Alternative Energy Grabs Interest but Not Many Investment Dollars

Alternative Energy Grabs Interest but Not Many Investment Dollars
Most U.S. investors see putting money into alternative-energy companies as both potentially lucrative and a way to support the environment. But while many might see opportunity, few are taking it:
Seattle Times

Pick any one of the nation's 170,000 filling stations and there's a 50-50 chance the gasoline contains ethanol. The likelihood is increasing each day. The nation's 124 ethanol plants produce about 6.5 billion gallons a year, and enough new projects and expansions are under way to double that volume in a few years. When that happens, the grain-based fuel will satisfy almost 10 percent of the nation's thirst for gasoline to run cars, pickups and SUVs. "There are going to be some fits and starts, but we're going to get there (to 10 percent)," said Bob Dinneen, president of the Washington-based Renewable Fuels Association. "Beyond that — that's where the uncertainty lies."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

While much of the nation worries about a slumping real estate market, people in Midwestern farm country are experiencing exactly the opposite. Take, for instance, the farm in this story — nearly 80 acres of corn and soybeans off a gravel road in a universe of corn and soybeans — that sold for $10,000 an acre at auction this spring, a price that astonished even the auctioneer:
New York Times

One ethanol plant, Liquid Resources of Medina, Ohio once touted as the state's only ethanol producer, is out of business. The Medina County company ventured down an environmentally friendly road, using fermentation and distillation processes to recycle sugar waste from products including juice, beer and wine and convert it to ethanol:
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Another, Brookings-based VeraSun Energy Corp reports earnings fell 23 percent in its second quarter on higher corn costs:
Sioux Falls Argus Leader

---