Eco-Eating: Eating as if the Earth Matters at www.brook.com/veg

The matter is that photosynthesis is a bad way to turn sunlight into energy in realtime.

Basing our entire transportation system on a 0.2%-to-0.4% efficient solar energy conversion process is just insane.

What we need to change is our cars, not our fuels.
(Or rather any fuel change is entirely for compatibility purposes)

Hybrids, Diesels, HCCI Engines, And Electrics.
THAT is what we need.

And while biofuels may play "some" role, they should primarily be limited to use for aircraft, international trade, and military.

For when there really is no alternative.

Since frankly, biofuels are NOT ecologically sustainable by any measure.

Be it resources, or global warming, biofuels are simply a bad idea. (Well virtually all of them, with very few exceptions, and those exceptions are only theoretical)  Practically everything on the market right now is worse than petroleum in direct emissions.  Everything else is worse in indirect emmisions, for instance the destruction of rainforrests.

-David Ahlport

Clearly the question that should be asked when it comes to ethanol is how the SYSTEMS to make it are designed and their scale.
It is not just theoretically possible to design systems that are 100% organic, that sequester more carbon than is released, that return the fertility to the farm  and the water used (unpolluted) to the local aquifer, and that actually increase the food production of the land used as a collector while getting ethanol as a byproduct of the farm- food system.  Oh, and ethanol pollutes far and away less than gasoline,diesel, biodiesel or coal or natural gas based electric power.
Electric and hydrogen cars may put less out the tailpipes, but they still pump it out the smokestacks. With nuclear, it goes into some storage depot above or below ground to be managed for thousands of years - where's the gain with these sources?
We need to be a solar based  society that focuses on  creating ecologically sound systems. Deriving our energy from any source other than  the contemporary,  solar income  of the planet is  unsustainable and unwise.
In terms of the inefficiency of plants as solar collectors- corn  "converts and stores as recoverable energy 25% of the received ultraviolet radiation" in Buckminster Fuller's words. Each region of the world has it's own plants which would be best suited for making ethanol or other biofuels. I am not an advocate for petroleum-based, monocultural practices. I am an advocate for local production of our food and energy needs.
Just as CSA's and Organic agriculture have become normalized in our culture, it is now time to start  supporting the CSE's that will be cropping up around this country- that's Community Supported Energy. Watch for them.
Lastly, why is it that biodiesel seems so right-on with so many people , and ethanol is trashed? Both are ag based and ethanol produces more per acre and can be derived from marginal lands.  Recycled vegetable oil is one of the most polluting forms of fuel- worse than diesel.
In terms of mileage, it's all about refining/designing the fuel injection systems on cars to reduce the oxygen to fuel ratio to be optimized to ethanol. That, and higher compression engines are key.
Of course, increasing the efficiency of all of our  energy consuming systems is the first and most effective  strategy........
For a complete and lucid accounting of this debate check out  David Blume's website and book at  www.permaculture.com
I met him at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer, WI last summer and again in Chicago this fall. He is a scientifically thorough  ecologist that has worked with this issue since the early 80's. His work is a must for all naysayers and  those who are inquisitive enough to not just buy into the negative disinformation being propogated.

Oh, and ethanol pollutes far and away less than gasoline,diesel, biodiesel or coal or natural gas based electric power.

Says who?

http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol2
http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol5
http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol9

http://greyfalcon.net/n2ostudy.png
http://greyfalcon.net/lca.png

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/10/national-resear.h ...
http://www.energybulletin.net/28610.html
http://greyfalcon.net/soy2
http://iht.com/articles/2007/07/22/bloomberg/bxdead.php

For a complete and lucid accounting of this debate check out  David Blume's website and book at  www.permaculture.com

In terms of the inefficiency of plants as solar collectors- corn  "converts and stores as recoverable energy 25% of the received ultraviolet radiation" in Buckminster Fuller's words.

The theoretical limit of photosynthesis is 10-13%, and thats basically unachievalbe.  The realistic limit is closer to 6%.  

And corn isn't even a good energy crop to begin with. So that 6% is probably closer to 2%.

And thats before any conversion process takes place, which would lose you about another 90%.

http://greyfalcon.net/algae4
http://greyfalcon.net/sugarsolar

________

re: David Blume http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/reinsider/s ...
Is this is a representation of your work?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x-Y08RSDP6s
__

"Pollution free"? No. http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol2
"Greenhouse emissions free"? No. http://greyfalcon.net/etoh2.png
"Efficient Solar Energy Capture"? No. http://greyfalcon.net/sugarsolar
"We have enough land"? No. http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol.png

Better for feed than the original Corn? No.
It's far too acidic for cattle to feed them any more than 1/5th their diet.

"Brazil makes most of their fuel from alcohol". No.
Brazil makes almost all of their fuel from petroleum. http://greyfalcon.net/brazil
If we want energy independence, then perhaps we could slim down and use only 300% the oil as the typical Brazilian. http://greyfalcon.net/brazil2

"And in the midwest we already have stations". So what?
http://greyfalcon.net/e85stations.png

-David Ahlport