Quote:
Originally Posted by gtahvit
I have to admit, I was astounded you didn't jump in...  Eventhough we don't always agree, I like to hear your points of view. Allways a good read.  |
well . . . you convinced me.
Ethanol was never supposed to be THE answer. It is to help aleviate your double problem of dependancy on foriegn oil and greenhouse gas emmissions from cars. Just like wind energy is not THE answer, nor is solar, or tidal, or anything else (well, maybe nuclear fusion which is 25 years away, just like it was 25 years ago). Most people who have knowledge on the subject will agree that corn ethanol is bad. Depending on who does the math, it may or may not take more oil to produce than equivelent energy that you get out of it. It is this massive volume of oil products (fertilizer, pesticides, fuel, etc) that is driving price of food up, not ethanol. But regardless, corn ethanol is a bad idea.
There are alternatives to create biofuels though. There is a tree that you can tap like a maple or rubber tree and it basically gives you diesel fuel. There is cellulose based ethanol. Chemically identical to sugar (corn or sugarcane) based ethanol but has practically none of the environmental or political/social drawbacks. There is a type of algea that contains lots of oils (which can easily be turned into fuel) that grows well in closed environments. Basically they fill big plastic bags with algea and water, inject carbon dioxide, expose it to the sun, then harvest the micro plants and get biofuel. Facilities running on this technology can be built anywhere, the more sun the better, ideal for desert areas where crops can't be grown.
Is any one of those technologies the answer? no. Are all of the viable? probably not. But grow the trees in places like Florida, build algea farms in Arizona, grow corn in the midwest, and switchgrass . . . nearly anywhere. It reduces the CO2 levels, which are rising due at least in part to human activity, and keeps money for energy within your country.
ps, I just searched and found this little guy.