-Original Message-
From: brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com [mailto:brin-l-boun...@mccmedia.com] On
Behalf Of Keith Henson
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:09 PM
To: brin-l@mccmedia.com
Subject: RE: replacing fossil fuels
In fact, the candidates that now exist require a rare supplement that
isn't found in ocean water. It won't be costly to supply it, but they
don't grow without it. It's kinda like worrying that corn will displace
the woodlands.
If you are going to grow it inside of glass tubes where you can supply
the rare supplement, then the cost of the tubes has to be around 1/5th
of the cost of solar power on an area basis.
That's not the plan. _Right now_ a pilot plant is either in operation or
about to start up near Austin TX. They have trays that collect the
hydrocarbons that are sweated off the plants. The person who is CEO is a
rich, successful venture capitalist, who's Phd in biology from MIT a ways
back proposed the mapping of the human gnome. My understanding was this
practical plan was the starting point for the project.
We'll see how well he does. But, he has been successful in the past in
bioengeering, and has a net worth in the mulit-millions. He thinks he can
get the price of diesel down to $30/barrel with his process.
http://www.jouleunlimited.com/
As with solar, no offense Keith, but it's all for the True Believer. For
example, lift costs have not come down appreciably in 50 years. The costs
of things like gene splicers have been going down by close to 50% per year.
Now, past history doesn't guarantee future performance, but I know it is
much more likely that we will have a computer that's 20x as fast in 10 years
for the same cost than a plane thats 2x as fast in 10 years for the same
money.
Now, I'd rate his odds as less than 50/50, but it's the most likely thing
I've seen in 30 years.
Dan M.
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