Posted on 11/13/2006 11:59:21 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
WASHINGTON -- A new Rand Corp. study showing the falling costs of ethanol, wind power and other forms of renewable energy predicts such sources could furnish as much as 25% of the U.S.'s conventional energy by 2025 at little or no additional expense.
A second renewable-energy report soon to be released by the National Academy of Sciences suggests wood chips may become a plentiful source of ethanol and electricity for industrial nations because their forested areas are expanding, led by the U.S. and China.
Because use of renewable fuels to replace oil and cut emissions of carbon dioxide is an area on which Congress's coming Democratic leadership and the Bush administration agree, the studies are likely to hasten efforts to increase production incentives next year, either in a new energy bill or a farm bill. (See related articles.)
"We hope it will help policy planners rethink the context," said Reid Detchon, executive director of the Energy Future Coalition, a foundation-funded bipartisan group. The coalition sponsored the study by Rand, a nonprofit research group known primarily for defense studies.
The Rand study concludes that because prices for gasoline, natural gas and coal are likely to remain high, their cost advantage over renewables will erode, furthered by the hope that ethanol from farm wastes will be available by 2020.
Renewable fuels now produce only 6% of the nation's energy, and about half of that comes from hydroelectric dams. The study assumes renewable-energy costs will keep dropping at the rate of recent years. It says raising the use of renewables to 25% of all U.S. energy consumed would reduce U.S. reliance on oil by about 20% or the equivalent of the imports from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
It should have been by2005.
Panda Ethanol formally announces Bailey County (Texas) plant construction by Larry Thornton (Muleshoe Journal)
Rumors of an ethanol plant being constructed near Progress were finally laid to rest Wednesday, Nov. 1, with the announcement that Panda Ethanol Inc. plans to construct a 100 million gallon-per-year plant in Bailey County.
For several months, whispers about the proposed plant have been circulating around Muleshoe, with the first public disclosures coming during a late-July Bailey County Commissioners’ Court, covered by the Journal, in which Muleshoe city officials and county officials discussed the possibilities of providing a paved road to the facility.
At that meeting, Steve Warren, the Texas Department of Transportations’ Director of Transportation Planning in Lubbock, congratulated the county officials on planned construction of the ethanol plant, and said one of TxDOT’s goals was to help economic development.
The wave builds...
We'll have to see about that. One thing for sure, they'd better get cellulosic ethanol off the ground soon. Nobody like the price of corn going through the roof. Also, companies should invest in biobutanol, like they're doing in Great Britain. This fuel is quite similar to gasoline in mileage and energy content.
If Iran takes out Israel...it will have to make 25% of our supplies......
but one thing is missing.......AT WHAT COST?
Corn is hitting new highs......now do you want cheap gas.....or food....ie..beef..pigs..chickens...this is going to be fun to watch...I think inflation just hit 7%
I was just wondering today how much gasoline would be saved if all the country's school buses were converted to biodiesel (but realizing that diesel isn't necessarily good for winter weather, maybe 75% is more realistic). Could there be a "vegetable oil to school" movement?
Actually, if one understands physics, one would know that 100% of our energy needs are supplied by renewable resources.
Yes its funny how the "greenies" don't consider Oil as Natural.....
A farmer told me yesterday his irrigation operation was costing $16,000 per day this summer in electricity. Ethanol is only an alternative but I doubt it will lower energy costs. However, it will bring some of those costs back home.
I suppose you could use all the french fry oil from the school cafeterias.
And McDonalds and Burger King and Wendy's and KFC and Chick-Fil-A and Taco Bell and White Castle and ...
>>Yes its funny how the "greenies" don't consider Oil as Natural...<<
And as a new theory gains traction, it may turn out to be quite LITERALLY renewable.
Bump.
If we can get cheap wind, solar, hydro, and NUKE going in a big way, we have clean air, and no oil from the middle east or Venezuela. How much has the Iraq war cost us now? Just think if we plowed $500 billion into tax credits, university supported research into alternative fuels instead? American companies would own the patents, we would sell them to the cheese eating surrender monkeys and old Europe while the middle east went back to camel riding. Our air would be cleaner, we would create a ton of jobs building these new techs, support jobs, you name it. Liberals would love the clean air, conservatives would love not having to deal with the islamists, win win all around.
We also have the new bulbs that can cut our energy costs by 10% if we all switched. 22% of energy bills are lighting. We need to ditch the old bulbs. Each one we buy means more money for the terrorists. Seriously. They get funded by energy money.
Good post, I agree. Lets drill, build the plants and new refineries, put up the windmills, solar panels, hydro etc and let's let the ME eat it.
Nobody like the price of corn going through the roof.
You're so right. Corn is not the answer.
nuclear is an answer though. I actually think there are enough populist democrats of the new crop that would go for it. If we make this about clean air and independence from the Middle East, we could get a buttload of new nuke plants built. Tax credits for wind, solar etc added in too. We could seriously change our economy and the world.
Bttt! Great post.
I am all for coal...nukes..solar...but wind is a partial..you still need the backups to cover for it..Hydro is great to..and we need more resevoirs for our population boom anyway......but can anyone say Sierra Club
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