[Vision2020] Fuel Cells
Art Deco aka W. Fox
deco@moscow.com
Sat, 13 Mar 2004 08:53:21 -0800
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David,
The solar example you are suspicious of and the reason for your suspicion
may be that you did not fully understand the historical context,
particularly in the 1970's U.S. and particularly southern California. Two
large Arab oil withholding actions created gasoline shortages that then were
fueled by panic that created lines at gasoline stations that were sometimes
over a mile long. This occurred twice with each shortage lasting several
months. I am sure you can imagine the impact on people's lives in a nation
that was/is so highly dependent on automobile transportation.
A great deal of discussion was created about alternative sources of energy
in the 1970's nation-wide and especially in California which has abundant
solar and wind resources in areas with little environmental impact
considerations. Venture capitalists and government grants drove research.
Much of this research financed by venture capitalists was either sold (to
make money, which is the goal of venture capitalists), dumped, or slowly
developed.
Some of this 1970's research resulted in solar farms in the Mojave Desert
starting in the 1990's; it also resulted in numerous wind farms. Avista
customers now have an option of buying the more expensive wind generated
power.
Most of this research was done by small startups who lacked the capital and
the know-how to compete with energy giants. Had the energy giants decided
to use and to develop the newer non-petroleum based technology instead of
protecting their turf, we might be much less dependent on foreign oil today.
See next few paragraphs for some of the probable reasons this did not
happen.
Although for many businessmen profit was a motive for this 1970's research,
another motive was to change to energy sources that did not depend on
foreign oil imports. For some people and governmental policy makers, profit
was less important than energy independence.
However, as you probably know, a great deal of stock in large petroleum
firms is owned by foreign interests (some claim that over 70%), e.g. the
Dutch, British, and Saudis. Such business stockholders as these have a
strong economic interest in not allowing the U.S. to become more energy
independent. In this context, buying and killing competing technology made
business sense in the 1970's (and it still probably influences business
decisions today).
The petroleum lobby is among the most powerful. Call me a skeptic, but I
believe large political contributions influence vital national policy and
not always to the overall benefit to our country.
Although several administrations have ballyhooed alternative energy and the
need for energy independence, none have vigorously supported sufficient
funding for research-to-consumer profitable development of alternate energy
source by either research institutions or by private businesses. On the
other hand the petroleum industry (partially owned by competing foreign
interests) continue to use old and to receive new tax breaks not for
developing alternative energy sources but for finding and using new
petroleum sources.
A similar business example is found during the same period in the computer
field. For years IBM had about 90% of the main-frame computer business
although their products were generally rated a 5 on a scale of 0 - 10 and
although they had a first class research operation, they bought competing
technology and sometimes killed it. General-Electric, for example, had far
superior, faster hardware, much easier to use, faster, less buggy operating
systems, and better developed basic application software. I used both in
that period and I agree with the general ratings. Even with GE's capital
and business know-how, they made hardly a dent in IBM's very skillfully
marketed products' market share.
IBM finally lost significant market share in the main-frame and especially
in the PC market place starting ion the 1990's . It took a long time and a
paradigm shift to personal computers to create conditions and IBM policy
mistakes in a newly emerging field (their PCs were average also) for this to
happen.
Again, I remember Microsoft buying competing technologies they sometimes
buried.
The moral of the story is this: contrary to widespread belief, the cream
does not always rise to the top in the free-enterprise system. Factors
such as marketing skill, available capital, and sometimes unfortunately,
unethical anti-competitive practices help determine which products are built
and successfully sold.
I realize the above does not answer your questions about the specifics oft
he original case I mentioned. I have not the time or inclination to
research them now although I remember reading about and discussing the
incident in the 1970's. What I hope is clear from the above is that
economic, business, and/or free-enterprise considerations do sometimes drive
the suppression of new technology that is considered a threat to entrenched
business interests.
As to solar: Pasted below is an article from today's New York Times telling
us that GE is about to get in the solar energy business big-time. Perhaps
they can resurrect in some way some of the research from the 1970's. I hope
they are more successful with this than they were with their really
wonderful computers which they did not know how to market well. Given the
energy biases of the current U.S. President, I would not bet the ranch on
it.
(People not using HTML based mail may see some garbled paragraphs below.)
Wayne
___________
G.E. Signals a Growing Interest in Solar
By BARNABY J. FEDER
Published: March 13, 2004
Tim Shaffer for The New York Times
G.E. will buy assets of AstroPower in Newark, Del., where
two employees, Nita Sun, foreground, and Victor Perez, worked on solar
panels recently.
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MULTIMEDIA
Chart: Buying Into a Bright Idea
TIMES NEWS TRACKER
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General Electric Company
Energy and Power
Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures
eneral Electric will acquire the major assets of the largest American-owned
maker of solar equipment, in a move the solar power industry sees as a major
vote of confidence in the business.
A federal bankruptcy court judge in Delaware yesterday approved G.E.'s plan
to buy the bulk of AstroPower for $15 million in cash and an estimated $3.5
million in debt, along with other liabilities to be settled when the deal
closes at the end of the month. It would be the most decisive step yet by
G.E. into the so-far unprofitable business of generating electricity from
sunlight, a technology that G.E. researchers have dabbled in for nearly half
a century.
Previously, G.E. confined its growing interest in this field, known as
photovoltaics, to modest increases in research spending and the quiet
acquisition 18 months ago of Railway Technology Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
Railway makes a line of solar-powered railroad switches.
G.E. declined yesterday to discuss its plans for AstroPower. By G.E.
standards, the acquisition is a modest bet. The cost will be but a
half-day's earnings for the company, which had net income last year of $15
billion on revenue of more than $134 billion. But if the investment looks
minuscule from a Wall Street perspective, it is still enough to excite many
people involved with solar energy.
"It shows we are a mainstream industry, or moving that way," said Bob
Kenedi, general manager of the solar systems division of Sharp Electronics,
an American subsidiary of the Sharp Corporation of Japan. Sharp has emerged
as the clear market leader in solar power equipment with a sixfold increase
in production since 1999, and it opened its first American assembly plant,
in Memphis, last year.
Worldwide, annual revenue from solar power equipment and installation, which
reached $4.7 billion last year, will climb to $30.8 billion in 2013,
according to a recent forecast from Clean Edge, a market research firm in
San Francisco.
Solar energy is profitable in numerous niche markets, including powering
satellites and providing electricity for oil rigs and devices like rural
water pumps, road signs and emergency telephones that cannot be conveniently
linked to power grids. But it is still regarded as too expensive to be
widely adopted for powering homes and businesses now supplied by utilities.
That has left even deep-pocketed manufacturers like Sharp, Sanyo Electric,
the Kyocera Corporation and the solar subsidiaries of BP and Shell Oil
dependent on governments and power companies to subsidize sales.
None of the big solar players claim to be profitable and some former
participants remain dismissive about the potential. "Even if it grows at 20
percent annually, it will contribute less than 1.5 percent to global energy
needs by 2020," said Tom Cirigliano, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil, which has
estimated that it invested more than half a billion dollars in solar energy,
going back to the 1970's, before withdrawing.
But analysts and solar manufacturers figure G.E. is responding to signs that
rising prices for hydrocarbon-based fuels and improvements in solar products
and manufacturing technology have laid the foundation for large-scale
producers to finally start making steady profits - even as major supporters
like the Japanese government and California reduce subsidies to consumers.
"We're in line for our best year yet," said Steven Westwell, president and
chief executive of BP Solar, which entered the industry 30 years ago and
hopes to turn profitable this year. Demand in California, the leading United
States market, is so strong that state subsidies for solar equipment
purchases could be used up by September, he said.
Still, in an industry that has frequently disappointed its advocates, Mr.
Westwell and analysts have no trouble imagining ways that trouble could
strike again. By the end of the year, they said, the industry could be hurt
from overcapacity because so many new solar cell manufacturing projects are
under way. The industry also could be hit by rising prices for silicon - the
basic ingredient in most photovoltaic cells - because manufacturers of raw
materials have been slow to add capacity. Most of them view supplying the
solar industry as a sideline to making more expensive products for the
computer and consumer electronics industry.
G.E.'s long-term goals for solar energy would make such concerns irrelevant.
Its recent attention to photovoltaics grew out of research on light-emitting
plastics. Feeding electricity into such plastics creates light, but
researchers knew that they could also do the reverse - use light to create
electricity. A plastic that was efficient enough at creating electric
current from sunlight might serve as a much cheaper and more flexible
photovoltaic material than silicon, and become a monster product for G.E.'s
huge plastics business.
As they began to look more closely at developments in the photovoltaics
market, G.E. researchers also realized that they had expertise to apply to
silicon designs that could pay off even if the plastics project ultimately
failed. And pursuing the technology supported the goal of Jeffrey R. Immelt,
G.E.'s chairman and chief executive, to become a leader in markets based on
renewable-energy technology and energy efficiency, including wind power,
fuel cells, hydrogen storage and microturbines.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Douglas" <ddouglas@pacsim.com>
To: "'Art Deco aka W. Fox'" <deco@moscow.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 9:11 PM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
> Visionaries,
>
> I asked for some specifics on a very "specific" event Wayne mentioned.
>
> Some emails on this topic seemed to indicate that it was the concept that
> really counted.
> It was reasonable that businesses would do something like that, so, I
would
> gather, the specifics shouldn't be important.
>
> Except they are, to me at least.
>
> True enough that some businesses engage in
> "widespread false misinformation and propaganda."
>
> On the other hand, one should be prepared to support charges
> about "stereo-typical" big business behavior contrary to public
> good . If not, how is such a charge different from "widespread
> false misinformation and propaganda."?
>
> Yes, businesses act in their own self interest often unethically. But no
> concrete examples were given of buying up a technology to
> bury it. Especially, none even close to the original anecdote. Just
> an appeal to the internet and all the stuff that must be out there.
>
> "A real life example" was finally provided by Wayne: butter producers
> used the government to inhibit the free trade of margarine. And I don't
> dispute
> the facts. It is a true enough example.....of resorting to legislation
> to create a market advantage. Immoral on the part of both the businesses
> and the legislators, in my opinion, but, alas, not an example of burying a
> technology.
> And we see how *well* it worked for the butter producers by the "lack" of
> margarine on store shelves to this very day.
>
> Perhaps if the butter producers like the oil consortium had
> bought out the margarine producers. Doh!
>
> It seems to me that people including researchers and greedy businessmen
will
> generally
> know how to optimize their interests. The butter/butter case is a good
> example of that.
> Any technology that is a significant threat to, or competitor in, a market
> is likely
> a) Worth too much for you to buy in the first place
> b) If sold to you, worth more as a product to be exploited than as a
patent
> to shelve.
>
> If solar energy were a competitive fuel alternative and you were an oil
> industry
> executive, where would you spend your next dollar?
> a) On a highly complex oil refinery to make gasoline
> b) On a relatively simple bank of solar panels and
> a relatively simple electrolysis process?
>
> If you had two raw materials, crude oil and water, would you
> a) sell the crude oil as fuel
> b) make fuel out of water and sell the crude as raw material to the
> chemical
> manufacturers.
>
> The world is full of clueless people, businessmen included, so there may
be
> a viable
> technology gathering dust somewhere. Maybe even solar energy. But not by
> any infor-
> mation I've seen here. For all the emphasis lately on research,
> facts, and logic, when it comes to providing any hard data on "buried"
solar
> cell
> technology, they've all gone missing...and don't seem to be missed.
>
> Best,
>
> David Douglas
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Troy, David, Tom
>
> Here's a real life example from an old codger.
>
> When I lived in Minnesota in the early 60's, you could not buy colored
> margarine! (I never buy margarine anyway.)
>
> For years the dairy industry in Minnesota prevented margarine from being
> sold at all. When it was legalized it could only be sold uncolored
although
> a coloring packet was sometimes enclosed with the margarine.
>
> W.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Troy Merrill" <troy1@moscow.com>
> To: "Art Deco aka W. Fox" <deco@moscow.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 4:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
>
>
> > I am looking at a new bundle of checks (cheques for any Canadian
readers)
> > from Latah Federal Credit Union (a radical organization if there ever
was
> > one). The first sheet is an advertisement for hemp products. They may
> not
> > be ingestible but they are no loner indictable which they were not long
> ago.
> >
> > Troy Merrill
> > on the palouse again
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Art Deco aka W. Fox" <deco@moscow.com>
> > To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
> > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 4:14 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
> >
> >
> > > David, Tom, Troy,
> > >
> > > I have one current example which has been in the news lately.
> > >
> > > First, however, I do not want to be labeled as anti-business. Some
> > > businesses are obviously less than honest as witnessed by the
cascading
> > > accounting fraud, insider trading, and company looting scandals.
> > >
> > > However, many companies react to new competitive technology and the
like
> > by
> > > either trying to copy it or steal it by various methods or, most
> laudably
> > > and effectively, by trying to develop something even better.
> > >
> > > However, some try to prevent the widespread use of new technology and
> > > knowledge by widespread false misinformation and propaganda.
> > >
> > > The example: The proposed use of industrial grade hemp in ingestible
> > > products. Hemp has many great nutritional and medical properties e.g.
> > high
> > > in omega-3 fatty acids. For the last few years many competing
commodity
> > > groups have partially financed through various hysterical
organizations
> > > campaigns against the use of industrial hemp in ingestible products,
> > falsely
> > > claiming that industrial hemp has the same effect on humans as
> marijuana.
> > >
> > > I have not Googled this subject, but you are welcome to do so. I
would
> > not
> > > be surprised if you found hundreds of references verifying the above.
> > >
> > > Wayne
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Troy Merrill" <troy1@moscow.com>
> > > To: "David Douglas" <ddouglas@pacsim.com>; "'Art Deco aka W. Fox'"
> > > <deco@moscow.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>; <thansen@moscow.com>
> > > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:53 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
> > >
> > >
> > > > Tom,
> > > > I have no reason to trust you.
> > > >
> > > > I think it much more likely that if the 'gizmo' you describe was
> > invented
> > > it
> > > > would be aggressively marketed, that free enterprise thing.
> > > >
> > > > Your appeal to 'common sense' is strangely reminiscent of the
> > 'Dougsters'
> > > > appeal to the bible.
> > > >
> > > > Troy Merrill
> > > > on the palouse again
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: <thansen@moscow.com>
> > > > To: "Troy Merrill" <troy1@moscow.com>; "David Douglas"
> > > > <ddouglas@pacsim.com>; "'Art Deco aka W. Fox'" <deco@moscow.com>;
> > > > <vision2020@moscow.com>; <thansen@moscow.com>
> > > > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:55 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Trust me. If somebody developed a walkie-talkie, that had a range
> of
> > > > 100,000
> > > > > miles that operated on one AA battery with a shelf life of two
> million
> > > > years,
> > > > > there would be alot of companies wanting to buy out the patent and
> > > shelve
> > > > > the "gizmo" (i.e. AT&T, Sprint, almost any telephone company.
> > > > >
> > > > > It is common sense.
> > > > >
> > > > > Tom Hansen
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > Tom,
> > > > > > Perhaps you could supply a few examples of this common practice.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Troy Merrill
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: <thansen@moscow.com>
> > > > > > To: "David Douglas" <ddouglas@pacsim.com>; "'Art Deco aka W.
Fox'"
> > > > > > <deco@moscow.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>
> > > > > > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:00 PM
> > > > > > Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > THis is common practice, Mr. Douglas -
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Any time somebody creates a gizmo that adversely impacts a
> > company's
> > > > > > bottom
> > > > > > > line, the company does all in its power to "shelve" that
gizmo.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Tom Hansen
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Wayne,
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > You write:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > "Many years ago a small company in southern California
> developed
> > > an
> > > > > > > > economical method of using solar generated electrical power
to
> > > > produce
> > > > > > and
> > > > > > > > to store hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis."
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > And
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > "Guess what? The small company was bought by a petroleum
> > > consortium
> > > > and
> > > > > > > > their research disappeared from commercial consideration as
> did
> > a
> > > > number
> > > > > > of
> > > > > > > > other promising alternative energy proposals."
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Do you have any specific data on this? The data might
> include:
> > > > > > > > small company name,
> > > > > > > > petroleum consortium name,
> > > > > > > > dates,
> > > > > > > > patents.
> > > > > > > > etc.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > What you say may very well be true. But it is rife
> > > > > > > > with generalities, reminiscent of the old story of the 100
mpg
> > > > > > > > carburetor that has been kept from the market (for decades).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > With specifics, this is an account of, at best, a truly
> wasteful
> > > > > > > > business practice. Without specifics, the account remains,
> > > > > > > > as yet, unverifiable--a part of the realm of
> > > > > > > > big-business-behaving-badly urban legends.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Best,
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > David Douglas
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > _____________________________________________________
> > > > > > > > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > > > > > > > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > > > > > > > http://www.fsr.net
> > > > > > > > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> > > > > > > > ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > This message was sent by First Step Internet.
> > > > > > > http://www.fsr.net/
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > _____________________________________________________
> > > > > > > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > > > > > > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > > > > > > http://www.fsr.net
> > > > > > > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> > > > > > > ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ---------------------------------------------
> > > > > This message was sent by First Step Internet.
> > > > > http://www.fsr.net/
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _____________________________________________________
> > > > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > > > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > > > http://www.fsr.net
> > > > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> > > > ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > _____________________________________________________
> > > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > > http://www.fsr.net
> > > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> > > ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
> ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
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<DIV>David,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The solar example you are suspicious of and the reason for your =
suspicion=20
may be that you did not fully understand the historical context, =
particularly in=20
the 1970's U.S. and particularly southern California. Two large =
Arab oil=20
withholding actions created gasoline shortages that then were fueled by =
panic=20
that created lines at gasoline stations that were sometimes over a mile=20
long. This occurred twice with each shortage lasting several =
months. =20
I am sure you can imagine the impact on people's lives in a nation =
that=20
was/is so highly dependent on automobile transportation.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A great deal of discussion was created about alternative sources of =
energy=20
in the 1970's nation-wide and especially in California which has =
abundant solar=20
and wind resources in areas with little environmental impact=20
considerations. Venture capitalists and government grants=20
drove research. Much of this research financed by venture =
capitalists=20
was either sold (to make money, which is the goal of venture =
capitalists),=20
dumped, or slowly developed. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Some of this 1970's research resulted in solar farms in the Mojave =
Desert=20
starting in the 1990's; it also resulted in numerous wind farms. =
Avista=20
customers now have an option of buying the more expensive wind generated =
power.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Most of this research was done by small startups who lacked the =
capital and=20
the know-how to compete with energy giants. Had the energy giants =
decided=20
to use and to develop the newer non-petroleum based technology =
instead=20
of protecting their turf, we might be much less dependent on foreign oil =
today. See next few paragraphs for some of the probable =
reasons this=20
did not happen.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Although for many businessmen profit was a motive for this 1970's =
research,=20
another motive was to change to energy sources that did not depend on =
foreign=20
oil imports. For some people and governmental policy makers, =
profit was=20
less important than energy independence. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>However, as you probably know, a great deal of stock in=20
large petroleum firms is owned by foreign interests (some claim =
that over=20
70%), e.g. the Dutch, British, and Saudis. Such business =
stockholders as=20
these have a strong economic interest in not allowing the U.S. to become =
more=20
energy independent. In this context, buying and killing competing=20
technology made business sense in the 1970's (and it still probably =
influences=20
business decisions today). </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The petroleum lobby is among the most powerful. Call me a =
skeptic,=20
but I believe large political contributions influence vital national =
policy and=20
not always to the overall benefit to our country. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Although several administrations have ballyhooed alternative energy =
and the=20
need for energy independence, none have vigorously supported sufficient=20
funding for research-to-consumer profitable development of =
alternate energy=20
source by either research institutions or by private businesses. =
On the=20
other hand the petroleum industry (partially owned by competing foreign=20
interests) continue to use old and to receive new tax breaks not for =
developing=20
alternative energy sources but for finding and using new petroleum=20
sources.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A similar business example is found during the same period in =
the=20
computer field. For years IBM had about 90% of the main-frame =
computer=20
business although their products were generally rated a 5 on a scale of =
0 - 10=20
and although they had a first class research operation, they bought =
competing=20
technology and sometimes killed it. General-Electric, for example, =
had far=20
superior, faster hardware, much easier to use, faster, less buggy =
operating=20
systems, and better developed basic application software. I used =
both in=20
that period and I agree with the general ratings. Even with GE's =
capital=20
and business know-how, they made hardly a dent in IBM's very skillfully =
marketed=20
products' market share.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>IBM finally lost significant market share in the main-frame and =
especially=20
in the PC market place starting ion the 1990's . It took a long =
time and a=20
paradigm shift to personal computers to create conditions and IBM policy =
mistakes in a newly emerging field (their PCs were average also) for =
this to=20
happen.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Again, I remember Microsoft buying competing =
technologies they=20
sometimes buried.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The moral of the story is this: contrary to widespread =
belief, the=20
cream does not always rise to the top in the free-enterprise =
system. =20
Factors such as marketing skill, available capital, and sometimes =
unfortunately,=20
unethical anti-competitive practices help determine which products are =
built and=20
successfully sold.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I realize the above does not answer your questions about the =
specifics oft=20
he original case I mentioned. I have not the time or =
inclination to=20
research them now although I remember reading about and discussing the =
incident=20
in the 1970's. What I hope is clear from the above is that =
economic,=20
business, and/or free-enterprise considerations do sometimes drive the=20
suppression of new technology that is considered a threat to entrenched =
business=20
interests.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As to solar: Pasted below is an article from today's New York =
Times=20
telling us that GE is about to get in the solar energy business =
big-time. =20
Perhaps they can resurrect in some way some of the research from the=20
1970's. I hope they are more successful with this than they were =
with=20
their really wonderful computers which they did not know how to market=20
well. Given the energy biases of the current U.S. President, I =
would not=20
bet the ranch on it.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(People not using HTML based mail may see some garbled =
paragraphs=20
below.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Wayne</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>___________</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<H2>G.E. Signals a Growing Interest in =
Solar</H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE=20
version=3D"1.0" type=3D" ">By BARNABY J. FEDER<BR></NYT_BYLINE><IMG =
height=3D5 alt=3D""=20
src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" =
width=3D1><BR>Published:=20
March 13, 2004<BR><BR>
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<TD width=3D10><IMG height=3D1=20
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<TD><IMG height=3D262=20
=
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jpg"=20
width=3D184 align=3Dcenter border=3D0><BR>
<DIV align=3Dright>Tim Shaffer for The New York =
Times</DIV>G.E.=20
will buy assets of AstroPower in Newark, Del., where =
two=20
employees, Nita Sun, foreground, and Victor Perez, =
worked on=20
solar panels recently. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR=20
clear=3Dall></TD></TR>
<TR>
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<TD class=3Dpad width=3D137><SPAN class=3Dsmall><A=20
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%2C+ACQUISITIONS+AND+DIVESTITURES&fdq=3D19960101&td=3Dsysdate&=
;sort=3Dnewest&ac=3DMERGERS%2C+ACQUISITIONS+AND+DIVESTITURES&rt=3D=
1%2Cdes%2Corg%2Cper%2Cgeo">Mergers,=20
Acquisitions and Divestitures</A></SPAN></TD>
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<P><A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/redirect/marketwatch/redirect.ctx?MW=3Dhtt=
p://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&sym=
b=3DGE"><IMG=20
height=3D34 alt=3DG =
src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/g.gif" width=3D31=20
align=3Dleft border=3D0>eneral Electric</A> will acquire the major =
assets of the=20
largest American-owned maker of solar equipment, in a move the solar =
power=20
industry sees as a major vote of confidence in the business. </P>
<P>A federal bankruptcy court judge in Delaware yesterday approved =
G.E.'s plan=20
to buy the bulk of AstroPower for $15 million in cash and an estimated =
$3.5=20
million in debt, along with other liabilities to be settled when the =
deal closes=20
at the end of the month. It would be the most decisive step yet by G.E. =
into the=20
so-far unprofitable business of generating electricity from sunlight, a=20
technology that G.E. researchers have dabbled in for nearly half a =
century.</P>
<P>Previously, G.E. confined its growing interest in this field, known =
as=20
photovoltaics, to modest increases in research spending and the quiet=20
acquisition 18 months ago of Railway Technology Inc. for an undisclosed =
sum.=20
Railway makes a line of solar-powered railroad switches.</P>
<P>G.E. declined yesterday to discuss its plans for AstroPower. By G.E.=20
standards, the acquisition is a modest bet. The cost will be but a =
half-day's=20
earnings for the company, which had net income last year of $15 billion =
on=20
revenue of more than $134 billion. But if the investment looks minuscule =
from a=20
Wall Street perspective, it is still enough to excite many people =
involved with=20
solar energy. </P>
<P>"It shows we are a mainstream industry, or moving that way," said Bob =
Kenedi,=20
general manager of the solar systems division of Sharp Electronics, an =
American=20
subsidiary of the <A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/redirect/marketwatch/redirect.ctx?MW=3Dhtt=
p://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&sym=
b=3DSHCAY">Sharp=20
Corporation</A> of Japan. Sharp has emerged as the clear market leader =
in solar=20
power equipment with a sixfold increase in production since 1999, and it =
opened=20
its first American assembly plant, in Memphis, last year. </P>
<P>Worldwide, annual revenue from solar power equipment and =
installation, which=20
reached $4.7 billion last year, will climb to $30.8 billion in 2013, =
according=20
to a recent forecast from Clean Edge, a market research firm in San=20
Francisco.</P>
<P>Solar energy is profitable in numerous niche markets, including =
powering=20
satellites and providing electricity for oil rigs and devices like rural =
water=20
pumps, road signs and emergency telephones that cannot be conveniently =
linked to=20
power grids. But it is still regarded as too expensive to be widely =
adopted for=20
powering homes and businesses now supplied by utilities. That has left =
even=20
deep-pocketed manufacturers like Sharp, Sanyo Electric, the <A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/redirect/marketwatch/redirect.ctx?MW=3Dhtt=
p://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&sym=
b=3DKYO">Kyocera=20
Corporation</A> and the solar subsidiaries of <A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/redirect/marketwatch/redirect.ctx?MW=3Dhtt=
p://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&sym=
b=3DBP">BP</A>=20
and Shell Oil dependent on governments and power companies to subsidize=20
sales.</P>
<P>None of the big solar players claim to be profitable and some former=20
participants remain dismissive about the potential. "Even if it grows at =
20=20
percent annually, it will contribute less than 1.5 percent to global =
energy=20
needs by 2020," said Tom Cirigliano, a spokesman for <A=20
href=3D"http://www.nytimes.com/redirect/marketwatch/redirect.ctx?MW=3Dhtt=
p://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&sym=
b=3DXOM">Exxon=20
Mobil</A>, which has estimated that it invested more than half a billion =
dollars=20
in solar energy, going back to the 1970's, before withdrawing. </P>
<P>But analysts and solar manufacturers figure G.E. is responding to =
signs that=20
rising prices for hydrocarbon-based fuels and improvements in solar =
products and=20
manufacturing technology have laid the foundation for large-scale =
producers to=20
finally start making steady profits - even as major supporters like the =
Japanese=20
government and California reduce subsidies to consumers. </P>
<P>"We're in line for our best year yet," said Steven Westwell, =
president and=20
chief executive of BP Solar, which entered the industry 30 years ago and =
hopes=20
to turn profitable this year. Demand in California, the leading United =
States=20
market, is so strong that state subsidies for solar equipment purchases =
could be=20
used up by September, he said.</P>
<P>Still, in an industry that has frequently disappointed its advocates, =
Mr.=20
Westwell and analysts have no trouble imagining ways that trouble could =
strike=20
again. By the end of the year, they said, the industry could be hurt =
from=20
overcapacity because so many new solar cell manufacturing projects are =
under=20
way. The industry also could be hit by rising prices for silicon - the =
basic=20
ingredient in most photovoltaic cells - because manufacturers of raw =
materials=20
have been slow to add capacity. Most of them view supplying the solar =
industry=20
as a sideline to making more expensive products for the computer and =
consumer=20
electronics industry.</P>
<P>G.E.'s long-term goals for solar energy would make such concerns =
irrelevant.=20
Its recent attention to photovoltaics grew out of research on =
light-emitting=20
plastics. Feeding electricity into such plastics creates light, but =
researchers=20
knew that they could also do the reverse - use light to create =
electricity. A=20
plastic that was efficient enough at creating electric current from =
sunlight=20
might serve as a much cheaper and more flexible photovoltaic material =
than=20
silicon, and become a monster product for G.E.'s huge plastics =
business.</P>
<P>As they began to look more closely at developments in the =
photovoltaics=20
market, G.E. researchers also realized that they had expertise to apply =
to=20
silicon designs that could pay off even if the plastics project =
ultimately=20
failed. And pursuing the technology supported the goal of Jeffrey R. =
Immelt,=20
G.E.'s chairman and chief executive, to become a leader in markets based =
on=20
renewable-energy technology and energy efficiency, including wind power, =
fuel=20
cells, hydrogen storage and microturbines. </P>
<P><BR clear=3Dall></P></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message -----=20
<DIV>From: "David Douglas" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:ddouglas@pacsim.com">ddouglas@pacsim.com</A>></DIV>
<DIV>To: "'Art Deco aka W. Fox'" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>>; <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>></DIV>=
<DIV>Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 9:11 PM</DIV>
<DIV>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>> Visionaries,<BR>> <BR>> I asked for some =
specifics on=20
a very "specific" event Wayne mentioned.<BR>> <BR>> Some emails on =
this=20
topic seemed to indicate that it was the concept that<BR>> really=20
counted.<BR>> It was reasonable that businesses would do something =
like that,=20
so, I would<BR>> gather, the specifics shouldn't be =
important.<BR>>=20
<BR>> Except they are, to me at least.<BR>> <BR>> True =
enough=20
that some businesses engage in<BR>> "widespread false misinformation =
and=20
propaganda."<BR>> <BR>> On the other hand, one should be prepared =
to=20
support charges<BR>> about "stereo-typical" big business behavior =
contrary to=20
public<BR>> good . If not, how is such a charge different from=20
"widespread<BR>> false misinformation and propaganda."?<BR>> =
<BR>> Yes,=20
businesses act in their own self interest often unethically. But=20
no<BR>> concrete examples were given of buying up a technology =
to<BR>>=20
bury it. Especially, none even close to the original =
anecdote. =20
Just<BR>> an appeal to the internet and all the stuff that must be =
out=20
there.<BR>> <BR>> "A real life example" was finally provided by=20
Wayne: butter producers<BR>> used the government to inhibit the =
free=20
trade of margarine. And I don't<BR>> dispute<BR>> the =
facts. =20
It is a true enough example.....of resorting to legislation<BR>> to =
create a=20
market advantage. Immoral on the part of both the =
businesses<BR>>=20
and the legislators, in my opinion, but, alas, not an example of burying =
a<BR>> technology.<BR>> And we see how *well* it worked for the =
butter=20
producers by the "lack" of<BR>> margarine on store shelves to this =
very=20
day.<BR>> <BR>> Perhaps if the butter producers like the oil =
consortium=20
had<BR>> bought out the margarine producers. Doh!<BR>> =
<BR>> It=20
seems to me that people including researchers and greedy businessmen=20
will<BR>> generally<BR>> know how to optimize their =
interests. The=20
butter/butter case is a good<BR>> example of that.<BR>> Any =
technology=20
that is a significant threat to, or competitor in, a market<BR>> is=20
likely<BR>> a) Worth too much for you to buy in the first =
place<BR>> b) If=20
sold to you, worth more as a product to be exploited than as a =
patent<BR>> to=20
shelve.<BR>> <BR>> If solar energy were a competitive fuel =
alternative and=20
you were an oil<BR>> industry<BR>> executive, where would you =
spend your=20
next dollar?<BR>> a) On a highly complex oil refinery to make=20
gasoline<BR>> b) On a relatively simple bank of solar panels =
and<BR>> a=20
relatively simple electrolysis process?<BR>> <BR>> If you had two =
raw=20
materials, crude oil and water, would you<BR>> a) sell the =
crude oil as=20
fuel<BR>> b) make fuel out of water and sell the crude as raw =
material=20
to the<BR>> chemical<BR>> manufacturers.<BR>> <BR>> The =
world is=20
full of clueless people, businessmen included, so there may be<BR>> a =
viable<BR>> technology gathering dust somewhere. Maybe even =
solar=20
energy. But not by<BR>> any infor-<BR>> mation I've seen =
here. =20
For all the emphasis lately on research,<BR>> facts, and logic, when =
it comes=20
to providing any hard data on "buried" solar<BR>> cell<BR>> =
technology,=20
they've all gone missing...and don't seem to be missed.<BR>> <BR>> =
Best,<BR>> <BR>> David Douglas<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> =
<BR>>=20
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Troy, David, =
Tom<BR>>=20
<BR>> Here's a real life example from an old codger.<BR>> <BR>> =
When I=20
lived in Minnesota in the early 60's, you could not buy colored<BR>>=20
margarine! (I never buy margarine anyway.)<BR>> <BR>> For =
years the=20
dairy industry in Minnesota prevented margarine from being<BR>> sold =
at=20
all. When it was legalized it could only be sold uncolored=20
although<BR>> a coloring packet was sometimes enclosed with the=20
margarine.<BR>> <BR>> W.<BR>> <BR>> ----- Original Message=20
-----<BR>> From: "Troy Merrill" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:troy1@moscow.com">troy1@moscow.com</A>><BR>> To: =
"Art Deco=20
aka W. Fox" <<A =
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>>; <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>><BR>&g=
t; Sent:=20
Friday, March 12, 2004 4:26 PM<BR>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fuel=20
Cells<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> > I am looking at a new bundle of =
checks=20
(cheques for any Canadian readers)<BR>> > from Latah Federal =
Credit Union=20
(a radical organization if there ever was<BR>> > one). The =
first=20
sheet is an advertisement for hemp products. They may<BR>> =
not<BR>>=20
> be ingestible but they are no loner indictable which they were not=20
long<BR>> ago.<BR>> ><BR>> > Troy Merrill<BR>> > on =
the=20
palouse again<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> > ----- =
Original=20
Message -----<BR>> > From: "Art Deco aka W. Fox" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>><BR>> > To: =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>><BR>&g=
t; >=20
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 4:14 PM<BR>> > Subject: Re: =
[Vision2020] Fuel=20
Cells<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> > > David, Tom, =
Troy,<BR>> >=20
><BR>> > > I have one current example which has been in the =
news=20
lately.<BR>> > ><BR>> > > First, however, I do not =
want to be=20
labeled as anti-business. Some<BR>> > > businesses are =
obviously=20
less than honest as witnessed by the cascading<BR>> > > =
accounting=20
fraud, insider trading, and company looting scandals.<BR>> > =
><BR>>=20
> > However, many companies react to new competitive technology =
and the=20
like<BR>> > by<BR>> > > either trying to copy it or steal =
it by=20
various methods or, most<BR>> laudably<BR>> > > and =
effectively, by=20
trying to develop something even better.<BR>> > ><BR>> > =
>=20
However, some try to prevent the widespread use of new technology =
and<BR>>=20
> > knowledge by widespread false misinformation and =
propaganda.<BR>>=20
> ><BR>> > > The example: The proposed use of =
industrial=20
grade hemp in ingestible<BR>> > > products. Hemp has many =
great=20
nutritional and medical properties e.g.<BR>> > high<BR>> > =
> in=20
omega-3 fatty acids. For the last few years many competing=20
commodity<BR>> > > groups have partially financed through =
various=20
hysterical organizations<BR>> > > campaigns against the use of=20
industrial hemp in ingestible products,<BR>> > falsely<BR>> =
> >=20
claiming that industrial hemp has the same effect on humans as<BR>>=20
marijuana.<BR>> > ><BR>> > > I have not Googled this =
subject,=20
but you are welcome to do so. I would<BR>> > not<BR>> =
> >=20
be surprised if you found hundreds of references verifying the =
above.<BR>>=20
> ><BR>> > > Wayne<BR>> > ><BR>> > =
><BR>>=20
> > ----- Original Message -----<BR>> > > From: "Troy =
Merrill"=20
<<A href=3D"mailto:troy1@moscow.com">troy1@moscow.com</A>><BR>> =
> >=20
To: "David Douglas" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:ddouglas@pacsim.com">ddouglas@pacsim.com</A>>; "'Art =
Deco aka W.=20
Fox'"<BR>> > > <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>>; <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>>; =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</A>><BR>> =
> >=20
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:53 PM<BR>> > > Subject: Re: =
[Vision2020]=20
Fuel Cells<BR>> > ><BR>> > ><BR>> > > >=20
Tom,<BR>> > > > I have no reason to trust you.<BR>> > =
>=20
><BR>> > > > I think it much more likely that if the =
'gizmo' you=20
describe was<BR>> > invented<BR>> > > it<BR>> > =
> >=20
would be aggressively marketed, that free enterprise thing.<BR>> > =
>=20
><BR>> > > > Your appeal to 'common sense' is strangely=20
reminiscent of the<BR>> > 'Dougsters'<BR>> > > > =
appeal to the=20
bible.<BR>> > > ><BR>> > > > Troy =
Merrill<BR>> >=20
> > on the palouse again<BR>> > > ><BR>> > > =
>=20
----- Original Message -----<BR>> > > > From: <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</A>><BR>> =
> >=20
> To: "Troy Merrill" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:troy1@moscow.com">troy1@moscow.com</A>>; "David =
Douglas"<BR>>=20
> > > <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:ddouglas@pacsim.com">ddouglas@pacsim.com</A>>; "'Art =
Deco aka W.=20
Fox'" <<A =
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>>;<BR>> >=20
> > <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>>; =
<<A=20
href=3D"mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</A>><BR>> =
> >=20
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:55 PM<BR>> > > > =
Subject: Re:=20
[Vision2020] Fuel Cells<BR>> > > ><BR>> > > =
><BR>>=20
> > > > Trust me. If somebody developed a =
walkie-talkie, that=20
had a range<BR>> of<BR>> > > > 100,000<BR>> > > =
>=20
> miles that operated on one AA battery with a shelf life of =
two<BR>>=20
million<BR>> > > > years,<BR>> > > > > there =
would be=20
alot of companies wanting to buy out the patent and<BR>> > >=20
shelve<BR>> > > > > the "gizmo" (i.e. AT&T, Sprint, =
almost=20
any telephone company.<BR>> > > > ><BR>> > > =
> >=20
It is common sense.<BR>> > > > ><BR>> > > > =
> Tom=20
Hansen<BR>> > > > ><BR>> > > > ><BR>> =
> >=20
> ><BR>> > > > > > Tom,<BR>> > > > =
> >=20
Perhaps you could supply a few examples of this common practice.<BR>> =
>=20
> > > ><BR>> > > > > > Troy =
Merrill<BR>> >=20
> > > ><BR>> > > > > > ----- Original =
Message=20
-----<BR>> > > > > > From: <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:thansen@moscow.com">thansen@moscow.com</A>><BR>> =
> >=20
> > > To: "David Douglas" <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:ddouglas@pacsim.com">ddouglas@pacsim.com</A>>; "'Art =
Deco aka W.=20
Fox'"<BR>> > > > > > <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A>>; <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>><BR>&g=
t; >=20
> > > > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 3:00 PM<BR>> > =
> >=20
> > Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Fuel Cells<BR>> > > > =
>=20
><BR>> > > > > ><BR>> > > > > > =
> THis=20
is common practice, Mr. Douglas -<BR>> > > > > > =
><BR>>=20
> > > > > > Any time somebody creates a gizmo that =
adversely=20
impacts a<BR>> > company's<BR>> > > > > > =
bottom<BR>>=20
> > > > > > line, the company does all in its power to =
"shelve" that gizmo.<BR>> > > > > > ><BR>> > =
>=20
> > > > Tom Hansen<BR>> > > > > > =
><BR>>=20
> > > > > > > Wayne,<BR>> > > > > =
> >=20
><BR>> > > > > > > > You write:<BR>> > =
>=20
> > > > ><BR>> > > > > > > > =
"Many years=20
ago a small company in southern California<BR>> developed<BR>> =
> >=20
an<BR>> > > > > > > > economical method of using =
solar=20
generated electrical power to<BR>> > > > produce<BR>> =
> >=20
> > > and<BR>> > > > > > > > to store =
hydrogen=20
and oxygen by electrolysis."<BR>> > > > > > > =
><BR>>=20
> > > > > > > And<BR>> > > > > > =
>=20
><BR>> > > > > > > > "Guess what? The =
small=20
company was bought by a petroleum<BR>> > > consortium<BR>> =
> >=20
> and<BR>> > > > > > > > their research =
disappeared=20
from commercial consideration as<BR>> did<BR>> > a<BR>> > =
>=20
> number<BR>> > > > > > of<BR>> > > > =
> >=20
> > other promising alternative energy proposals."<BR>> > =
> >=20
> > > ><BR>> > > > > > > ><BR>> =
> >=20
> > > > ><BR>> > > > > > > =
><BR>> >=20
> > > > > > Do you have any specific data on =
this? The=20
data might<BR>> include:<BR>> > > > > > > > =
small=20
company name,<BR>> > > > > > > > petroleum =
consortium=20
name,<BR>> > > > > > > > dates,<BR>> > =
> >=20
> > > > patents.<BR>> > > > > > > >=20
etc.<BR>> > > > > > > ><BR>> > > > =
> >=20
> > What you say may very well be true. But it is rife<BR>> =
> >=20
> > > > > with generalities, reminiscent of the old story =
of the=20
100 mpg<BR>> > > > > > > > carburetor that has =
been kept=20
from the market (for decades).<BR>> > > > > > >=20
><BR>> > > > > > > > With specifics, this is =
an=20
account of, at best, a truly<BR>> wasteful<BR>> > > > =
> >=20
> > business practice. Without specifics, the account=20
remains,<BR>> > > > > > > > as yet, =
unverifiable--a part=20
of the realm of<BR>> > > > > > > >=20
big-business-behaving-badly urban legends.<BR>> > > > > =
> >=20
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