Hello all I really hope we can help Jim Chalker meet his target.
Please respond onlist, not direct to Jim (he's a list member now). All best Keith >>>Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:56:11 -0400 >>>From: Jim Chalker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>Organization: Adams County Office of Economic Development >>>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>Subject: About that algae >>> >>>Keith, >>> >>>I am the economic development director for a small, poor, rural >>>Ohio county, Adams. I am looking at the biofuels industry with >>>the hope that it could transform our local economy. But whenever >>>I crunch the numbers my hopes are always dashed it seems. Here in >>>Ohio our state legislature jumped on the 25 by 25 bandwagon (at >>>least halfway). We have been committed to 12% renewable energy in >>>electrical production by 2025. >>> >>>I looked into this to see if it would envigorate our timber >>>industry. If we harvest all the wood chips we can without >>>exceeding sustainable harvest levels we can only meet 1/14th of >>>the required biomass (assuming 100% efficient power stations - the >>>reality is more like 40%). Then I decided to look at switchgrass. >>>We can meet the requirement, but only by diverting nearly 8% of >>>our farmland away from food production to energy. Food price >>>inflation would be substantial, and that's the best case. >>> >>>The only hope I have left is algae. The way I saw it, algae can >>>step in to meet the energy needs of the power industry since it >>>gets such spectacular yields. In the early years of deployment we >>>sell raw algae as biomass while the scientists keep working on >>>extracting advanced biofuels from it. But when I went searching >>>for crop yield numbers I came away disappointed. From the looks >>>of it algae may not yield much more per acre than switchgrass, and >>>let's not even start mention the startup costs. >>> >>>So are we spinning our wheels or what? Do you think algae can be >>>commercially grown for biomass alone? I would like to hear your >>>thoughts. >>> >>>Jim Chalker >>>Director of Economic Development >>>Adams County, Ohio >> >> >>Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:52 +0900 >>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Subject: Re: About that algae >> >>It's all hype Jim. It just doesn't exist yet. See: >> >>Ethanol from cellulose >>http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol_link.html#cellulose >> >>Oil from algae >>http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html#alg >> >>Sorry about that. >> >>This is what we've often said: >> >>"Merely replacing fossil fuels is not the answer. A rational and >>sustainable energy future requires great reductions in energy use >>(currently mostly waste), great improvements in energy use >>efficiency, and, most important, decentralisation of supply to the >>small-scale or farm-scale local-economy level, along with the use >>of all ready-to-use renewable energy technologies in combination as >>the local circumstances require." >> >>Best wishes >> >>Keith Addison >>Journey to Forever >>KYOTO Pref., Japan >>http://journeytoforever.org/ > > >Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:52 +0900 >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: About that algae > >Hello again Jim > >I know that wasn't very encouraging. It was very late and that was >the last thing I did before I fell over for the night, but I wanted >to put you off this false trail. > >I think you can achieve the 12/25 goal, and probably 25/25, or even >better. Have a look at this, for a start, it might give you some >ideas: > >"How much fuel can we grow? How much land will it take?" ><http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html#howmuch> > >This, for instance: > > >"Using existing technology we can save three fourths of all >electricity used today. The best energy policy for the nation, for >business, and for the environment is one that focuses on using >electricity efficiently," says Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain >Institute in the US. > > > >"More efficient use is already America's biggest energy source -- >not oil, gas, coal, or nuclear power. By 2000, reduced 'energy >intensity' (compared with 1975) was providing 40 percent of all U.S. >energy services. It was 73 percent greater than U.S. oil >consumption, five times domestic oil production, three times total >oil imports, and 13 times Persian Gulf oil imports. The lower >intensity was mostly achieved by more productive use of energy (such >as better-insulated houses, better-designed lights and motors, and >cars that were safer, cleaner, more powerful, and got more miles per >gallon), partly by shifts in the economic mix, and only slightly by >behavioral change. Since 1996, saved energy has been the nation's >fastest-growing major 'source.'" > >Many people are already working on these problems and finding >solutions, whether backyarders, local coops, farmers or whatever, >and many more would like to, especially in view of the current >debacle in the Gulf, but they need some encouragement and guidance. >You have to reach out to people at the local level. That might mean >that you'll need extra resources at your command, but I'm sure it >will be worth your while. > >I'm taking the liberty of signing you up to our Biofuels list >discussion group. There are some very smart people there, and they >don't just talk, they're active in these areas. I hope it'll raise >some useful discussion. I'll forward this message to the list as an >introduction. > >Best wishes > >Keith Addison >Journey to Forever >KYOTO Pref., Japan >http://journeytoforever.org/ _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
