Alt fuels comparison 6

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1. 

   kmp Posted 6:53 am
   02 Jun 2006

   OK, seriously...Can we have some consensus here?
   Cynics claim that it takes more energy to grow corn and distill it into alcohol than you can get out of the alcohol. However, according to the DOE, the growing, fermenting and distillation chain actually results in a surplus of energy that ranges from 34 to 66 percent.
   Does it, or does it not, take more energy to make corn ethanol than we can retrieve in driving?
   And...
   Moreover, the carbon dioxide (CO2) that an engine produces started out as atmospheric CO2 that the cornstalk captured during growth, making ethanol greenhouse gas neutral. Recent DOE studies note that using ethanol in blends lowers carbon monoxide (CO) and CO2 emissions substantially. In 2005, burning such blends had the same effect on greenhouse gas emissions as removing 1 million cars from American roads.
   ... what is "substantial" lowering of CO2 emissions?  10%? 90%?  What?
   Kaela, Confused in Cornland

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2. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 2:24 pm
   02 Jun 2006

   I read it as a kid.One day I realized it was mostly just fiction.
   This particular article has great graphics but is incomplete and contains a number of errors. The lay press just can't compete with the internet and blogs. I distinctly remember the hydrogen powered car of the future with regenerative breaking. I saved the foldout picture for years. It was in a 1974 issue.
   Their case against biodiesel is a little thin. In fact, it looks more like an ad for it.
   
   They need to go here to more fully understand the implications of using soy oil for biodiesel.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

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3. 

   Rob Posted 8:40 pm
   05 Jun 2006

   Anti-progress Propagandabiodiversivist,
   Linking to a page of your rants hardly qualifies as a resource to fully understand biofuels.
   Your rants on the subject have been dismissed by qualified folks again and again on this blog. Any reader should simply should click on your name and follow the posts to learn more about the subject than you alone can possible hope to provide.
   You are far from an energy expert-- unless we consider the energy you expend spreading FUD about biofuels.
   Please give it a rest.

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4. 

   Rob Posted 8:50 pm
   05 Jun 2006

   In the end, it all comes downTotal fossil energy input/mile (Thousand BTU/mile)
   Toyota Prius on gasoline 3.4
   
   Jetta TDI on biodiesel 0.89
   
   Jetta TDI on petro- diesel 3.7
   
   Jetta 2.0L gas engine 6.0
   
   Toyota Fuel Cell vehicle (hydrogen) 2.4
   http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_vehicle_compare.html

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5. 

   amazingdrx Posted 9:14 pm
   05 Jun 2006

   Renewable electric transportation"Total fossil energy input/mile (Thousand BTU/mile)"
   Zero.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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6. 

   jimbeyer Posted 12:14 am
   06 Jun 2006

   Not thorough or fair-mindedThe chart incorrectly lists methane as non-renewable.  That's not true.  Haven't they ever heard of landfill gas?
   
   Build plugin hybrids that run on renewable methane. That's all that's needed.

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