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To: Earlie who wrote (65364)	2/7/2001 11:27:43 AM
From: yard_man	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 436258

Earlie, Kyros and LLCF This has projected cost (in 03) for Molten Carbonate fuel cells -- 10 MW station. The PEM type which I think were the type being discussed on NPR have a much higher capital cost, but probably a little lower maint cost As you can see the cost/kw of the molten carbonate FC is roughly 4x the cost of the combined cycle eia.doe.gov if you take the inverse of the heat rate at the far right and multiply by 3,412 you can get the implied efficencies -- Molten Carbonate are a little more efficient than the combined cycle (63% vs 52 or 53% for an Advanced CC) -- I think PEMs are closer to the efficiency of a combined cycle, FWIW. I think the number mentioned on NPR was 50% Supposing you could get the capital cost of a Fuel Cell cut to 1/4 of current cost (for a significantly smaller installation -- that table has 10MW units -- that's a very big IF) -- might look good for someone in CA if you want to shell out thousands of dollars for a unit, but for most it would not be a good idea as they would give up the advantage of receiving gen from multiple types of sources through their utility.

To: Earlie who wrote (65364)	2/7/2001 11:57:11 AM
From: Perspective	Respond to of 436258

If you can get a reasonable entry (tough today due to their warning), a BELM short here might be a decent bet. Electronics products distributor that has typically received little respect due to the debt they carry. Earnings estimates are falling, and guys like this get hammered in a slowdown. I've been amazed how well they've held up to date. Any thoughts? BC

To: Earlie who wrote (65364)	2/7/2001 12:39:26 PM
From: Ilaine	Respond to of 436258

Yet another player in the sat phone business - and I think this one adds support to my theory that geos, not leos, are going to own the low cost market for sat phones: >>Bringing Wireless To The Third World As Globalstar and Iridium falter in their attempts to offer satellite phone service around the planet, San Diego-based Titan Corp. has quietly set up a business selling wholesale long-distance services using satellites and ground stations to connect remote, third-world countries to rest of the world. Titan's Wireless division has set up 30 gateways in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America that communicate with three satellites in geosynchronic orbit around the Earth, allowing customers in those areas to use cell phones or land lines, depending on the city, for between 50 cents and $1 a minute. Comparisons between Globalstar and Iridium are not exactly parallel, because Titan's service is limited to areas around the ground stations while the other systems involve direct communications between the phone and a satellite. Titan's major advantage is cost, according to Eric Demarco, the president and CEO of Titan Wireless and chief financial officer of parent company Titan. "The satellites we use are 21,000 miles up -- three satellites (that) can cover the entire globe," Demarco said. "Globalstar and Iridium needed many more satellites, and they owned them." Titan Wireless is selling 21 million minutes of long-distance service a month through local partners, and has plans to expand its services to include Internet access. In the third quarter of 2000, the division, which primarily targets business users, brought in $21.9 million. After setting up the base stations, which use 3.8-meter satellite dishes to uplink with the satellites and smaller dishes to communicate with users, Titan keeps 75 percent of the revenues by selling the service to local partners, who get 25 percent. "You have to have an in-country partner who speaks the language and understands the politics," Demarco said. "We do a lot of due diligence when we sign up." Demarco also said the company has special insurance if the base stations, designed to withstand attacks from large animals, are vandalized or stolen. Currently, the African Republic of Benin is furthest along in terms of users of the service, with Titan spending about $13.8 million in the third quarter to set up the system. The 7-million-inhabitant country now has 41,000 subscribers to its government-partnered Libercom service since May 2000. The Libercom network was built by Titan with help from Alcatel, which provides cell phones based on the GSM standard of wireless communications. According to Demarco, the service operates in approximately 35 countries. "I like a country where there is no infrastructure, no copper, no fiber, because we can come in with our satellite-based solution and provide a very competitive, cost-efficient solution," Demarco said. "We are taking our time to make sure we don't get overextended." Globalstar had 32,100 subscribers at the start of the year, well below expectations of hundreds of thousands, while the Iridium network was sold in December to a company that will run the service for military communications. And while Globalstar and Iridium have received much press for their high-profile and expensive efforts to provide communications in the remote corners of the world, Demarco says Titan Wireless manages to stay under the radar screen of the big players as the company tries to get more users. "They didn't like to acknowledge that there is a low-cost competitor," Demarco said. "We don't toot our horn a lot on this business. We want to build it out and get more customers hooked up to our network."<< dailynews.yahoo.com