BESTers,

"Fossil fuel is fossil thinking" and in this we are unanimous?

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Harald W. Kegelmann wrote:

> What most people in this country refuse to accept is that we can't
> grow ourselves out of the coming shortage of oil supply. The problem
> is not the cost of biodiesel production. Once oil hits $200/barrel
> this problem will take care of itself.
> 
> We simply can't get from here to there without a significant, and I
> mean SIGNIFICANT change in life style.
> 
> In Florida, we consume about 8 BILLION gallons of gasoline. Research
> at IFAS shows that theoretically, we have enough biomass in the state
> to generate 8 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year. Well, for
> years, the largest biodiesel plant in the state had a capacity of 20
> million gallons/year (mg/y). We would need 400 plants of that size to
> get to 8 billion. Permitting and construction would take about 18
> month. So we are talking about 600 years in construction time.
> 
> The largest COMMERCIAL cellulosic ethanol plant based on Dr. Ingram's
> technology has a capacity of 300,000 gallons a year or 1.5 percent of
> a 20 mg/y plant.
> 
> No technology can replace an energy source and there simply is no
> energy source like oil. We can't get from here to there with any type
> of fossil fuel or biofuel. The numbers just don't add up. The sun is
> the only energy source that will be around for a while. The sooner we
> get that and switch to a solar based economy the better. There will be
> winners and losers as the supply of oil dries out.
> 
> Germany plans to install 1,000 more solar power this year than the
> installed capacity of solar in the "Sunshine State." Abu Dhabi plans
> to invest $15 BILLION to establish a renewable energy economy:
> 
> http://www.photon-magazine.com/news_archiv/details.aspx?cat=News_PI&sub=africa&pub=4&parent=954
> 
> What happened to the pony express and the mainframe will happen to
> those how try desperately to hang on to the old ways of the fossil
> fuel century.
> 
>    Harry
> 
> 
>>If diesel from petroleum oil is expensive, biodiesel from soybean oil is
>>almost ludicrous.  Rising costs of farm operations along with a decreased
>>supply and increased demand are keeping biodiesel prices sky high and
>>preventing it from becoming a widely applied alternative fuel.
>>
>>A biodiesel feedstock that is not tied to petroleum consumption seems to be
>>the most logical.
>>Algae- powered by the sun, nutrient-rich wastewater, and carbon dioxide-
>>could be applied in the production of such a feedstock.
>>
>>-Scott J.E.
>>
>>
>>
>>http://www.usnews.com/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/25/going-biodiesel-is-no-cheap-alternative.html
>>Going Biodiesel Is No Cheap Alternative March 25, 2008 03:28 PM ET | Marianne
>>Lavelle<http://www.usnews.com/Topics/tag/Author/m/marianne_lavelle/index.html>|
>>Permanent
>>Link<http://www.usnews.com/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/3/25/going-biodiesel-is-no-cheap-alternative.html>
>>
>>The retail cost of highway diesel fuel is $3.99 per gallon—thanks to tough
>>environmental rules and strong global demand, especially in Europe. The
>>national average retail price of diesel hit an all-time high for five weeks
>>in a row, is above $4 per gallon in plenty of places, and is up 50 percent
>>over one year ago.
>>
>>I thought this might make it a good market for biodiesel, the alternative
>>fuel blended from vegetable or plant oils, but then I saw Autobloggreen's
>>report<http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/16/high-soybean-price-halts-biodiesel-production-in-minnesota-plant/>on
>>a Minnesota biodiesel plant that was halting production, at least
>>temporarily, because of skyrocketing soybean oil costs.
>>
>>Guess what? Petroleum prices have yanked farm prices up right along with
>>them, because of rising farm energy costs and rising use of biofuels. By
>>now, everyone knows about corn prices and
>>ethanol<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070204/12ethanol.htm>,
>>but keep in mind that when farmers turn soy acres to corn for ethanol, that
>>means higher prices for soy—the most common feedstock for biodiesel in the
>>United States. So the rising petroleum tide lifts all alternative
>>boats......
>>continued at:
>>
>>
>>http://www.usnews.com/blogs/beyond-the-barrel/2008/03/25/going-biodiesel-is-no-cheap-alternative.html
>>

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Dr. Ann C. Wilkie                          Tel: (352)392-8699
Soil and Water Science Department          Fax: (352)392-7008
University of Florida-IFAS
P.O. Box 110960                         E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Gainesville, FL 32611-0960
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Campus location: Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (Bldg. 246).
http://campusmap.ufl.edu/
______________________________________________________________________
BioEnergy and Sustainable Technology Society
http://grove.ufl.edu/~bests/

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