Richard Davies wrote: The UK has a good crop of technology pioneers in cloud computing - for example ElasticHosts, FlexiScale, Flexiant, OnApp - and also some strong government initiatives such as G-Cloud.
We will have to see whether this kind of technical leadership converts into swift mass-market adoption or not.
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) today announced that it will
install solar power generating systems using the company's own solar
modules at six domestic plants by March 2011, generating a total of
593kW, as part of its activities to promote environmental protection.
This move will increase the number of Kyocera domestic manufacturing
sites equipped with solar power generating systems to 10 — all of the
company's manufacturing sites in Japan — and the number of global group
company sites to 20. Kyocera already has a number of solar power
generating systems installed at its group companies inside and outside
Japan, which combined with the new systems, will boost the company's
total output to 1,815kW (1.8MW).
Among the six plants to be equipped with new systems are the Yasu Plant
(Shiga), which is the company's new solar cell manufacturing plant; the
Kitami Plant (Hokkaido), which mainly manufactures mobile phone
handsets; and the Sendai Plant (Kyushu), which mainly manufactures
ceramic components and ceramic knives. The six new systems are expected
to generate 591,000kWh in total per year — equivalent to the annual
power consumption of approximately 125 standard households.*
At present, Kyocera has solar power generating systems installed at 14
of its group company locations around the world — which is contributing
to the preservation of the environment by helping to reduce CO2
emissions.
In Japan, Kyocera's solar energy field-testing facility — the Sakura
Solar Energy Center located just outside of Tokyo near Narita airport —
is equipped with a 43kW solar power generating system that was installed
in 1984. The system has continued to perform efficiently for over 25
years, and has provided unprecedented, long-term field-test data. In
1998, the company's new global headquarters was constructed in Kyoto
with a 214kW solar power generating system installed on the
southern-facing wall and roof.
In 2005, KYOCERA MITA Espana S.A. installed a solar power generating
system on its facilities in Madrid. In the same year, the Kyocera
Group's North American headquarters, KYOCERA International Inc. in San
Diego, installed a solar power generating system built in the unique
design of a grove of solar trees in the staff parking lot. The system
generates electricity under the Southern California sun, while also
acting as a shade to keep the sun off of cars.
Kyocera will continue to make contributions to the promotion of solar
power as a solar module manufacturer and strive to reduce environmental
burden in the course of its business activities by installing solar
generating systems at more of the company's sites.
* Calculated assuming that the annual power consumption per household is
4,734kWh. (Source: Standby Energy Consumption Research Report 2008;
issued by The Energy Conservation Center, Japan)
Kyocera
Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971)(http://global.kyocera.com/),
the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in
1959 as a producer of fine
ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these
engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with
other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of solar power
generating systems, telecommunications equipment, electronic components,
printers, copiers, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial
ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2010, the company's net sales
totaled 1.07 trillion yen (approximately USD11.5 billion). The company
is ranked #554 on Forbes magazine's 2010 "Global 2000" listing of
the world's largest publicly traded companies.