RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:
Bush recently confessed on behalf of the USA an addiction to petroleum. I think this was a step in the right direction. Confession is good for the soul ... & the soil too! (2 Chronicles 7:14).
While the Federal Government is trying to find new sources of "renewable" energy here are some of the ideas out there:
Wind (Towers are gaining ground & bats are not the friends of all.)
Hydrological (But many suitable rivers are already dammed & wave / steam sources are limited).
Wood (Either converting wood chips into ethanol or burning the stuff in efficient stoves.)
Solar (It's getting cheaper to produce to photovoltaic cells.)
Ethanol (from dung & grain, etc.)
Recycled & new vegetable oils (soy, peanut, etc.)
Recycled petroleum/mineral-based oils (engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, etc.)
...
NOW, may I suggest another idea. This came to me while working @ a
university cafeteria:
Day after day, restaurants & cafeterias & buffets & grocers have to throw away large quantities of food that is
a. spoiled.
b. too old to be served at another meal.
c. beyond the capacity of refrigeration.
d. unacceptible for soup kitchens for whatever reason.
Why not let this stuff be recycled into large tanks designed to extract ethanols & other suitable fuels from these waste foods rather than flushing them into the waterways?
Because a large quantity of these foods are rich in carbohydrates simple & complex, they should yeild a significant proportion of
Ethanols, etc. (Fries, potatoes, breads, rices, sugars, etc.)
Solids which are not usable for fuels could be used as compost rich in lots of nutrients:
Bones - calcium & magnesium
Bananas - potassium
Meats of various sorts - nitrogen, etc.
Also, last night a fellow on the buss was reminding me of a process which can convert organic matter into a sort of crude oil:
20% of the energy is consumed in converting the matter.
80% is then available in the resulting fuel.
The 4/5 yield is really pretty good, considering that much of this would end up in dumps & landfills anyways, rotting & giving off gasses anyways.
contemplative