Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam
[INDENT]Whatever happened to sawgrass ethanol?
Hydrogen fuel could be produced in the Pacific Northwest where there is cheap hydroelectric power sources and sent by pipeline (technology to be developed) to the Western USA.
Sure, it is a major investment but it would create jobs, technical innovation and in the process improve the balance of trade in America's favor. We would need to build new fuelling stations -- more jobs and useful spending. Why the hell we are not doing this?
Vested interests in the petrochemical business ... That's why.
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The technology for cellulosic ethanol is tricky to develop, and as a nation we have not really sought it. The EROI disaster of corn ethanol is suppressing ethanol as a liquid fuel option, and suppressing other liquids like methanol and butane.
They are making some interesting new breakthrus in hydrogen - but - as a nation we don't support it, and we have lost the ability and will to innovate.
As a nation, we have given up on new infrastructure development. Sure, we will build old technology like pipelies for oil or gas, but we have lost the ability to build new infrastructure like smart grids or hyrdogen transport.
We give the petro industry tax breaks for exploration - and they make a find, typically small, a billion barrels or so - then cap the well, because it's not cost effective to extract and bring to market at todays price levels.
Americans made the wrong choices 30 years ago, under Reagan, and we will be paying the price for that this century.