I think the choice of corn based ethanol is politically motivated. It looks good, it sounds good but has absolutely nothing to do with efficiency, economy, or green consciousness. it’s another cynical bit of window dressing allowing huge amounts of money to be funneled to favored interests.

But, we cannot simply call all biofuels bad, we need to concentrate on solutions that address the issues. This is a young industry with a lot of growing room, and many options to be considered. Many companies and even the US government, are working on better sustainable solutions.

Of course energy efficiency and less use need to be part of the solution, but the world will need fuel, and fossil fuels will disappear.

By using figures that are based on current technologies and systems in the biofuel arena, one is painted only a bad picture of biofuels, giving ammunition to those who don’t want petroleum to go away. It is very important to separate one biofuel from another when talking about them. It’s foolish to use figures from corn ethanol as it is done today and just say “ethanol” or “biofuels”. Believe it or not but even the US Dept of Energy/NREL/Biofuels recognizes we need to switch from starch (corn) to cellulosic ethanol in order to have a sustainable and efficient supply. Alternatives to soy are also being developed. Algae-based biofuel will be ~100x less resource intensive and many times over more efficient to produce, so the input-to-output ratio versus petro will be very high compared to soy, corn, even sugar cane. Biofuels can also be made from woody-based biomass like poplar trees that can be planted in deforested and deleted lands, not taking away from food production.

However, biofuels - made by producing ethanol, an alcohol fuel made from maize, sugar cane, or other plant matter - may be a penny wise but pound foolish way of doing so. Consider the following:

• The grain required to fill the petrol tank of a Range Rover with ethanol is sufficient to feed one person per year. Assuming the petrol tank is refilled every two weeks, the amount of grain required would feed a hungry African village for a year
• Much of the fuel that Europeans use will be imported from Brazil, where the Amazon is being burned to plant more sugar and soybeans, and Southeast Asia, where oil palm plantations are destroying the rainforest habitat of orangutans and many other species. Species are dying for our driving

If ethanol is imported from the US, it will likely come from maize, which uses fossil fuels at every stage in the production process, from cultivation using fertilisers and tractors to processing and transportation. Growing maize appears to use 30% more energy than the finished fuel produces, and leaves eroded soils and polluted waters behind

• Meeting the 5.75% target would require, according to one authoritative study, a quarter of the EU’s arable land
• Using ethanol rather than petrol reduces total emissions of carbon dioxide by only about 13% because of the pollution caused by the production process, and because ethanol gets only about 70% of the mileage of petrol
• Food prices are already increasing. With just 10% of the world’s sugar harvest being converted to ethanol, the price of sugar has doubled; the price of palm oil has increased 15% over the past year, with a further 25% gain expected next year. Little wonder that many are calling biofuels “deforestation diesel”, the opposite of the environmentally friendly fuel that all are seeking.With so much farmland already taking the form of monoculture, with all that implies for wildlife, do we really want to create more diversity-stripped desert?

Others are worried about the impacts of biofuels on food prices, which will affect especially the poor who already spend a large proportion of their income on food.

The BBC international version website gives a different viewpoint from the news we get fed here in the US.

I recommend it.

Douglas Savage
The Mill River Company
www.crystalcleanglass.com
The smart (albeit, not popular) thing to do is FIRST cut waste, cut BACK on consumption, THEN find replacements … provided replacements would even BE needed with proper and responsible conservation.

• Leave a comment... (0)

With oil prices rising everyday, and no limit seen in sight, it seems high time that people as a whole began serious discussion of alternative fuels and more efficient use of the fuel that we do have.  The problem is that for a number of reasons, valid information has been blocked and kept out of the public eye for too long.  Converting a car to run on water is just a small example.  Now, before you throw the laws of thermodynamics around and tell me it is an impossibility, I want to assure you that the vehicle will not run on water, rather water will be utilized to make the engine more efficient.  Considering the average gasoline engine only achieves approximately 20% efficiency, there is plenty of room for improvement, and any improvement translates directly to money saved at the pump.

So, you are probably wondering if converting a car to run on water is an actual possibility.  In order to understand how it could work, you first have to understand how an internal combustion engine works.  An internal combustion engine relies on compression of atmospheric air to burn gasoline in the combustion chamber.  The pressure wave caused by the expansion of the combustion by-products are what drive the piston up.  The movement of the piston is what turns a crank shaft which is translated into circular motion of the axles.  During this series of events, a lot of energy is lost in the form of heat and sound, and even more energy is lost in the form of incompletely burnt gasoline.  This is where the catalytic converter comes in.  The catalytic converter actually burns the unburnt fuel that escapes along with the exhaust.  If you were following along closely, you would realize that the average gas engine actually expends more energy burning the unburnt fuel that was meant to drive the car.  Not efficient at all!  It is no wonder the average fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine is only 20%.

The important question now is, how can we as the consumers who are getting the short end of the stick modify these inefficient engines to gain more out of the precious gasoline we pay top dollar for everyday.  We could invest in expensive hybrid vehicles, and yes, we would save some money.  The problem is that the hybrids are rather expensive and would take years for us to get the return on investment.  The other option is modifying the engines we already have in our inefficient vehicles to get higher fuel efficiency.  Converting a car to run on water is exactly what this is about.

Through an electrolytic process, we sap some of the engines power in the form of electrical energy to break water down into hydrogen and oxygen.  We then feed these two gases into the air intake.  The result is a better oxygen fuel ratio and a more complete burn.  The increased efficiency and savings are a by-product of a more efficient burn, not from the power derived from the hydrogen and oxygen itself.

Now that you know what converting a car to run on water is all about, it is time you did your own research.  Become well informed, and reap the rewards in fuel savings!

For more information on how you can easily convert your car to run on water  www.runacaronwater.biz

More on Alternative Fuel

• Leave a comment... (0)

I know, you are thinking you can’t power your vehicle with water, however it’s absolutely true.

There is a inexpensive way to <b>convert water to hydrogen</b> and use to supplement the gas and make your car 20 to 50% more fuel efficient.
It’s called HHO or <b>Browns Gas</b>.

The relatively simple device uses a little electricity out of your car’s battery, to separate water into a gas called HHO (2 parts Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen). HHO, also called Hydroxy , burns beautifully and provides 3 times the power of gasoline. HHO is a fast growing trend for boosting performance and MPG / KM/L

I am sure you are curious perhaps even suspicious as to why you haven’t heard about this from big business. Reason is actually quite simple. This technology is in the public domain and open source so anyone is free to replicate it and it can’t be patented. Consequently big business can’t profit from this. You will be hearing about this only from the grassroots level, friends, fliers and small businesses that don’t have shareholders. Did you know publicly traded companies have a legal obligation to earn a profit for their shareholders?

There are plans widely available on the net to construct this device. For your convenience I am providing a list of key words so that you can do your own Google search and see for yourself this is indeed real: “browns gas, <b>cars run on water</b>, car that runs on water, <b>easywatercar</b>, HHO, hydroxy fuel cell, improve gas mileage, map sensor enhancer, pcv enhancer, run your car on water”.

Easy to install & maintain. Good for carb/fuel injection,gas/diesel. Old/new cars and trucks big and small.

Widespread development and experimentation by numerous back yard engineers has proven this is feasible. With this method you can run your traditional automobiles partially on water (that’s a “<b>Water Hybrid</b>”) with little or no modifications.
* You should be able to increase your gas efficiency by 20 to 50% or more on some vehicles.
* You can drastically cut down emissions and help reduce Global Warming.
* You can improve efficient burning of fuel and consequently lessen wear and tear, engine clatter, high temperature in the engine, carbon deposits, etc.

You see, you have just hit upon some unique information. (This may not be unique for much longer) You can find people selling kits and doing installations, however they are not in the yellow pages as yet.

It would seem the most complex part of the system is getting it to work with the computer on all cars since 1996. When the oxygen sensor senses more oxygen it automatically sends in more gas lowering your fuel efficiency instead of increasing it. Not to worry though you can purchase or even build your own MAP Sensor which will allow you to adjust the mixture of gas and air.

You can obtain complete informational products or ebooks, packed with guidelines and suggestions. There are discussion groups with 1000’s of members helping each other with any mechanical, electrical or tuning trouble. Please keep in mind people will always have different opinions and you must use your own judgment when listening to what they have to say. If you are offered a conversion kit or installation be certain they are willing to provide you with after sale service, returns warranty etc.

• Leave a comment... (0)

A rise in food prices have affected the entire world, especially third world countries like Egypt and Haiti, where the high cost of food has already lead to violence.

A variety of factors have been blamed for the food crisis all over the world, including the rise in fuel and energy prices and increased demand in countries with suddenly booming economies, like India and China, as well as climate change wreaking havoc on crops. Many farmers are changing their crops from food to fuel, speculating on the interest in alternative fuels. Part of the solution, then would be a crop that is not being used as an alternative fuel, like the potato. To focus attention on this, the United Nations named 2008 the International Year of the Potato, calling the vegetable a “hidden treasure.”

Potatoes are native to Peru, and can be grown at almost any elevation or climate: from the barren, frigid slopes of the Andes Mountains to the tropical regions of Asia. They require very little water, mature in as little as 50 days, and can yield between two and four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice. The potato is less expensive than wheat or rice and provides excellent nutrition in the hungry world.

Despite the bad rap potatoes get in the Western World for being carb-heavy, but they have an abundance of nutrition, including being just 110 calories. Potatoes have nearly half of the Daily Value of vitamin C and are one of the best sources of potassium and fiber. Potatoes also have more protein than corn and nearly twice the calcium when boiled.

Interest in alternative fuel sources has led many of the world’s farmers to speculate on their crops, using their fields for biofuel crops like corn and wheat, rather than food crops, which has been part of the food crisis. The potato is now being investigated to help with food security.

In Peru, the government has instituted a program encouraging bakers to use potato flour, rather than wheat flour in an effort to bypass the high cost of wheat. Potato bread is being used to feed everyone from school children to prisoners and the military in the hope the trend will catch on.

Although potatoes originated in Peru, Peruvians eat significantly less potatoes than European countries. The developing world is where most new potato crops are being planted, and as consumption rises, poor farmers have a chance to earn more money.

Potatoes do not have a lot of speculative interest in the global economy because they are difficult to transport without getting blight. But thanks to experiments in German engineering, virus-free potatoes are on the way, making transport and selling of potatoes on the global food market a real possibility and a potential solution to the problems the food crisis has brought about.

The WeEarth Network is an environmental social network enabling us to explore our connectedness with each other and with our changing world. Find more information about socially and environmentally responsible living at WeEarth.com.

More information on Sustainable Business & the Global Economy

• Leave a comment... (0)

By Ed “Redwood” Ring In an earlier post “Power the World with Photovoltaics,” we demonstrate that the entire energy requirements of the human race could be fulfilled by a photovoltaic array 143,872 square miles in size. Insofar as this is only about one-quarter of one percent of the earth’s surface, or 668 square feet per person, there is no shortage of available space for photovoltaics. With biofuel, however, there is a question as to whether or not there is enough land available to grow biofuel and also preserve farms and wilderness. For example, some of the best biofuel crops - biodiesel from jatropha and bioethanol from sugar cane - are able to produce about 6,000 barrels of fuel per square mile per year. This equates to about 55 million Btu’s of energy per square mile per year. This means that using the best biofuel crops we’ve got today, to produce enough fuel to fulfill entire energy requirements of the human race (400 quadrillion Btu’s per year) we would need to devote 10.8 million square miles to growing biofuel. Considering there is only about 5.5 million square miles of arable farmland on the entire planet, this is not possible. Biofuel is an important source of fuel, and in some parts of the world growing biofuel makes compelling economic sense, but today at least, biofuel doesn’t show nearly the potential of photovoltaics to efficiently turn sunshine into energy to power human civilization. There is an interesting analysis “Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae,” authored by Michael Briggs at the University of New Hampshire. He cites studies that indicate biofuel may soon be economically derived from algae. But he makes a huge assumption - stating that algae farms could yield “5,000 gallons per acre-year.” This equates to a yield over 10 times that of the best biofuel crops we’ve got. Comparing various forms of solar energy boils down to how efficiently they convert sunlight into usable power. Since raw sunlight provides 100 watts per square foot, a photovoltaic array that produces 10 watts per square foot has an efficency of 10%. Some photovoltaic arrays can do much better than that, with efficiencies reported as high as 20% on high-quality production panels. You can make the same calculaton with today’s best biofuel crops - diesel fuel extracted from jatropha and ethanol distilled from sugar cane both produce about 55 million Btu’s per square mile per year. Since raw sunshine provides about 41 trillion Btu’s per square mile per year, the efficiency of biofuel today is a paltry .13%. If the promise of biodiesel extracted from algae is realized, and that’s a big if, you will see a ten-fold improvement in biofuel efficiency, to 1.3% (based on 5,000 gallons per acre-year). At that level of efficiency - less than one-tenth that of today’s photovoltaics, but cheaper to implement - it might be feasible for biofuel to become a realistic alternative to petroleum. Ed Ring is the Editor of www.ecoworld.com, an online environmental magazine. You can find his blog commentary on energy and environmental issues on www.ecoworld.net.

• Leave a comment... (0)