Pursuing Biofuel Usage Could Spur Economic Growth

[M.D. Holloway]

from an e-mail I just got...

'More than 5 million jobs and $700 billion in economic activity could be generated if the U.S. pursued a plan to get 25 percent of its energy from homegrown sources by the year 2025, according to a study conducted by the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Economics Center.

The study (link to http://www.25x25.org) supports a recent Harris Interactive poll in which 88 percent of U.S. adults agreed that the nation should pursue development of renewable energy sources.

"This study validates the consumers' confidence that our country can in the near future transition to cleaner, cheaper and renewable energy sources," says Doug Durante, executive director of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, which commissioned the poll.

The University of Tennessee researchers used two computer models to conclude the U.S. is capable of generating 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources, such as 86 billion gallons of ethanol, by the year 2025. The additional supply of ethanol is projected to decrease gasoline consumption by 59 billion gallons in 2025, Durante says. Currently, renewable energy accounts for about 6 percent of the country's overall energy use.

Reaching the 25 percent goal is contingent on commercial introduction of cellulosic ethanol conversion and the development of an energy-dedicated crop economy with 105.8 million planted acres.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently adopted a resolution supporting the 25x’25 goal.'

[sammyg2]

It's a shame that biofuel will never be anything more than a boutique fuel.
There just isn't enough available and it isn't cost effective.
Did you know that it takes 1.1 BTUs of energy to derive 1 BTU from corn ethanol?
The clowns that are pushing this stuff will get rich, everyone else will get poorer, and this will go down as a scam and a folly in the history books.

Sure, we lose money on every gallon we produce, but we make up for it in volume

[M.D. Holloway]

DFW Biofuel had two fuel trucks stolen last night. The sad thing is that the crooks most likely stole it for the aluminum and not the fuel!

[Bary Mukalkiner]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Sure, we lose money on every gallon we produce, but we make up for it in volume

Amen, Brother

[strupgolf]

You have it right, sammyg2, it will be the biggest bust after all the money goes down the drain. People think, "yea, this is the best, so I cant wait until we get this stuff to our cars and stations". There is more energy used to PRODUCE this stuff then the benefit we recieve. There is a snake oil salesman just around the corner waiting for the money to come in by fools. Just wait until beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, da-da-da, gets to a point where it becomes very expensive to all. The poor wont care because we ALL will pay for them, and us, and every other poor nation in the world.

[Bill Douglas]

Food prices have already gone up because too much land is being used for biofuel instead of the traditional grain for beef and chicken feed, also wheat for bread.

[1fastredsc]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Did you know that it takes 1.1 BTUs of energy to derive 1 BTU from corn ethanol?

That's the first thing we learn in thermo here. However the trick isn't in the type of fuel, it's where it's extracted from and the refining that's killing us. Corn is a terrible way to make ethanol. Switch grass or some of the other experimental plants should yield better results it's only a matter of time. Hell Brazil already does it better than we do using sugar cane to make ethanol. What would be nice is to start using biodiesel more. I tried some B20 in my old TDI for awhile while working in Albuquerque last year and the stuff was great. Engine immediately got quite (higher cetane rating), exhaust smelled nice for once, and from what i read it is a natural detergent.

EDIT: If i remember correctly, the numbers we ran making the calculation for corn derived ethanol is actually worse than that.

[Gogar]

I'm all for alternative energy, but the last thing I want is the CORN lobby in the energy business. Look at what they did to your food.

[GDSOB]

Hemp needs to be legalized. It has much better yields as a biofuel than corn.

Stupid war on drugs...