I always treated biomass as essentially a solar collector.  It has
some inputs other than sun, and requires post-processing to convert to
energy, but some studies show that it's still better than the 7% we
get out of an average solar cell, which requires a great deal of
energy to create, but no post processing later.

Still, there are better solar collectors than 7%.

Reminds me of the dust bowl.

-Adam

On 5/14/07, Russell McMahon <apptech@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> This longish (about 13,000 words), extremely interesting and
> more-convincing-than-I-expected article argues that cellulose bio-mass
> based ethanol is not only unsustainable as a fuel but has a severe
> cost far in excess of its value and causes unaffordable long term
> damage to the agricultural systems on which it depends.
>
>         http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=3Dcom_content&task=
=3Dview&id=3D107&Itemid=3D1
>
> This is not just a "greenie rave" although it is that as well.
>
> I skim vast quantities of material, quite often at not too much beyond
> headline or chapter header level, increasing the amount I read as
> interest or apparent relevance dictates.  I'm quite liable to go back
> and skim through this in greater depth and maybe even read the lot if
> it proves as useful as it promises. (But, most things fail the
> in-depth test).
>
> A reasonable summary paragraph from the article is
>
>     Fuels from biomass are not sustainable, are ecologically
> destructive,
>     have a net energy loss, and there isn't enough biomass in America
>     to make significant amounts of energy because essential inputs
> like
>     water, land, fossil fuels, and phosphate ores are limited.
>
> Before you seek to argue with that it would be a good idea to read or
> to at least skim the paper.
>
> Fortunately, lunar Helium 3 will save us all ... :-) (Russell's
> comment, not theirs)
>
>
>
>
>         Russell
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________
>
> Summarised summary re corn
>
> Corn Biofuel (i.e. butanol, ethanol, biodiesel) is especially harmful
> because:
>
>   Row crops such as corn and soy cause 50 times more soil erosion than
> sod crops [e.g., hay] (Sullivan 2004) or more (Al-Kaisi 2000),  ...
>
>   Corn uses more water, insecticide, and fertilizer than most crops
> (Pimentel 2003). ...
>
>   The government has studied the effect of growing continuous corn,
> and found it increases eutrophication by 189%, global warming by 71%,
> and acidification by 6% (Powers 2005).
>
>   Farmers want to plant corn on highly-erodible, water protecting, or
> wildlife sustaining Conservation Reserve Program land ... BUT ...
>
>   Crop residues are essential for soil nutrition, water retention, and
> soil carbon. Making cellulosic ethanol from corn residues -- the parts
> of the plant we don't eat (stalk, roots, and leaves) =96 removes water,
> carbon, and nutrients (Nelson, 2002, McAloon 2000, Sheehan, 2003).
>
> ______________________
>
> "I asked 35 soil scientists why topsoil wasn't part of the biofuels
> debate. ... ... "
>
> Answers can be imagined,
>
> __________________
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> View/change your membership options at
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
>


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