twin benefits: Researchers of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Hyderabad, have developed a solar thermal collector that produces power as well as hot water. The new device can provide 100 litres of hot water per day at 75-80C and also generate enough power to run a fan and an 11 watt lamp for five hours a day and operate at night with the help of a charged battery. The device -- 'combined photovoltaic and thermal hybrid solar flat plate collector' -- can store about 4.6 per cent more energy than a normal thermal collector.
gas gains: In a move that will edge out its rivals in the natural gas sector, Hindustan Petroleum Corpo-ration, has tied up with Total of France. The joint venture will start a Rs 3,600-crore integrated project involving a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and a 500 mega-watt power project.The companies will establish a two-million tonne LNG import terminal either at Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh or at Ennore in Tamil Nadu at an estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore. The gas-fired power plant will be built at the same cost. Total owns large gas reserves in Indonesia and Yemen.
wide prospects: The CP group, Thailand's largest conglomerate, has set its sights on India. The Bangkok-based group is planning to start a fully-owned subsidiary in the country. CP has business interests ranging from animal feed to motorcycles, cosmetics, semiconductors and telecom. Its Indian arm will start operations with an initial investment of US $2.5 million to set up five poultry-feed projects in various parts of the country. The group is also exploring investment possibilities in basic telecom services, cable television, digital data transmission and software development.
motor marvel: Super-efficient electric cars will be on the roads sooner than predicted, thanks to a new method developed by Chrysler Corp of the US. It is a fuel cell system that can extract hydrogen from normal gasoline, to power a car that would be 50 per cent more fuel-efficient than cars which use conventional internal combustion engines. However, the elaborate system which uses metal catalysts to remove harmful sulphur and carbon monoxide emissions, would cost 10 times more than conventional engines. Chrysler hopes to launch a test vehicle within three years.
bumper crop: In a bid to solidify its base in the agri business, Monsanto Co of the US has bought Holden's Foundation Seeds Inc and two distributors for US $1 billion. Holden produces parent seeds which are used to create hybrids. Monsanto has been developing genes that make crops resistant to some pests and chemical weed killers. Monsanto will now be able to insert genes into seeds produced by Holden, which will enable it to widen its access to the world crop market.
net safety: Credit card owners can now trade on the Internet without any qualms. The Mastercard International Inc, International Business Machines Corp of the US and Danish Payment Systems, a Danish bank, have successfully tested a system in Denmark which protects the security of credit card dealings on the information highway. Under the system, the credit card numbers are jumbled so they cannot be read when sent across the Internet. Mastercard plans to introduce the system in aro-und 50 countries by the end of 1997.
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