While Solar itself has no emissions or toxicity to speak of, processing silicon to get it into the panels and and such has an environmental impact. Yeah, kinda sucks. The latest technology deals with flexible plastic substrates, using lower quality silicon (doesn't have to be processed as well) and even nano-structures; all of which should lower it's overall impact and increase efficiency.

There is a new system which can convert broad spectrum light, including non-visible which gives it an immediate efficiency boost simply because current designs use about 30% of visible IIRC. Plus they are using prisms and other light concentrating methods to make the PV sheets much smaller in size while using the same amount of light. Basically the prism appears full size, but concentrates the light into a PV cell that's a fraction of the size of the original surface area. This cuts down on cost, weight, and environmental impact to produce.

Solar is coming along quite nicely... we just need to see some of these advances in the lab make it into the field. Right now, concentration and increasing usable spectrum are making excellent strides. Bio-immitating and nano are a little way behind, but I have a feeling that increases in technology may soon bring about a revolution in local power generation. The only bad thing is that it might be a bad time to buy because of silicon demand and improvements in design. Those bad boys are usually for 20-30 years, so you want to make the right choices. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I just read in today's paper that Walmart is considering selling E85 at its 380+ company-owned gas stations. Since there are currently only 600 gas stations that sell E85, getting Walmart onboard would be a dramatic increase in the number of places to buy E85.

What's going on with Walmart lately? All of a sudden recently, they're all about green technologies and sustainability.

So it's basicly the same story as computers, oh, say fifteen years ago...fairly soon (in the grand scheme of things) everybody will be able to afford it... cool <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
But I'm still curious... what's the big impact due to processing???
Go ahead... say it... yeah, I'm an idiot when it comes to high tech., cutting edge, innovative schtuff <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />.

Troy

Trying to repair an image that has gone downhill since Sam died. Illegal immigrant hiring practices (okay, it was a third party), poor benefits and forced free overtime for workers, contributing mightily to the Chinese/American trade deficit and bringing about the revolution to transfer it offshore in the first place, etc. Wal-Mart has been credited with destroying many a main street, lowering standards of living, and for deceptive and anti-competetive business tactics like pricing competitors out of a market and then lifting prices up drastically once they are gone.

My local WM has just redone their floorplan and put in new flooring and signage to make it look more stylish and sleek and open. To some degree it's effective, but to me it seems like whitewash on a rotting house of policy. I'm pretty much forced to shop there at least some of the time, but I try to buy stuff from other local smaller merchants when I can. If I do shop there, I try not to buy anything not made in the US. I never make any major purchases there; say over $150 for any single item. If they bring back the "Buy American" campaign from the late 80's, then maybe they have truly changed. Otherwise, they are trying to raise their damaged image out of the gutter with a new facade without really changing the core issues.

And I adamantly refuse to use their "self-service" checkouts - for starters they are annoyingly slow and secondly, they invariably force me to wait while some shift manager comes over and resets the thing for items that can't leave without their say-so or because of equipment failure. This is a pure profit thing for them since they don't have to pay anyone to ring up your goods. I don't see prices lowering because of it either. I'm really an opponent of their upcoming RFID revolution as well. And this is coming from a guy who loves and works with technology, so I've read and thought about it a lot.

The sad thing is that they have an opportunity to do some real good with their stores and their seemingly very motivated workforce. They could lead retail in a clear, environmentally and socially responsible manner and I'm pretty sure that any lost profits up front would be made up for in volume that returns from the disillusioned like myself. I don't understand why companies bow to Wall Street pressure. If any institution in our country is more myopic than the short-sighted almighty dollar seeking damn the consequences Wall Street, you'll have to clue me in. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

In today's news, Ford Motor Co. reportedly is backing off its hybrid production goals to focus on multi-fuel/flexfuel models instead down the line, like those that run on E85. I'm just reading between the lines here, but if a major American car manufacturer is aiming to build more cars that can use ethanol, I think it's a safe bet that its lobbyists will be pushing Congress and the White House hard to promote the build out of an ethanol infrastructure. If they can tie oil companies into the process somehow, like piggybacking and paying to use their infrastructure and distribution channels, then that's a lot of political clout pointing in the same direction.

The only green Walmart cares about is money. TheTobbaco companys hold copyrights on every slang term for marijuana you can list. It'scalled hedging your investments.

I'd have to agree with Chris on this one. If anything I think the powers that be at Wal Mart have realized how many people are miffed about the company decimating Mom and Pop places in communities, or as the Green Party has said time and time again, "Wal Mart destroys our communities". If anything, I think all the hype about burning the used motor oil and fryer grease from the snack bars to power the stores that have the wind generators out back is another tactic. "Look at us! Wal Mart cares about the environment...look how we are using these green techs to benefit YOUR community."

I'll bet the local buisnesses still sorting out Chapter 11 aren't impressed with those schemes. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />