400 gallons ETOH/acre (captured sunlight) is not a swindle. I have no problem with cutting ALL government sudsidies to business, but I do have a problem with the selective cuts when they are promoted by oil energy sources; you know, the competition in the energy business. Don’t get me wrong, I support domestic drilling, nuclear and other viable energy options. ETOH does have a place and has for 40 years. Actually, Hitler ran much of war machine on ETOH. The attacks on ETOH are new, the technology is decades old and more efficient now.
“Overall (farming, distillation), it takes 129,600 BTU to produce a
gallon of EtOH (ethanol), but the energy value of a gallon of EtOH is
only 76,000 BTU. In SI units [conversions in footnote 3]: it takes
45.7 MJ to produce a kilogram of EtOH, but the energy value of that
kilogram of EtOH is 26.8 MJ.”
“There is thus a net energy loss of about 54,000 Btu for every gallon
(18.9 MJ for every kilogram) of EtOH produced. Unlike the old joke
about the tailor who claims he loses money on every suit, but stays in
business by ‘making up for it in quantity’, there is no deception
here. It’s a losing proposition.”
You can read the whole article here:
http://www.energyadvocate.com/etohscam.htm
True advancements in a capitalist system, would be one that
can pay for its own way allowing for a profit for the producer and a better product for the consumer. ETOH doesn’t seem to fit that criteria with current technology.
Besides, if left wing environmentalist are for something, I’m immediately suspect. IMO.
“400 gallons ETOH/acre (captured sunlight) is not a swindle. I have no problem with cutting ALL government sudsidies to business, but I do have a problem with the selective cuts when they are promoted by oil energy sources; you know, the competition in the energy business. Don’t get me wrong, I support domestic drilling, nuclear and other viable energy options. ETOH does have a place and has for 40 years. Actually, Hitler ran much of war machine on ETOH. The attacks on ETOH are new, the technology is decades old and more efficient now.”
Yet it still requires a subsidy? Go figure!!