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Technology Stocks : Cisco Systems, Inc. - Off-topic postings

CSCO 71.08

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Nov 7 9:30 AM EST

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To: Lynn who wrote (49)	12/6/2007 12:11:27 PM
From: Eric	Read Replies (1) of 230

Lynn Here is Ausra: ausra.com Ausra is an Australian start up that has a demonstration plant there that is up and running. The company recently moved to silicon valley to be closer to the action and they have won two major contracts in the last few months from PGE of California and Florida Power and Light to demonstrate large scale electrical generation from solar thermal. Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers took a big stake in the company recently. The Department of Energy built a solar thermal plant in the Mojave desert about 18 years ago that validated the process. It is still running with a record 99%+ dispatch rate. I have been enamored with the solar thermal idea for almost 40 years and with carbon based fuels at their current price the numbers really work. Not to mention... No carbon dioxide emissions! Anyway check out Ausra's website, a wealth of information on solar thermal energy and it's possibilities. The Tesla Roadster at low speeds on level ground uses about 110 watt hrs of energy per Kilometer. A little bit more than a 100 watt light bulb! Of course if you go faster or climb hills it will consume much more energy (http://www.teslamotors.com/efficiency/well_to_wheel.php). If you covered the top of the car with the best PV's that are currently in production you could almost make the car run at low speeds on level ground. Sticking fans outside in the airstream would unfortunately only add drag to the car and require the car to burn more energy. We can't violate the laws of physics! Anyway to give you an idea how much solar energy is striking the earth in the Mojave desert of California each square meter is receiving about 7.7 Kilowatts of solar energy per day. If Ausra built their plants in those desert areas of the Southwest it would only have to take up an area of approximately 92 total square miles to power the entire electric grid of the US! Unfortunately Ausra and three other companies that I've been following in this area are private at this time. I would hawk almost everything I own if I could get into it. regards Eric

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