Date:         Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:01:07 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Gas price war / costs of road trips (NVC)
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If the enzyme technology works as hoped, then there is no additional
'production' of anything, at least until the integration process begins to
hit critical mass due to demand- the ethanol is distilled from the cellulose
in waste plant matter, of which there is far more grown each year than the
foodstuffs that come off of it, nevermind non-farm/food sources.
Seems to me, if you can distill Uncle Roy's Peace o' Mind in a solar still
or a manure still, you could make ethanol in similar fashion. If the
technology is efficient enough, then farms that are essentially
non-productive outside of the growing/harvesting season could be making
ethanol in the off-season, without any additional transportation resources
required (fields are cleared, etc. anyway).
The small farmer then also becomes the small refiner- he takes what he needs
to run his farm and sells the rest, further integrating the cycle.
Give it time, the whole thing could turn out to be very interesting.
Remember, there are macro money interests that would like nothing better
than to see the continued suppression of alternate energy sources, and
that'll be difficult to overcome. Also, these studies tend to get outdated
by technology advances.
My chief concern, as I said before, is about the water- you're trying to
manufacture a replacement for a scarce resource with another scarce
resource, at least in many parts of the world.
Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Tipsword" <nobleman1962@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 9:32 PM
Subject: Re: Gas price war / costs of road trips (NVC)


> More grist for the mill...
>
>  http://zfacts.com/p/60.html
>
>  http://healthandenergy.com/ethanol.htm
>
>  http://www.cecarf.org/Programs/Fuels/SourcesCarriers.html
>
>  It is my opinion that ethanol will do several things none of them very
> good.
>
>  People don't factor in how much petroleum it takes to produce corn or
> sugar cane or whatever you intend on distilling. They also neglect to
> factor in the energy required in the distillation process.  Where is this
> energy derived?  Coal, NatGas or?  No matter how you slice it the hidden
> costs are numerous and they far outstrip the usefulness of this energy
> carrier.
>
>
>  Lastly this is to provoke thought and friendly discourse, not spin anyone
> up :-)
>
>  Brian
>
>  PS
>  The scarpar is very cool!