The Wheels Come Off the Biodiesel Wagon

The Energy Collective ^ | Jan 4, 2010 | Robert Rapier

[wendy1946]

That would be one of a small handfull of new energy technologies which seem to offer brighter futures. The others would be that EESTOR super capacitor, the Angellabs engine, and that Bombardier/Evinrude E-Tec engine which is actually being used on boats now. Other than that, I might could get interested in diesels after five years had passed in which diesel fuel was cheaper than low-grade gasoline in America, but I would not knowingly purchase something which was going to make me feel like a sucker.

[painter]

The National Biodiesel Board is located here in Jefferson city Mo.. I personally know one of the engineers who work for them.

[Richard Kimball]

Good article. The nut of the problem is that it takes more energy to produce biodiesel than biodiesel has in it. The only point to biodiesel was the government subsidy.

It's also worth noting that one of the reasons McCain lost Iowa was because he did not support biodiesel and ethanol. Obama did. The alternative fuel industry is one example of why I see our government eventually having to crash and burn. By using deficit spending and other techniques, government promises enough special set asides so that the majority of the people get more out of the system than they put in.

People do not vote for fairness or overall good governance. They vote for what brings money to them.

Having worked in government funded institutions for the last thirty years, I have been bitten many times because I tried to be fiscally responsible running my department. When the budget cuts come, they're across the board, with no consideration of fiscal responsibility. If you don't spend your entire budget allocation for the year you don't get a pat on the back. You get your budget reduced the next year.

I read a good article about the difference between an individual starting a business and government starting a new program. The individual gets the product and machinery he needs and uses sawhorses and plywood for a desk. He rents the cheapest place he can find that meets his needs and starts trying to generate a profit. A governmental entity builds an office building, carpets it, buys all new furniture, hires a company to keep fresh plants in the area, puts artwork on the walls, and then says, "okay, what are we supposed to do in here?"

[Freddd]

But the price of corn didn’t fall.....

[wendy1946]

You might want to take a look at this...

The Angellabs engine afaik could work with or without spark plugs. It is vastly more efficient than today's engines.

[neverdem]

Bankers get two ethanol plants in bankruptcy

subsidizing failure

[MainFrame65]

That 2 cents per gallon discount reimburses you for the lost miles per gallon from every gallon! Stop complaining - the government is “helping” you....

[ExSoldier]

Biodiesel is a part of my retirement plan, I think. I hope to purchase a vehicle like this with which to enjoy my retirement. Since it's a diesel I figure that I might cut my own fuel costs, help out local restaurants by going into a business to help them dispose of waste oil and by-products very cheaply and maybe even make a few bucks selling to friends or neighbors. I don't have all the details worked out yet, but something along those lines. We plan on building a home like this: Earth Sheltered to save on energy and maintenance. Our future was all worked out until OHHHH BABY took over, sent the economy into a real tailspin and threatened to destroy all our freedoms by fawning over terrorists. Then of course my wife got cancer and is now in chemotherapy. Life is what happens to you while you're planning your future, I guess. God sure does have a sense of Humor! All I can do is follow HIM and trust.

[SunkenCiv]

• The Bum Rap on Biofuels
• Campaign to vilify ethanol revealed

[AdmSmith]

“Splash and Dash” Biofuel Scam Costs Americans Millions, Lawmakers Say (June 2008)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031350/posts

[PLMerite]

“...help out local restaurants by going into a business to help them dispose of waste oil and by-products very cheaply and maybe even make a few bucks selling to friends or neighbors.”

Be careful you don’t run afoul of the gov’t. In some states you have to jump through some regulatory/licensing hoops if you brew your own fuel.

[ExSoldier]

Yeah, that's a concern. I'll do the research for certain to see if it's a viable plan. Thanks for the reminder. If we're very blessed, a good conservative President will be elected in 2012 and that person will FORCE "Big Oil" to drill here and drill now and refine here AND sell here at economic boom prices (say about $1.00 a gallon) guaranteed to jump start the economy like nitro injection.