Are we overlooking the details?

Question

There is a lot of excitement around biofeuls and alternative energy sources. Everyone is shining the spotlight on the environmental benefits of these alternatives (myself included).

However, is it possible that there will be negative environmental impacts if society experiences a massive shift to alternative feuls?? What about an economic impacts?

Answer 1

I believe we are going in the wrong direction. We are over looking Hydrogen as a fuel. It is renewable and is all around us. Any car can be converted to H and it can be separated from water thru the use of solar power collectors. The gas can be compressed and put in the new explosion proof honey comb gas tanks. When H is burned in an engine it mixes with Oxygen and becomes water again. Therefore renewable forever and no pollution. Surly science can see this or are the gas companies that big as to destroy us all

Answer 2

Lets think about how much oil it takes to plant, grow and transport corn. Then process into methanol. That burns faster than gasoline. Its a feel good government subsided program.

Answer 3

Bio-fuels are a good small scale solution, especially if re-using old cooking oil.

If grown as an industrial mono-crop especially for bio-fuels then there is a high fuel input in the agro-chemicals, tractors can go over a field 8 times or more, harvesting, processing and transportation. Some claim it may even take more fuel than produced.

then there is the moral choice of food for all or fuel for the rich gas guzzlers.

There is scope to use waste plant material to make plastics etc, but we should save the "oil" for speciallised uses like emergency helicopters.

for road vehicles there are better solutions available now in the form of LI-ion battery electric vehicles eg http://www.acpropulsion.com/tzero/, http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/

recharge at home or work in 10 minutes, range 150-300 miles.

Hydrogen is only an energy transfer fuel, it requires primary fuel like electric to produce, then it is difficult & bulky to transport then convert back to electric in a fuel cell, all of which is at least 10 years away. It is supported by the big oil & car companies, and gets lots of research funding.

Answer 4

there is not enough corn and corn stalks, soybeans and stalks, and wheat and stalks in the u.s. to make enough ethanol to run our cars for 6 months let alone the entire year.  On the other hand hydrogen can be made from water using electricity from solar panels,or from wind generators.  ON a planet full of hydrogen shouldn't we be using it?

Answer 5

Someone did a study on this, the feesibility of bio fuels and found out they're not so great in the long run, considering the number of cars on the road, and the number coming.

He found out that the best method is to use hydrogen, and generate it using power from wind turbines. There's enough wind that you can harness enough to power the entire planet 7 times over, including electricity for every sector, private and commercial, and for car and transportation use.

I'm sorry that I cannot remember the name of the researcher though, but he was on Daily Planet, a science and technology show up here in Canada.

Answer 6

Yes there maybe economic impacts, but in the future when the oil and coal around the world run out there will be higher costs to pay if we don't find alternative fuels.

Thou I don't think fuels like bio-diesel and other fuels like it will help in the long run because in the process of making them toxic waste is made that has to go some where.

So in my eyes we have to find fuels that are none combustible and renewable for the environment and mankind to move on.