Ethanol production plants have been built in the Midwest and have also been promoted heavily through Federal subsidies. Is ethanol a serious player in the market for alternative energy?
In our nation\’s quest for energy independence ethanol is being proposed as an important component, that is a tough argument though.
Why are we using farm lands to make fuel for automobiles when it is not the most practical thing to do? There is still plenty of oil in the Earth, and plenty of room for improvements in efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Ethanol biofuel, through increased competition in the grains market, has been driving up prices of foods. Farmers should make good money, there is no doubt about that. Fundamental food production capacity is competing in the gasoline market which brings up a good argument.
A disadvantage of ethanol is its heat content is lower than other fuels. Compared to gasoline ethanol has 60% the energy density (HHV = 12,700 BTU/lb vs. 20,500 BTU/lb), and so pound for pound doesn\’t deliver the same amount of useful energy.
One could envision ethanol being used to heat homes and make hot water, but that is not currently it\’s marketed use.
Maybe the final blow against ethanol biofuel is that, unlike solar power, wind power, and other alternative energy systems, it is not tapping a source of free energy (unless it is derived from agricultural waste). When one considers the energy consumed in the planting, harvesting, processing, and refining of the grains then ethanol is actually quite expensive as a fuel. It has almost half the energy of diesel or gasoline, and similar amounts of production costs.
In total, ethanol production as practiced today is not as valuable of an alternative energy as some would have us believe. Advanced technologies that generate biofuel from agricultural wastes, on the other hand, is an excellent idea and could prove useful in years to come. It falls in the realm of alternative energy, but in the current way used it is not tapping a free source of energy.
To learn more about ethanol biofuel you can get more info and a free report at this solar energy website.
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