Ethanol: Boom or Boondoggle?

[KingM34]

From The Opinionator's Energy Page: http://theopinionator.com/energy/energy_index.html

Ethanol: Boon or Boondoggle?

With gas prices over $3.00/gallon again as of this writing (May, 2006), the predictable hand-wringing and the crisis-style search for alternatives has begun again. Rising to the top of these alternatives is biofuel.

Brazil is often pointed to as an example of what the United States could do. Through three decades of investment in ethanol, the Brazilians have eliminated their dependence on foreign oil. Three quarters of all new vehicles sold in Brazil are flex fuel cars, meaning they can accept gasoline, ethanol, or some blend of the two. With ethanol much cheaper at the moment than petroleum, that means most sales are in ethanol.

With their huge and growing sugarcane plantations and distilleries, every day the Brazilians produce the ethanol equivalent to 300,000 barrels of oil. American production is on a similar scale. It sounds like a huge amount, but the United States currently consumes more than 21 million barrels of oil every day.

More: http://theopinionator.com/energy/ethanol_boon_boondoggle1.html

[gasperc]

1. a new source to increase supply

as we transition, for like the next few decades, e-85, biodiesel will be a way to increase the fuel supply, the other way is for cars to become more fuel efficient. Unfortunately, every SUV owner is hoping that "the other guy" trades in their SUV for a more fuel efficient vehicle so that fuel prices go down. Meanwhile, we still have pratically the same amount of SUV owners. The only real change will be government mandated changes to 100% flex fuel vehicles and force better gas mileage, or taxes on vehicles that are built below a certain mpg rating.

[MADem]

2. And ethanol from CORN is not as "energetic" as ethanol from sugarcane

But the sugar lobby doesn't have the clout that the corn lobby does. And more worrying:

Domestically, the industry has not taken off, in spite of the generous Federal subsidy of 52 cents per gallon. Many studies claim that corn-produced ethanol is actually a net energy loser, when all the inputs from fertilizer to tractor manufacture to transport is included.

Further, the sheer amount of crop land required to replace a significant portion of our fuel with ethanol would be environmentally devastating. Areas already struggling with deforestation, such as Indonesia now face the added burden of building huge palm plantations to harvest palm oil for biofuels. It is unlikely that the Earth can support this additional level of human domination.

Under current conditions, therefore, ramping up American or international production of ethanol is a foolish move on several levels.

However there is a huge caveat with this negative assessment. There are technologies coming online or under development that may change this state of affairs. One of the most promising is the use of new enzymes to unlock the enzymes from essentially any biomass.

[KingM34]

3. yes

The main problem with the aforementioned "developments" is that new energy sources always seem to be 5-10 years away. In 5-10 years I fear they will still be 5-10 years away. Meanwhile, peak oil looms ever nearer and we burn coal at an ever more frantic pace.

[RufusEarl]

4. It's a start!

We should have listened to Jimmy Carter back in 1976. but NOoooo. I remember Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the WH, as soon as Regan took office the solar panels came down.

My point is this, we should have started alternatives fuel back in the 70's. Ok we haven't so bad on us, let's get started and do now. It's my understanding we have plans to use corn to develop ethanol, and it works just fine.

But what works better and has a better yield (more gal per acre) is sugarcane, why aren't we using sugarcane? Because we have lobbyist in washington, that are pushing corn as the primary substance for ethanol, again it's not the best or cheapest thing for america but that doesn't seem to matter. It's always the all mighty dollar, and special interest. Like huge corporate farms that want to produce corn, and have the money to hire lobbyist to buy off congress.

Just once i would like to see someone put the needs and interest of the citizens on this country before the dollar sigh, but i've yet to see it. i'll write my congressman and make the suggestion about sugarcane, and i'll get a nice form letter thanking me for my interest and that'll be the end of it.

[KingM34]

5. re: sugarcane

Sugarcane also doesn't grow well in much of the country. Certainly not in the corn belt.

[poopfuel]

7. many, many other possible crops

beets, jerusalem artichokes, sorghum, cassave, desert plants, marine algae, sewage filtered through cattails....
Pick your crop to fit the land... or water.
Make use of the byproducts. Make real money.

[RufusEarl]

8. That's my point!

For some reason all thats being discussed is corn, and we all know that several crops have better yield. But we can't seem to do a damn thing in this country for this country, without someone making a boat load of money.

[demosincebirth]

6. It would probably be good if we can keep the Oil Companies

hands out of it.

[KingM34]

9. on the other hand

On the other hand, if we don't let them get involved, they may successfully sabotage any otherwise promising development.

[demosincebirth]

13. Yeah, but anytime the oil companies smell their profits filtering

away they always seem to take over their opposition and then we're back to square one...gouging the consumer.

[AGiordino]

10. Makes NO Difference

Attencione! Attencione! Attencione!

E85 or Ethanol will cost the same as gasoline at today's prices.

That's neutral news.

The Bad News is :

Your gas mileage drops (that is decreases ~25-30%) using E85 or ethanol becuase it does not have the same bound energy equivalent as hydrocarbon fuel.

So you'll pay more and get less for what you bought and have to buy more just to maintain equilibirium.

Gawd what a deal.

Sounds like something GM or ADM would cook up.

An it'll be subsidized by your taxes!

Wind power and Solar! Washington and State Capitals would nexi of power generation.

[kestrel91316]

11. Yeah. Ethanol is NOT a perfect solution to ALL our energy ills, so

we MUST completely reject it. We must have ONE and ONLY ONE substitute for oil We MUST NOT cobble together a mixed bag of solutions tailored for various circumstances and uses. We MUST put all our eggs in a single different basket than they are in now.

sarcasm off

[KingM34]

12. hmm?

Do you refer to the original article or to one of the comments? Because the original article is not anti-ethanol, just cautious. Maybe you should read the whole thing.