Copying trade secrets and catching up

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Frederick Guy

From Ed Crooks in The Financial Times (register to get past paywall)

US charges Sinovel with trade secret theft

The US government has charged Sinovel, one of the largest Chinese wind turbine manufacturers, with stealing trade secrets from one of its US suppliers, alleging the offence amounted to “attempted corporate homicide”.

If we skip over the fact that this brings the personification of the corporation to a new and, well, corporeal level (I’ll leave that matter to Yves Smith), here’s your Rorschach: is Sinovel the hero and AMSC the villain, or vice versa? Continue reading →

Good luck, Jim

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Frederick Guy

From today’s Guardian – NASA’s James Hansen talks to the UK government:

Tar sands exploitation would mean game over for climate, warns leading scientist
[…] Hansen met ministers in the UK government, which the Guardian previously revealed has secretly supported Canada’s position at the highest level.

From last Friday’s Guardian – the UK government couldn’t care less:

UK’s climate change adaptation team cut from 38 officials to just six
Former senior official John Ashton attacks government for ‘spooking potential investors’ in energy infrastructure

Clean energy jobs in US grow despite dis-incentives

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Frederick Guy

The growth is reported by Climate Progress, picking up a report from the San Antonio Business Journal, whose reporter consulted the actual report by Environmental Entrepreneurs. This happens despite continuing (rising!), huge, subsidies for fossil fuel use and production, and for energy gobbling urban sprawl. Dare we imagine what clean energy growth might be if those subsidies were yanked, and a revenue-neutral (offset by payroll tax reductions, perhaps) carbon tax put in place?