Rani Jarkas: Angola is an undiscovered Gem

Angola is a country of 482,625 square miles in western Africa, bordering Namibia to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Zambia to the east, and the Republic of Congo to the north. The oil-rich enclave of Cabinda lies north of the Zaire river.
Angola is a potentially one of the richest countries in Africa. Petroleum in the Cabinda enclave; diamonds in Lunda; and iron, phosphates, copper, gold, bauxite, and uranium in the other provinces are some of the natural resources. This year Angola’s economy is expected grow by eight percent as it becomes the second biggest producer of oil in Africa. In the capital city of Luanda, the skyline is now filled with newly-built skyscrapers and each month more businesses are beginning to populate the area. Economic growth is beginning to transform Angola into a country filled with business opportunities.
Rani Jarkas, a global well-known entrepreneur and a financial services executive with years of experience in conducting business in Africa, is especially fond of Angola. During a telephone interview, he said, “I chose Angola to do business many years ago and I am now making more commitments to the country, not only because the country provides great business opportunities, but also I like the country’s natural beauty and its people. I often find people on the streets dancing to salsa, lambada or meringue music. Their love for life, their music, dance and art, their laughter and their joy, their determined desire and their creativeness really touch me.”
“My long-term commitment to Angola is focused on helping local communities to realize the value of growth in the region and building wealth for locals. My approach strategy is to create win-win situation for local governments, companies and investors. As Angola is opening its market to foreign investors and is actively seeking partners to contribute towards its industrialisation, forward-looking investors should invest in Angola for its substantial long-term potential,” Rani added.

Rani Jarkas’ Cleantech Wisdom

As not only a trusted resource and clean-tech industry expert but also a well-regarded figure in financing industry, Rani Jarkas sees a genuine bright spot: Clean technologies are booming although the world is facing numerous energy problems – much of the world’s population has too little energy to meet basic human needs; the monetary costs of energy are rising nearly everywhere; the environmental impacts of energy supply are growing and already dominant contributors to local, regional, and global environmental problems; and the sociopolitical risks of energy supply are growing too.
Rani Jarkas believes commercializing clean technologies is a profitable enterprise and the next engine of economic growth. He expects many leading companies of the future to come from this industry as invention and innovation combine to solve the world’s increasing demand for energy and, in particular, clean power and green energy. Under his direct leadership, his firm has become a well-known boutique investment firm in action.
“To really get into the fundamentals of clean technology investments, it is important to look beyond the politicized issues and focus on the finances.” says Rani Jarkas. The fact that advancing the use of clean technologies will be good for the environment is not debatable and when it makes our current systems more efficient and cost effective, we all win.
The heat around cleantech has been stoking and an intense race to win industry leadership is well underway in the private and public sectors. The aim of funding renewable energy and energy efficiency projects is to enhance energy security, support clean and efficient energy sources and to increase private sector involvement in clean technology investments and financings. For example, China’s current five-year economic plan is well concentrated on clean energy, with a $640 billion renewable energy commitment. The plan calls for an increase in the overall percentage of power developed from renewable, especially solar and wind power. The end goal is to raise environmental standards with the understanding that if economic growth is to be sustained, a reduced dependency on fossil fuels needs to be achieved and maintained.
Despite the clamor of the global clean energy and cleantech race, many sovereign nations are struggling under increased debt and therefore available resources to support R&D are diminishing. However, partnerships with other institutions such as universities are becoming more common, picking up this slack and the industry has continued its exponential growth. Clean Edge Research has reported that combined 2010 global revenue for solar photovoltaic, wind power, and biofuels surged 30.2 percent over the prior year growing from $144.5 billion to $188.1 billion. A separate report by Analytica Advisors, the 2011 Canadian Clean Technology Industry Report, states, “global market demand for clean technology is estimated to grow to $3 trillion by 2020 based on 11% CAGR. The industry projected to rise to be the third largest global industrial sector by 2020 after electronics manufacturing and automotive”.
It looks like this macro-industry is one to keep a serious eye on as it covers so many facets of energy generation, consumption and storage.
The opportunities and uncertainties will make the coming decade a critical period for clean technology. Much like the Internet revolution, there will be winners and losers, and more than a little carnage among companies and entrepreneurs competing for a slice of the clean-tech pie. However, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that clean technology will engender a more sustainable and highly profitable era — for business, the planet, and all of its residents.

China’s Ambition to Become a Global Leader in Nanotechnology by Rani Jarkas

China’s rapid economic transformation over the last 3 decades has been remarkable both in terms of its speed and scale. However, China is not known for its highly advanced technology manufacturing. “A lot of the entrepreneurial activities around the Asia-Pacific have been great market-needs kinds of things, where people haven’t had to develop a lot of advanced technologies to be successful,” says Dr. Richard Dasher of the US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford University.



However, this model is slowly shifting. Thanks to heavy investments in nanotech research, public-private partnerships and developments in nanotechnology, I will say within five to ten years China will compete in every part of the industry. China’s investment has already surpassed that of any other country after the US. Since 1999, China’s spending on research and development (R&D) has gone up by more than 20% each year.



Hardly surprisingly, there is a race to become the global leader in nanoscience and nanotechnology. China is rapidly moving to reposition itself away from low value adding economic activity, announcing its ambition to become a global leader in nanoscience and technology.

Cleantechnology Insights

A while back in February last year, I (Rani Jarkas) posted an article on my blog relating to Cleantech (http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/rani-jarkas-Cleantech-wisdom). In the days that follow, I have received many questions about Cleantech. These questions inspired me to write this blog on what Cleantech is and why Cleantech is the key and how we can get involved?

What is Cleantech?
Cleantech is any product or services that improve operational performance and productivity while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste, or environmental pollution. The idea behind clean energy is simple. It empowers us to use natural resources more productively and to do more with less: less energy, less water, less waste, less land.

Why Cleantech is the key?
Climate change and the depletion of the planet’s natural resources are the two main problems that the world is facing today. Fresh water has become scarce or poisonous in many places; Food prices are soaring at double-digit rates; Sea levels are rising while deserts are spreading; International tensions are growing over the remaining cheap oil, and civil wars are being fought over water.
It certainly is the idea that we can easily locate alternative sources of power for the globe that do not have the negative effects on the planet that classic fuels do. We now recognize that the planet we reside in just is not immune to deterioration. Oil and coal not only cause harm to the planet but to your health as well. The data behind the dangers of non-renewable fuels really are unbelievable. So massive that it is to a point where we can no longer overlook the ramifications of inaction.
Brilliant minds have looked at the challenge of classic fuels and have put together other ways to fight this matter. The outcomes happen to be nothing less than encouraging. The vision of a cleaner ecosystem and a significantly more healthy human population is now a reality as a result of clean technological advances and power that has become available for use.

How can we get involved?
While everyone ought to want to help with the process of safe guarding our environment, only the few that have the funds can make an identifiable mark in this field by investing in companies that are “earth-friendly” aware. In every stock exchange across the world, there are pockets of businesses, which are concentrated on green energy. These companies are listed under the label “green conscious companies”, and those that want to help can put money into these companies to assist them to fund projects that will benefit not only the company but the environment in general.
Power resource efficiency as well as recycling is something anyone can do no matter if you are monetarily free or not. The recycling approach is not just great for the earth but it can make you feel much better by being a part of the remedy.

Indonesia has become a favorite emerging country for international investors, as ongoing reforms in areas such as macroeconomic framework, banking supervision, accounting standards, transparency and governance issues by the government have enhanced the local investment climate. Moreover, the country possesses positive fundamental elements, including a huge population, growing middle class and young workforce, enormous domestic market, endowment of a wide variety and abundant natural resources like natural gas, coal, geothermal, palm oil, cocoa, tin, nickel and bauxite as well as a pool of diversified import export markets.

Map of Indonesia (http://ranijarkas.wordpress.com)

Indonesia has regained the confidence of international investors after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997‐1998. To get its economy back to a strong footing and increase its credibility, Indonesia has undertaken the following reforms: Making changes to the macroeconomic framework; Strengthening supervision of the banking industry and scrutiny of accounting standards, and Improving transparency, enhancing governance issues, and reducing corruption. Through a more flexible exchange rate regime and an inflation‐targeting framework, Indonesia has created a more stable macro economy. The better banking system helps stabilize and lower non‐performing loans together with increasing the profitability and efficiency of banks in general. Furthermore, more transparency on information and data reduces investors’ concerns over governance and other issues, leading to increased confidence and investments. The results of those reforms are evidenced from the positive growth in Indonesia during the global economic crisis in 2008‐2009. In 2009, Indonesia managed to grow its GDP by 4.6% when the advanced economies registered a negative growth roughly in the 3%‐5% range. Indonesia grew by 6.2% in 2012 and in 2014, stronger economic growth is expected around the lower end of the 5.8-6.2% range. Indonesia’s economy grew by 5.7% in 2013, making “The World’s Most Stable Economy in the Last Five Years” according to The Economist Magazine. Future economic expansion is expected to include more inclusive growth as nominal per-capita GDP is expected to quadruple by 2020, according to a Standard Chartered report.

Indonesia’s Investment Climate by Rani Jarkas

Indonesia has become a favorite emerging country for international investors, as ongoing reforms in areas such as macroeconomic framework, banking supervision, accounting standards, transparency and governance issues by the government have enhanced the local investment climate. Moreover, the country possesses positive fundamental elements, including a huge population, growing middle class and young workforce, enormous domestic market, endowment of a wide variety and abundant natural resources like natural gas, coal, geothermal, palm oil, cocoa, tin, nickel and bauxite as well as a pool of diversified import export markets.

[caption id="attachment_26" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Map of Indonesia (ranijarkas.wordpress.com)[/caption]

Indonesia has regained the confidence of international investors after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997‐1998. To get its economy back to a strong footing and increase its credibility, Indonesia has undertaken the following reforms: Making changes to the macroeconomic framework; Strengthening supervision of the banking industry and scrutiny of accounting standards, and Improving transparency, enhancing governance issues, and reducing corruption.

Through a more flexible exchange rate regime and an inflation‐targeting framework, Indonesia has created a more stable macro economy. The better banking system helps stabilize and lower non‐performing loans together with increasing the profitability and efficiency of banks in general. Furthermore, more transparency on information and data reduces investors’ concerns over governance and other issues, leading to increased confidence and investments.

The results of those reforms are evidenced from the positive growth in Indonesia during the global economic crisis in 2008‐2009. In 2009, Indonesia managed to grow its GDP by 4.6% when the advanced economies registered a negative growth roughly in the 3%‐5% range. Indonesia grew by 6.2% in 2012 and in 2014, stronger economic growth is expected around the lower end of the 5.8-6.2% range. Indonesia’s economy grew by 5.7% in 2013, making “The World’s Most Stable Economy in the Last Five Years” according to The Economist Magazine. Future economic expansion is expected to include more inclusive growth as nominal per-capita GDP is expected to quadruple by 2020, according to a Standard Chartered report.

拉尼.亚卡斯（Rani Jarkas）：绿色纳米技术在太阳能电池中的应用

绿色纳米技术是清洁技术的发展，“使用更环保的纳米产品代替现有产品，通过生产和使用纳米技术产品以减少对环境的破坏并降低对人类健康所造成的威胁。”许多科学家正在寻找方法来开发清洁、廉价和可再生能源，以较少对环境的破坏并尽可能地减少污染。

目前正进行的一个主要研究是如何把纳米技术应用到开发更高效的太阳能电池。太阳能电池的效率更高，而且是可再生能源。许多研究人员正在着手研究能减少能源浪费的高效太阳能发电。

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Solar Panels [ranijarkas.wordpress.com][/caption]
斯坦福大学的研究人员发现了一种在有机太阳能电池中捕获光的方法。这个想法的原理很简单，光在太阳能电池中停留的时间越长，其所产生的电子将越多。研究人员发现，把比光的波长更薄的有机层夹在太阳能电池的反射镜和粗糙层之间，能使光在太阳能电池中停留更长时间，从而激发更多的电流。

密歇根理工大学的研究人员发明了一种独特的3D蜂窝结构石墨烯。这种新型且并不昂贵材料可替代太阳能电池的铂金材料，而且转换效率并不降低。这种3D蜂窝状石墨烯具有优良的导电性与高催化活性，因此它们能够用于储能及能量转换。配有3D石墨烯对电极的可将7.8%的太阳光线转化为电力。

美国洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的研究展示了使用薄膜铜铟镓硒太阳能电池模组。它比传统玻璃做的硅片电池模组更加轻薄，且完全无含毒镉的成分。

美国麻省理工学院的研究人员研制出一种在柔性石墨烯片上涂覆纳米线的新方法。这种方法可以生产出低成本、透明以及柔韧性佳的太阳能电池，能够在窗户、屋顶以及其他物体的表面使用。