STUFF

In '97, >2,500 economists, 8 Nobel winners, called for a carbon tax and reducing or eliminating other taxes with the revs. In '08, British Columbia implemented a C tax. By '12, it should reach $30/ton of CO2. That equals ~30 cents/gal of gas, 3 cents/kwh of coal power, half that for NG power. And revenues being returned to taxpayers. Now, the state of Washington may have a similar plan on the '11 ballot.

Minnesota's legislature has intro'd bils to lift the 2-decade moratorium on building nuke plants.

Illinois' senate last week rejected a bill to advance a next-gen clean coal plant that could potentially kill the $3.5B project. Higher power bills are not good for people or business the logic. Costs won't come down until the tech is proven in plants. The catch 22. El produced would cost 3x current cost, 2x wind and more than nuke.

LMCO to bring 2 EV models to market this year.

2nd half of '10, no cellulosic ethanol was commercially blended into gas. Our Fed-mandated renewable fuel standard from a few years ago called for 5M gal of cellulosic in '10 (lowered from 100M gal). The RFS caps corn eth by '22 to 15B gals. And gives us a mandate of 36B of "renewable" fuels for that year. Gotta love US energy policy, A?

5NPlus (TSX:VNP) was target of FSLR to secure tellurium supply (cadmium telluride cells at FSLR). But FSLR recently bought a tracker startup (1-axis?!). Now, VNP just bought majority of Sylarus, producer of germanium substrates for triple-junction cells for CPV (concentrating photovoltaics). VNP had $19M revs latest Q - 70% from FSLR - and produces many high-purity metals and compounds. Also plans to recycle PV panels. Tellerium supply still looms over FSLR.