The Back Alley Archives

Read a note today about the impossibility of sustainable energy from biomass. The argument is that there is simply not enough energy stored in young organic matter of any kind to support any real effort.

I dunno. I like the idea of biomass. Just throwing it out there.

Yes, Brazil has made an effort to use ethanol and I think most of their vehicles are flex-fuel. This was the result of a concerted effort since the 1970s. But even so, ethanol makes up only a small part of their consumption. The rest is oil. Sweet, sweet oil that they're getting from their enormous new off-shore oil platform, which allowed them to finally be energy independent.

Yes, Brazil has made an effort to use ethanol and I think most of their vehicles are flex-fuel. This was the result of a concerted effort since the 1970s. But even so, ethanol makes up only a small part of their consumption. The rest is oil. Sweet, sweet oil that they're getting from their enormous new off-shore oil platform, which allowed them to finally be energy independent.

Cool. I didn't know the detail, thanks.

Bottom line - if other countries can become energy independent, we can. For far too long access to oil has dominated our economy, our domestic policies, and our foreign policy. It is in our economic, military, and national security interests to become energy independent. We will create new jobs and new technologies than cannot be outsourced. And on a personal note, I would like nothing better than to tell those oil sheiks where to stick their oil.

I worry about our dependence on oil. Makes the system too fragile, IMO.