POWER January 2011 - 47

POWER VIEWS
Newsom: Most OEMs have partnerships
with Chinese and Indian domestic manufacturing
companies, and therefore the revenues
are shared to some extent. In the long
term, as the indigenous companies develop
new technology, that revenue sharing will
be considerably reduced and eventually will
disappear. China's and India's relatively new
power generation manufacturing capability
is predominantly supplied for domestic customers,
and it remains to be seen if the U.S.
and European market will accept the lowercost
product without a proven track record
of quality and reliability.
Peltier: What are some major
barriers of doing business with
governments or private entities in
developing countries, and how do
you deal with them?
Newsom: Mitsubishi is involved with
technology transfers in several countries.
Without those agreements, it would be very
difficult to compete in their domestic markets,
especially China and India, because of
their remarkably lower manufacturing costs.
As long as our company maintains a technological
edge, this symbiotic arrangement
can be sustained.
Peltier: What initiatives does
your company have planned for
the next 10 years related to the
development of new or improved
renewable energy technologies?
Newsom: We are developing and offering
several products that will facilitate the energy
shift from the current predominantly hydrocarbon
supply to the more environmentally friendly
renewable energy-consuming society. In addition
to designing larger and more-efficient wind
turbines, and reducing the cost to manufacture
solar energy technology, Mitsubishi is dedicating
considerable R&D resources to develop fuel
cell combined cycles with high net efficiencies
as well as energy-storing devices such as largescale
lithium ion battery banks.
Peltier: How are you attracting
the next generation of engineers
and technologists into the power
industry?
Newsom: The next generation of engineers is
not attracted to the traditional field of power generation.
Instead, they are motivated to learn and
apply diversified knowledge that goes beyond
the traditional mechanical or electrical fields.
This new breed of engineers is motivated by getting
engaged in multidisciplinary activities that
involve control, emissions, performance, material
science, structural design, and many other subjects.
Mitsubishi offers challenging positions that
attract the talent needed to sustain our industry.
Peltier: What are your three key
predictions for the power industry
in 2011?
Newsom: Here are my three predictions for
2011:
■ A large number of budgetary inquiries for
potential development to go commercial
in the second half of the coming decade.
■ Replacement of existing coal-based generating
capacity with high-efficiency and flexible
natural gas combined cycles and renewable
projects where the economics make sense.
■ Demand will slowly rebound, and the U.S.
government will not provide substantially
more certainty on environmental regulations
for CO2. This situation will push power generation
companies to delay projects or make
decisions based upon the most cost-effective
and flexible generation option-predominantly
natural gas-based combined cycles. ■
-Dr. Robert Peltier, PE, POWER's
editor-in-chief, conducted and edited this
interview.
Where Government, Finance, Utility and Technology
Leaders CONNECT for Renewable Energy
WASHINGTON D.C. | September 20-22, 2011
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Hosted by:
Organized by:
www.retech2011.com
Bioenergy.
Wind.
Solar.
Hydro.
Geothermal.
Waste.
Ocean.
46
www.powermag.com
POWER | January 2011
http://www.retech2011.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER January 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER January 2011
