[PLUG-TALK] Ethanol (was for some reason Debian experts?)

[Keith Lofstrom]

"Jeme" == Jeme A Brelin <jeme at brelin.net> writes:
Jeme> Ethanol is surely storing solar energy as chemical energy.  So's
Jeme> oil.  All the same there.  However, on any kind of industrial
Jeme> scale, ethanol also requires huge amounts of oil for the
Jeme> cultivation of the corn (or whatever), the harvesting,
Jeme> processing, and shipping.  In the end, it's a net loss.
> 
On Sun, Feb 25, 2007 at 01:39:10PM -0800, Russell Senior wrote:
RS> I am told by advocates of biofuel that corn is a particularly bad
RS> example because of the "net loss" issue, and I am further told that
RS> other crops/materials are more viable.  Beyond "being told" I have no
RS> other information on the subject.  Well, okay, google found me this,
RS> of unknown veracity or significance:
RS> 
RS>  <http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/enews/enews_0505/enews_0505_Cellulosic_Ethanol.htm>

The corn thing is interesting.  ADM corn sweetener plants are used to
make sugar for soda pop in summer, and would be idle in the winter if
it weren't for winter gasohol laws, passed by congresspukes getting
big donations from ADM.  This is sheer coincidence, of course. :-/

On a positive note, at the Beaverton/Hillsboro high school science
fair at Intel last week, one young fellow's project was making
ethanol out of blackberry brambles.  He did some clever lateral
thinking, and some good measurement, so we gave him first place
in the "energy and transportation" category.

Rather than poison the damned weeds with herbicide, turn them into
fuel.  Eat the berries first.  Sweet!

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs