----- Original Message ---- From: OrionWorks http://tinyurl.com/2t2de3
Wow - this guy Glen Kertz - who has an operating system (pictured) so his claims are based on actual results - sez he can produce about 100,000 gallons of algae oil peracre per year, compared to about 30 gallons per acre from corn; 50 gallons fromsoybeans. That appears to be the highest of the figures which have been claimed in the various published reports. It is one more bit of evidence that this is the best way to proceed with alternative fuel. Very high conversion efficiency - no soil depletion - and adaptability to desert locales. All of these are gigantic advantages. Even co-siting with windmills. It seems prudent that the huge amounts of money being poured into ethanol and thin-film solar cells should be discouraged and redirected to Algoil... or am I missing something? OK here we are back to figuring out - and then trying to rationalize the solar conversion rates. Prior to this, there have been a half dozen claims from operators of small ponds that the solar conversion rate for algae can push 50% when CO2 is force-fed. That is to say: half of all the solar energy falling on a pond is converted into oil energy. Many on Vo have doubted those efficiency estimates (which require added CO2 and heat) - but this technique substitutes a vertical growing area for the CO2. Actually many would prefer to see CO2 channeled into ponds, as long as there are coal plants emitting directly into the atmosphere, and it is not an "either/or" situation; since this technique works without the need for burning coal or methane, it appears that both methods have advantages for differing locales and situations. One acre is about 4047 meters^2 ... and sunlight in the southern USA transfers a kilowatt per meter^2 to earth at noon in the summer. If you figure that there are 4000 yearly hours of prime sunlight in some deserts, and reducing the maximum figure for irradiation by one quarter to account for mornings and evenings, that would be about 12 GW-hrs (12 million KW-hrs per acre-yr) unless my math is too hasty (once again ;-) Diesel oil contains about 120,000 btu per gallon of heat energy. One KW-hr is 3,400 btu. Kertz's acre of oil then gives 12 billion btu per year, which is about 3.5 GW-hrs. Not quite the 50% conversion efficiency which others have claimed, but not too shabby either... Even though there are many other political issues which are compelling in this election season, I personally will cast my vote for any candidate, even Nader (gag me with a rat) if that candidate will embrace an all-out Manhattan project type of committed effort towards Algoil. It is that important, IMHO. Where is our Green candidate? Unfortunately, anyone who is electable seems to always have Big-Oil backers. Jones
