O.T. Energy Source

[NEsota]

Ethanol, move over. There ought to be a better way to produce energy than corn based ethanol.
Lets Keep Looking

 

[Dan-IA]

I'm personally a fan of covering the manure ponds near cattle lots and city water treatment plants, capturing the methane, and burning it in an LP-gas engine tied to a generator. Smells better, and is productive too!

And something called an "earth battery" which is a zinc rod (a common bolt) in the dirt packed inside a copper pipe, all driven into the ground like a ground rod.

And the tesla version of a solar cell: an insulated metal plate way on top of the tallest structure you have, like a lightning rod. And similarly grounded, but with a capacitor and spark gap inline. Supposedly it works like a battery charger. Bigger the insulated plate and the higher it is, the better.

(Hey, crackpot science is my hobby!)

 

[kyplowboy]

Like Dan said, I like the methane from waist. Was stay"n up late on night last week, so I could work 12 hours the next night, and PBS was the best thing on TV. Had a show about some poor country, I think it was Bangladesh (sp?). They peole there had thier whole house roof covered with solar panals and shoveled poltry litter into big piles and pumped out the methane. I thought is was kinda cool, these people did not have a pot to p in and were make"n do with what they had. How high is the cost of energy going to have to get before we start doing these things here?

Dave

 

[Bob]

Where do you get that... from a "fat farm"?

 

[kyplowboy]

Get what, I don't understand your question. Parden my ignorance, please exlain it a little more.

Dave

 

[kyplowboy]

I got it after I posted it, I know I can't spell, thanks for reminding me.

 

[Anonymous-0]

He's just being a dick because you wrote "waist" instead of "waste.
Little men= little thoughts, you know.

Maybe he is upset because his name is a palendrom.

 

[Anonymous-0]

We don't like flaming around here, even if it is just sarcastic remarks.

 

[Bob]

That would be "Palindrome", if you want to be picky!

 

[Anonymous-0]

"That would be "Palindrome", if you want to be picky!"

I don't.

 

[730 virgil]

i think the usa needs to tell the environmental crackpots to go suck lemons and do something about use of imported oil.
the exporters don't do our country any favors why do we continue to send our money to them?
i remember hearing 30? years ago there are were dams on waterways in the north east to supply the region with electric power. but fear of some mouse ,snail or fish losing their home the power plants can't be used.

 

[Bob Kerr]

Years ago I heard something about a Westinghouse or GE experiment involing a big lightning rod tower and a HUGE capacitor the size of a large building. They hoped the capacitor would store the energy from lightning strikes. The building that housed the capacitor was destroyed when the capacitor exploded from the first strike that it took.

 

[Davis In SC]

The BMW plant here generates much of there power from methane piped in from Mt.Trashmore, the huge 3 state garbage dump were have.. If the dump gets any taller, it will stay capped with snow all year..

 

[Anonymous-0]

Back to the drawing board...

 

[Steven f/AZ]

Biodiesel from algae is what I think might catch on...

http://www.oilgae.com/

 

[Mike (WA)]

As my college Physics prof said when the gyroscope he was balancing crashed to the floor and broke, "Well, that's research."

 

[Anonymous-0]

America has such an obesity problem, we should offer free liposuction to collect all that fat and burn it for fuel.

 

[JMS MN]

Comparing apples to oranges. Ethanol replaces gasoline. This is talking about making biodiesel from algae. Ethanol is still a viable renewable product, and no one has to die for it.

 

[Steven f/AZ]

Ethanal takes too much energy to produce and has lower BTU content. Algae biodiesel has high BTU value and burns clean, takes less input to produce, etc. etc.

Maybe the Apples (corn) need to be compared to Oranges (biodiesel). Whichever is cheaper/easier should be more widespread.