Cement, Energy and Environment

crore on R&D amounting to 2.3% of the company's turnover. With this, the corporate R&D unit Hyderabad has achieved Rs. 6,334 crore during 2009-10 through products and systems developed in-house as against Rs 5,300 crore achieved last year. In fact, BHEL is one among the four Indian companies figuring in "The Global Innovation 1 000' to be ranked for its record expenditure on R&D. The R&D spend is expected to go up from the present level of 2% to 5 % in the next four to five years. Some of the other centres include centre of excellence for machine dynamics which is being set up at a cost of Rs. 7.21 crore; centre of excellence for compressors and pumps envisaging an investment of Rs. 9.90 crore and vacuum chamber spin test facility for turbine blades for developing new blades of indigenous design for super critical applications. Further, the corporate R&D has developed a customized software module called Tabcam for automatic generation for programmes used in machining of gas turbine compressor blades. The module is aimed at improving the productivity at the shop floor. About 263 intellectual property right applications have been filed by BHEL in recent months. Courtesy: The Financial Express, June7, 2010. P15. IN JAPAN, A HOUSE INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO SAVE ENERGY On Tokyo Bay, at the edge of the largest urban sprawl on Earth, sits what may be an environmentalist's dream home. Solar panels on the roof and a fuel-cell in the backyard power the family house, a lithiumion battery stores the surplus electricity, hot water pipes double as floor heating, and good insulation saves energy all round. But it's the little high-tech touches that give this eco-house a cutting edge when it comes to futuristic low-carbon housing. Its maker, Panasonic, has fitted the 'Eco idea house' with super efficient and intelligent appliances that promise to save power at every turn while ensuring a comfortable lifestyle for its residents. Sensors follow people as they move from room to room and can, for example, blast a jet of warm or cool air at a person sitting in the living room, said Panasonic group president Fumio Ohtsubo during press conference. 'If the person leaves for the kitchen, the lights there can turn on, while the (living room) lights, air-condition and television all turn off thanks to sensors that detect human presence, temperature and lighting,' he said. The house also boasts a washing machine that halves water use simply by tilting its drum, and a fridge that 'learns' its users' habits and switches into sleep mode when it doesn't expect to be opened for some time. Japan's corporate giants - from electronics makers to the big car companies are increasingly betting on environmental and energy- efficient technologies as they seek to dig out from Japan's worst post-war recession. Courtesy: Standard India, Vol. 23, No 9, December 2009, P31. -- GLOWING WALLS TO REPLACE LIGHT BULBS? A government body that supports low-carbon technology has suggested that light-emitting wallpaper may begin to replace lights bulbs from 2012. According to the London Times, the Carbon Trust has awarded a £454,000 grant to Lomox, a Welsh company that is developing the organic light– emitting diode technology. A chemical coating on the walls will illuminate all parts of the room with an even glow, which m1m1cs sunlight and avoids the shadows and glare of conventional bulbs. Although an electrical current will be used to stimulate the chemicals to produce light, the voltage will be very low and the walls will be safe to touch. Dimmer switches will control brightness, as with traditional lighting. The technology would be two and a half times more efficient than energy-saving bulbs and could make a big contribution to meeting UK's goal of cutting carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020, the trust said. The chemical coating, which can be applied in the form of specially treated wallpaper or simply painted on to walls, can also be used for flat-screen televisions, computers and mobile phone displays. As the system uses power only between three and five volts, it can be powered by solar panels or batteries. Lomox, which will use the grant to prove the durability of the technology, believes it could be used in the first instance to illuminate road signs or barriers where there is no mains electricity. Ken Lacey; chief executive of Lomox, said the first products 7