Panel sees problems in ethanol production

Use of use of corn as a fuel crop and potential strains on water supply worry experts convened by the National Research Council.
The New York Times

The story "Panel sees problems in ethanol production" published October 11, 2007 at 5:33 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from The New York Times expires after 7 days.

[Manhattan2]

Ethanol will never replace oil. We will all starve ourselves just to drive

We will say it once again. "We told you so." <br />It is time to start taking the names of everyone who pushed for Ethanol including the President of The United States. The facts were already out there years ago on the energy inefficiency and pollution results of using corn for fuel. Was it politics that drove us down this wrong path? At Manhattan2 we have sent out hundreds of emails talking about the mistake that is Ethanol. We are not for big oil. We are after legitimate renewable energy sources to lead toward Oil Independence. Solar Power will be the answer. Photosynthesis ability to capture the suns energy is too low to produce viable fuel that would become a substitute for gasoline. The answer will be a direct capture of the suns energy into electricity. The answer is not to put panels on ones roof or car. Anyone proposing residential solar installations should be lumped into the Ethanol gang that is just out for government subsidies profit. Run the numbers yourself or check out SolarTransfer. How many times do we have to say "We told you so.?

[Commander_Spock]

"But it added that...

... "fundamental knowledge gaps" made it difficult to predict what would happen as the nation's embrace of biofuel crops expanded..." Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye... All of your future lies in the "HANDS" that that have helped to "further" lay the social and economic foundation of the Nation (and, "sugar-cane" is sweet). Let Those Hands Be "Safe" Hands!

[USDecliningDollar]

Ethanol is a Scam

Ethanol is, was and will continue to be a scam - simply a subsidy for ADM and farm states. Also, since the big ethanol push, food prices have risen considerably - due in part to supply and demand.<br /><br />As for "Solar Transfer" it is painfully obvious that it is simply a one or two man show - and the person behind the "one man show" has no web development skills and can only manage a free AOL email account. The same goes for the "partner site" - Sensible ventures - obviously the same web developer was hired.<br /><br />"Send me an email and I will show you the secret" - dude if you have anything that is legitimate, put it on your site, otherwise you are simply a green kook collecting email addresses for spamming.

[Manhattan2]

There are no web designers, just a small group of engineers and dreamers.

Our group will change many industries including the energy markets. It is not about the web. It is about the dialogue that we are participating in. Our products will arrive shortly. Stopping Ethanol and Photovoltaic residential installations is our number one concern. We would like to have people hold onto their green investment until there are solutions that make sense. We recommend companies stay away from Ethanol and residential Solar. Just remember "We told you so."

[Commander_Spock]

Wow!

"Ethanol is, was and will continue to be a scam..."! Well, how about asking the "Brazilians" if this statement is fact or figment of the imagination!

[stlwest]

Ethanol is stored solar just like oil, coal, and natural gas.

Going back to the oil embargo in the 70's when there were long lines at gas stations because people had no idea when the gas would run out. President Jimmy Carter called up ADM and asked if they could make Ethanol seeing that relying on other countries for a great majority of energy used for transport was intrinsically risky. Even though Ethanol doesn't make economic sense it does make sense from an energy independence point of view.<br /><br />It is primarilly in the area of transport where we have virtually no diversity in fuel sources. An oil embargo would have a far less dramatic impact on powering/heating/cooling your home.<br /><br />Same thing with Solar, doesn't make economic sense. Why? Because oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear are all cheaper, still.<br /><br />But let's put out the theoretical scenario of a world that had no oil, coal, natural gas, or nuclear, not that we ran out, but that it just wasn't here in the first place.<br /><br />OK, in that world we might still be moving around in horse drawn carriages or somebody might have still invented an internal combustion engine and fueled it with that high octane alchohol they've been sipping on. In the abscense of oil, ethanol seems pretty cool. We've just been blessed by vast stores of solar power stored as oil, coal, and natural gas.<br /><br />It is only when these source become painfully expensive that people cry out for alternatives.

[Commander_Spock]

"We spend billions of dollars importing 65% of our total oil consumption...

... from some of the most politically unstable regions of the world, making us vulnerable to events beyond our control. Any disruption to the oil supply, such as an attack on a major pipeline, could cause a swift upward spike in the price of crude and create economic turmoil on a global scale..."<br /><br />How about considering the: "Paradigm Shift: Moving America Toward Alternative Fuels"<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/commercial/resource_center/page/perspective_alternativefuels" target="_newWindow">http://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/commercial/resource_center/page/perspective_alternativefuels</a><br /><br />So, what is the bottom line here - "our energy security and our national security" or what!