FPL Uses Infrared Technology to keep Service Reliability in the Top 25 Percent of Utilities Nationwide

"What I like best about my job is knowing that I'm making a difference for FPL customers every day and helping to deliver affordable and reliable power," said Florida Power & Light's Delivery Assurance Lead, Eli Cueto.

Juno Beach, FL (June 23, 2012) -- Florida Power & Light's Delivery Assurance Lead, Eli Cueto, can see things most of us would never even notice. He sees problems before they develop. Think of him as a detective who patrols the electric grid.

Doing this, I get to fulfill a lot of things that I like, which is field work, and investigating and uncovering potential problems,” he says.

This detective’s tool of choice? An advanced infrared camera, which he carries in a black suitcase as he patrols the power lines across Florida in his FPL van.

If you're looking at a section of an overhead line, everything could appear fine,” he says. “You could look at it with binoculars and still everything looks good.”

Cueto says if he stopped there, and relied only on his eyesight, he would miss the most important evidence of all - the clue that’s the key to delivering reliable service. Opening his suitcase and flipping on his infrared camera, Cueto reveals what’s really going on inside the fuse switch, fixed 60 feet high atop an FPL pole.

The way it works is that the camera picks up the infrared energy being displayed, so the brighter the color, the hotter the temperature,” Cueto says, pointing to a purplish image on the camera screen.

In the center of the image, he points to a bright white circle. “What we are seeing right here is a hot fuse switch. We can see it right here on the camera that it is overheating. The temperature, it’s over 150 degrees, so we know that it’s a candidate for replacement.”

Cueto returns to his office and uploads the infrared image to his computer. He calls up a database that provides more information about the specific pole and switch. The information he discovers helps him create a work order for his team, which can then perform preventive maintenance on the equipment and avoid a potential outage for customers. Like a good detective, Cueto followed the clues, determined the cause and cracked the case.

I think FPL sets a standard, because we actually take the initiative to go out there and evaluate all the facilities that we have,” says Cueto. He is part of a team of 26 FPL employees and contractors who use infrared technology to help provide reliable service.

What I like best about my job is knowing that I'm making a difference for FPL customers every day and helping to deliver affordable and reliable power.”

To view photos and video of FPL’s infrared technology, visit http://www.fpl.com/newsroom.

Eli Cueto joined FPL in 2005 and began his career as a meter reader. He later worked in the Distribution service planning area first, as an associate project designer, assisting with trouble tickets and working on projects to help improve service reliability, and later, as a customer project manager, helping plan for power delivery to new and existing construction. In December 2010, Cueto transitioned into his current delivery assurance lead position, where his focus day in and day out is preventing problems to help ensure service reliability.

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888

Wood Resources Quarterly Figures show strong Timber Demand, claims FRA

New figures from Wood Resources Quarterly show that China’s wood imports have increased hugely over the past ten years - which is great news for those investing in sustainable forestry, claims FRA.

Seattle, United States, June 23, 2012 -- New figures from Wood Resources Quarterly show that China’s wood imports have increased hugely over the past ten years - which is great news for those investing in sustainable forestry, claims Forestry Research Associates (FRA).

Although Chinese timber imports for the first quarter of 2012 were down slightly, imports of logs have increased almost every year for ten years. The reason behind the growing demand has been the country’s expanding economy and house building. As a result China has become the world’s largest importer of sawlogs, according to the report.

In addition, the report showed that the US is now providing more of China’s timber imports, while Russia and New Zealand are exporting less to China. The reduction in the import of Russian timber could be partly down to the fact that Russia has increased taxed on exported lumber.

China’s lumber imports were 15 times higher in 2011 than they were in 2001 - demonstrating the major growth in demand from the emerging economy. The value of the timber imported to China is now around $8 billion, up from just $630 million in 2001.

This increase in demand from China has led to an increase in the return that timber investors see after buying up sections of plantations - through firms like Greenwood Management - or through investing in forestry fund,” explained FRA’s analysis partner, Peter Collins.

FRA, a research and analysis consultancy specializing in sustainable forestry investment analysis, claims that investing in timberland is still a good bet for those who would like to diversify their portfolio. “Forestry and wood prices tend not to follow general economic trends - so if the stock markets are losing value, chances are, your timber investments will be holding up well,” explained Mr Collins.

FRA claims that Greenwood Management, along with several other timberland investment companies, offer an ethical investment choice for those who want a tangible asset in return for their investment.

About Forestry Research Associates

Forestry Research Associates is a research and advisory consultancy that focuses on forestry management, sustainability issues and forestry investment around the globe.

Media Contact:
Peter Collins
Forestry Research Associates
620 Vineyard Lane
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 316 8394

Morgan Stanley Impact Investment Platform attracts support from AAA

AAA is speaking out in support of the launch of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Investing and Impact Platform, which is intended to make it easier for investors to put their money into socially responsible projects.

Boston, MA, USA, June 23, 2012 -- Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) is speaking out in support of the launch of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Investing and Impact Platform, which is intended to make it easier for investors to put their money into socially responsible projects.

The investments offered through the platform are intended to be socially and environmentally responsible while offering risk-adjusted financial returns. “The project should enable more financial advisers offer a wide range of impact investing products to the masses and not just the wealthy”, explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.

AAA claims that the market for impact investing is growing, with one in every eight dollars in the US invested in projects that are considered to have corporate and societal responsibility at their center. This totals a huge $3.07 trillion in value terms and shows that people do want to make responsible decisions that align their financial goals with their personal ethics.

Mr Johnson added, “The more products available, for those interested in impact investing, the better.

We are seeing more and more individuals and even institutional investors looking for ways to make a difference while they make money and these kinds of platforms make it easier to do so.”

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Paul Hatch, added, “With over 4 million clients who have more than $1.7 trillion of investable assets, we are in a unique position to extend the reach of an ‘investing with impact’ program to one of the largest sets of investors in the world.

Even a fraction of this total represents a substantial amount that could be invested in support of the common good.”

AAA supports a range of ethical investment funds and projects and is especially keen to promote forestry investment as a profitable and ethical options. Mr Johnson explained, “investing in plantations, like the ones run by Greenwood Management and other firms in Brazil, offers a great diversifier for any portfolio and can also help to safeguard the future of sustainable forestry for generations to come.”

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596

New Book Addresses the Reality of Obesity and Offers a Break into a Growing Problem

The book advocates good health by avoiding stress typically brought on by obesity. The author also teaches the fundamental facts behind how this issue affects the body and mind.

Lanham, MD, USA - June 23, 2012 -- Millions of people have been diagnosed with obesity, and in recognizing the necessity of good health, there are ways to rid obesity through practical and realistic methods. Living with obesity is not the end of the world despite its life changing capabilities. In his new book titled The Obesity Reality: A Comprehensive Approach to a Growing Problem, author Dr. Naheed Ali leads us to the many truths about obesity by walking through the “ins and outs” of this problem.

The book advocates good health by avoiding stress typically brought on by obesity. What’s more, the information in the book is straightforward and dives into the inner workings of obesity. The author also teaches the fundamental facts behind how this issue affects the body and mind.

The aim is to encourage healthy living and fix the obesity dilemma throughout the world through this comprehensive, remedial guidebook. The information is presented in a zero-nonsense, highly-organized way. The book also reveals how obesity breeds other problems and how we can overcome this obstacle in more ways than one.

In The Obesity Reality, Dr. Ali addresses issues and serves obesity sufferers what Publishers Weekly calls “powerful insights”. Under his ideas, fundamental factors such as diet, treatment, and the mind affect the overall impact which obesity has on our health. The author believes the obese should have a diverse amount of knowledge to evade the massive physical ailments that this problem can bring forth. The book promotes the practices for looking obesity in the eye before it strikes, and the author is a firm believer in the adage: “prevention is a step above cure.” Additional information is available online at Obesity123.com.

-Ends-

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