----- Original Message -----
From: "Jed Rothwell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 1:30 PM
Subject: [Vo]: Yomiuri: Bush to promote ethanol in State of the Union
Well, at least there has been some anti-ethanol press lately. I saw
articles in Sci. Am., Consumer Reports, and the Atlanta Journal calling
into question the use of ethanol. One of them reported a horrifying
statistic: filling up a 25 gallon tank with ethanol fuel uses up as much
potential nutrition from corn as a human being consumes in a year.
I don't know if it is as bad as all that, but word I hear is the massive use
of corn for ethanol is playing hell with the Mexicans. Apparently, the price
of corn (a major food stuff there, as I am sure you are all aware) has been
driven up over there. Fingers are being pointed at the ethanol business.
There is no bound it seems to human stupidity. We are literally talking
about burning our food for fuel. Why? This is the most inefficient use of
solar energy there is.
Sunlight + nutrients + fertilizers derived from petrochemicals + labor +
uncertain growing conditions ----> extremely low efficiency conversion of
ethanol + hungry people and more slash and burn agriculture. Why not save a
few steps? Sunlight ----> electricity via steam turbines + synthetic fuels.
BTW, what was the real story behind Solar One (think this is the one I am
thinking of) anyways? Did it just not perform well, or was it axed?
--Kyle
