Biofuels

I am thinking that if I update my blog more frequently with smaller posts, and with information I come across during my internet surfing, it may help to give it direction. At the least I will be able to let others know of things I find most interesting. Once and a while I may feel the urge to rant on something and focus a little more. However most of my reading is generally related to energy.

I am a big fan of Google Alerts, they are a great way to stay current on whatever it is that you are interested in, I highly recommend the service. The amount of content being sent to your inbox through Goolge Alerts does not get overwhelming. However, be sure to enter your query in such a way as to eliminate receiving updates that are not what you are looking for. For example instead of typing alternative energy, type "alternative energy".

My goolge alerts at the moment are:

• "alternative energy"
• "hydraulic hybrid"
• "energy savings"
• "energy storage"
  

Biofuels are receiving a lot of attention these days, politicians, the media, and the few who profit from their production all claim that they are going to help us solve our energy woes. If you look into it, turns out that biofuels are not that great a solution at the moment.

However, Valcent Products Inc. has a promising technology for the production of algae (VIDEO) for use in biofuels. Current ethanol and biodiesel production has very poor net energy yield and biodiesel production through algae may drastically increase that energy yield.

The spread of the use biofuels has resulted in increasing food costs, which means the worlds poorest are starving so the worlds richest can find an alternative fuel for their gas tank; and make a lot of money at the same time! A tremendous amount of fertilizer, water, land, energy, and machinery are all required to turn a crop into something we can get at the pump. The amazon is being cleared to support the growing demand for biodiesel. Get this, we are destroying one of the largest carbon sinks on earth so we can continue to drive virtually everywhere.

Valcent also has other products that have a lot of potential to help out in the agriculture sector. Their vertical growth system has potential to save cities like Phoenix and Tuscon from imminent failure, currently they are amongst the least sustainable cities in the world.

Why are we heavily subsidizing a fuel that does not make environmental sense? Our governments have yet to show leadership on our energy supply problems. This is a time when we require bold action and innovative leadership. Be skeptical when you see politicians giving biofuels a lot of attention.