I have been running a poll for a while asking people what they think the future of energy is. So far, biomass is coming in dead last at 9% or so. Quite frankly, I tended to be one of those that felt like biomass was the least likely. The efforts in biomass so far have yielded some pretty nasty, and pretty useless results. However, check this out:
SwiftFuel’sgeneral aviation SwiftFuel© is less expensive, more fuel-efficient and significantly environmentally friendlier. Unlike current biomass fuels, SwiftFuel© is comprised of synthetic hydrocarbons derived from biomass yet meets or exceeds the standards for aviation fuel as verified by nationally recognized laboratories…..
The general aviation industry each year uses nearly 570 million gallons of 100LL aviation fuel, which is toxic, increasingly expensive and non-renewable. In contrast, testing has shown SwiftFuel© is 15 percent to 20 percent more fuel efficient, has no sulfur emissions, requires no stabilizers; has a 30-degree lower freezing point, introduces no new carbon emissions, and is lead-free. In addition, the components of this fuel can be formulated into a replacement for jet/turbine fuels.
Now, the kicker to me is biomass is basically anything that rots
Special Hat Tip to Jeff!
Ive got a great idea. It would solve many problems. If swift fuel is made from ‘anything that rots’ we can make use of the dead! Just think, when uncle Ernie bites the dust he can help run the car for a week! LOL We can call the new fuel “Soylent Green”. LOL
Would save a bunch on funerals for sure. Instead of being politically incorrect, obesity would be encouraged. I imagine wars would break out all over the planet, instead of having hokey reasons like national security, we’d just be having wars to create casualties ( what a concept huh? ). Imagine the value of a whale carcus? Instead of being hunted to extinction, we’d have whale farms. However, I imagine, rotting bananas would have less political resistance. Not so bad tho, I love bananas.
I still think that the greatest source of energy lies in wind and ocean power.
The problem I have with those two are they are basically limited by technology combining with the forces of nature. There is only so much that can be gained by a photosynthetic reaction. You’re not generating energy so much as converting it. If you have a cloudy day, all bets are off. Ocean currents are pretty much the same thing. I prefer nuclear because it is a technologythat actually generates energy and there is no real limit to how much it could generate. We’re still stuck with basically the same technology as fifty years ago due to political pandering. If we had pushed the technology instead of fearing it, there is no telling how efficient those things would be today. And, in their perfect environment, they would be burning water and releasing hydrogen. Hydrogen would then react with oxygen, and voila, you’ve got water. Perfect. It probably won’t happen in our lifetime tho. Once we do develop an endless source of excess energy, that’s when mankind moves to the next level and stops relying on technology created around the dawn of man.