Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Same old here also.Gas hit 4.00 at some stations here in PA yesterday.Its getting really sickening.Have you played any Gold options this year?I am thinking the Gold stocks have a good late summer fall.Not sure if the pullback from 1030 is over yet or not.The 10 year chart and what I see as even worse economic conditions coming lead me to believe gold goes much higher after the current consolidation.Thanks Bob :)
I agree. In fact there is new data out that more people are moving out of this country then into it. I don't blame them.
You are one lucky person to be doing that. Unfortunetly some things in life prevent you from taking that step. But without doubt, that is my goal, dream and wish to be in a cabin using solar and heating wood with ones I chop.
Speaking of which, I need to finish chopping mine in the backyard.
Nothing much, just trading options keeping busy.
Hi Trops
"We have met the enemy and it is us!
Pogo
first Earth Day
Toofuzzy
I am working on correcting some of the issues you mention.Here is something that ticks me off big time.First off,I do not watch a lot of television except for a few shows and football.When I sit down for a few hours of tv every other commercial is a drug company pushing pills for everything.Then they have the disclaimer that it may cause everything from heart attacks to god knows what.Last week these same drug pushing companies were pushing congress to make them exempt from lawsuits.Only in America can you feed the public through media and ask to not be held accountable.Makes me sick.Bob
Hi Trops
>>>>Fuzzy,I am disgusted with lots of issues and how they have been handled in our great country the last 20 years.Now we are paying the piper bigtime.Bob<<<<
There are two things that bother me.
1) Everything is always someone else's fault. ( You trip on a sidewalk, get in a car accident, get drunk in a bar, burn yourself with hot coffee, blow yourself up with lighter fluid, your fat, you got cancer, etc)
2) If you take this pill you will get better and if you buy this car the girl comes with it.
So in that vein do you own a Geo Metro or an SUV?
I live in a 12 ft by 16 ft cabin
Heat it with wood I cut.
I am off the grid (solar electric) and use about $30 of electricity PER YEAR (solar is expensive so my system is small)
I drive a 2005 Honda Civic that gets 40 mpg compared to the small pickup I was also looking at that got 20 mpg
I am also able to work only 3 months out of the year to support myself.( and I don't make all that much)
If you don't like the price then stop buying it. Besides if we stop buying it (oil) it will improve our balance of payments, the dollar will go up, and everything else imported we buy will be cheaper.
Not always
Toofuzzy
Fuzzy,I am disgusted with lots of issues and how they have been handled in our great country the last 20 years.Now we are paying the piper bigtime.Bob
Hi Trops
Yup! It is the same company. What does it say about US competitiveness when technology like this is available in India first?
I still don't see how it can work. And it is supposed to clean the air also! (it is filtered before it enters the expansion (combustion) chamber.
Toofuzzy
Hi Fuzzy,A friend of mine that is director of operations at one of my mall locations brought it up to me today.His son is a scientific genius.He actually is in to buy one.According to him they will be available in upstate NY in the not to distant future.He seemed to know what he was talking about.To be honest,I did not know about the air car until today.I will do more dd on it.http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html
Hi Trops
Is this the same company that has been around a few years and was proposing a bunch of local assembly factories.
I have no Idea how this would make thermodynamic sense.
If you compress air it produces a LOT of heat. Actually the heat is there but you are just concentrating it but that heat energy has to be given off, otherwise the container gets really hot and it takes even MORE energy to compress the air. That energy is lost and when you release the pressure the container gets colder and in the process loses even more pressure. Now you could reheat the container but that energy has to come from somewhere. All in all the whole idea makes no sense to me. Even the idea of using and air tank as a regenative braking system. A capasitor or a flywheel makes more sense.
Do you understand how this thing works?
Toofuzzy
Hey Quick,Whatz up these days?http://www.theaircar.com/acf/air-cars/air-cars.html
I guess we need this board now more than ever. Oil rises to record above $135!! Up 19% this month alone.
TAN: ClaymoreMac Global Solar Energy Index ETF.
Hey, thanks. FYI no OTC stocks allowed on this board. There is a link for alternative energy stocks in my ibox. Check it out. ost anything there.
Funny you say that about the charts. I had them up there for years but after adding about 50 of them it got to be overwhelming so I split them up into groups (Solar, Fuel Cells, ect) and added a link to them in the ibox.
I also created surveys on my board. Take the surveys when you have a chance. Thanks.http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board_surveymenu.asp?board_id=4442
Nice looking board! Might I suggest putting all the charts up in the Ibox together so we can see and compare them together...
I have a Oil and Gas board that is set up that way...
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=8567
XDSL.ob Smart NanoBattery demo
Don't know too much about this one. $0.08 down today.
Story reads well. Smallish OS 394M but AS was only 150M. Could see .01 or pop. 18k bagholders have drunk the battery acid so far.
Did have a recent spike that failed quickly. Never like that.
mPhase Makes Battery History
10:30a ET April 3, 2008 (Market Wire)
mPhase/AlwaysReady, Inc. (OTCBB: XDSL) successfully demonstrated the electronic activation of its revolutionary Smart NanoBattery in front of a live audience in NYC. This breakthrough in battery technology showed the ability to obtain power on command from a fully assembled Smart NanoBattery that does not self-discharge. Unlike conventional batteries that start dissipating power right after they are manufactured, the Smart NanoBattery keeps the liquid electrolyte separate from the solid electrodes with a nanostructured membrane and is therefore completely fresh when power is needed for the first time. By combining the phenomenon of electrowetting with microfluidics, the suspended electrolyte can be manipulated and moved through the membrane to contact the electrodes and provide power when needed. For the first time in a public demonstration, the electrowetting was achieved by an electronic triggering mechanism.
"Demonstrating this electrical activation mechanism in front of a packed house was exhilarating and represents a major milestone in showing how the Smart NanoBattery can be potentially integrated into portable electronic systems," said Ronald A. Durando, CEO of mPhase Technologies Inc.
About mPhase/AlwaysReady, Inc.
mPhase Technologies Inc. (OTCBB: XDSL), through its wholly owned subsidiary AlwaysReady, Inc., is focused on developing and commercializing a new battery technology based on a well-patented phenomenon known as electrowetting, which provides a unique way to store energy and manage power that will revolutionize the battery industry. For more information please visit our website at www.mPhaseTech.com.
--------------------
mPhase/AlwaysReady Leapfrogs Battery Technology
11:00a ET April 3, 2008 (Market Wire)
mPhase/AlwaysReady, Inc. (OTCBB: XDSL) announced today that coming off of the heels of its successful demonstration today that it has set a date of May 20th 2008 to demonstrate to the public a new higher powered lithium Smart NanoBattery that can be activated on command. Remarkable progress has been made in optimizing battery chemistry and packaging of our Smart NanoBattery while we pursue commercial and military applications involving portable electronics. The Smart NanoBattery has a unique architecture built around a nanostructured membrane that separates the liquid electrolyte and solid electrodes until power is needed and avoids the problem of self-discharge encountered in a standard battery.
"The nanostructured membrane at the heart of the Smart NanoBattery can be customized to work with any battery chemistry. Advancing to a lithium platform will accelerate product commercialization and opens up many more potential applications," said Dr. Fred Allen, President of AlwaysReady, Inc.
"This represents incredible progress in a short period of time. Led by Dr Allen, our team is ushering in a new era in battery technology," said Ronald A. Durando CEO of mPhase.
Boeing did 1st fuel cell powered flight
Boeing flies plane powered by fuel cells
2:31p ET April 3, 2008 (MarketWatch)
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Aerospace giant Boeing Co. said Thursday that it has successfully flown the first aircraft powered by fuel-cell technology, as part of an in-house research project.
After five years of experiments through a European research unit, Boeing conducted three manned flights of a propeller-driven plane that used a combination of batteries and fuel cells to get airborne, and then flew solely on fuel-cell power. The test flights were conducted in February and March.
Boeing is not looking to power one of its jumbo passenger jets via fuel cells, but could use it as a secondary source of energy for some of its aircraft, according to spokesman Thomas Koehler. "It's more of case of us trying to explore its potential," he said.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices used to convert hydrogen directly into electricity without a combustion process. Heat and water are the only emissions produced from fuel cells, Boeing said.
The plane used in the experiments was a two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a relatively long, 53.5-foot wingspan. A longer wingspan makes it easier for a plane to glide in for a landing should it run out of power.
Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria built the base model of the plane, and Boeing modified it with the hybrid fuel/lithium-ion battery system. One of the plane's seats was taken out to accommodate the hybrid system.
The plane's pilot climbed to altitudes of 3,300 feet using a combination of battery and fuel cells, then disconnected the batteries. Then the plane was flown level at 62 miles an hour for 20 minutes using only fuel cells.
Fuel-cell technology could power small manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as auxiliary power units on commercial jets, Koehler said.
The development wasn't "terribly significant," aerospace analyst Jon Kutler said, since the cost of this technology may make it prohibitively expensive for many customers. He would like to see companies that specialize in propulsion technology, such as Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. , getting into the act.
"It's a step in the right direction," Kutler said. "I'm glad the technology's being pursued. But it's a long way from application."
Boeing funded the project entirely on its own. The company's "Phantom Works" research division oversaw the European unit that conducted the experiments, Koehler said.
Nice move on PLUG up 18%! No real news.
Largest wind turbine firm dedicates U.S. plant
updated 29 minutes ago
Font size:
Colorado factory builds 6-ton blades that are up to 144-feet long
WINDSOR, Colo. - The world's largest wind-turbine maker officially opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant this week on Colorado's northern plains, where it expects to produce blades for 600 turbines a year.
Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems will eventually employ 600 workers at its 400,000-square-foot plant outside Windsor, about 60 miles north of Denver. It has about 200 workers now.
Ditlev Engel, Vestas' president and chief executive, said the United States was the company's largest market last year.
"We have great faith in the potential of our industry in this country," he said.
Gov. Bill Ritter attended the plant's ceremonial opening on Wednesday, calling it "a victory for our state" that will help attract other renewable energy companies to Colorado.
'New Energy Economy' touted
Ritter has set a goal of attracting renewable energy research and manufacturing operations to the state for what he calls the "New Energy Economy."
"We now have in-state manufacturing capacity to supply wind farms not just in Colorado but across North America," he said.
Ritter said the Vestas plant has already sparked conversations with other companies thinking about locating in Colorado. He declined to elaborate.
Vestas spokeswoman Lone Mortensen said the factory expects to reach full production in May. It finished its first blade on Jan. 31.
The plant will make 130- and 144-foot long blades weighing about 6 tons each. They will be used on two turbine sizes, producing either 1.65 megawatts or 3 megawatts.
One 3-megawatt wind turbine can supply more than 1,000 homes with electricity for one year, Vestas said.
Vestas has installed more than 33,500 wind turbines in 63 countries and employs more than 15,000 people worldwide.
Vestas cited Windsor's access to rail services and a skilled work force as reasons for choosing the location.
The town and Weld County offered Vestas incentives worth a total of about $1.1 million in deferred development fees and tax breaks, interim Town Manager Kelly Arnold said.
Craig Cox, executive director of the Colorado-based Interwest Energy Alliance, a trade and advocacy group, called the plant "a true manifestation of the New Energy Economy."
He likened the significance of the plant to Colorado's voter-approved requirement that utilities get some of their energy from renewable sources.
"I think it shows Colorado is finally on the map," he said.
Montana wants a share
But Colorado is not alone. Montana announced this week that a German company is planning to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant near Butte.
Fuhrlander AG says it hopes to start building the $25 million plant in the fall and finished by next year. It will employ about 150 people.
The company selected Montana for its North American manufacturing facility because of recent incentives adopted by the state. It also said a favorable political environment, led by Gov. Brian Schweitzer, helped.
Company chairman Joachim Fuhrlander said the Butte area was picked because of the available work force and training opportunities at Montana Tech.
Wind turbines built at the plant will cost about $4 million each, and produce up to 2.5 megawatts of electricity.
Schweitzer said the plant should help spur the development of more wind farms in Montana.
Hearing an Environmental Echo at WIREC
As countries pledge funds for greener policies at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, President Bush makes commitments that sound strangely familiar.
by: Marisa Taylor and Rachel Barron
Bullet Arrow March 06, 2008
A few hours before the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference ended Thursday, the United States slipped in its much-anticipated environmental pledge.
And no doubt those hoping to see an innovate plan to step up the country’s renewable-energy adoption will be disappointed.
"I don’t see anything new here," said Marchant Wentworth, a legislative representative for the clean-energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Many of the promises are basically recycled statements from the energy bill -- and other initiatives -- that the president signed into law in December.
Examples include the Environmental Protection Agency pledge to increase the amount of renewable fuels used in the U.S. to 36 billion gallons by 2022, and the Department of Energy’s goal of issuing $10 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy-efficiency systems.
One pledge even dated back to 2005, when the U.S. government -- the single greatest energy consumer in the world -- said 7.5 percent of its electric energy use will come from renewable resources by 2013.
In total, the conference received more than 100 pledges from around the world, said Jim Pierobon, a spokesman for the American Council on Renewable Energy, which is helping to host the conference.
Cape Verde committed to increasing renewable energy sources to 50 percent of market share by 2020, and the Danish government promised to reduce its use of fossil fuels by at least 15 percent by 2025. Among the most ambitious pledges came from New Zealand, which set a goal of producing 90 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2025. But like the United States, New Zealand is also touting repeat objectives.
Still, greentech advocates shouldn’t have been too surprised by the U.S. pledge.
After President Bush took the podium at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference on Wednesday -- with the eyes of more than 6,000 government leaders and industry representatives from 80 different countries watching -- industry insiders said the speech failed to dazzle.
He began his speech by proclaiming that "we’ve got to get off oil," both to avoid putting Americans "at the mercy of terrorists" and to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.
He went on to call for the use of more nuclear power, hydrogen fuel and cellulosic ethanol and added that international agreements "must include commitments, solid commitments, by every major economy, and no country should get a free ride."
But the speech did not introduce much new or notable information with respect to the United States’ environmental policy.
For example, President Bush called for Congress to contribute $2 billion to an international cleantech fund in order for wealthier nations to help developing countries become more environmentally friendly, a pledge he actually introduced in his State of the Union address back in January (see Bush’s Tiny $2B Greentech Fund).
"I didn’t hear any concrete commitments on anything," said Ethan Zinler, an analyst at New Energy Finance. "The idea that [Bush is] calling on the rest of the world to remove tariffs and trade barriers on clean-energy technology … Well, the U.S. is the one that has the high tariffs for importing ethanol. I didn’t hear anything from him about lifting that."
What was significant, however, was the president’s departure from his traditional pro-ethanol stance. While the problem of skyrocketing grain prices and the food vs. fuel problem has been debated publicly for months, President Bush made his very first mention of "complaints from our cattlemen about the high price of corn."
"And so we got to do something about it, and the best thing to do is not to retreat from our commitment to alternative fuels," he said, "but to spend research and development money on alternatives to ethanol made from other materials -- for example, cellulosic ethanol holds a lot of promise."
A number of scientists and entrepreneurs hope that cellulosic ethanol, which is made from the nonfood materials like switchgr**** wood chips and corn cobs, can solve many of ethanol’s problems (see Biofuel Forecast Buoys a Bit and Biofuels Battle the Highs and Lows of Market Volatility).
But costs and other challenges have left some wondering if cellulosic ethanol ever will be viable (see Gristmill post). And some environmentalists argue that cellulosic ethanol can still displace land that might compete with traditional food sources (see Lester Brown Talks Smack About Ethanol).
A move toward cellulosic ethanol will drive up the price of soybeans, a key food source in developing countries, said Jonathan Dorn, a staff researcher at the Earth Policy Institute.
"Rising food prices around the world are translating into social unrest," he said. "These are the countries that are going to breed terrorist groups. I don’t think, from Bush’s speech, that he’s connected any of these dots at all."
Moreover, Bush’s emphasis on alternative fuels was in direct conflict with his promise to veto a bill recently passed by the House of Representatives that would eliminate subsidies to large oil companies and instead direct those funds to sources of renewable energy.
"He’s saying that we have to get off of oil, but he’s contradicting it in action," said Dorn. "If Bush was actually serious about this speech that he made, he wouldn’t be threatening to veto this bill."
__________________
You will never see a rate increase from the sun, Go Solar
Gas from cows
www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0440606220080304
Toofuzzy
HOUSTON (AP) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. said Wednesday it expects to invest between $25 billion and $30 billion on capital and exploration projects this year, up from about $21 billion in 2007, though the increase reflects the rising costs of finding new supplies of oil and natural gas.
I thought this was funny when I imagined are Alternative Energy folks waving $20.00 under some congress man/women's nose in hopes of getting them to sponsor an Alternative Energy Bill
Will U.S. Policy Drive Green-Car Tech Away?
As the Environmental Protection Agency formally denies California the right to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles, analysts suggest that new technology to make cars greener could continue to come out in other countries, with stronger policies, first. But higher fuel prices could change that forecast.
by: Jennifer Kho
Bullet Arrow March 03, 2008
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized its rejection of a waiver that would have let California impose stricter regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles.
A notice from EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on Friday canceled the state’s plans to enforce a law, passed in 2002, calling for a 30-percent reduction in tailpipe emissions by 2016. Eighteen other states also had been considering following the same law, if California had received the waiver.
Advertisement
Johnson had said he would deny the waiver in December, a move that sparked another lawsuit from California, Congressional hearings and an angry letter from 19 union presidents representing more than 10,000 EPA employees (see EPA Rejects California Vehicle-Emission Standards, EPA ’Sabotaged’ California, Brown Says, California Sues EPA for Greener Vehicles, Emissions Technologies Could Benefit From Regulation Battle and Judge Upholds California Auto-Emission Law).
According to The Los Angeles Times, EPA staff members had recommended approving the waiver, writing in a memo that there was "no legal or technical justification" for the agency to deny it.
The EPA document released Friday repeated the agency’s stance that global warming isn’t local in nature and that California’s conditions aren’t "compelling and extraordinary" enough to justify a waiver (see Associated Press story).
Greentech advocates say the decision highlights the trend of U.S. policies falling further behind other countries’ efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from cars, in spite of a bill signed in December that raised U.S. fuel-economy standards for the first time in more than 30 years (see President Signs Energy Bill, Senate Rejects Incentives to Pass Energy Bill, Senate Sends Energy Bill Back to Beginning, House Passes Energy Bill, Will Greentech Get Anything from the Energy Bill? and Renewable Tax Credit and Portfolio Standard Could Get Cut From Energy Bill).
"CAFE standards--people are jumping up and down," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a speech last week, referring to the fuel-economy standards requiring vehicles to average 35 miles per gallon by 2020. "Give me a break.… In five or six years, maybe we’ll catch up with China."
Case in point: China is considering charging traffic-congestion fees on some of its busiest roads, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. London already has a similar congestion fee.
While the United States certainly has given birth to some new green-vehicle technologies--think Tesla Motors’ flashy electric sports car, for one--many of the alternative vehicle startups have come out of Europe, which has far stricter standards.
Steven Vehicles, a U.K.-based electric-vehicle startup, announced two cars Saturday, according to Green Car Congress.
In the meantime, U.S. companies such as Project Better Place, which plans to set up a network of electric-vehicle charging stations, is targeting outside markets. Project Better Place--which last month said it would set up an electric-vehicle charging network in Israel--told The Economist it plans to announce another agreement with a national government in the next few months (via Earth2Tech).
Meanwhile, Reno, Nev.-based Altair Nanotechnologies ((NSDQ: ALTI), which is developing batteries for electric vehicles, has ousted its CEO (see Green Light post).
So will the newest, coolest green cars continue to roll out on streets outside the United States?
Eric Fedewa, vice president of global powertrain forecasts at CSM Worldwide, suggests it’s a possibility.
"Primarily, the technology we see overseas has been legislated into existence because of the fuel tax," he said, referring to higher taxes on fuel in Europe. "That’s why we’re seeing higher technology levels in foreign markets. More or less, the reason why we see so much technology in other markets--in Japan, in Europe--[is] because the energy cost is so much higher than here.
Different countries have approached the legislation in different ways, he said, adding that China’s government could simply mandate the technology it wants to have.
"Legislation, in a lot of cases, creates the atmosphere where the vehicle manufacturers can provide solutions," he said. "My view is the automotive industry is full of smart people, and if legislators say, ’Here’s the new standard,’ the engineering departments will step up and come up with the solutions. I view legislation as a good thing. But it’s going to be a little expensive for the vehicle manufacturers to change their products to comply."
Still, even without stricter legislation, energy prices could soon help drive greener cars to the United States, Fedewa said.
"Let’s start with $4-a-gallon gas. I think everybody is reaching the consensus that that’s where we’re headed, because energy supplies are limited and people really want to drive more.… I think as our energy price increases, we’re going to see a lot more technology come into this market because consumers are going to be willing to pay more for that."
Fedewa said CSM Global thinks consumers will begin to consider fuel economy in their car-buying decisions once the energy cost grows to roughly 2 to 3 percent of their disposable income.
"We’re just about there now," he said. "Hybrids and diesels become more attractive. I think we’re going to see more of that in this market because the price of fuel is not going to go down significantly."
Thanks for contributing. Sorry I've been out so much. Keep it up and I may have to make you an assistant of this board.
The Green Chip Review
Japan to Put Nearly $2 bn in CleanTech Fund
By Sam Hopkins
Sony's Blu-Ray DVD technology beat out Toshiba's HD-DVD recently, in a clash of Japanese tech titans. Will the next battle between Japanese technology firms be a green investing opportunity?
Japan is about to throw nearly $2 billion into an international fund that fuels clean energy technology in developing countries. With Japan's technological advantage in everything from hybrid cars to robots, it's safe to assume that Japanese companies will be among the world's leaders in CleanTech within a few years.
Japan, which currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations (G8), is planning to invest up to $1.93 billion in the fund, which has already drawn pledges of around $2 billion apiece from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Japan's financial daily Nikkei broke the story over the weekend, saying that exactly how much will come from Tokyo's deep pockets (Japan has one of the highest currency reserve totals in the world) won't be clear until an announcement during a major April summit of national financial policymakers and central bankers in Washington.
Kyoto-based Kyocera (NYSE:KYO) produces a wide range of electronic parts and equipment, including solar energy modules that are sold throughout the world. Kyocera reached highs of around $108 per New York-traded share in summer 2007, and the stock is now trading at about $83 with a dividend of 53 cents per share.
I will be shocked if Kyocera and other Japanese companies are not already in talks with Japan's finance ministry and Bank of Japan leaders to competitively place native knowledge and products in developing countries through the new international fund.
Greentech Leaders, Government Officials Gather in Washington
Greentech leaders look to the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, which begins Tuesday, to get a hint of environmental policies to come.
by: Rachel Barron
Bullet Arrow March 03, 2008
As oil prices continue to smash records and the future of U.S. renewable-energy incentives hang in limbo, 6,000 government leaders and industry representatives from around the world are heading to Washington in the hope of finding common green ground.
The Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, or WIREC, kicks off with side programs Monday and officially begins Tuesday.
For many in the greentech industry, the event -- which continues through Thursday -- will act as a barometer indicating how much the United States and governments around the world are willing to step up their environmental policies.
"There will be a lot of conjecture, if you will, about the future incentives of renewable energy across the board," said Jim Pierobon, a spokesman for the American Council on Renewable Energy, which is helping to host the conference.
In particular, Pierobon pointed to the U.S. renewable-energy tax credits set to expire at the end of this year (see Solar Sharpens Weapons for Incentive Battle).
"How do you finance a project where that kind of tax credit is a centerpiece of a financing spread sheet?" he asked.
Pierobon thinks WIREC could help boost U.S. policymakers’ interest in creating more stable incentives by highlighting successful policies in other countries, such as in Germany, as well as the growing interest in green energy from governments such as China’s.
As part of the conference, WIREC has asked local and international authorities to submit environmental pledges.
By Friday, WIREC had received only one pledge -- one from the Danish government promising to reduce its use of fossil fuels by at least 15 percent by 2025, to grow renewable energy to at least 30 percent of its total energy consumption by the same year and to increase energy efficiency and funding for the development of new energy technologies.
With more than 80 countries participating in the conference, Pierobon expects more pledges to role in, including one from the United States.
The question of the United States’ seriousness about renewable energy will no doubt be an unspoken theme of the conference, said Ethan Zindler, an analyst for New Energy Finance who plans to attend.
"Are they going to demonstrate true leadership and commitment on these issues or is it going to be more of the same?" he questioned.
With the conference in President Bush’s backyard, "a lot of people are looking to see some hard commitment from this administration on climate change," Zindler said.
On Thursday, Bush claimed during a press conference that he had done more for renewable energy than any of his predecessors.
Indeed, some greentech advocates cheered in December when the president signed an energy bill that will increase fuel-economy standards in 2020 and require fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022 (see President Signs Energy Bill).
But many others were disappointed that the incentives were cut from the bill, and environmentalists have long been infuriated by the lack of a U.S. commitment to curb greenhouse-gas emissions (see Senate Rejects Green Incentives to Pass Energy Bill).
In December, the United States was blamed for holding up international efforts to create a climate-change-fighting road map after 2012, when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires (see Bali Summit Yields Plans to Plan).
Perhaps the greentech industry will get a better sense of Bush’s commitment to renewable energy at the conference; that is, if he shows up. The WIREC conference agenda currently has "TBD" next to a keynote address by Bush scheduled for Wednesday.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They really seem down on the United States commitment to Climate change. Perhaps this will help push the Renewable energy and energy Conservation Tax Act Bill by the senate and Bush can sign it and look like he cares
__________________
You will never see a rate increase from the sun, Go Solar
Batteries for the Grid
With natural-gas prices on the rise and renewable-energy targets pushing for greener energy, utilities such as Xcel Energy are hoping that batteries can take the edges off bumpy wind-power production.
by: Jennifer Kho
Bullet Arrow February 29, 2008
As natural gas prices rise and state policies push utilities to add more renewable energy to their portfolios, batteries might benefit.
That’s because sources such as wind and solar are intermittent -- that is, electricity is sometimes needed when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining -- and utilities need to back up the power.
Advertisement
While that’s usually accomplished today via power plants, which stand by ready to dispatch extra electricity during times of high demand, there are small signs that might be changing.
Take Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL), an electric and natural-gas utility in Minneapolis. The company said Thursday that it plans to use a 1-megawatt battery pack from NGK Insulators for a test to store wind energy for the grid.
The company claims it will be the first use of the technology in the United States for "direct" wind energy storage, meaning the battery will store wind energy before its moved to the grid.
The sodium-sulfur battery system, which the company says can store enough energy to power 500 average homes for more than seven hours, will be roughly as large as two semi trailers and will weigh approximately 80 tons, according to Xcel.
"Energy storage is key to expanding the use of renewable energy, Xcel CEO Dick Kelly said in a written statement. "This technology has the potential to reduce the impact caused by the variability and limited predictability of wind energy generation."
Xcel isn’t the first utility to use batteries to smooth the intermittency of wind power.
In September, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) said it was installing 6 megawatts of NGK’s batteries to support its wind operations and also said it planned to install "at least" 25 megawatts by 2010, according to a report from Sara Bradford, industry director for the energy and power systems group at research firm Frost & Sullivan.
The company already had installed a 1.2-megawatt battery system in Virginia in 2006 after having run a demonstration system since 2002. And the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which had partnered with NGK to develop the batteries, already had two 6-megawatt storage systems operating in Japan by 2001.
Still, the announcement shows some movement toward a new market for batteries that also could boost renewables, Bradford said.
Traditionally, some of the challenges have included the difficulty of reliably handling large power fluctuations over a long period of time, the need for energy density high enough to store large amounts of power without taking up enormous amounts of space and high cost.
Most traditional battery chemicals aren’t suitable for wind power, Bradford said. "You need a battery that can buffer really high capacity demands," she said, adding that lead-acid batteries, for example, would require a "humungous" battery bank to handle that need.
But sodium-sulfur seems promising because the technology has achieved efficiencies of more than 89 percent and pulse power -- the ability of a battery to deliver energy at full power without reducing its reliability or its lifespan -- of six times the current ratings, she said.
Still, price remains an issue, she said. In September, AEP said its project would cost about $4,500 per kilowatt. Xcel said it hadn’t worked out the pricing yet, but had received a $1 million grant from Minnesota’s Renewable Development Fund, subject to approval from the state’s public utilities commission.
"It has potential," Bradford said, referring to sulfur-sodium technology. "There certainly are some big names looking at it -- there are certainly some benefits -- and I think this could be an option. But I think it’s so soon, in terms of commercializing it, that it’s hard to tell if the prices will come down [enough]."
Another issue? So far, only one manufacturer produces sodium-sulfur batteries, she said.
"That kind of puts a freeze [on the market] unless they start licensing it out," she said. "That would be a long-term challenge."
Meanwhile, other competitors -- both startups and traditional battery players -- are chomping at the bit to try to take a bite of the potential utility energy-storage market.
"I know the traditional battery guys would love to get to that market, but they haven’t been able to do it yet," Bradford said.
House Again Passes Energy Tax Bill Favoring Renewables Over Oil
By Daniel Whitten
Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House for the third time in more than a year approved new taxes on the oil industry to pay for incentives for renewable energy and efficiency.
The $18.1 billion measure, versions of which have been rejected twice by the Senate, would remove a $13.6 billion tax credit from the world's five biggest public oil companies, and impose a $4.5 billion tax on oil and gas companies operating abroad. Money from the policy changes would promote wind and solar power and offer incentives for energy savings technology.
The 236-182 vote comes a day after the price of oil closed at a record $100.88 and during a week when the Energy Department reported that the price of average retail regular unleaded gasoline climbed almost 9 cents to $3.13 a gallon. The White House again threatened to veto the measure yesterday.
``We have seen no indication that Republican opposition to the oil and natural gas tax hikes have abated, making the offsets the Democrats seek for the renewable programs the albatross on the bill,'' said Christine Tezak, an analyst for Stanford Group Co. in a Feb. 22 report.
In December, the Senate dropped a $13 billion energy tax measure after President George W. Bush threatened to veto an energy bill with the taxes. Democrats fell one vote short of the 60 they needed to overcome obstacles to the measure, and sent the bill, which included the first new vehicle fuel economy standards in three decades, to Bush without a tax plan.
``The bill would use the tax code to target tax increases on a specific industry in a way that will lead to higher energy costs to U.S. consumers and businesses,'' the White House said in a statement threatening a veto.
The bill ``invests in the clean renewable energy that will put us on a path toward energy security and energy independence in a fiscally responsible way -- by repealing subsidies only to big oil companies already making record profits,'' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Whitten in Washington at dwhitten2@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 27, 2008 16:41 EST
IESV is worth a closer look. Nobody is doing what they are doing in the biogas business with cowcrap and Andigen digesters. Price is right; this company finally getting its act together...check recent PRs.
February 26, 2008
Renewable Tax Bill Up for Vote This Week
Washington, D.C. [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
Speaker of The U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel have released a statement on the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax of 2008 (H.R. 5351), which will be voted on in the House this week.
****************************************************************
"The bill extends and expands tax incentives for renewable electricity, energy and fuel, as well as for hybrid cars, and energy efficient homes, buildings, and appliances. It does not add to our deficit, but rather repeals $18 billion in tax subsidies for Big Oil companies."
--Statement from Pelosi, Hoyer and Rangel
******************************************************************
H.R. 5351 will increase investment in clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency and will pay for that investment by repealing unnecessary tax breaks to traditional energy companies. It is similar to the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act (H.R. 2776) that passed the House as part of a bipartisan energy package in August 2007 but was stripped in order for the package to pass in the Senate.
"The bill extends and expands tax incentives for renewable electricity, energy and fuel, as well as for hybrid cars, and energy efficient homes, buildings, and appliances. It does not add to our deficit, but rather repeals $18 billion in tax subsidies for Big Oil companies. By strengthening our renewable energy sector, the bill will help create the next generation of good-paying, green collar jobs and bring down energy prices in the long term,” the statement said.
Its not spam and I thought it was pumping but you haven't mentioned that same stock in other boards, so its not pumping.
Also and more importantly, People don't like to click link after link. Just post the chart or your comment, not a link to your previous post about it.
Thanks frenchee. I dont have PM.
February 24, 2008 9:48 AM PST
Biofuel takes flight with Virgin Atlantic
Posted by Michael Kanellos |
Virgin Atlantic Airways flew a 747 from London to Amsterdam on Sunday powered in part by a biodiesel made from tropical oils.
The fuel used by the plane is a combination of regular kerosene-based jet fuel and a biodiesel from Imperium Renewables composed of babassu oil and coconut oil. Babassu comes from a tree in Brazil. In fact, 80 percent of the fuel consumed by the plane was kerosene-based. Only 20 percent of the fuel used on the flight came from plant oils. Still, it's a first, says Virgin.
The oils came from existing plantations, Imperium said. No modifications were required to the plane's engines.
Biodiesel is similar to regular diesel, but instead of being processed from fossil fuels it is made from plant oils. Biodiesel gets slightly lower mileage than regular diesel, but it spews far less polluting compounds into the air. It is also carbon neutral in that the carbon in the fuel comes from plants that are already on the surface of the Earth, which had sucked carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when they were growing. Fossil fuels are said to add carbon because they unlock molecules that have long been buried.
Although less polluting, biodiesel generally also costs more. In the U.S. the federal government offers subsidies ranging from 50 cents to $1 a gallon to biodiesel refiners. Carbon regulations, however, will likely make alternative fuels like biodiesel more economically attractive in the future.
Imperium has also cut deals with cruise ships to use biodiesel. Besides tree oils, Imperium is also experimenting with algae-based biodiesel with a company called Solazyme which could be cheaper. (Imperium last year opened up a 100 million gallon a year refinery. It also switched CEOs and delayed an IPO.)
Meanwhile, Richard Branson, he of the Virgin empire, has been investing in green start-ups.
Solar stocks powering PBW. #msg-26733101
Clean Energy Investment Exceeds $117 Billion in 2007:
The global investment in clean energy grew 41% in 2007, reaching $117.2 billion, according to analysts at New Energy Finance, Ltd. Wind power drew the greatest amount of investments, followed by solar energy and energy efficiency, while biofuels investments slowed due to surging costs for crops. The majority of the funds, $54.5 billion, were used to finance assets such as biorefineries, wind farms, and solar power plants. In fact, nearly half of that went toward wind energy investments. Meanwhile, solar project investments of $5.9 billion represented an 82% increase over investments in 2006, driven partly by large solar energy facilities in Spain and Italy. Solar energy also became the leading clean energy candidate for venture capital and private equity investment, attracting $3 billion of new equity. Much of that went toward solar energy startups in the United States; HelioVolt alone raised $101 million. Clean energy stocks also did well, as thin-film solar power company First Solar led the pack with a nearly 8-fold increase in price. See New Energy Finance's press releases on clean energy investments (PDF 32 KB) and stocks (PDF 85 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
If all that sounds good to you, consider this: to meet current climate change abatement targets, New Energy Finance estimates that clean energy investments will need to triple over the next five years. The company projects that investments in renewable energy generation facilities and biorefineries will need to sustain a 20% annual growth through 2013 to meet global targets for clean energy. Among the companies stepping up to that challenge are Najafi Companies, LLC, which is committing $100 million to a new startup portfolio company for alternative energy, and GE Energy Financial Services, which now plans to invest $6 billion in renewable energy by 2010. The GE company doubled its goal after meeting its $3 billion goal a couple years early. See the press releases from New Energy Finance (PDF 28 KB), Najafi Companies, and GE Energy Financial Services (PDF 104 KB).
Senate stimulus plan falls one vote short
Despite backing of 59 senators, $158 billion plan fails
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last update: 6:37 p.m. EST Feb. 6, 2008
PrintPrint EmailE-mail Subscribe to RSSRSS DisableDisable Live Quotes
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A $158 billion plan to stimulate economic growth failed in the Senate late Wednesday on a 58-41 procedural vote, despite support from a majority of senators.
The bill needed 60 votes to be considered under Senate rules. At the last minute, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid switched his vote to no, giving him to right to ask for another vote.
The vote was largely on party lines, with all 49 Democrats and two independents joining with eight of 49 Republicans in voting for it.
Barring some kind of deal to win one more vote, the Senate will now turn to the House-approved version of the economic stimulus plan, which includes $600 to $1,200 tax rebate checks for 117 million households as well as tax breaks for business investments at a cost of $146 billion.
President Bush had urged the Senate to pass the House plan so he could quickly sign the legislation. Lawmakers are trying to meet a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 15 to send the bill to Bush.
The House plan was negotiated between the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders in the House without any input from the Senate.
"If we do it quickly, the people will be astonished," said Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who led his party to once again frustrate the efforts of the Democratic majority.
The Internal Revenue Service has indicated it won't be able to send out rebate checks until after the April 15 tax deadline. Sending out all the checks could take about three months.
"This is a bipartisan package," said Reid, adding that the Senate took the House plan and made it better. "It's smart, targeted and effective."
The defeated Senate plan, sponsored by Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would have sent slightly smaller checks of $500 to $1,000 to about 22 million more people than the House plan, including retirees and disabled people. More upper-income Americans would have received checks under the Senate plan.
The defeated Senate plan also included an extension of unemployment benefits beyond six months, and it included an extension of several tax credits for using renewable energy. The Senate plan would have also allowed municipalities to issue tax-exempt bonds to help refinance subprime mortgages.
The extension of unemployment benefits was judged by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to be among the most effective ways to stimulate the economy. Business tax breaks, by contrast, were given low marks as stimulus.
Both plans would give money to workers who don't make enough to have income tax liability, but who do pay payroll taxes. End of Story
Solar, Wind Energy Tax Credits In Senate Stimulus Plan1-30-08 5:26 PM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Solar and wind-power companies won support Wednesday for a one-year extension of key tax credits, as a Senate panel included the tax breaks in an economic stimulus package.
The Senate Finance Committee agreed to an economic stimulus bill Wednesday that would extend tax credits for new wind and solar projects through the end of 2009. The ultimate fate of the measure remains uncertain as President George W. Bush is trying to pressure the Senate to agree to a more limited bill passed by the House.
Unless Congress acts, the renewable-energy tax credits will expire at year's end. Companies have said that if lawmakers delay for too long, companies might pull back on new projects on the chance that new wind or solar systems might not be up and running in time to benefit from the tax credits.
Under the Senate Finance Committee's measure, wind-generation companies would receive a tax credit, currently 2 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity generated, for each new wind turbine that goes into operation through 2009. The tax credit, which also would apply to electricity from geothermal and other sources, would cost $3 billion over 10 years, according to a document summarizing the details.
In the meantime, companies that install solar or fuel-cell equipment would have another year to receive a 30% tax credit. Currently, the tax credit expires in 2008.
Residential customers who install new solar equipment, such as solar hot-water heaters or solar panels, would also have another year to take a tax credit for 30% of the cost of the system, although the credit would remain capped at $2, 000.
-By Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654; siobhan.hughes@ dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-30-081726ET
Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Global Alternative Energy ETF -- GEX
worth a look
http://www.vaneck.com/index.cfm?cat=3192&cGroup=ETF&tkr=GEX&LN=3-02#
Take your stinky pinky spam to other boards, not welcomed here!
SPWR
bizjournals.com
Wal-Mart, SunPower install solar system
Monday January 28, 5:37 pm ET
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and SunPower Corp. have completed the installation of a 390-kilowatt solar power system at the Wal-Mart-owned Sam's Club in Chino, the companies said Monday.
The solar installation is the first of seven Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News) facilities in California to receive high-efficiency SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR - News) solar power systems, totaling 4.6 megawatts, and is part of a major purchase of solar power from SunPower and other solar power providers for approximately 22 Wal-Mart stores, Sam's Clubs and distribution centers in Hawaii and California.
The stores included in the pilot project are expected to achieve savings over their current utility rates as soon as the first day of operation.
"We are very pleased with SunPower's progress on the Chino solar project," Kim Saylors-Laster, vice president of energy for Wal-Mart, said in a statement. "Wal-Mart is moving forward with its commitment to conserve energy, reduce energy costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions -- and this project is a step in the right direction."
On average, each solar system can provide up to 30 percent of the power for the store on which it is installed, the companies said.
The solar pilot program is one of several green or environmental sustainability initiatives that Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has undertaken.
SunPower bought Berkeley-based PowerLight Corp., a maker of large-scale residential and commercial solar power systems, in January 2007 for $330 million. The Berkeley company now operates as a subsidiary of SunPower: SunPower Corp., Systems.
Published January 28, 2008 by the East Bay Business Times
Wind, Solar Tax Credits Likely Not In US Stimulus Deal -Aide
By Siobhan Hughes, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Wind and solar energy companies may have to wait longer for Congress to extend tax credits for the industry: an extension is likely to be left out of a U.S. economic stimulus package, according to a Democratic aide.
Congressional and Bush administration negotiators have reached a tentative deal on an economic stimulus package in an effort to fight off a recession, congressional aides said Thursday morning. Wind and solar power companies had been lobbying for the package to include an extension of tax credits that expire this year.
"Those are not likely to be included," a Democratic aide said.
Solar and wind companies have said that their business will slow this year without the certainty that Congress will extend the tax breaks.
-By Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654; Siobhan.Hughes@ dowjones.com
(John Godfrey contributed to this report)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-24-081103ET
Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
TCLT $$ This is interesting if you haven't seen it..
Traded up and settled down a bit.. may have huge upside potential..
Techalt, Inc. Signs Agreement and Plan of Merger for the Acquisition of EV Parts, Inc., a Leading Online Supplier of Electric Vehicle Parts
Tuesday January 22, 5:19 pm ET
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Techalt, Inc. (Pink Sheets:TCLT - News) ("Techalt" the "Company") announced today that it has executed an Agreement and Plan of Merger with EV Parts, Inc. (“EV Parts”), a leading online supplier of electric vehicle parts and components, whereby EV Parts will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The merger is expected to close on or before March 18, 2008.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, the shareholders of EV Parts will exchange 100% of their stock for shares of Techalt. The closing of the merger is contingent on Techalt providing EV Parts with $300,000 for working capital needs by March 18, 2008. Techalt has also agreed to use it best efforts to provide EV Parts with an additional $300,000 by May 19, 2008.
Dave Moore, Techalt’s President stated, “We are very excited about building our corporate portfolio with this cutting edge alternative 'green' company. EV Parts has influence and much respect in the alternative energy/automotive sector. EV Parts has successfully demonstrated its technology in the marketplace.”
EV Parts is one of the largest online suppliers of parts and components to the electric vehicle market and is one of the pioneer companies in the custom electric vehicle world. The Company has begun selling products in the Robotic/Electrathon, Industrial, Personal Mobility, Marine/RV, and Renewable Energy markets. EV Parts has already developed a reputation as being a dependable source of electric vehicle parts and components and is looking to grow its market share and expand its reach into additional markets through targeted marketing and sales efforts.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be 'forward-looking statements'. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated.
Contact:
For Techalt, Inc., Seattle
Media & Investor Relations:
Joseph J. Malone, 786-375-0556
Information@EquityDigest.com
www.EquityDigest.com
Thanks,haven't looked at them for awhile.
Something new on the solar electric side below from Popular Mechanics.
---------------------------------------------------------
Super Soaker Inventor Aims to Cut Solar Costs in Half
By Logan Ward
Published on: January 8, 2008
Solar energy technology is enjoying its day in the sun with the advent of innovations from flexible photovoltaic (PV) materials to thermal power plants that concentrate the sun’s heat to drive turbines. But even the best system converts only about 30 percent of received solar energy into electricity—making solar more expensive than burning coal or oil. That will change if Lonnie Johnson’s invention works. The Atlanta-based independent inventor of the Super Soaker squirt gun (a true technological milestone) says he can achieve a conversion efficiency rate that tops 60 percent with a new solid-state heat engine. It represents a breakthrough new way to turn heat into power.
Johnson, a nuclear engineer who holds more than 100 patents, calls his invention the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System, or JTEC for short. This is not PV technology, in which semiconducting silicon converts light into electricity. And unlike a Stirling engine, in which pistons are powered by the expansion and compression of a contained gas, there are no moving parts in the JTEC. It’s sort of like a fuel cell: JTEC circulates hydrogen between two membrane-electrode assemblies (MEA). Unlike a fuel cell, however, JTEC is a closed system. No external hydrogen source. No oxygen input. No wastewater output. Other than a jolt of electricity that acts like the ignition spark in an internal-combustion engine, the only input is heat.
Here’s how it works: One MEA stack is coupled to a high- temperature heat source (such as solar heat concentrated by mirrors), and the other to a low-temperature heat sink (ambient air). The low-temperature stack acts as the compressor stage while the high-temperature stack functions as the power stage. Once the cycle is started by the electrical jolt, the resulting pressure differential produces voltage across each of the MEA stacks. The higher voltage at the high-temperature stack forces the low-temperature stack to pump hydrogen from low pressure to high pressure, maintaining the pressure differential. Meanwhile hydrogen passing through the high-temperature stack generates power.
“It’s like a conventional heat engine,” explains Paul Werbos, program director at the National Science Foundation, which has provided funding for JTEC. “It still uses temperature differences to create pressure gradients. Only instead of using those pressure gradients to move an axle or wheel, he’s using them to force ions through a membrane. It’s a totally new way of generating electricity from heat.”
The bigger the temperature differential, the higher the efficiency. With the help of Heshmat Aglan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Alabama’s Tuskegee University, Johnson hopes to have a low-temperature prototype (200-degree centigrade) completed within a year’s time. The pair is experimenting with high-temperature membranes made of a novel ceramic material of micron-scale thickness. Johnson envisions a first-generation system capable of handling temperatures up to 600 degrees. (Currently, solar concentration using parabolic mirrors tops 800 degrees centigrade.) Based on the theoretical Carnot thermodynamic cycle, at 600 degrees efficiency rates approach 60 percent, twice those of today’s solar Stirling engines.
This engine, Johnson says, can operate on tiny scales, or generate megawatts of power. If it proves feasible, drastically reducing the cost of solar power would only be a start. JTEC could potentially harvest waste heat from internal combustion engines and combustion turbines, perhaps even the human body. And no moving parts means no friction and fewer mechanical failures.
As an engineer, Johnson says he has always been interested in energy conversion. In fact, it was while working on an idea for an environmentally friendly heat pump (one that would not require Freon) that he came up with the Super Soaker, which earned him millions of dollars in royalties. That money allowed Johnson to quit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (where he worked on the Galileo Mission, among other projects) and go independent. His toy profits have funded his research in advanced battery technology, specifically thin-film lithium-ion conductive membranes. And that work sparked the idea for JTEC. Besides, he jokes, “All inventors have to have an engine. It’s like a rite of passage.”
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4243793.html
website:
http://www.johnsonems.com/jhtec.html
any one like pbw at this level?
bot gex on thursday & almost bot pbw but the steady downward trend there is kinda scary...lol
Alternative Energy Fund (ALTEX)
started in Nov, '07 by Firsthand Funds, a San Jose, Calif.-based mutual fund company.
stockcharts does not yet cover it.
FCEL Sitting on 200dma NEWS OUT.
FuelCell Energy Receives $4 Million Loan From the State of Connecticut
Money to be Used for Plant Expansion, Workforce Expansion and Extension of Facility Lease
DANBURY, Conn., Jan 16, 2008 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) -- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of high efficiency, ultra-clean power plants for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers, today announced that it has received a $4 million loan from the state of Connecticut. The loan is part of the company's $10 million project to expand FuelCell Energy's Torrington, Connecticut manufacturing facility, expand its workforce and extend its facility lease through 2015.
"This project is right for Connecticut, right for our economy and right for our energy needs," Governor Jodi Rell said. "We will be adding 100 jobs to our economy, bolstering a Connecticut company that is making strides to decrease our dependence on foreign fossil fuels and enhancing our position in an important industry. Connecticut is a pioneer in fuel cell technology and this project will help ensure we continue to be a leading innovator in this high-tech sector."
The Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Development Authority are providing a joint loan for machinery and equipment, building improvements and information technology expenses. The $4 million loan is being granted pursuant to Governor Rell's Connecticut Energy Vision for a Cleaner, Greener State which calls for 20 percent of all energy used and sold in the state to come from clean or renewable resources by 2020. "Companies like FuelCell Energy help us achieve this goal."
DFC power plants generate power electrochemically, not through combustion, so they produce near-zero nitrous oxides (NOX), sulfur oxides (SOX) and particulate emissions. DFC fuel cells are 47 percent efficient compared to similar sized fossil fuel combustion plants, which typically reach only 30-35 percent efficiency, delivering more power for each unit of fuel used and producing substantially less carbon dioxide. When used in Combined Heat and Power applications, in which the fuel cell's heat byproduct is used to produce additional clean energy, DFC power plants can achieve efficiencies of up to 80 percent.
"We thank Governor Rell, the State of Connecticut, the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Development Authority for their support," said R. Daniel Brdar, Chairman and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "Our fuel cells -- which are highly efficient, operate 24/7 and produce near-zero pollutants and low CO2 -- can help the state reach its clean and renewable goals for power generation."
About FuelCell Energy Inc.
FuelCell Energy is the world leader in the development and production of stationary fuel cells for commercial, industrial, municipal and utility customers. FuelCell Energy's ultra-clean and high efficiency DFC(r) fuel cells are generating power at over 40 locations worldwide. The company's power plants have generated more than 200 million kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable wastewater gas, biogas from beer and food processing as well as natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels. FuelCell Energy has partnerships with major power plant developers, trading companies and power companies around the world. The company also receives substantial funding from the US Department of Energy and other government agencies for the development of leading edge technologies such as hybrid fuel cell/turbine generators and solid oxide fuel cells. For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's plans and expectations regarding the continuing development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology.
All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, competition, and the Company's ability to achieve its sales plans and cost reduction targets, as well as other risks set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
This news release was distributed by PrimeNewswire, www.primenewswire.com
SOURCE: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Lisa Lettieri
203-830-7494
ir@fce.com
Horse Chit...Then it will be the Indians who get the $...
Grass Makes Better Ethanol than Corn Does
Midwestern farms prove switchgrass could be the right crop for producing ethanol to replace gasoline
By David Biello
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=grass-makes-better-ethanol-than-corn
GRASS GAS: Turning fields of switchgrass like this one in northeastern Nebraska into ethanol produces 540 percent more energy than the amount consumed growing the native perennial.
COURTESY OF USDA-ARS
Farmers in Nebraska and the Dakotas brought the U.S. closer to becoming a biofuel economy, planting huge tracts of land for the first time with switchgrass—a native North American perennial grass (Panicum virgatum) that often grows on the borders of cropland naturally—and proving that it can deliver more than five times more energy than it takes to grow it.
Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the farmers tracked the seed used to establish the plant, fertilizer used to boost its growth, fuel used to farm it, overall rainfall and the amount of grass ultimately harvested for five years on fields ranging from seven to 23 acres in size (three to nine hectares).
Once established, the fields yielded from 5.2 to 11.1 metric tons of grass bales per hectare, depending on rainfall, says USDA plant scientist Ken Vogel. "It fluctuates with the timing of the precipitation,'' he says. "Switchgrass needs most of its moisture in spring and midsummer. If you get fall rains, it's not going to do that year's crops much good."
But yields from a grass that only needs to be planted once would deliver an average of 13.1 megajoules of energy as ethanol for every megajoule of petroleum consumed—in the form of nitrogen fertilizers or diesel for tractors—growing them. "It's a prediction because right now there are no biorefineries built that handle cellulosic material" like that which switchgrass provides, Vogel notes. "We're pretty confident the ethanol yield is pretty close." This means that switchgrass ethanol delivers 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, compared with just roughly 25 percent more energy returned by corn-based ethanol according to the most optimistic studies.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is partially funding the construction of six such cellulosic biorefineries, estimated to cost a total of $1.2 billion. The first to be built will be the Range Fuels Biorefinery in Soperton, Ga., which will process wood waste from the timber industry into biofuels and chemicals. The DOE is providing an initial $50 million to start construction.
"Cost competitive, energy responsible cellulosic ethanol made from switchgrass or from forestry waste like sawdust and wood chips requires a more complex refining process but it's worth the investment," Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said at the Range Fuels facility groundbreaking in November. "Cellulosic ethanol contains more net energy and emits significantly fewer greenhouse gases than ethanol made from corn."
In fact, Vogel and his team report this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that switchgrass will store enough carbon in its relatively permanent root system to offset 94 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted both to cultivate it and from the derived ethanol burned by vehicles. Of course, this estimate also relies on using the leftover parts of the grass itself as fuel for the biorefinery. "The lignin in the plant cell walls can be burned," Vogel says.
The use of native prairie grasses is meant to avoid some of the other risks associated with biofuels such as reduced diversity of local animal life and displacing food crops with fuel crops. "This is an energy crop that can be grown on marginal land," Vogel argues, such as the more than 35 million acres (14.2 million hectares) of marginal land that farmers are currently paid not to plant under the terms of USDA's Conservation Reserve Program.
But even a native prairie grass needs a helping hand from scientists and farmers to deliver the yields necessary to help ethanol become a viable alternative to petroleum-derived gasoline, Vogel argues. "To really maximize their yield potential, you need to provide nitrogen fertilization," he says, as well as improved breeding techniques and genetic strains. "Low input systems are just not going to be able to get the energy per acre needed to provide feed, fuel and fiber."
Followers
|
71
|
Posters
|
|
Posts (Today)
|
0
|
Posts (Total)
|
3189
|
Created
|
09/25/05
|
Type
|
Free
|
Moderator QuickTrade | |||
Assistants FinancialAdvisor |
NO PINK SHEET STOCKS IN HERE. PLEASE SEE LINK FOR THAT BOARD.
FUEL CELL STOCK CHARTS: BLDP, DESC, FCEL, HYGS, IDA, MCEL, MDTL, MKTY, PLUG, QTWW, UTX
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=20406088
SOLAR STOCK CHARTS: AKNS, ASTI, CHP, CSIQ, CSUN, DSTI, ENER, ESLR, FSLR, HOKU, JASO, LDK, SOLF, SOLR, SPIR, SPWR, STP, TAN, TSL, YGE
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=20406185
ETHANOL & BIO FUEL STOCK CHARTS: ADM, PEIX, USBE
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=20406233
WIND - OCEAN - GEOTHERMAL & MORE STOCK CHARTS AMSC, OPTT, RZ
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=20425987
OTC & PINK SHEET ALTERNATIVE ENERGY STOCKS ACMG, AENS, ARGY, ARSC, CWBYF, DYMTF, EBOF, GRSR, GSHF, HYBT, HYEG, IAUS, IESV, IFUE, LLEG, MHTX, PFCE, PWAC, SLRE, SOEN, RENW, WWAT
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=8644
TYPES OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY:
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 (a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline).
Hydrogen: The simplest and lightest fuel is hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is used in a growing number of fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen and oxygen from air fed into a proton exchange membrane fuel cell "stack" produce enough electricity to power an electric automobile, without producing harmful emissions.
A Fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as its by-product. No other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that fuel cells do. In addition to low or zero emissions, benefits include high efficiency and reliability, multi-fuel capability, siting flexibility, durability, sand ease of maintenance. Since fuel cells operate silently, they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and the waste heat from a fuel cell can be used to provide hot water or space heating for a home or office
Natural Gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons—mainly methane (CH4)—and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production.
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Blends of at least 85% ethanol are considered alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. But you still need Gasoline to run it.
Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF USES WITH FUEL CELLS:
•Large Stationary – The most advanced of fuel cells providing electricity and heat to a region including tapping into Grid & for use in Hydrogen Fueling Stations.
•Small Stationary – For Private Households or Small businesses.
•Portable – For mobile electronic devices such as cell phones, batteries, ect.
•Military – Providing power for Field to Land & Sea transportation
•Transportation– Need I say more? Uses in Cars, Buses, Trucks, Trains.
LATEST NEWS ON FUEL CELLS:
•http://www.h2fc.com/news.html
•http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/news1.html
•http://www.energyandcapital.com/
OTHER ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LINKS:
•http://www.thewhygreennetwork.com
•http://hydrogenhighway.ca.gov/
•http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/home
•http://hydrogen.energy.gov/budget.html
•http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/fuelcell.shtml
•http://fuelcellseminar.com/2006_exhibitors.asp
•http://magnumheat.com/
•http://www.energydaily.net/
•http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp
•http://www.solarconnecticut.org/
•http://www.switch2hydrogen.com//
•http://vegenergy.com/
•http://www.energyandcapital.com/
•http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/NewsPage.asp
•http://www.wfcg.org
LINKS TO SOME IMPORTANT POSTS:
~ About Hydrogen: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15775719
~ Alt. Energy Funds: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15775811
~ Annual Fuel Cell Reports:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15420961
~ Where the money is going: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=16387674
~ State of the Union: The Advanced Energy Initiative http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=16445887
~ The 2007 Global Warming Globie Awards
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17354041
~ Ice Core Video Of Earths History.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=17981341
Posts Today
|
0
|
Posts (Total)
|
3189
|
Posters
|
|
Moderator
|
|
Assistants
|
Volume | |
Day Range: | |
Bid Price | |
Ask Price | |
Last Trade Time: |