Latest news with #WEI
Nikkei Asia
20-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
The scam that turned China's housing slump into a cash machine
Caixin Speculators exploit gap between sales prices, valuations, adding to banks' risks Residential buildings under construction in Huizhou, China, in October 2024. Once a pillar of the economy, China's property market has undergone a painful correction since late 2021. © Reuters WANG JING and HAN WEI, Caixin When Li Qing decided to sell her apartment in the southern Chinese city of Guilin, the real estate agent made an enticing offer: a quick sale and a guaranteed payment of 900,000 yuan ($125,000), hassle-free. All she had to do was agree to a few unusual conditions. The agent instructed Li to sign two separate sales contracts and to permit the buyer to name any individual as the "registered person" on the mortgage documents -- the nominal buyer and loan applicant.
Irish Independent
17-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
EU Commission warns Ireland of court action and fines over wind, water and methane failures
In a notice delivered on Thursday, the Commission said Ireland had failed to comply with regulations requiring planning procedures for renewable energy developments to be simplified and made faster. This would include setting clear time limits for permit-granting procedures targeted to specific technologies or types of projects. It would also mean referring all projects to a single applications body – In Ireland's case, An Coimisiún Pleanála - whereas currently some go through local authority planning departments. The regulations also require adoption of the 'presumption that renewable energy projects and the related grid infrastructure are of overriding public interest'. This would make such projects harder to object to because of personal or localised concerns. The regulations were due to be written into Irish law, or 'transposed', by July 1 but Ireland, along with Portugal and Latvia, missed the deadline. The warning gives the Government two months to respond and complete the transposition. 'Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union with a request to impose financial sanctions,' it says. The warning comes the day after wind energy representatives warned politicians that no offshore wind projects would be complete by 2030 despite a Government target of having 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity [almost as much as the entire country uses on an average day] by then. Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), told the Oireachtas Climate Committee that, at best, one of the five offshore wind projects currently in planning would be built by late 2030 but 2031 or 2032 was more likely. ADVERTISEMENT Mr Cunniffe said hold-ups in planning were a key obstacle, with state agencies not sufficiently resourced to deal with such complex planning applications. Responding to the Commission's warning, WEI said: 'To get clean, affordable, power to Irish families we need to be taking full advantage of changes in EU law designed to accelerate the development of wind power. 'While transposing this legislation is complicated, it is frustrating that it is taking so long and if this intervention from the EU Commission can help to speed up the process it is very welcome.' The Commission also notified the Government that it faces infringement proceedings for failing to properly transpose the EU's Drinking Water Directive. The directive was due to take effect by January 2023 but Ireland is accused of falling short on the regulations governing how temporary restrictions on water consumption are managed when contamination issues or concerns arise. Ireland also has two months to 'address the shortcomings'. In a third warning, the Commission told the Government it must comply with new regulations requiring improved measuring and reporting of methane emissions. Ireland was to provide details of which public authority would take charge of implementing the rules last February but has not done so.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois Central College president set to retire after four decades in education
After nearly four decades in higher education, Illinois Central College President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey is set to retire from her role Dec. 31, 2025. Quirk-Bailey, a Bradley graduate, leaves behind a legacy of leadership and ushered in significant transformation to the college since she assumed office in July 2016, strengthening ICC's recruitment and graduation rates and its student services. "It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve ICC and this community," Dr. Quirk-Bailey stated in a release July 1. "The work we have accomplished together has laid a strong foundation for the future, and I'm confident ICC will continue to change lives and strengthen our region for years to come." Quirk-Bailey came to ICC with 24 years of experience at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, spending her last five years there as chief of staff and vice president of planning and institutional effectiveness. She also worked at Andersen Consulting Center for Professional Education, the corporate university of the multinational consulting firm. During Quirk-Bailey's tenure at ICC, enrollment at the college has increased for five consecutive semesters, and the college reduced placement in developmental education by 66% without impacting student success, ICC said. In May 2025, more than 2,389 graduates received diplomas and certificates. The president's leadership also raised graduation and retention rates, bringing more students to the school to complete at least a four-year degree. More: Gov. Pritzker visits Illinois Central College on reelection tour Quirk-Bailey supported ICC's workforce programs, including the Workforce Empowerment Initiative, which targets low-income participants to give them a credential and living wage. Since its start, the WEI program has helped more than 1,200 people out of poverty, with participants seeing an average increase of nearly $33,000 in annual wages, according to ICC. The president was also a part of the IT Workforce Accelerator, offering free IT credentials, tuition and books, and the first prison education program in the country funded by federal Pell Grants. As part of ICC's "One Strategic Plan," the college will launch year-round eight-week scheduling, expand micro and stackable credentials and develop boot camps and competency-based education models. The plan will also implement a new enterprise resource planning platform to support future growth. "Dr. Quirk-Bailey's positive impact on Illinois Central College — and on the thousands of students and families whose lives have been changed through education — cannot be overstated," said Cindy Byrd, chair of the ICC Board of Trustees. "She has led with vision, diligence and an unwavering focus on student success. On behalf of the Board, we thank Dr. Quirk-Bailey for her extraordinary service and look forward to honoring her significant contributions to ICC and the greater community." The ICC Board of Trustees will conduct a national search for the college's next president. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois Central College president to retire from East Peoria school
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
WEI Named to CRN Solution Provider 500 List for 2025
Award-winning IT solution provider recognized for 17th consecutive year on CRN's influential industry list. SALEM, NH / ACCESS Newswire / June 3, 2025 / WEI has once again been recognized by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, earning a place on the esteemed CRN Solution Provider 500 list for the 17th year in a row. This continued recognition underscores WEI's long-standing dedication to building customized technology solutions that align with each client's unique business objectives and support meaningful, long-term transformation. WEI's eligibility on this list is made possible by being a key influencer in propelling growth in the IT industry and the global technology channel. As a certified minority-owned business, WEI brings a differentiated perspective to technology consulting, valued by organizations seeking partners that reflect their diversity and values. Serving clients across industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, retail, and higher education, WEI develops and delivers outcome-driven solutions spanning cybersecurity, cloud, DevOps, networking, and much more. Backed by a technical team of over 85 certified engineers, WEI is known for its deep technical bench, on-campus lab capabilities, and a highly collaborative approach that prioritizes long-term client success. "We are truly honored to be recognized by CRN for the 17th consecutive year," said Belisario Rosas, President of WEI. "This recognition is a reflection of the passion and talent across our organization. Our success comes from listening to our clients and building solutions that are tailored to their specific goals. It's about trust, innovation, and delivering results that make a difference for our customers." While many value-added resellers and IT solution providers face headwinds from market consolidation, restructuring, and supply chain disruptions, WEI continues to grow and lead. For over 35 years, WEI has followed a proven approach that drives tangible business results-from upfront assessments to solution design, deployment, and ongoing support. Backed by best-of-breed experts and strategic partnerships with top technology vendors, WEI delivers purpose-built solutions that align with its clients' goals and operational demands. "Congratulations to the solution providers on CRN's Tech Elite 250 for this recognition of their dedication to achieving top-level certifications and comprehensive proficiency in these critical technologies," said Jennifer Follett, VP, U.S. Content, and Executive Editor of CRN at The Channel Company. "These companies are committed to expanding their expertise so they can consistently deliver outstanding IT solutions that help their customers thrive." About WEIWEI is an innovative, full-service, customer-centric IT solution provider. It is an expert in business technology improvement, helping clients optimize their technology environments and work efficiently. WEI works with clients to understand goals, integrate strategy with technology solutions, and leverage their current IT environment into one company-wide model to increase utilization and efficiencies around their unique business processes. WEI's clients benefit from a strong focus on customer satisfaction and attention to detail. They combine cutting-edge technology with architectural design, value-added services, onsite training, integration, testing labs, and a commitment to quality. From solution design through implementation, WEI's sales and technical team remains focused on providing unwavering support throughout a project. Follow WEI: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.© Copyright 2025 WEI. All Rights Reserved. Contact: Erika MontgomeryThree Girls Media, Inc.408-218-2391Erika@ About The Channel Company: The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world's top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit Follow The Channel Company: X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. © 2025The Channel Company, Inc. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The Channel Company Contact: Kristin DaSilvaThe Channel Companykdasilva@ SOURCE: WEI
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Renewable energy, a sure route to ensuring the lights stay on
'Just imagine for a second that there was no climate emergency,' says Justin Moran. 'The globe isn't warming, everything is fine, there is no threat to life. You would still be insane not to be accelerating the development renewable sources of energy. It is the cheapest form of new electricity. The price drops in solar over the last couple of years have been incredible. Even if there was no climate emergency, you'd be doing this anyway and doing it as fast as you can.' Moran, a self-confessed 'energy nerd' is Director of External Affairs at Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), the body that represents Ireland's wind industry, with over 200 affiliated members. Their goal is neither simple nor trivial. Individually and collectively, they are on a mission to transform windy weather and odd day of Irish sunshine into the million blessings that a supply of electricity brings to civic society. Passionate in his advocacy of the urgency of renewable energy and the replacement of fossil fuels in the power chain, Moran sounds slightly bewildered that there are still people among us yet to grasp the importance of this transformation. He sits his argument on a stool with three legs — climate mitigation, energy security and the inarguable cost benefits of change. 'Onshore wind is the most affordable source of new energy — it helps consumers in that it drives down the price of electricity,' says Moran. 'Since 2020 onshore wind has saved over €1.7 billion in consumer bills. We spend about one-million euro every hour importing fossil fuels into Ireland for energy and there is absolutely no reason why we should be doing that. What we should be doing is putting in an energy system that ensures that money stays at home and that we have energy security and energy independence.' Ireland is doing quite well when it comes to producing electricity from onshore wind sources. Over a third of our energy demand is satisfied by this source, a higher proportion than any other country in Europe, which would come as a surprise to anyone who has walked across a Donegal beach on a blustery day. 'We've the best wind conditions anywhere in Europe,' explains Moran. In parts of the West of Ireland, the onshore winds are as good as offshore. Government has focused on the support schemes, the policies, the frameworks that have allowed us to build this capacity. Passengers wait before boarding their train at Sants railway station in Barcelona in April, a day after a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France. But there is an uncomfortable structural wrinkle lurking in the data. Ireland went all in on onshore wind farms in the early days of the 'rush to renewable' while other countries adopted more blended energy strategies, diversifying into solar, nuclear and offshore to supplement and balance their onshore output. Ireland cannot meet its net-zero targets in the coming decades through a disproportionate reliance on onshore wind farms and accelerating delivery from disparate sources is critical to meeting Ireland's international obligations. Justin Moran says that his members at WEI stand ready, willing and able to rise to the challenge. 'Our plan is to produce nine-thousand megawatts of onshore wind energy by 2030 and we are currently at about five, either built or in build,' he continues. 'We believe that there is enough land in Ireland suitable for onshore wind that could get us to about fifteen megawatts. One of the things we are asking of government is to set us a target of 11k megawatts by 2035 and fifteen by 2040. We are asking that we be given us those targets, and they will enhance our possibilities.' Moran acknowledges that there are real and valid social and community barriers in the way of these goals and that targets aren't met just by writing them on a piece of paper. A harmonious coalition of suppliers, government, local administration and the citizenry has yet to fully form on the pace and nature of the solution. In view of this, if his fairy Godmother made him supreme leader for a day and granted him one public policy credit, where would he spend it? He mulls the question long and silently, and then greedily chooses two options. 'Planning and Grid. We need to work with the regions and the county councils to identify land for wind energy. We estimate about 1.8% of the land in Ireland is available for wind farm development. Each county council tends to have its own approach for zoning, but if we could get to the point where we had national approach on how to identify land and understand how much power you could generate from it the planning system would be transformed. "A lot of the cost is in how long the project has to stay in the planning system. We need to develop winds farms more affordably. This is the government's direction of travel, but it needs to happen, much, much faster.' The criticality of a robust infrastructure to harness and distribute electricity is to the front of his mind and at the top of his concerns. Electrical power is like an unsold airplane seat — once the plane takes off the asset perishes, and it can never be sold again. It is the same with electricity that cannot find a route to the grid. At times in Ireland, up to 14% of electricity can be wasted because the grid is not strong enough to process the power and onshore wind is instructed to shut down temporarily. It's a frustration that Moran wears heavily. 'We know that we can provide far more electricity than we will ever need in this country,' he maintains. 'The resource is astonishing; it boggles the mind, but one of the questions is what do we do with that surplus wind? First thing we could do is export it, one of the challenges is that we are a small, isolated island of an electricity grid, in mainland Europe, there is always somewhere for your power to go. "Another challenge is that Ireland is an expensive place to build a wind or solar farm which means that the prices in Britain or France are cheaper than us. So not only do you need an enormous amount of the resource, but you also need to be able to sell more cheaply than your competitors.' Moran is speaking less than a month after Spain and Portugal had gone dark for almost a day with an as yet clearly unexplained catastrophic grid failure. Sixty million people in first-world modern economies without power and the sum of all fears for 'energy-nerds' had come to pass. We Irish often run ourselves down, but where we have got to now with onshore is something we can be proud of. But if we want to fully get to that clean energy future, we need to get the projects through planning and we need a stronger grid. There is no sense in building a wind farm in Donegal or a solar farm in Spain if it cannot get the power to your house. The new renewable systems will have hundreds of generators, and they are not going to be located necessarily beside the bigger cities. You need a system to move that electricity, and this only works if you have a strong grid. Onshore wind farms reduce more carbon emissions than every other energy technology combined in this country, but decarbonisation is only the number two issue. The number one issue is that when you press your light switch something happens. The lights cannot go out.
