[Rhodes22-list] alternative energy

brad haslett flybrad at yahoo.com
Thu May 18 05:21:53 EDT 2006


Robert,

The Oak Ridge National Lab (near Wally) has done
extensive studies on switchgrass, both as a source for
ethanol and pelletized for burning.  You can search
their site at: http://www.ornl.gov/  They produced a
study a few years ago on a sustainable energy crop of
switchgrass, willows, and hybrid poplars.  There was a
farmer in Iowa that was making his own switchgrass
pellets using soy oil wax as a binder that he sold
under the name "SwitchFire" ,but, I see his site is
down.  I'd like to see the Dept. of Agriculture get
out of the welfare business and end the CRP program. 
Erodable and marginally productive fields that are
currently being subsidized could be converted to
permanent energy cover crops.  Switchgrass is
attractive because it only needs to be harvested, like
hay, and processed into fuel.  Corn (for ethanol)
requires too many inputs of labor, fertilizer, and
fuel to much of a net energy gainer.  Soybeans, or
better yet rapeseed, converted to biodiesel is about a
3.3 to 1 energy gainer.  The problem with biodiesel is
its cold weather properties and shelf life (about 6
months).  I'd like to run french fry biodiesel in my
sailboat for the smell but don't use enough to keep it
from going bad.  When oil gets to $100 a barrel (soon)
you will see more ag based fuels compete head to head
with fossil fuels.

Brad

--- Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:

> We have a guy up here in Portland, Maine who is 
> collecting used fry oil, filtering it and 
> precipitating adulterants, and burning it in his 
> truck.
> 
> Stoves are being fitted with augers to feed wood 
> chips and boilers are being converted to use 
> grass pellets.  My clone of hybrid poplar 
> (adapted to Maine weather) grows 5' a year and 
> produces biomass at a greater rate than most 
> other vegetation.  
> 
> I believe that some grasses produce greater 
> biomass per square yard than any tree, and straw 
> is a byproduct of grain production, so I guess 
> that grass pellets are the best long-term 
> solution to heating requirements, assuming that 
> we are not able to harness solar, tidal, and/or 
> wind energy.
> 
> With the large number of deep finger bays we
> have in Maine, and our 9 to 20 foot tides, I 
> suspect that we will be tapping tidal flows
> for electricity generation.  Unfortunately,
> that will put paid to some of our best 
> gunkholing.
> 
> /Robert Skinner
> 
> Saroj Gilbert wrote:
> > 
> > Brad... I just heard that it is legal to own an
> ethanol still... didn't
> > catch if it was national or state-wide... but
> seems it would have to be
> > national... for those die-hard and very committed
> alternative energy
> > folks... not sure I'm up for it yet, but my dear
> friend might be... I also
> > heard from my son that there is a coop in No.
> Calif.  that collects used
> > restaurant oil and processes it... they are
> sharing the results... diesel
> > fuel at .18 a gallon... yes, folks... that's
> eighteen cents...
> > 
> > I just sent the link to the water to hydrogen
> product for "home" use...  a
> > video clip...  water is still pretty cheap except
> in the desert states  :-)
> > 
> > Saroj
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