Batteries Store Energy, But How Much of a Hazard Are They?
Thursday, January 19th, 2006
The Winds of the Future - Electricty Gerneration
Thursday, January 19th, 2006The below article is a great example of forward thinking governments receiving a payback after 10 years from their initial investment. Alberta companies have landed large contracts on the other side of North America because the investment in wind and water power research was made. If a government wants to diversify their economy, they must look beyond 1 or 2 years, and build the right environment for advances in technology.
The one thing that is missing from this is the small business and home owner who could be using their property to add a small amount of energy into the grid. Not everything project has to be a mega-project.
Do you have any examples of a short or long term payback in the alternative energy field in your backyard?
———————————————————————————
Alberta firms, including Edmonton’s Epcor, emerged as renewable energy leaders when winning bids were announced Monday for new Ontario wind and water power projects.
“You’ll see more of Epcor,” company president Don Lowry vowed in an interview.
The city-owned utility aims to depart from its history in coal-fired power stations by doing 13 per cent of its generation with greener alternatives within five to 10 years, he said.
A $300-million expansion of Epcor’s Kingsbridge wind-turbine farm on the breezy east shore of Lake Huron is among $2 billion in renewable energy projects that won new contracts to hook up to the Ontario grid.
Four Alberta companies will build seven of nine projects in the new generation lineup and account for 80 per cent of the total 975 megawatss in water and wind driven additions to Ontario suppplies - enough electricity for 250,000 homes.
Bill Gates Gets In On Ethanol
Wednesday, January 18th, 2006Bill has access to some of the best advisors in the world. He doesn’t make a move unless he knows something the rest of us don’t. Read the report of his investment.
—————————————————————-
Cascade Investment LLC, a firm owned by Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, agreed to buy an $84 million stake in Pacific Ethanol Inc. to help fund construction of fuel-additive plants on the U.S. West Coast.
Cascade will buy preferred stock convertible to 10.5 million common shares, Fresno, Claifornia base Pacific Thanol said today in a statement. Pacific Ethanol has 28.7 million common shares outstanding, according to a public filing.
The new shares would give Gates a 27 per cent stake.
Pacific Ethanol will become the largest West Coast ethanol producer with completion nex year of the first of five plants the company is developing.
Ethanol prices surged after U.S. energy legislation enacted in August 2005 mandated increased use of the grain-based fuel additive in gasoline. Pacific Ethanol plans to sell spent grain to dairy farms as cattle feed.
U.S. ethanol futures have jumped 83 percent in the past six months to $2.12 a gallon.
Pacific Ethanol’s first plant, which is under construction at a railroad grain terminal 10 miles from Fresno, is expected to produce at least 35 million gallons of fuel a year, Hartwig said.
Article appeared in Edmonton Journal on November 17, 2005 as reported from New York
—————————————————————————
Anyone know how the small investor can get in on the action? See my post from earlier today about the sugar prices sky-rocketing as a result of more demand for ethanol. The middle class guy always seems to get the short end. Is solar and wind power the only energy that won’t be affected by the markets? Share your thougths!