Hydroelectric Power: A Suitable Replacement for Oil Energy?

Oil accounts for 40% of all energy use. (United States Geological Survey [USGS], 1998). Yet, before new oil can be discovered and extracted, the known reserves are depleting. About 6 billion barrels (Gb) of oil are discovered and 26Gb, which is four and half times as much, are consumed each year. (Fisker, 2006). Subsequently by 2015, about 100 million oil-equivalent barrels a day of new production have to be added into the industry to meet demand. With oil production declining at an average ratte of four to six percent a year, it is necessary to search for other sources of energy. (Thompson, 2003). Thus, scientists have been spending money to increase alternate energy sources like hydroelectric power. However, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative as it results in economical, environmental and social problems.

Economic problems will arise if hydroelectric power is to replace oil. Hydroelectric power dams are expensive to build. The high cost of construction means the dam must operate for decades to become profitable. One example is the Hoover Dam in United States of America. This dam costs 165 million dollars to build and it took 49 years to recover the cost. (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.; Moore, 1999). This caused the economy to run a deficit as the huge amount of money could have been invested in other areas to boost the economy. In contrast, an oil well costs about 35 to 50 million dollars to construct. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Thus, a shorter time is required to recover the cost of building an oil well. This minimizes the losses incurred by the economy. It is also difficult for hydroelectric power to replace the amount of energy oil can produce. The world consumes energy produced by oil at a rate of five trillion watts (TW) each year. (Fisker, 2006). A hydro turbine only generates two giga watts. To generate as much energy oil can produce, 2500 similar hydro turbines have to be installed. (Wikipedia, n.d.). However, this is costly. Monetary reserves will be depleted and the economy will suffer. Hence, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative to oil as its high cost and inefficiency will cause the country to incur huge losses.

The environmental consequences of hydroelectric power are equal to or more serious than oil. Building of dams requires valleys to be flooded. However, flooding of valleys disruptsthe surrounding aquatic ecosystem and threatens the habitats. Of 3000 to 4000 remaining endangered Siberian Cranes, 95% will be destroyed by the Three Gorges Dam. (Wikipedia, n.d.). This shows that flooding land to build a hydroelectric dam can greatly endanger wildlife.

In addition, generating hydroelectric power impacts downstream river environment. Water exiting from turbines usually contains very little suspended sediment, which can lead to scouring of river beds and loss of river banks. In addition, since turbines are opened intermittently, the daily or rapid fluctuations of river flow worsens the erosion of river banks. In The Grand Canyon, daily cycle flow variation caused by Glen Canyon Dam was found contributing to erosion of sand bars. Instead, dykes are built to prevent sea-water from entering the oil fields and to minimize erosion of coastal beds. (Bunnet, 2002). Generation of hydroelectric dams may thus wipe off the river bank and disrupt the ecosystem.

Furthermore, the reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants may produce methane and carbon dioxide from rotting vegetation. According to the World Commission on Dams report, most reservoirs emit higher greenhouse gases than power plants running on fossil fuels. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Phillip Fearnside from Brazil's National Institute for Research supports this claim. He estimates that in 1990, emission of greenhouse gases from the Curua-Una dam in Brazil was more than three-and-a-half times what would have been produced by generating the same amount of electricity from oil. (Graham-Rowe, 2005). Therefore, the green image of hydroelectric power as a benign alternative to fossil fuels is false. Hence, hydroelectric energy is not a feasible alternative as it poses a greaer threaten to the environment than energy from oil.

Many social problems will arise if hydroelectric power is used as an alternative to energy from oil. People living near the valley to be flooded must move out, businesses and farms will be lost; historical and cultural sites will be destroyed. One example is the Clyde Dam in New Zealand. The dam flooded many houses and orchards upstream in Cromwell, forcing residents to move out. It also damaged the scenic Cromwell Bridge, a highlight of the then young but growing tourism industry. (Wikipedia, n.d.). Consequently, the tourism industry was hit. Many people were hence unemployed. On the other hand, oil plants are usually built far away from residental areas. Thus, people will not be greatly affected. Instead, the building of oil plants creates employment for them. Therefore, hydroelectric energy is not a feasible alternative as it creates greater social problems than energy from oil.

However, many people feel that water is more accessible than oil due to its availibility. So, they think hydroelectric energy may be a feasible alternative to energy from oil. Nevertheless, water is becoming scarcer in certain places, and its availibility is a major social and economic concern. (Wikipedia, n.d.). An example is the Aswan Dam in Egypt. After generating the dam for 20 years, the lake was only 40% full. (Bunnet, 2002). Moreover, about 15% of the water from Lake Nasser, a river that links to the Aswan Dam, is lost every year through evaporation and water leakage from dams. (Kent National Grid for learning [Kent NGfl], n.d.). This may diminish the power of river flow, thus resultiing in less energy being generated. Hence, the availibility of water will affect the generation of energy. On the contrary, oil can still be discovered. As oil gets scarcer, people will try to get it from less accessible places, such as the North Sea. In addition, Shell's Mr Van de Veer argues that big oil companies will soon be manufacturing 'greener fossil fuels'. (Manivannan, 2006). These assure that the accessibility and availibility of oil does not affect the generation of energy. In brief, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative to oil energy.

Despite the fact that oil is running out, hydroelectric power is not a feasible alternative. The economy, environment and population have to pay a high cost for the construction and running of a dam. This will thus result in inefficiency within the country. Development of energy sources has been ongoing to provide abundant and accessible energy. Yet, future energy development faces a great challenge due to exhaustion of fossil fuel. Unless a suitable alternative is found, energy from oil can never be replaced.

Why are creativity, innovation and continuous improvement important for a business to succeed and remain competitive?

Creativity, innovation and continuous improvement are crucial to long term business survival. They are fast becoming the key characteristics of successful and leading edge businesses and organizations over the world. As increasing numbers of foreign investors and multi-national companies enter to set up businesses in Singapore, it is necessary that Singaporean businesses develop cultures that foster creativity, innovation and continuous improvement to remain competitive. These three elements are important for a business to succeed and remain competitive because creativity creates a constant flow of new ideas to improve current operation, innovation helps in greater productivity in new markets and continuous improvement ensures companies constantly upgrade themselves so as to be on par with their rivals.

Creativity drives ideas and enables companies to think out of the box. This re-energizes a company and encourages progress. The flow of ideas also allows more hypotheses to experiment on, such that if one idea fails, one can still try to experiment on the other ideas until the best one emerges. This can thus lead the business to success and keep it competitive. Breadtalk, a local confectionary business shows this importance of creativity. It regularly comes out with different creative breads with unusual names to attract customers. This can be seen from the popular floss bread to bread with catching names like ‘couch potatoes’. It also brings the kitchen, which is usually at the back of the stall, to the front for people to view the bread-making process. The fresh and creative style has won the hearts of the consumers and made the business successful. As the market is competitive and replicas are rampant, it is important to stay creative so as to succeed and remain competitive.

Innovation turns ideas into useful products and services to sell to customers. Being innovative can also help one give a new twist to an old idea and provide one with plenty of problem solving techniques. Businesses can gain from the economic benefits of innovation, which include greater productivity and leadership in new markets. This ensures a competitive edge. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) experimented and implemented by the National Library Board is one successful example. The RFID, being the first such technology used in libraries in the world, helps to cut returning time for library loans. This means that borrowers need not wait for a long time before they can borrow the books they want. This shows that innovation helps in increasing the productivity of the business. In addition, if innovation is properly managed, it can produce higher rates of return than other form of businesses. It thus shows that innovation is important for a business to succeed and remain competitive.

Continuous improvement ensures a business to be constantly on par with its rival. That is why the Singapore government has been encouraging businesses to develop and take on Research & Development (R&D). Without continuous improvement, one will soon be overtaken by the others, no matter how established one is. The importance of continuous improvement can be shown in Creative Technology. Creative Technology’s Zen Portable Media has won many good reviews and was presented 2004 Best CES Award in USA when it was first launched. Though winning so many commendations, it did not remain at the same position. It continued to improve its technology and came up with the latest Zen Vision. It is an upgraded version of portable media player, which can play longer hours of music and videos and has longer battery life. The Zen Vision was even awarded the Red Dot Design award for superior design quality and innovation in Germany this year. Creative Technology has shown the importance of continuous upgrading so as to match its rivals and to always be on the competitive edge.

We are in the midst of a new revolution within the global economy. As we are rapidly moving from the ‘Knowledge economy’ to what is increasingly becoming the ‘Imagination economy’, it is important to foster creativity, innovation and continuous improvement for a business to succeed and remain competitive. Only then can current operations be improved, productivity be increased and competitiveness to be maintained.

What I think of the Gomez's incident in this election

In 6 more hours, the polls will start! Though I have not reached the legal age to vote, I can feel the heat already.

The nine days of rallies and pulling of votes had ended. Will the PAP triumph again? Will its winning increase as compared to last election? Will there be any surprise at the hot spots? Who knows? We will see for ourselves tomorrow.

As a Singaporean and non voter, I see that this election mainly surround over the Gomez's case. In my view, I feel that the PAP is making a fuss out of a molehill. No doubt that this could be one of their strategies. This can also be a question about our integrity system and the character of the candidates. However it shouldn't be regurgitating over this case for about 2/3 of the rally time they were given. Instead the candidates should focus on what they can provide and promise (upgrading? improved facilities for the senior citizens? ) for the people in their constituencies if they were voted.

Like what Workers' Party Mr Low Thia Kiang said: "We should move on."

Yes, we should move on and stop taking the Gomez's issue out to debate and argue during this crucial and limited time. The CCTVs in the Election Department has shown; the talks on between Gomez and the staff of the Election Department on the phone was broadcasted. The people and voters will know who to believe, who to trust and who they are going to entrust their future to. THEY are there to judge.

So in this case, I feel that the Gomez 's incident was just blown big. Perhaps this incident can be left to settle after the election. Whether it will be treated as a criminal case, let's wait for all to be settle today before we bring it out and argue again.

How to win alumni and donors

I refer to 7 April 2006 ST review 'How to win alumni and donors' , a speech by Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

I fully agree with 3 of the points he mentioned:

1."Students have to feel a sense of community and belonging to their school. It's too late to build alumni ties after the student has left."

2."...good communication with the alumni. It's really off-putting if the only communication an alumnus gets is a begging letter. If they feel part of the loop and are kept updated(on school development)...they're more likely to support causes in need of funds."

3."...administrations that are inflexible and rigid alienate students. Those with a student-oriented culture, that tries to understand their students' varied needs, wins support which translates into stronger ties."

After looking at these 3 points, I finally realise why my schools' alumni or maybe other alumni are finding quite difficult to gather and bring in more involvement of the alumnus. The crux lies in the 3 points mentioned above.

Usually when students are in school, we made them feel like they are just students, coming here to study. Schools must be able to make them feel belonged. Other than just announcing the results of zonal competition during assembly periods, we can get them involved in the planning and perhaps hands-on on upcoming school projects. The students can then feel that they have sort of contributed to the school, feel bonded and have something to reminisce when they leave the school.

Communication skills. Something that the school and the alumni can collaborate and do better. Being an alumnus myself, I always feel that the alumni is not doing enough. Maybe it is doing alot but in my eyes, they seem not to be doing much. As an alumnus, I hope to get updated news and development of the activities going on in the school, at least once every school term. However I was quite disappointed that this did not happen.(Everytime I have to go to the school's website to get the latest information.) Only when there are big events, like fund-raising or funfair in school then do I receive news through email. Recently, my secondary school held a small funfair. I was lucky to be informed through email by the alumni as I had signed up to be a member the year before. However as most of my previous schoolmates did not sign up with the alumni, they did not know there was such an event.Only a small proportion heard it by mouth. I was quite shock to hear that when I called my secondary school friend recently. Perhaps what the school can do is to update the contacts of their students every year and also before they leave the school. This can allow the school to update on their alumnus on the activities that are going on in school. Alumni can also build up contacts before the students leave. This may be able to solve the decreasing number of school-leavers joining the alumni. Together, the school and alumni can come together to create a e-newsletter, which they can send to their alumnus every term to keep them updated. These can make the alumnus feel that they are 'part of the loop' and not just receive 'begging letters' that put them off. Fundraising can thus be made easier and effective.

Sometimes school administration maybe rigid. This could have stop students from implementing new ideas or activities that can brighten up or benefit the school. Now the student council in the school will then have to come in. Why are these student councillors chosen or voted for? They represent the student bodies and voices. Student council can be made more amiable. Instead of placing a suggestion box outside the room, they can try to listen to what their peers' needs and then bring it up in their meeting. If the idea is possible, put it into action. If they meet into difficulties, pull in the alumni. They are there to help since they represent the student bodies too. Proposals can be quite tricky to handle and be rejected by the school administration for upteem times. However if the idea is finally processed and is accepted, the labour that they put in will be worthwhile. Students maybe even grateful to the voices responded. This will help to win support from students and therefore win alumni as the students see that they have a place to voice their opinions.

Hmmm...maybe i will raise these 3 points in the next alumni meeting.(Another point to take note:It's been a year since the alumni has a meeting)