I have been as guilty as anyone in choosing to quote relevant yield and
efficiency data "at the high end" of a range - in order to promote a
particular strongly-held conviction - in this case the advantages of
biodiesel - specifically algoil to be grown from microalgae.
Here is a more authoritative, conservative (more so than NREL)and
carefully considered acedemic viewpoint on national (US) energy
self-sufficiency, which is less gradiose than others have published -
but still extraordinarily optimistic about this new technology- which is
far and away more cost effective than wind, solar cells, geothermal or
any other short-term ecologically sound solution.
http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
Executive summary: A national commitment on Algoil would equate to $46.2
billion per year for all the required algae farms to yield all the oil
feedstock necessary for the entire country. Compare that to the $100-150
billion the US spends each year just on purchasing crude oil from
foreign countries, with all of that money leaving the US economy...
Is the correct short-term solution a no-brainer or what ???
