What's interesting about Miscanthus or elephant grass are the low CO emissions when burned. Basically, set it on fire and it releases as much CO as it absorbed, so the net effect on the atmosphere is zero. It's also sterile (cannot become a weed,) grows in untilled soil with very little water and the energy input to output ratio is about .2--compared with more than .8 for ethanol or biodiesel.
The market for alternative fuels is beginning to show significant signs of growth. But that's no wonder given the wildly erratic petroleum and natural gas markets.
People want choices. They don't like being told what they have to pay for things and who they have to buy them from. They'd rather go out and do it for themselves, "cheaper."
Miscanthus may lead the way for some, for others it might be solar--Whatever--as long as it gets us all thinking about alternatives to fossil fuels.
NASA eyes establishing orbiting lunar outpost
12 years ago
No comments:
Post a Comment