4 Oil And Gas Giants Struggling Along With Exxon [View article]
I have worked in the industry for more than 30 years. This article is utter nonsense and adds zip to making a decission about holding, buying or selling Exxon stock. Shame!
A Better Way to Bring Electric Vehicles to Market [View article]
It is a great concept, and it may work. The major risk is that the battery technology is not yet ready for prime time. In a few years we will know if it is. Aggasi is a great visionary, but his technical expertise is not at the same level. I wish him the best of luck. He should consider partnering with BYD.
Any projection of peak oil in the 2010 tp 2040 time line fails to account for heavy oil reserves, deep sea oil drilling, and significant improvements in oil recovery from the relatively low levels today. In addition we have coal that can be coverted to transpotation fuels equivalent to oil, and natural gas that can be used in many applications as equivalent. So effectively we have oil, or oil equivalents for 50 to 150 years, plenty of time to develop cost effective alternatives. Only those who want to create fear need to be feared
Problems are more likely on 2050 time scale than what is cited by the author. The exploration tools have become much, much better than they were 20 years ago. The cost of exploration is higher, and where the large private companies can expore is more limited due to geopolitical forces and the national oil companies self interest. But, despite all the nay sayers they are finding "elephants" frequently enough to conclude that peak oil is a bit off. They are also moving toward unconventional oil, such as heavy oil in Canada. Sort of the Saudi Arabia next door. Oil shale in the US is on the same scale. Look carefully at ExxonMobil and you will not be finding them firing geologists and petroleum engineeers, etc. but hiring as fast as they can find them. Shell, Chevron and BP ditto. Conoco has other problems.
Energy Storage Performed Poorly in Q4 [View article]
I suspect that there is growing awareness that energy storage is going to be slow, long treck before real money can be made and that it is so much tied to the vagaries of government management of the industry and the economy. That, at least in part may explain why the Chinese companies have done so much better. The Chinese government support is broad and sustainable, the US government support is finecky, marred by favoritism and funding those with best connections.
Algae Biofuels Have a Promising Future [View article]
Algal biofuels are down the road perhaps. Now these are substantially research projects. Don't confuse promise and potential with reality. At best one in 10, and more likey one in a 100 of promising research projects lead to a commercial success. Thermodynamics does rule. Fossil fuel production energy was invested over a long period of time (millions of years) and we did not make the investment, nature did. Photosynthesis does it real time, slow and steady and nature makes the investment. When we manipulate for profit all kinds of issues come to light as we learn reality. Despite Senator Boxer's or any other politicians wish, and investmentf our tax dollars it will take time to learn how it works, and if it is a sink for dollars or the source of a return. One of the problems we now face is that venture capitalists who used to risk their own money are mixing it up with politicians to force policy decisions in their favor and are now leveraging their own investments with our tax dollars. Not a good thing in my view
Solar Market Declines for First Time Ever [View article]
Certainly obvious from the two comments posted that the story is not what they want to hear. Shoot the messanger while most of solar stock are sinking in the market. Wow Similar to the story on ethanol plants.
Hydrogen-Fueled Cars Become a Thing of the Present [View article]
If you have natural gas in your house you can make H2 by a simple reformer. Toyota, Honda and a number of other companies store H2 at 10,000 psig on board vehicle and have already demonstrated 500 miles driving range as well as six months of operation in cold Alaska. They are more ready to deliver a FC vehicle in 2015 than an EV. Secretary Chu has refused to talk to the OEMs before he made his decision, or since then. He is a Noble Laurate and he knows it best.
On Nov 03 12:07 PM GhostOfSpec wrote:
> Hydrogen is a loser technology in the near-term future. Steven Chu > is completely correct. There are WAY too many problems: > 1) There are no hydrogen mines or wells. Hydrogen is an energy storage > system not a source. To create hydrogen we reform natural gas or > do electrolysis of water. Well, it would be better to simply burn > that natural gas or use that electricity in EVs. > 2) There is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure. But every house > does already have a source of electricity. > 3) Hydrogen is very difficult to store and transport. It is the smallest > element and thus leaks through even very small holes. And great pressures > are needed to store a reasonably quantity. > 4) Fuel cells are still expensive and use expensive previous metals. > Fuel cell experts Ballard Power abandoned the mobile fuel cell market > . . . that should tell you something. > > The less money we waste on the hydrogen pipe dream, the better
Cramer's Mad Money - Which Stocks Are up 3,000%? (10/8/09) [View article]
I watched the interview with Dan Dimicco. The ,man said all the right generic things, but when Cramer pressed him for specific ideas he just repeated the generic stuff. Cramer was somewhat frustrated. If this is an indication of how Dimicco runs his company and leads his organization avoif the stock of Nucor. It is sure to fail.
Obama Announces List of Grant Recipients, Recognizing Significance of Hybrid Markets [View article]
John, I have enjoyed your various reports on battery technology. I understand that government funding is perhaps lowers the risk for private money, but now we have a situation where to a degree the government is picking winners and loosers in new technology development. When the government is the customer I can understand that, but when it simply subsidizes some and not others I wonder if this is going to kill innovation in the battery industry. Should I be worried or ..?
Health Care Market Movers: SMMX, INSM, ADLS, HEB, ACUR and HALO [View article]
Watched the ABC infomercial last night produced by team Obama. It does look like a disaster in the making. The President delivered his talking points with charm and charisma. He did not do much by the way of actual math leaving over 300 Billion $ in balancing the cost with income, without even debating the accuracy or fairness of the game. He means well, he wants to do the right thing, but given that he is asserting we know how to actually reduce the cost of healthcare he does not lay out a specific plan that one can assess and evaluate. Given that this is a political gambit without specifics it is hard for me to see how one can plan investments, it is all a huge gamble
Kodak Options: The Picture Is Gloomy [View article]
I am loss to figure out how Kodak can make it. I have been in this position for the past few years. Kodak has done an excellent job in developing technically savy and high quality products at reasonable prices. But, there are many others who offer digital cameras, printers, etc. and there is no overwhelming competitive advantage. Brand loyalty has been non-existant for quite a while. It is hard to pull this dog out of the ditch. I can't understand why people keep paying/funding the huge losses over the years. Polaroid has already cratered a few years back. I looked at a senior executive position there about ten or so years ago and after a long weekend of going over the pros and cons I decided I could not in good conscience lead the organization that I did not see on a path to success. Someone else took the job and indeed lead it into the crater. It is perhaps time to take the good people at Kodak and free them from the misery, shut it down and move the talent to somewhere else so they can succeed.
Will Green Cars Make Detroit Profitable? [View article]
Don't under estimate the role tax credits can play in the car market. When tax credit is converted to tax grant, which some states are doing already it is a powerful driver. That is the approach that I believe the Obama administration plans to use to drive the market side of the equation. Choice is free, but the economic driver will unbalance the choice.
4 Oil And Gas Giants Struggling Along With Exxon [View article]
A Better Way to Bring Electric Vehicles to Market [View article]
Oil: The Clock Is Ticking [View article]
Officials Wake Up to Peak Oil [View article]
Energy Storage Performed Poorly in Q4 [View article]
Algae Biofuels Have a Promising Future [View article]
Solar Market Declines for First Time Ever [View article]
Hydrogen-Fueled Cars Become a Thing of the Present [View article]
On Nov 03 12:07 PM GhostOfSpec wrote:
> Hydrogen is a loser technology in the near-term future. Steven Chu
> is completely correct. There are WAY too many problems:
> 1) There are no hydrogen mines or wells. Hydrogen is an energy storage
> system not a source. To create hydrogen we reform natural gas or
> do electrolysis of water. Well, it would be better to simply burn
> that natural gas or use that electricity in EVs.
> 2) There is no hydrogen distribution infrastructure. But every house
> does already have a source of electricity.
> 3) Hydrogen is very difficult to store and transport. It is the smallest
> element and thus leaks through even very small holes. And great pressures
> are needed to store a reasonably quantity.
> 4) Fuel cells are still expensive and use expensive previous metals.
> Fuel cell experts Ballard Power abandoned the mobile fuel cell market
> . . . that should tell you something.
>
> The less money we waste on the hydrogen pipe dream, the better
Cramer's Mad Money - Which Stocks Are up 3,000%? (10/8/09) [View article]
Obama Announces List of Grant Recipients, Recognizing Significance of Hybrid Markets [View article]
Health Care Market Movers: SMMX, INSM, ADLS, HEB, ACUR and HALO [View article]
Kodak Options: The Picture Is Gloomy [View article]
GT Solar: Stock Price Reflects Concerns [View article]
Will Green Cars Make Detroit Profitable? [View article]
GM: Will a Two-Seat Segway Lead the Way? [View article]