[Vwdiesel] Biodiesel from algae

Fri Jan 13 10:23:42 EST 2006

This was exactly the point I was trying to get across at the store... but I
had to use numbers, and I have to say that unfortunately, Stephen Hawking
was right.  One of his books  _A Brief History of Time_  he mentions that
for each mathematical formula in a book, the readership will drop in half,
and he quotes a source for this with his tongue in cheek, and is thankful
that there are only three formulas in the entire book.  Yesterday was a case
of that, as soon as numbers were mentioned, eyes glazed.  And it's not like
I go on and on speaking math, same as you have written- just percents of
energy recovered as work in each step.  Whether the chain has five usage
steps, or two, the eye is fixed on the ring at the end, not the whole
process because the concept of using 25 percent of  30 percent of 10 percent
is too difficult to grasp.  Maybe as a farmer, I am used to looking at the
chain of events more so than the end result.  You can after all have
graineries full of grain and still be broke at the bottom of the page.
Everyone looks to science as the answer to pull their asses out of the vice
in the hydrogen issue, but never can we start TODAY, reducing real usage,
making informed decisions, nooooo, have to have the pie in the sky instead,
so I can keep driving the navigator until the lease is up.
-James

-----Original Message-----
From: pmdolan at sasktel.net [mailto:pmdolan at sasktel.net]
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 7:18 AM
To: jhsg at sasktel.net
Cc: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
Subject: Re: RE: [Vwdiesel] Biodiesel from algae

This extends well beyond the great unwashed.  Even supposedly educated
people never seem to give a second's thought to how and where the electricty
for hydrogen fuel production or electric battery charging is produced and
transported.  For instance, a current diesel is about 30% energy efficient,
but the electricity obtained from natural-gas fired generators on the grid
is about 10 - 15% net efficiency once it is delivered - and you must
multiply THAT by the efficiency of the hydrogen conversion and THEN to
losses of the vehicle prime mover.  So-called ZEVs are usually 1/4 or less
of the fuel efficiency of a diesel, not to mention MUCH more polluting.

Pat

----- Original Message -----
From: James Hansen <jhsg at sasktel.net>
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:55 pm
Subject: RE: [Vwdiesel] Biodiesel from algae

> No kidding.  I was just in a big alternative fuels/ hybrid vehicles/
> hydrogen debate today at a store.
> It's amazing how under-informed the public are.  They were all
> shocked when
> I had the audacity to speak out against hydrogen as a fuel.
> I'm not sure I got my point across, when they still insisted it is far
> better and we just need time to develop some better more efficient
> way to
> produce hydrogen.
> I never realized just how little the general public knows about
> how fuel is
> made.  THere needs ot be an AWFUL lot of public education in this
> avenue.Efficiecy losses in energy production are one big thing
> nobody seems to
> understand.  One guy was referring to a hydrogen generator that
> came out in
> fall that can generate hydrogen on demand to run a motor.   I
> guess I'm just
> naively sceptical, but perpetual motion just can't happen in my little
> world.
> -James
>
> -James
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com]On
> Behalf Of pmdolan at sasktel.net
> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:12 AM
> To: Andrew Buc
> Cc: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Biodiesel from algae
>
>
> Andrew:
>
> Thanks for that.  IMHO, this is the kind of intelligent use of
> biotech that
> will shape the future of alternative fuels.  It makes me feel so
> good to see
> ANYONE not running around like a chicken with their freakin' head
> cut off
> looking for some dumba$$ hybrid or fuel cell junk.
>
> You may find this one interesting as well:
> http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
>
> Pat
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Andrew Buc <AndrewBuc at staxman.net>
> Date: Thursday, January 12, 2006 1:03 am
> Subject: [Vwdiesel] Biodiesel from algae
>
> > Saw this on Yahoogroups Audi-VW-diesels:
> >
> > Here's an interesting article about a techology that uses algae to
> > remove CO2 and NOx from flue gases in coal-burning power plants,
> > and
> > produces biodiesel as a byproduct:
> >
> > http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0111/p01s03-sten.html
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Vwdiesel mailing list
> > Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >
>
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