STUFF

Shiller values stocks on past 10 years of earnings. Market "still high" by historic standards. P/E of 20 now. Historically 15.

Greece debt $580B. 182% of GDP. Ireland's $2.38T 1,382% of GDP. How can they not default?! Who the hell lent them over $2T?! UK owes $9T, 413% of GDP. Japan $11T, 225%. And we're at 101% @ $14.8T. Half of our debt is held by our government and the Fed. 31% held by foreign govts/institutions/persons. ECB holds 83% of Ireland's, 65% of Greeks and 63% of Portugal's $552B (223% of GDP). Governments schmuverants.

Most solar modules installed in US are imported (~$1.2B in '10). But we had $1.9B in solar exports, mostly in capital equipment and polysilicon.

Progress Energy shutting down 62-yr-old 172MW coal power plant in NC this week. Had been planned for '13-'17 in plan to idle 30% of NC coal plants. A 600MW NG combined-cycle plant went online in June. NG will replace the coal power.

China to invest $313B (2T Yuan) in green econ/low-C development in next 5 yrs to cut 16% of per-unit GDP energy consumption v. '10 levels. We're in their 12th 5-yr plan ('11-'15). In 11th, per-unit E use decreased 19%, CO2 emissions cut ~1.5B tons.

Simbol Materials - CA startup - hopes to extract lithium from geothermal power plants.

Satellite images show some Candian Arctic ice shelves thinned by half in last 6 years.

NG treated as "waste" in ND Bakken shale oil fields. >100Mcf/d - 30% of the NG - flared off. That would heat 500k homes. And it spews 2M tons CO2/yr (a mid-size coal plant or 384k cars). More like Russia, Nigeria and Iran than US. Same with Eagle Ford shale field in TX. Companies "can't afford"  to pay for pipelines and processing plants to capture/sell the NG. And leases are for 5 years. "Grab the oil and go".

Coal industry, states blasting proposed new rules to protect waterways from mountain-top removal mining. Fed judge already stopped earlier effort to change Bush-era rules.

ConocoPhillips to shutter a PA refinery.

TX "does not and will not have" enough water for the booming population.

Solyndra to auction assets in Oct.

Recent poll said 71% of Americans support requiring reductions in C emissions, including 55% of Republicans. Consistent with > a dozen polls in last 2 years.

Oklahoma G&E going to pay for at least 40k smart thermostats from Energate to get 70MW peak load reduction from residential, small biz customers.

Ethylene the most produced organic compound in world. Global production >107M tons in '05. Makes plastics/chemicals. Created now with energy-intesnsive process from oil. So now cometh Siluria. Raised another $20M. Uses NG as feedstock. Yet to be done economically. Using genetically-modified organisms.

Elevance Renewable Sciences - spin-off from Cargill and Materia - working on $100M IPO. They make complex petrochems from plant-based oils. Symbol will be ERSI. A $176B global market. Palm and coconut oils important feedstocks. Indonesia plant to begin ops 2Q12. $21M revs in '10, $27M loss.

USDA announced 5 major ag research projects to develop regional, renewable energy markets. 5-yr program to deliver >$136M in grants.

Up to 200 anti-aircraft missiles stolen in Libya. Way to go NATO, Obama. Feel like flying, anyone?

Solar Reserve's 110MW NV solar plant got $737M DOE loan guarantee. Molten salt storage. And Sempra's 150MW AZ solar plant got $337M guaranteed. Transformer-less and liquid-cooled inverter tech. But Chinese solar modules, though some to be built in AZ. 6 aps awaiting decision by end of month.

States appealing to Supreme Court on health law.

O happy trails.