AviGandhi

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    • Wed Apr 2nd 15:38 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Good News at VeraSun Energy
      While I agree that it is the only source of non-oil vehicular fuel RIGHT NOW, that doesn't mean it should be used. The purpose of turning away from oil is threefold (the order of importance is arguable): a) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, b) reduce dependence on foreign oil that supports terrorism and political violence, and c) reduce consumer exposure to volatile fuel prices.

      Corn based ethanol does not fulfill any of these needs. In terms of reducing exposure to oil (b and c), it currently takes more energy (read: oil) to produce a gallon of ethanol than it does to produce a gallon of gasoline. Because oil is an important input into the farming of corn, corn prices absorb oil prices, leading to the volatility of not only a major ethanol input, but also a major foodstock. Furthermore, the need to use MORE oil to produce a gallon of gasoline equivalent of ethanol in no way reduces this country's dependence on foreign oil - it increases it.

      Regarding GHG reductions, the carbon contained in the oil used to fertilize the cornfields will be released when the corn is processed or eaten, and when the ethanol is burned. This does nothing whatsoever to mitigate GHG emissions, and since more oil is used, it actually increases them.

      So, just because corn-based ethanol is the only gasoline alternative at the moment doesn't mean it's worth using or investing in - and with the terrible press it's been getting, I doubt that it would be a good middle- to long-term investment. Cellulosic ethanol, however, is far more promising; companies like Bluefire Ethanol, who turn waste to fuel, are far greener and have technology that is far more promising, even if it will take 2-3 years before their production starts to come online. I'm willing to wait.
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    • Thu Dec 6th 14:59 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Brazil's Sugar Fuel a Sweet Solution for Global Food Supply
      While I agree with you on most points, I would still argue against the use of sugar cane as a biofuel. The corporations in Brazil that are responsible for the country's energy independence are also responsible for millions of deforested acres of Amazon rainforest, as well as the displacement of indigenous tribes of people that have subsisted in the Amazon for thousands of years. Brazil has achieved freedom from oil by essentially repeating how we in this country treated the Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries. In my opinion, there should be (and are) other alternatives.

      I still agree that corn could be put to better use than ethanol.
      View article »
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