Switch to Ethanol

The price of corn is a primary factor in the high cost of ethanol production, but maybe not for long. Scientists are working diligently to produce ethanol from switch-grass, the stalks of corn, and other cellulose material that is abundant in the US and not used for much else. Could this be a giant step forward?

Think there aren’t any cars that can use ethanol? Check out this cool ride that runs on ethanol by automaker Chevrolet.

This is how corn is used to produce ethanol. Let me know what you think and if you would like to purchase some gear to make ethanol from your own home I’ll send you some schematics for free!

Henry Ford said “ethanol will one day power all the cars in America”.

Currently the US produces the majority of it’s ethanol from corn, an expensive process that is subsidized by the US government.

In Brazil, ethanol (Brazil calls it alcohol) has been using sugar cane successfully for over a decade to offer it citizens a cheap energy source which has dramatically reduced their dependence on foreign supplies of oil.

Ethanol accounts for 40% of all fuel sales in Brazil a staggering number by any standards.   In 2007 100% of all Brazilian cars are expected to run on 100% ethanol.

What are we in the US waiting for?

To read some more interesting news on what Brazil is doing with ethanol click on this sentence.

In 2004 the US produced about 6,000 MMT (million metric tons) of carbon dioxide.

It seems to me that most of us are not doing as much as we could be to promote alternative forms of energy such as: ethanol, biofuels, and solar power. Send a letter to your state representative asking him what he/she is doing to promote the use of alternative fuels in your state by clicking here.

Since 1996, Ford has sold more than 1.6 million vehicles that run on ethanol, a renewable fuel made from corn or other starch feed stock.

Thisis a great indication of the direction the big auto makers are taking in the future. Take careful note of the sharp increase in ethanol capabale vehicles. Lets’ just hope they keep at it and don’t let the synics change their course.

While it is true that ethanol does cost more to produce than oil, (the price of production is dropping rapidly), no supporter of ethanol has ever claimed otherwise. What these badmouthing skeptics are not taking into account in their long winded diatribes, are the enviornmental benefits that ethanol and other biofuels offer us in the long term.