$1 billion potential in advanced batteries according to GE - General Electric Co. as already invested $150 million so far in advanced batteries and plan to invest $100 million more soon and plan to seek funding from the $787 billion economic stimulus program from Obama's administration.revenue this year and hit $25 billion in 2010.

"The economy clearly gives us headwind, but we still see a fair amount of interest globally for these types of products," Immelt from GE told Reuters in an interview.

What we want to know is what Reuters did not say. There is always more to a story and a way we can benefit from incoming trends if we can identify it.

What aspect of the economy, kind of batteries and why? How much money can be made from these batteries?

GE expects battery revenue to hit $500 million by 2015 and $20 billion in Ecomagination revenue just for this year and hit $25 billion in 2010. He added that he expects battery revenue to hit $500 million by 2015. $500 million from 2011- 2015, now that is the real story in profits in less than 4 years for these battery sales to reach $500 million dollars a year.

Obviously the $20 billion in revenue from the Ecomagineation project of GE would not be sustainable without the battery systems that power the trains that are part of the project. You may have seen the advertisement on TV about these trains as a part of their Ecomagination project. The trains are electric powered by batteries that are charged by a diesel engine.

Without the good batteries, the trains are useless. We can foresee GE taking over our railway systems as a matter of evolution but that does not account for $ 1 BILLION with a capital "B" in projected battery revenue. Does GE have projection data about something the general public does not know?

If one these batteries can power a locomotive the technology is more than adequate to power your homes, farms and vehicles. For individuals who invest their money, lithium-ion batteries are better-suited for short bursts of intense power, such as are required to start a vehicle moving, with sodium-metal halide a better option when large amounts of power are needed over a long period of time. Batteries may well become a currency at this rate.