This Ethanol boom is just a short-term fad.

I've been doing some research on ethanol and it's not the best replacement for oil by any means. You only get 25% more energy from it as it takes to produce it. It requires almost twice as much fuel as gasoline to get the same mileage.

Ethanol was pushed in Brazil to help the sugar industry there. They created a market for themselves but because Brazil and cheaply produce huge amounts of sugar cane, it actually works.

In the US we can't grow that much cheap ethanol producing agriculture. This ethanol trend is making the farmers and farm equipment suppliers rich at the cost of spiking our food supply cost. No way in hell are we going to fuel the country on corn and where is the distilation energy comming from? Are we going to burn coal, natural gas, oil to run the stills? Then we only get an extra 25% energy bennefit not counting the distribution costs?

This all seems like a short-term play so a few people can make big money.

Wait till America finds out that the farmers are going to be the next dotcom stock bubble!

Simple solution... use the corn for ethanol AND biodiesel and put the cane sugar back in food - especially Coca Cola - where it fucking belongs.

And if the corn doesn't produce a high enough yield per acre, grow HEMP!!

Just smoke the hemp and stay home. If you are high and happy, you don't need all the material shit we waste our money on and go into debt aquiring. That would cut down on energy costs because we wouldn't be wasting fuel going to work.

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Originally posted by Nitro Express
Just smoke the hemp and stay home. If you are high and happy, you don't need all the material shit we waste our money on and go into debt aquiring. That would cut down on energy costs because we wouldn't be wasting fuel going to work.

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Well, that would truly be an alternative solution....

But the "staying home" part has realistic implications. Just about anyone who works a desk job these days could telecommute at least part time. With high speed internet, secure virtual networks, teleconferencing, etc. it would be possible to save billions in gasoline costs for commute, and energy costs for powering up office buildings just by the simple act of working from home. Hell, you could even reduce land useage by not building large office buildings in the first place! Just reduce it to a small office where public contact is necessary, and add a few large conference rooms for the occasional staff meeting.

Brazil.

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Originally posted by FORD
Simple solution... use the corn for ethanol AND biodiesel and put the cane sugar back in food - especially Coca Cola - where it fucking belongs.

And if the corn doesn't produce a high enough yield per acre, grow HEMP!!

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I have to disagree, it's a waste to burn crops, good or bad. anything unused should be reused for compost or fertilizer. And since this country is so full of shit, I don't see why human waste isn't used for fuel.

Anyone in this country with a desk job is going to lose it to someone working in India.

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Originally posted by Nitro Express
Anyone in this country with a desk job is going to lose it to someone working in India.

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Even the college grad with PhDs.