Corn based Ethanol?

Question

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using corn based ethanol? Feel free to answer with both facts and your opinions. :)

Answer 1

There really are no advantages except to the farmer because of higher prices.  There are some promising related technology and it might help the infrastructure if the technology for switch grass or other alternatives works out.

Disadvantages:  

1. It takes almost as much energy to produce as it returns.  It is very inefficient.

2.  It takes much more farmland under cultivation and is thus a disaster from the point of view of the environment which is the opposite effect desired

3.  It raises the price of food including meat from animals fed corn.

4.  It ties the price of corn to energy so it will increase in price when oil goes up.

5.  It forces gas companies to follow new regulations which increase their cost of refining.

6.  You are burning food.  People in poor countries can't burn food to drive their cars and they suffer from much higher prices.