiFi Range Extender at www.netgear.com/WN2500RP.
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 28,000 retail locations around the globe, and through more than 37,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. More information is available at http://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR athttp://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR. © 2012 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR and the NETGEAR logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Information is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.
Note: Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput will vary from maximum signal rates stipulated. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning NETGEAR's business and the expected performance characteristics, specifications, reliability, and specific uses of NETGEAR's products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR's products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors," pages 48 through 67, in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 2, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2011. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
# # #
U.S. Media Contact: Jeff Norris, Weber Shandwick for NETGEAR, 408) 530-8458,email@example.com
U.S. Sales Inquiries: (408) 907-8000, firstname.lastname@example.com
U.S. Customer Inquiries: (888) NETGEAR


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When reading to an audience, or speaking in conversation, when is it appropriate to use the original pronunciation of a foreign word versus the English pronunciation (assuming you know the appropriate pronunciation for it)? Is it considered rude, or condescending? Or is it considered a mark of being knowledgeable?
One of the things to consider are place names. When referring to Paris, France, should it be pronounced with the silent 'S' as the French would say it, or with the 'S'? Should Hiroshima be pronounced as a Japanese speaker would pronounce it slightly more emphasis on RO, rather than the SHI? Should Mount Pinatubo be pronounced as a Filipino speaker would pronounce it with shorter stronger vowels, or the longer vowels? (e.g. Pi as is 'pick' rather than 'pea'.) Should Wichita be pronounces as the original "shi" rather than the modern "chi"?
Pronounce pesos or sombrero as a Spanish speaker 'eh' or the English 'ay'?
(I can't think of other common words right now that aren't words taken from other languages like hurricane, boondocks, tornado, etc. which I think have (correctly) changed to English pronunciations.)


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Spring 2005
Looking for clues
Notebook in hand, Paul Davis works like a journalist, trying to figure out what makes us tick
I have to admit I got it wrong with Paul Davis. My aim was to write an essay about British designers' favourite artist / illustrator, rather than a profile, but I decided to go and see him anyway to pick up information about his way of working. I planned to maintain a polite, professional distance, but Davis is friendly and sociable, with a way of pulling you into his world. He enjoys food, drinking, telling stories, hanging out. And he wanted to go for lunch, so we did. Davis spoke freely, with great warmth, and I concluded this first meeting with the sense that he would probably make an exceptionally communicative interviewee. Perhaps an interview-based profile was the best way of tackling this, after all. Still, I wanted to write something more discursive.
We made another date to meet. This time he was edgy. The prospect of a more formal, tape-recorded interview seemed to rattle him. My main concern was finding somewhere quiet enough to make a good recording, and we wound up in a dark brown, dimly lit ante-room, like something out of a David Lynch film, in a bar near to his studio in Curtain Road, East London. With the tape running, Davis was an odd mixture of volubility and slightly awkward reticence. It was hard to glean much detail about his intentions as an artist – he would say two or three short sentences and then clam up. But in other more private and emotional matters, which I hadn't asked about, he was almost too forthcoming, though I couldn't help admiring his openness and generosity of spirit.
I emerged not much the wiser about his methods, but with my impressions of his work, as I had first perceived it, deflected, if not compromised, by my growing awareness of the man. I had lost my detachment. After such generosity, how could I be anything other than generous in return? I had even heard his view of critics – 'a really horrible way of living'. This didn't appear to be personal, but being treated as an exception only made it worse.
Davis was born in Paulton, Somerset in 1962. He graduated from Exeter College of Art and Design in 1985, but it was more than a decade before he made much headway. In the late 1980s, he worked mainly in collage, then the dominant approach in illustration. The high point came in 1988 when he exhibited a series of personal pieces created with David O'Higgins in a show titled 'Spanking Britain'. The 25 collages, Davis explained at the time, reflected disillusionment with design, the media, popular culture, fashion, the financial sector, postmodern housing in Docklands, and the invention of the yuppie. He subsequently abandoned collage, realising that he would much sooner draw, but found himself churning out undemanding magazine illustrations to order. The sense of disenchantment remained.
In 1996, it occurred to Davis that constant seasonal change meant that there might be a future in fashion illustration and he showed a collection of images to Jo Dale at The Independent on Sunday's Sunday Review. Dale commissioned a series of full-page watercolours illustrating clothes and accessories by Gucci, Chanel, Calvin Klein and Paul Smith. Some of Davis's later traits were already evident: random scribbles, figures floating against nebulous backgrounds, and a kind of studied clumsiness, as though the artist were drawing less well than he could. Within days, Harvey Nichols had approached Davis to create an eleven-window display to promote the menswear department at its Knightsbridge store, while Sir Terence Conran, also thinking big, commissioned an 80 ft mural for his new Bluebird restaurant in Kensington. By the end of the 1990s, Davis was collaborating with British advertising art director Tony Arefin in New York on IBM's Magic Box campaign, his biggest, most lucrative project to date.
He continues to work for some high-profile commercial clients – ads for Virgin Atlantic, an annual review for Channel Four – but these illustration projects display a softer, more pliable, more decorative side. Davis understands design, appears to get on well with designers and is sympathetic to their aims, but like many who straddle the art / design divide, it is clear that the work that matters to him most allows him to record his experiences and reactions without compromise. These more personal pieces have won him attention. The commercial projects trade off the Davis charisma with some charm, but if they were the sum total of his output we would not be talking about him.
Davis seems most himself when, on the page, he is doing very little. A drawing of a surfer, from a series of ten, is as spare and mysterious as a haiku. Davis captures the essential features of the man's face with just a few shaky outlines and scribbles. His eyes seem unfocused: he is lost in world of his own. The stubble on his chin suggests his casual lifestyle and the sideburn proclaims 'dude'. 'I'm so far outside normal society', says the hand-lettered copyline over his head. Above that, Davis has written 'A surfer explains:' and this small addition is vital. We would have no idea without it who the man is, but it also establishes a context for his disaffection. He evidently sees himself as part of a special group, living by an alternative code. His remark implies that 'normal society' could never understand him, yet he looks spaced out, wasted, not entirely there. There is an unmistakable note of irony in Davis's scene-setting. The man is clearly kidding himself. He isn't the bold, socially radical surf hero he imagines himself to be.
One final element of the image is also typical of Davis's work. The drawing has been made on a narrow-ruled notepad, with a torn top edge and crossed-out elements left as they stand. The picture may or may not have been created in situ (on a beach? in a bar?) but the notepaper adds a feeling of immediacy, informality and verisimilitude. Davis might, of course, have made up this surfer character, but the sketch has the air of something seen and heard and faithfully transcribed, like a visual report.
This is how he operates. The people in his pictures seem real because usually they are real. He interrogates friends and acquaintances. He listens in on conversations in bars and restaurants – 'Yes, my husband's penis is rather small' – and overhears moments of unfortunate candour and self-revelation in the street: 'Fuck off. Of course I love you.' He approaches strangers in hotel lobbies, asks them impertinent questions and makes a careful note of what they say. His likeable manner sets his subjects at ease and they allow him to get in close. In some ways, Davis works like a journalist with notebook in hand, looking for clues to what people are thinking about now and what makes them tick. His drawings may be reduced to a few simple elements, offering the viewer a deceptively quick hit, but he has an unerring ability to delineate – and flay – a personality with just a few incisive strokes. He can do this with graphite, coloured pencil, ink or paint. These faces are both characters and types. We feel we know people like this.
The bleakness of Davis's view is alleviated by humour, but its prevailing colour is black. His characters are empty vessels: foolish, ignorant, self-centred, deluded and boring. Davis returns repeatedly to sex and relationships (with the emphasis on sex), to the self-aggrandising folly of the business world, and to the general emptiness of it all – in one drawing even bullshit comes in a Liquitex tube. 'I think new media is fascinating', observes a talking potato head, a minimal figure even by Davis's usual standards. God Knows, his latest publication from Browns, introduces us to a grinning Director of Global Sloganeering and an equally shifty Product Revamp Director – their ponderous job titles are comment enough. In Blame Everyone Else (2003), also for Browns, Davis scratches out the golden tresses of yet another jargon-spouting new media lackey: 'D'you realise that cross-platform sharing has been a reality for some time now, as has multi-tasking, living brands, resonant messaging and many more'? she inquires, her empty words occupying far more space than her own image. Another small, bowed figure appears to be afflicted by almost every malaise that modern life can throw at a person: 'Bankrupt, overdrawn, credit blacklisted, lonely and terminally ill.'
Davis has been described as a satirist, but he dislikes the term. Nor does he regard himself as a moralist, though he admires William Hogarth, who certainly was. He takes issue with the suggestion that his work criticises the world, even though this is what it does. Davis prefers to describe his output as a 'reflection' of what he sees, and himself as a 'misanthropist'. When I pointed out that the definition of misanthropy – a little-used word these days – was hatred of the human race, he denied that it meant this. As a self-declared 'beauty-ist' and life-loving romantic, he seems to interpret misanthropy as the stance of someone struggling with deep dismay at the way people so often fall short of their potential to live good lives, behave decently and tell the truth.
Here I run into problems because, while I can accept this statement of intention after becoming acquainted with the man, it certainly wasn't quite how I read the work before I met him. Davis's drawings are unsentimental and unsparing, often to the point of cruelty. His most sustained feat of reporting and concentrated jet of bile is the book Us & Them (Laurence King, 2004), documenting what the British think of the Americans and the Americans think of the Brits. Davis's caustic ear for self-serving nonsense and fatuous opinions delivered in tones of great authority is pitch perfect and the acid flows from his pen. 'There's a certain "old school" arrogance. AH HATE IT!' shrieks a woman he encounters in a Chicago hotel. From the way Davis draws her, with desiccated body, face screwed tight in fury and ropes of hair hanging down to the floor, it is hard to believe that the loathing isn't mutual. In many ways, the ostensible theme of the book, transatlantic misperceptions, seems like no more than a pretext. Us & Them's real subject – and it is Davis's abiding concern – is the fallibility and delusion that is part of our human nature, wherever we happen to live.
A number of striking image-makers have come to the fore in recent few years, but Davis is top of the heap. He was voted 'best illustrator working today' by readers of Creative Review in 2002. Why do people like his work so much? It has an attitude, a spark of ruthlessness, that most colleagues lack and, in some crucial respects, it is totally in tune with the times. The maladjusted weirdness of ordinary people has become a staple of alternative British television comedy. Programmes such as The League of Gentlemen, Chris Morris's Jam, Little Britain and Green Wing parade a gallery of dysfunctional characters: self-fixated but lacking in self-awareness, emotionally incontinent but unable to make a real connection, sociopathic to the point of depravity. Oddball tv reporter Louis Theroux and outrageous chat show host Graham Norton encourage members of the public to expose themselves for our entertainment. No foible, obsession, bodily function, act of unpleasantness or sexual mishap is so private, embarrassing or shameful that it can't be mined for a laugh.
But what, we might ask, is the underlying purpose of the joke? Is it the satisfaction of seeing social taboos broken? A therapeutic moment of recognition that something true but previously unstated has been revealed, allowing us to go forward as better adjusted human beings? Or a darker, less wholesome kind of pleasure in prurience and humiliation for their own sakes? Whatever his intentions, many of Davis's drawings exhibit much the same fascination with areas of experience that were once off-limits to popular culture.
He is at his most ambivalent when he deals with sex. The primeval, clay-like men and women displaying their genitals in Lovely (Colette, 2003) look deeply uneasy, with their eyes popping out of their heads. The volume numbers written on the pictures and the printed grids used as backgrounds add to the perception that they are specimens for study. Davis might be showing us how these people have chosen to objectify and demean themselves by assuming porn poses, or he might just be saying: look, this is how we humans are, isn't it ridiculous and, let's be honest, rather funny? Then again, it is possible that Davis really doesn't know quite what he means by some of these sexual images. When I asked him about it in the gloom of the David Lynch bar, the only answer he came up with, delivered as though nothing more needed saying, was 'I love sex.'
Meeting Davis certainly complicated my sense of his work. I had him pegged as exactly the kind of person that he says he is: a misanthropist. Now he strikes me as more like a disappointed idealist. It is socially unwise to make moral rulings about other people's behaviour today – what gives us the right? Often, though, as in the surfer portrait, there can be little doubt about what Davis thinks of his subjects. He dares to make a judgement. David Carson, famous as a surfer, commissioned the surfer pictures for Big magazine in 2001, but rejected them all as too negative, according to Davis. Clearly the drawings had made their point a little too effectively.
At other times, a Davis image could be saying almost anything. What does his 'modernist vagina building' inscribed on MetaDesign's letterhead mean? Or the two soft toys hanging by their ears from a washing line? He would probably relish this ambiguity, since he likes the idea of a critical response that circles endlessly around the subject, opening up further lines of inquiry, without reaching a firm conclusion. But this is the dominant approach in most criticism today (as distinct from evaluative reviewing) and it could be seen as a failure of nerve, a sign of moral exhaustion that cannot be reconciled with a worldview as passionately committed as Davis's. 'Being a romantic,' he says, 'you are bound to be let down.' His drawings propose one thing with indelible conviction. It's not just everyone else who is to blame. It's all of us.
Rick Poynor, writer, Eye founder, London
First published in Eye no. 55 vol. 14 2005
Eye is the world's most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.


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Barrens "PENUMBRA" CD
$7.00Save 50%
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Offer ends in:
- Security policy - Secure Transactions by 256-bit encryption
- Delivery policy - Leaves Warehouse in 1-2 business days
- Return policy - 30 Days Free Exchange & Return Policy
This item is on pre-order. It will be available April 10, 2020.
Note: Orders cannot be split into several shipments. Your order will be dispatched when the item with the latest release date is available. Final products might slightly differ from mockups!
BARRENS is a new trio from Gothenburg, Sweden, featuring 2 members of SCRAPS OF TAPE, a band that has been releasing albums on Denovali Records and touring for over 20 years, and whose last album "The Will To Burn" is an incredibly underrated masterpiece.
There is obviously lots of common ground between what the two bands do musically, yet BARRENS develop their own idiosyncratic sound on their stunning debut album PENUMBRA: driven by synths equally as by guitars, Penumbra is oscillating between the dark and the brighter side of post rock, but leaning more towards the dark. The album is conceptually circling around topics like change, metamorphosis and transformation, "especially movement into, through and out of shadows and back again", guitarist Johan G Winther explains. "Being both lost in darkness, yet finding comfort there. Seeking it. Afloat in blinding light, suspended in darkness", as it is etched into the vinyl.
BARRENS were already touring together before they were even a band. In 2018, Markku Hildén joined Scraps of Tape, Johan and Kenta's other band, as a live drummer for two tours of Europe and a tour of China. "Finding an immediate chemistry between us both playing and hanging out, we quickly realised we had very similar ideas regarding music and creating art together. So the outlines for what BARRENS would become were sketched out back then in vans, trains, planes and over post-show beers at local bars", comments bass player Kenta Jansson. Once back home, the newly formed band started writing demos, drawing inspiration from new sources and venturing through both well known and unknown territories. In the summer of 2019, PENUMBRA was recorded in Uppsala and Gothenburg and produced by the band, and mixed and mastered by CULT OF LUNA's Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios in Stockholm.
PENUMBRA is dense, sophisticated, deep, mature, overwhelming, minimalist and elaborate all at the same time. It does not sound like a debut album of a new band, but more like an intuitive but also carefully reflected creation of musicians fused together by a long and strong bond. "We all have in common that creating music is a cathartic release. We do it not only because we WANT to, but just as much because we HAVE to", explains Winther. "This makes writing and creating something that is born out of equal amounts happiness, light and positivity and anxiety, darkness and negativity. It's a constant movement through various degrees of light, of shadows and deep darkness. The shared bond of this has been the catalyst for what BARRENS and PENUMBRA is, and what it will continue to grow into and develop out of".


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Sesame: Elmo Envirosax® Reusable Tote Bag
A great way to get kids thinking about going green is this eco-friendly, reusable Sesame Street shopping bag from Envirosax. This durable, lightweight bag has a sweet print of Elmo, and can be rolled up and snapped closed for handy storage. Forego those plastic and paper sacks: Every time you shop, you'll be cutting back on clutter and waste.


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Welcome to the Sci.Electronics.Repair Frequently Asked Question(s) (or S.E.R FAQ for short) Home Page. This site features Samuel M. Goldwasser's latest and greatest "Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of..." series of comprehensive repair guides for consumer electronics equipment and other household devices. There is also a great deal of other information of interest to the electronics hobbyist, experimenter, technician, engineer, and possibly even the dentist and poet. Included are the now quite comprehensive and massive "Sam's Laser FAQ", many new schematics, and links to over 1,000 technology related sites. In addition, there are a variety of documents from other sources on electronics troubleshooting, repair, and other related topics.
There are two S.E.R FAQ sites that are kept up to date in near-real-time:
These *should* have the same content so there is no real benefit of one over the other. Various other "mirror" sites exist around the Planet but those are generally not maintained and some may no longer exist. Check the Home and Mirror Site Locations if curious.
The link below takes you directly to the collection of formatted documents at this site. This is probably what you want:
This collection is also available at many sites worldwide. As above, check the Home and Mirror Site Locations page to identify the best site for your needs.
In return for this gold mine of information, please make a serious effort to find the answers to your questions before contacting me. It may take just a wee bit of effort and could stress a few neurons in the process, but there is an excellent chance that what you seek is covered at these sites. Should you be really stuck, I will respond to email in a timely manner. However, if your question indicates that you haven't even gotten past the Main Menu, AND I am in a good mood, you will get a somewhat polite reply to read the #$%& FAQs. On the other hand, if it is a bad day, and you are really really lucky, you will probably be ignored. In any case, I expect to be able to hit the reply key for my mail program and not get bounced email. I will not attempt to unjumble any anti-SPAM email addresses! I have posted over 20,000 articles to the USENET newsgroups using my true email address. (And, you won't pick up SPAM via private email anyhow.) Yes, SPAM is a pain but I tolerate the small amount I get so others will not be inconvenienced.
Note: I NEVER send email attachments. If you receive a message supposedly from one of my addresses with any sort of attachment, it is bogus and possibly a virus. Someone's address book includes my address and their computer is infected. Send me the complete headers and I'll attempt to check it out, or just delete it.
Where you have a model specific repair question, it will probably be more expedient to post a complete but concise description of your problem including manufacturer, model, symptoms, and what you have already tried, directly to the USENET newsgroup: sci.electronics.repair. I really don't have access to that much model specific service information - and that is probably what I will tell you to do anyway! See the document: Troubleshooting and Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment for more information. Or, consult a Tech-Tips database to see if your specific problem has already been solved a million times. See the document: On-Line Tech-Tips Databases.


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Actor Andrew Airlie. Photo copyright of The Promotion People.
INSPIRING actor Andrew Airlie has worked on over 100 television and feature film projects during his extensive acting career, and isn't slowing down anytime soon. Coming up next for Andrew is the role of Dr. Ross in the highly anticipated feature film Untitled Seth Rogen Project starring Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film follows Adam Schwartz (Gordon-Levitt) and his best friend Seth (Rogen). After being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, Adam is forced to come to terms with the overwhelming challenge of beating cancer, and learning to appreciate what he has in life. Andrew, as Dr. Ross, is Adam's oncologist with an unorthodox bedside manner.
Andrew will be seen as well on the small screen this fall, appearing in the CW's new television series Hellcats. He also plays Professor Harris in Dear Mr. Gacy, a true story from the producer of Monster starring Charlize Theron. The drama is based on the experience of 18-year-old college student Jason Moss and his relationship with notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
The in-demand actor is also currently working on a made-for-TV movie entitled Killer Mountain, also starring Emmanuelle Vaugier and Aaron Douglas. Andrew plays Walter Burton, a wealthy industrialist who sponsors a climbing expedition in Bhutan. The mission goes awry and he has to hire another expert climber to rescue the members of the first climb team. With ulterior motives at play, danger and mayhem ensue. Killer Mountain is produced by Chris Bartleman and Jeff Schenck, and directed by Sheldon Wilson.
One of the recurring roles that Andrew is most proud of is that of Mike Goss on ABC/CTV's Defying Gravity. The program follows the adventures of eight astronauts onboard the international spacecraft Antares on its six-year mission through the solar system. The lives of the astronauts onboard are constantly recorded and broadcast back to Earth, both as part of an ongoing documentary and as part of mission monitoring. Mike Goss is at the center of the mission's true purpose, a secret that he hides from astronauts until after the mission is launched.
In 2009, Andrew was nominated for a Leo Award for his recurring role as John Oliver in Reaper. He greatly enjoyed the experience of being on the pilot episode of the hit series House, and a recurring role on the critically acclaimed CBC TV series Intelligence. Other small screen credits include recurring roles on Whistler, Saved, The 4400 and guest-star roles on Fringe, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1 and Smallville. He also worked with a star-studded cast in the feature film The Safety of Objects starring Glenn Close. Other film credits include Normal, The Butterfly Effect 2 and Fantastic Four, to name a few.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Andrew moved to Toronto before putting down roots in Vancouver. The well-rounded performer completed a number of impressive scholarly programs before venturing on his acting career. He attended the University of Toronto, Ulster College (New York) and George Mason University (Virginia), and graduated with a BA (History and Political Science) and a Masters Degree (International Relations), both from the University of Toronto.
Looking ahead, Andrew plans to write and produce his own material. He is currently collaborating with British film director Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors, Laws of Attraction), writing a suspense/thriller and a TV pilot. When he is not acting and managing his busy career, the actor enjoys spending his free moments with his two children. Andrew also has a passion for photography, and is a die-hard Toronto Maple Leaf and Glasgow Celtic fan.
As noted above, photo courtesy and copyright of The Promotion People, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!


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Annual AGM Held
As you probably already know from the AGM Report put out by the Voice, AUSU held its annual general meeting on March 23, 2009.
In that meeting a number of important revisions to the definitions of AUSU membership occurred, to make sure that the Councillors you elect are able to represent you during General Meetings and so that if You're a student in an AU collaborative undergrad program, you'll still be counted as an AUSU member even during a term that doesn't have any AUSU courses scheduled.
Also, our fees were changed from being $8, $16, or $24 per course depending on the number of credits, to being a flat $3 per credit, an increase of a dollar per course for most students. With this extra money, AUSU should be able to begin moving forward with a lot of desired programs that have been held up due to our staffing not being as big as our ambitions.
Also at the AGM, some good discussion was held with respect to email accounts, an issue we know a lot of you are concerned about, and we'll keep working with the university to see if a reasonable solution can be found among all of the priority issues AU needs to deal with.
Media Committee Started
Council has approved the terms of reference for the new media committee. This group, including your Voice editor, will be working hard to deliver new multimedia content to you on a regular basis. Our hope is to bring forward a more engaging, interactive AUSU, one that can help you get everything you want out of your education.
AU Fees Increasing
On March 27, the AUGC approved the new fees that will come into effect in September 2009. The bottom line is you'll be paying an additional $29 per 3-credit course, including the increase to the AUSU fees. This includes an $18 increase to base tuition and a $10 increase to the Learning Resources fee. AUSU has noted concerns with the university continuing to increase fees by the maximum allowable by Alberta legislation, but has agreed that lower quality service is not a viable alternative.
More concerning is the increase to the Learning Resources fee. AUSU will continue to press for details on how this fee relates to the prices the university has to pay for your textbooks and online materials.
au.world Closes
AUSU has noted the closing of the au.world publication with sadness, and has brought this to the governing council of AU. In its place, AU has begun a new magazine called AU Open which, rather than being strictly student focussed, contains a mix of stories for alumni, investors, and students. We have strong hopes that AU will increase the focus of this new magazine to be at least as relevant to current students as the old au.world was.
2009 AUSU Handbook/Planners
Members are snapping up our 2009 AUSU Handbook/Planner. Now in full colour, it has more course tracking pages, brief guides to the citation styles you'll need for your essays at AU, and of course, all the important AU dates and addresses that you need to know. You can order your own copy by going to http://www.ausu.org/handbook/index.php
SmartDraw Program Continues
If you haven't yet, you might want to download a copy of SmartDraw. AUSU has purchased a licence agreement to supply the award-winning SmartDraw software to all AUSU members (current undergraduate students). To access this deal and find out more, visit the front page of our website.
SmartDraw allows you to create a wide range of graphics for your assignments and submit them electronically in a Word file. You can also place your graphics in Excel or PowerPoint files, or export them as TIF, GIF, or JPEG files to make a web graphic or even a logo. Just a few of the graphics you can make include Venn diagrams, genetics charts, graphs, organizational and flow charts, and Gantt charts.
For any course that requires charts that cannot be easily created in Word or Excel, this should be a real time saver and make it easier to submit all portions of an assignment by email.
Remember, though, that you should always check with your tutor to find out if there is a specific format he or she prefers. Your tutor does not have to have SmartDraw to view these graphics, however. Installations under this program are good for one year. The package includes both the Standard and Health Care editions of SmartDraw.
Merchandise Still for Sale
We still have some locks and memory keys available for sale. Both of these were designed with ease of mailing in mind, which means they're small enough to be easily stored pretty much anywhere.
The wristband USB key is a unique way to carry around your assignments, online materials, and even emails while You're on the go.
With a 1 gigabyte capacity, it can even handle a good chunk of your music collection, and the design means you no longer have to worry about losing it.
The Voice memory key has less capacity (512 MB) but the dark, flip-top design is classy enough to accompany you anywhere.
In addition, we have recently purchased some steel water bottles. With all the concerns about BPA in clear plastic, the decision was made to go stainless steel. Cheaper and more environmentally friendly than purchasing plastic bottles of water, fill up your AUSU bottle to keep thirst away no matter where You're travelling.
AUSU Lock Loan Program
Still running, and still popular, the lock loan program can allow you to rest easy knowing your valuables are safe if You're taking an exam at the Calgary or Edmonton campus. The locks can be set to any combination, and are loaned to people without any deposit, but we ask that you please remember to reset them to 0-0-0 before returning them so that we can continue this program.
Employment Site is Here!
Many of you will already have seen the link to our new employment site on the front page, and while there are not a lot of employers in evidence yet, It's a great opportunity to get your resume, skills, and talents in there.
The Personnel Department is busily working on finding employers who could use your unique abilities as a distance education student.
Be sure yours are available to get the early opportunities!


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Tag: All Out War
Beware of Walkers – The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead has really kicked into gear. In the comics, the latest story arc "All Out War" has just started. This will see Rick's group banding with the Hilltop and the Kingdom to challenge Negan. Should be a great read especially with the forthnightly schedule! Season 4 on AMC has also just started. There […]
Posted: October 14th, 2013 under Movie TV, Photography.
Tags: All Out War, AMC, Andrea, Carl, Rick Grimes, S04, The Walking Dead
Comments: none


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Here is the first trailer for Season 4.
Published December 2, 2023 by gareth
The Boys: Season 4 Trailer
Syndicated movie & game critic, writer, author and frequent radio guest. His work has appeared in over 60 publications worldwide and he is the creator of the rising entertainment site and publication "Skewed and Reviewed". He has three books of film, game reviews and interviews published and is a well-received and in demand speaker on the convention circuit. Gareth has appeared in movies and is a regular guest on a top-rated Seattle morning show. He has also appeared briefly in films such as "Prefountaine", "Postal". "Far Cry". and others. Gareth is also an in-demand speaker at several conventions and has conducted popular panels for over two decades.


text: Imagine an island right in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with bright white beaches, a lagoon awash in deep blues and aquamarines, and soaring coconut palms swaying in the breeze. This is paradise - Villa Nautica Maldives to be precise, an uncompromising destination of luxury and comfort. A network of paved pathways winds through the lush grounds, connecting the oceanfront accommodation, gourmet dining spots, sports facilities, and an inspiring spa - each serving to make your Maldives island resort holiday whatever you'd like it to be. Treat yourself to true tropical-inspired luxury at this alluring Maldives island hotel, where unforgettable experiences await.


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We've created a paddle here that, when not being used as a shovel, light sabre or a bat, is suited for the needs of small children who are learning to kayak.
The shaft is small enough to fit into a small childs hands without causing fatigue. The blades are small enough to effectively pull through the water, and offer support. It's just stiff enough for the forces that a young child will apply, so we can keep them light, and of course, strong enough for what the paddle will be used for most of the time - some sort of weapon to fight monsters.
The paddle is bright, so you can chase it down it every time it gets randomly thrown in the water!
The paddle adjusts up to 10cm in length so it can grow with your kid.
Munchkin Blade Dimensions: 13" x 5.5" | 33cm x 14cm
Munchkin Shaft OD: 0.75" | 22mm
Munchkin lengths: 51" x 55" | 130cm x 140cm
Order the Munchkin length for kids under about 8 (average suggestion).
Copyright 2018-2024 Marsport Limited. All Rights Reserved.


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Rotek Incorporated, a thyssenkrupp company and member of the thyssenkrupp rothe erde group, is the North American leading manufacturer of slewing bearings (including ball and roller slewing bearings and wire-race slewing bearings). Furthermore, Rotek is a market leader for seamless forged steel and non-ferrous metal rings.
Throughout the world, Rotek slewing bearings and forged rings are installed in a wide variety of applications. Rotek slewing bearings and forged rings prove every day to be important structural and connection elements used in mechanical engineering, in harbor cranes, ship deck cranes, truck cranes and construction cranes as well as in excavators, antenna systems, in the offshore technology, rail vehicles, telescopes, tunneling machines, wind energy turbines, underwater turbines and solar energy plants.
For more information on Rotek's name change to thyssenkrupp rothe erde USA Inc., please visit http://www.ringsandbearings.com/