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Old 08-31-2008, 11:47 AM   #21
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Does anyone understand the economics of gas to liquid conversion? The technology is quite old and well established-maybe 100 years old! If this is not too wasteful, it would seem to have much to recommend it. Our trucks and over-the-road busses and trains already run on diesel. Europe is full of small efficient and fairly well performing direct injection turbo-charged diesels. Audi has gone quite far with this technology.
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Understand? Not in the chemist sense of the word. However, I have been watching this story unfold for a few years in China and elsewhere. There is a company called Methanex that is the world's largest supplier of methanol. Basically, they take stranded deposits of natural gas and via a pretty simple process turn it into methanol, which is used as a precursor chemical for a huge variety of things. While it is still small, a fast-growing end-use is turning methanol into dimethyl ether (DME) and then blending the DME with other fuels as an extender. I am lead to understand that this is done to stretch diesel fuel and propane/cooking fuel. If you want to know more, look up their website and look at their presentations (pretty much all of them talk about it). Since this is a public company, I suspect you could also get on the horn and ask them questions about it. They are plenty knowledgable and usually are willing to talk about it.
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Old 08-31-2008, 12:00 PM   #22
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There are many advantages to the CNG vehicles including cheaper operational costs and less engine maintenance and lower per mile fuel costs on top of the quite a bit lower pollution which will make it the growing fuel of choice in the coming years for govermental and enviromental groups.


As an investment perhaps CLNE??

Clean Energy Fuels Acquires Texas Landfill Gas Plant to Produce Renewable Gas: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
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Old 08-31-2008, 12:00 PM   #23
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Understand? Not in the chemist sense of the word. However, I have been watching this story unfold for a few years in China and elsewhere. There is a company called Methanex that is the world's largest supplier of methanol. Basically, they take stranded deposits of natural gas and via a pretty simple process turn it into methanol, which is used as a precursor chemical for a huge variety of things. While it is still small, a fast-growing end-use is turning methanol into dimethyl ether (DME) and then blending the DME with other fuels as an extender. I am lead to understand that this is done to stretch diesel fuel and propane/cooking fuel. If you want to know more, look up their website and look at their presentations (pretty much all of them talk about it). Since this is a public company, I suspect you could also get on the horn and ask them questions about it. They are plenty knowledgable and usually are willing to talk about it.
Thanks Brewer, will do.

Ha
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Old 08-31-2008, 02:34 PM   #24
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There are many advantages to the CNG vehicles including cheaper operational costs and less engine maintenance and lower per mile fuel costs on top of the quite a bit lower pollution which will make it the growing fuel of choice in the coming years for govermental and enviromental groups.


As an investment perhaps CLNE??

Clean Energy Fuels Acquires Texas Landfill Gas Plant to Produce Renewable Gas: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

This article in today's Houston Chronicle.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...z/5974815.html

Interesting and informative discussion..Thanks guys!
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Old 08-31-2008, 05:01 PM   #25
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check this out


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Old 08-31-2008, 07:26 PM   #26
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This CNG idea now has a very effective promoter in Boone Pickens. I hope it gets going.

Ha
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Old 08-31-2008, 07:30 PM   #27
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I’m at a loss to see how anyone thinks the technology is no where close to being developed. Semi third world Thailand has both LPG and CNG cars and trucks on the road today. Lots of them. Some are dual fuel as Bultacoman mentioned. It’s not just fleet types, although I think all of BKK taxis are CNG or LPG as are most buses. The gasoline stations added the filling systems very quickly (took a couple of years) and now they’re all over the country. The guys who do the conversions have people standing in line.
CNG is huge in China, too. In the city where I used to live, public buses and most taxis converted to CNG several years ago -- most have a dual fuel system, but use CNG almost exclusively. Beijing is strangely behind the curve here (given the air pollution problem I suspect this has somethign to do with someone powerful owning/benefitting from a continued dominance of gas and diesel).

We rode in our first hybrid taxi the other day. Quite nice. Local model, made in Sichuan, though it was very similar in design to my sister's Prius. Watch out, Toyota!

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Old 09-09-2008, 08:57 AM   #28
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I've done that (CHK) and plan to buy more..I'd just like to place a small bet on something with bigger odds..
Just wondered if you have bought more? CHK been dropping like a rock in line with oil. I'm tempted to nibble. Anyone buying?

CHK - Chesapeake Energy Corporation - Google Finance
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Old 09-09-2008, 06:48 PM   #29
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Just wondered if you have bought more? CHK been dropping like a rock in line with oil. I'm tempted to nibble. Anyone buying?

CHK - Chesapeake Energy Corporation - Google Finance
I guess no one is following or buying the stock. But interesting article on the CEO of CHK. Looks like he has been loading up on the stock this year. I guess this is an example where insider buying might have lead you down the wrong path. Long haul, probably a good trade to make.

StreetInsider.com - Chesapeake Energy's CEO (CHK) Aubrey McClendon Feels Pain Of Recent Stock Purchases
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Old 09-09-2008, 07:19 PM   #30
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I guess no one is following or buying the stock. But interesting article on the CEO of CHK. Looks like he has been loading up on the stock this year. I guess this is an example where insider buying might have lead you down the wrong path. Long haul, probably a good trade to make.
It's on my list of stuff I look at every now and then. Right now I'm trying to edumacate myself a bit more on NatGas before I leap off into that arena. Old Aubrey has been buying the heck out of his own stock for a quite a while, and that impresses me and makes me want to own some of that sucker for myself. But it can wait a bit yet, I think. What with commodities getting beaten up lately. In the long run NatGas is going to be a serious money maker.
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Old 09-09-2008, 08:02 PM   #31
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I'd check his compensation package out before I'd read too much into the executive buying. I've seen plenty of cases where the CEO helped himself to a $5M performance bonus and then bought $3M worth of stock with it...
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