J R writes greenmesh:

When looking for hybrid mileage information, ask what MPG is in Winter. My 3 year old (Toyota) Highlander gets 28-30 in Summer, but drops to 21-23 in Winter because the gas engine must run more often to provide heat for passengers. It was better the first Winter but refineries were forced to change additives and that made MPG worse.

The new federal mileage stickers (in effect after this vehicle was purchased) are a more realistic assessment of hybrid mileage. Everyone knew a Toyota Prius didn't get 60 mpg, but that was the law and the number was legal and every other manufacturer used the same standardized testing.

Ethanol reduces mileage. I have given up trying to fill up with pure gasoline because that option just doesn't seem to exist in the York area anymore. Every pump seems to sport the 10% mix with sayings like "enriched with ethanol" and pictures of corn stalks.

Corn based ethanol is a counterproductive alternative form of energy helping to increase food prices and lowering the national fleet fuel efficiency. Compared to gasoline and diesel, the gas mileage in ethanol is the least. Ethanol yields about 30% less gas mileage than gasoline. The stuff even takes more energy to produce from field to consumer than it is worth. Ask our politicians why they love it so much.

My neighbor Chuck says his Chevy pickup with a 6 liter V-8 gets 11 mpg whether he runs it hard or takes it easy. It's basically a simple, large displacement energy converter that doesn't strain or change it's operating function to adjust for load.

Hybrids use several tools to squeeze mileage out of a gallon of gas so mileage can vary widely.

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I was working on a post tonight for my village website emigsville.org. Just a simple add to a recipe series. The author of the recipe remembered parents and teachers building a Victory Garden at the old Roundtown school in Manchester Township during WWII.

The idea of a Victory Garden was a government sponsored idea to help support the food supply during a time of intense wartime demand and empower communities to feel rewarded for their war effort during WWII. A simple concept that built a community and increased supply of food.

Corn ethanol, a government/tax endorsed plan - this time to wean us from foreign oil, stretches the food supply and drives up prices isolating the public and giving them less control over their destiny.

It is a curious evolution, whether of human nature, community or the role of government, that empowerment of communities and individuals goes largely untapped with this latest struggle. The price of fuel may bring new innovation.

Posted in All posts from the start Ethanol Innovation

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Two studies published this week suggest that almost all bio-fuels cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of production are taken into account.

By planting bio-fuel crops, proponents hope to harvest the benefits of the carbon soaked up as the plants grow to offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted when the resulting fuel is burned. According to both studies that depends on what was planted before the bio-crop was planted.

Both rain forests destroyed to produce bio-crops and grassland in the United States do a better job of scrubbing carbon than the crops they replace. Furthermore, the displacement of food crops results in more land being tilled to make up for lost food production pulling natural land out of the loop. If arid land is used that normally doesn't support plant life there is a plus.

One study -- written by a group of researchers from Princeton University, Woods Hole Research Center and Iowa State University along with an agriculture consultant -- concluded that over 30 years, use of traditional corn-based ethanol would produce twice as much greenhouse gas emissions as regular gasoline.

Another analysis, written by a Nature Conservancy scientist along with University of Minnesota researchers, found that converting rainforests, peatlands, savannas or grasslands in Southeast Asia and Latin America to produce biofuels will increase global warming pollution for decades, if not centuries. washingtonpost.com

Nature Conservancy study

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Martin Library will host an environmental panel discussion on February 21 featuring:

I was interviewed, via keybord of course, since I will be one of the moderators. Below is the text of the interview:

5. In your opinion, how does the level of environmental awareness in York County compare to that of other similar-sized communities?

York is a land of plenty. We have enjoyed low population congestion and are blessed with resources. California is tuned into air pollution because congestion and climate patterns demanded action. The desert southwest is tuned into water supply because of the lack of it. Other than the Codorus Creek, a stray landfill and an occasional bad ozone day, York County generally has not been confronted in the face with major environmental issues. High oil prices, wars and global cries that we need to act have brought these concerns home to York.

6. What do you believe the typical Yorker can do to improve the environment?

Use less to do more. Nothing will lower pollution, lower oil prices, and stretch resources more than choosing to use less through product choice and lifestyle. This concept runs contrary to our financial model that, up until now, has promoted and thrived on people using more energy.

7. As editor of Greenmesh.com, what do you see as the most promising alternative to oil-based energy?

Experimenting with many alternatives is the best was to transition away from an oil based economy. It takes time to understand the repercussions of any form of energy production. Solar collection is the lowest impacting source of alternative energy, but in places like Pennsylvania, solar isn’t practical most of the time. We have already experienced the implications of diving head first into corn-based ethanol by higher food and feed prices.

All methods of energy production have environmental implications and placing all our eggs in one basket gives power to a new monopoly and will accentuate any negative effects of pushing a single solution of energy production....

Posted in All posts from the start Biodiesel Electric Environment Ethanol Human Power Hybrid Hydrogen Innovation Motorcycles Oil Machine/politics Public Transportation Solar Water Power Wind Power

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General Motors Corp. said today that it has bought a stake in start-up biofuel company Coskata Inc. which has developed a commercially viable process to bring cellulose-based ethanol to the market in 2011.

Cellulosic ethanol production currently costs about double that of traditional U.S. ethanol, a plant-based distilled alcohol derived mostly from corn in the United States and from sugar in Brazil. reuters

According to the coskataenergy website website:

Coskata is a biology-based renewable energy company. Our technology enables the low-cost production of ethanol from a wide variety of input material including biomass, municipal solid waste and other carbonaceous material. Using proprietary microorganisms and patented bioreactor designs, we will produce ethanol for under US$1.00 per gallon.

What this means is that if someone is able to pull off a low cost cellulosic ethanol production method, the market for corn based ethanol and the recent acceleration in price for corn would drop.

General Motors already has many underutilized flex-fuel vehicles in the nation's vehicle fleet that could use ethanol if a viable method of low cost production was invented.

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Vernon Township, up near Lake Erie, like many areas of Pennsylvania has farmland to burn and is struggling with the idea of building ethanol plants. Northwestern Pennsylvania was the nation’s petroleum pioneer.

Crawford County ethanol plant still doesn't add up for experts
- Meadville Tribune

James Dunn from Penn State University recommends. As Dunn sees it, the bottom line on corn ethanol is simple. “I wouldn’t do it in Pennsylvania,” he said, summing up his presentation to the task force. “The math doesn’t work.”

Keystone Ethanol Energy Producers, a company formed to bring a corn-based ethanol plant to Crawford or Mercer counties, has a consultant coming in September to help choose a site.

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...while in Europe, government has chosen not to feed feedstock.fuels

Ethanol prices are now trading in line with gasoline prices for the first time since late August and, fueled by the new U.S. energy bill, are likely to rise further, Citigroup said in a recent report. "We firmly believe the new energy bill will serve as a significant catalyst to the ethanol industry, as the higher mandated ethanol levels stipulated by the new renewable fuel standard should serve to bring ethanol supply and demand back into balance, thereby strengthening ethanol's pricing fundamentals," said the report. marketwatch.com

Europe's mainstream bio-fuel experiment takes form of biodiesel, which fuels many cars on the road in Europe.

The price for their main feedstock, rapeseed, has risen more than 50 percent since the beginning of the year. But the price of the final product, biodiesel, has plunged, because producers are churning out far more biodiesel than the market can absorb.

Similar conditions hold sway among U.S. ethanol makers: heightened corn prices combined with an ethanol glut. But U.S. producers are celebrating while their European counterparts exude gloom. Why the difference?

That's an easy one. In the U.S., the government is playing Santa Claus, while in Europe, governments are responding to industry demands for more goodies with a cold stare... gristmill.grist.org

I was talking to a farmer down in Springfield Township this week for a story. He was complaining that the price of feed for his animals has doubled this year.

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DB writes Greenmesh:

I just noticed that Tom's on the East has E-85 gas. I am impressed with that and am wondering if I can use it in my Toyota Matrix without any adjustments.

I don't believe that your Toyota Matrix (year?) is a "flex-fuel" vehicle. It can probably tolerate ethanol amounts of up to 5-10%, but not the 85% in E85. Manufacturers usually state pretty boldly in the user's manual if your car can tolerate ethanol blend and what percentage it can tolerate. My Honda Civic hybrid says 5%.

Toyota and Honda haven't been big ethanol fans. Honda's plan is to go with clean diesel technology as an alternative fuel; both have been developing hybrids for the past decade. General Motors, and Chrysler have many flex-fuel cars, but a majority of those cars on the road never use E85. For a couple hundred extra a car and not much R/D it's an easy green marketing handle.

Understand that while it looks inexpensive to buy ethanol because it is heavily subsidized by tax dollars, your fuel mileage (if the car can take it) will probably decrease by 20%, so the cost savings to you may be a wash. If it was the same price as gasoline, people would not buy it.

Here is a chart from fueleconomy.gov that shows ethanol compatible models for each year. Not that for every vehicle, it costs more and it gets worse mileage than gasoline.

Our ethanol is produced from corn which has driven up the price related food stock, takes alot of energy to produce and can only be transported by trucks, which use more fuel, to transport. Corn needs alot of water and fertilizer to grow and uses more water at the refinery.

Although I too am impressed that Tom's would take the risk and spent $$$ to convert a pump to ethanol to test market an alternative fuel. In the end, however, there isn't much to be impressed about with corn based ethanol.

However, we can hope that some inventive spirit and hero will harness their brain power and conscience, figure out a way to excite people who want to make piles of money fast with investment, and come up with a way to harness ethanol from something other than a food stock.

At that point flex-fuel vehicles will sing a whole new happy song.

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The energy bill fell flat in the Senate Friday after the house passed it. The White House issued a statement saying,

"“Their proposal would raise taxes and increase energy prices for Americans. That is a misguided approach and if it made it to the president’s desk, he would veto it.” nyt.com

The bill is more of a panic reaction by a few well intentioned to a dire situation than a solution.

Well true, the bill would have increased the price of energy for Americans because a majority of the taxes were on oil companies that would have passed the cost along to consumers; before the money taken away from consumers could catch up by creating competition with alternative energy. Also people affected by feed prices like cattleman lined up not liking it because the huge ethanol mandate would push the price of feed up squeezing them against consumers.

The love for corn based ethanol is mind boggling requiring production of ethanol and other bio fuels, from about 5 billion gallons a year of bad science and impact of the food supply today to 36 billion gallons of the same and yet to be discovered methods of production by 2022.

Old school oil wants to clutch it's money as long as possible and government is here to empower status quo economic highways. Meanwhile, no one with power is enough of a hero to see the big picture and force change. The planet continues to die.

Nothing is going to get done here until consumers start using some things, stop using others and conserving what we must use but don't want. The great part about capitalism is that there has to be a market for something to gain power. Ultimately, an educated consumer holds all the power.

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The price of corn has risen due to the perceived demand, driving up the cost of other crops that have not been planted because corn has become more profitable. We can add beer to the list of milk, soy...

The flower used to stabilize beer and give it flavor was available in abundance in recent years, lowering the price. This - coupled with the rising price of corn for ethanol - led farmers to switch crops. This year, the global acreage devoted to hops was half of what it was a decade ago, and the market finally caught up. ydr.com/news

Ethanol, a highly government subsidized product, has increased the cost of food across the board. Using food stock to produce fuel is a fundamentally flawed principal unless you can profit from a surge in food prices.

You may think that high food prices helps the family farm down the street, but the family farm is not the benefactor of this cycle.

Farm subsidies paid out in the United States over the period 1996 to 1998, amounted to $ 22.856 billion. And more than 60% of these federal farm subsidies under the Freedom to Farm Act of 1996 went to the top 10% of farmers and landowners or an average of $100,000 each, while the bottom 90% of the farmers got just $6900 for the three years.ewg.org

This was the year (2007) the antiquated and expensive farm subsidy program was to be reformed.

A growing chorus has turned against the $16 billion annual subsidy, which gives most of the money to corporate farms rather than the small farmers for whom the program was designed during the Depression. washingtonpost.com

If costing three digits to fill up the typical American full-sized pickup isn't a wake-up call, perhaps the case of beer costing three digits in back is.

Ethanol is yet another seized opportunity of a mature business climate that has lost the ability to innovate; rather than to seek a solution for energy independence for the country as a whole. In reality, a pure capitalist system's goal is just to make money. You hope a few heroes and visionaries step forward.

In a democracy, it is up to government and the people who put government in power to demand a future.

Posted in All posts from the start Ethanol

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