[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I've become intrigued by the idea that some single celled creatures might actually be able to solve our energy problems. Here's some information to ponder next time you have a choice of diesel v. gas engines.
-Biodiesel burns in any diesel engine without modification, and can be blended in any ration with petrodiesel.
-Utilizes current infrastructure (gas stations, etc...)
-Biodiesel provides 98% of the fuel efficiency as petrodiesel
-The US would need 78 billion gallons per year to replace fuel gasoline engines burn should the country fully switch to diesel. 60 billion additional gallons would be required to replace petroleum diesel we currently use completely. In all 140 billion gallons per year would be needed to totally replace petroleum based fuel in the U.S.
-Algae are the most efficient photosynthesizers, using the solar energy to convert carbohydrates to lipids, or oil. Some alge strains are over 50% oil. National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates these strains can produce as much as 15000 gal/acre in otherwise barren desert areas.
-Algae ponds can use carbohydrates from waste water and other non-food sources to produce fuel.
-15,000 square miles or Algae ponds would be needed to replace all of the petroleum used in this country.
-Algae uses significant quantities of CO2 in the conversion process. It has been suggested that locating them next to power plants would be synergistic in that CO2 emissions could be used to produce more energy.
It's estimated the cost of the algea ponds would be $308B and cost to operate would be $46 Billion/year.
-Alternatives to algae ponds are being considered that would solve algea contamination issues inherent with open ponds.
One company, PetroSun, went on line with an 1100 acre algea farm 4/1/08 in Rio Hondo, TX. They plan to produce 4.4 million gallons of Biodiesel annually.
posted by 66.227.254...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.