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8143 messages, Last post on Nov 27, 2009 at 12:10 PM
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 13, 2009 4:43 pm) For Mr. Gates, the investment in Sapphire marks a shift in his clean-fuel strategy and perhaps a sign of a broader interest in alternative energy. An early investor in Pacific Ethanol Inc., Cascade sold its stake earlier this year, according to market data from Thomson Financial. Could another well-known ethanol investor be far behind? Vinod Khosla, a Silicon Valley billionaire whose personal investment vehicle has backed numerous ethanol-related companies, is scheduled to give the keynote address next month at the Algae Biomass Summit. This has led to speculation that he might be looking at algae for investment opportunities. http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/09/17/bill-gates-goes-for-algae-i- nvests-in-biofuel-maker-sapphire-energy/
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 13, 2009 4:50 pm) |
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Replying to: roland3 (Jan 11, 2009 6:34 pm)
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Diesel fuel prices are killing the Diesel Revolution before it can get started.. As it stands, with today's gas vs. diesel prices at the pump, these particular hybrids have a clear economy advantage over even the very frugal Volkswagen Jetta TDI. But - and this is a big but - do we all really expect the national average for regular gasoline (according to the Energy Information Administration) to remain at $1.78 (figure as of 1/12/09)? Wild fluctuations like we saw last summer could quickly diminish the amazingly low cents-per-mile figure of the gas/electric hybrids. Then again, if gas goes up, diesel will likely go even higher, so maybe my point is moot. Yet again, worldwide industry, expansion, and building, all of which rely on diesel fuel for industrial machinery, are down significantly, perhaps narrowing and ultimately eliminating diesel's premium over gasoline. Could the worldwide recession result in diesel prices at the pump coming down to, say, the level of premium gasoline or less? Ye economists at large, let me know if I'm dreaming or making sense. |
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Replying to: roland3 (Jan 15, 2009 6:59 am)  2" (us and the USA) get to getting a mere glimpse, for example is the IRS Code Section 30 B (baker), , VW Jetta TDI (being one of a sub set-aka) 1300 tax credit, aka Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Tax Credit, available on the first 60,000 vehicles ... Most folks are almost asleep just by the above bill board advertising !!!!  etc etc.... yada yada....(27 results found on http:// www.irs.gov/) |
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 15, 2009 7:24 am) Policy makers also would want to raise the (taxation) cost of diesel to business (consumers also) . ' Business' respond by cutting costs and laying off of people re two no brainer responses. This further puts the policy makers behind an even BIGGER pickle because they would really like to enact an exponentially higher tax rate (AKA HUGE) fuel tax aka $1.00 per gal. Indeed the government has long made more money than oil companies and now when everything is going south- wants to make EVEN MORE !!!!! This would probably have the effect of even lowering the now scary recessionary type scenario, inching it closer to the D word... DEPRESSION. The sad part about it is NO ONE in the media is tracking all this supposedly better clean air due to decreased consumption. They are prattling on about global warming during the GREATEST cold snap in literally decades. My take is for those folks SO enamored of 9 dollar per gal fuel, either move to Europe or contribute the make up amount to the IRS. Neither will say thank you, as the Europeans hate Americans and the US, and the IRS does not have a thank you letter legislated by Congress: but then you would have achieved the result for yourself. |
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 15, 2009 7:24 am) I have a question for you that I have never understood. I see acres and acres of solar panels passively collecting sunlight and storing the energy in batteries. As a practical matter you can take a very simple plastic magnifying glass, focus the sunlight, burn a hole in a piece of wood in a matter of seconds, start a fire, or accomplish many other feats requiring heat. With the above in mind it would seem that sunlight could be focused to heat water to produce steam (like the nuclear plants work) and be much more efficient. This may sound dumb, but what am I missing here?
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Replying to: houdini1 (Jan 15, 2009 11:53 am) link title |
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Replying to: houdini1 (Jan 15, 2009 11:53 am) |
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 15, 2009 7:24 am) |
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