Re: GAS-L: A plague of criticism, any solutions?

[Arnt Karlsen <arnt@c2i.net>]

On Wed, 28 Aug 2002 06:25:28 -0300, 
Kevin Chisholm <kchisholm@ca.inter.net> wrote in message 
<3D6C9708.17370F53@ca.inter.net>:

> Dear Dr. Paszner
> 
> Thank you for your very interesting overview on
> bioenergy.
> 
> Laszlo Paszner wrote:
> > 
> > Dear All,
> > 
> ....del...> 

> > Biomass is largely "undersold" as an alternate renewable energy
> > source by the world authorities and the media.  It is lucky if it
> > gets honorable mention among the renewable energy sources of wind,
> > solar and tidal.  The authorities are brainwashed by the
> > petrochemical companies. This is so because the technologies for
> > these energy forms are owned by the petrochemical companies, Shell,
> > BP, Texaco, SUNCOR etc.  Promotion of wind, solar and tidal energy
> > forms is safe, they do not cut into the gasoline markets. 

..no shit?  Google for "Jack Bitterly" and "American Flywheels".

> > Wide-scale promotion of wind and solar  installations for developing
> > countries channels much needed developmental funds again to the
> > petrochemical companies (you remember they own these technologies -
> > bought into them quietly 5-6 years ago) leaving the developing
> > countries further in debt and dependent without solving their
> > problem (lack of energy in rural areas).  These are "passive" energy
> > forms because they will not generate wide-spread sustainable jobs
> > after their installation.  

..

> I would suggest that there is not a conspiracy by
> multi-National Oil Companies to hold back the
> development of biomass. I would suggest that they can
> make more money from oil than they can make from
> biomass, and that is the reason why they process oil.
> It is very dificult to imagine the multi-National Oil
> Companies saying "We can make more money on biomass,
> but we are not going to do that, because we are oil
> processors."
> 
> The cruel reality seems to be that it is somewhere
> between difficult and impossible to make money from
> biomass energy. 

..depends.
 
> > For the biomass program, fast growing and high yielding crops become
> > important.  Comparatively speaking, trees produce 4-8 T/ha . yr
> > biomass in the temperate regions, better yields (18-30 T/ha . yr)
> > can be obtained with both deciduous and coniferous wood species in
> > tropical and sub-tropical countries.  Similar or better yields can
> > be obtained with sugarcane/sweet sorghum and mineral giant reed; up
> > to 45 T/ha .yr.  Exceptionally, up to 60-75 T/ha .yr can be had with
> > Eucalyptus species.  So by selective biomass cultivation the target
> > biomass supply will become available while simultaneously also
> > solving the world's poverty problems.

..for how long can these yields be hauled out of the soil without
depleting it?
 
> With a ratio of about 15:1 in terms of tropical
> eucalyptus to temperate forestry yields, if biomass
> energy even had a chance of being economic, one would
> see at least some biomass energy companies making money
> from eucalyptus energy processing. Are there any "stand
> alone biomass energy successes" anywhere in the world?
> There may be some businesses successes because of
> peculiar circumstances, such as waste product disposal,
> or special incentives. The cruel reality seems to be
> that, simply put, there is no money to be made in
> biomass energy.
 
..take MSW (municipal solid waste, not Microsoft Wintendo).
Dumping it in a landfill costs like a 100 US$ a ton.  
Gasified or cofired with coal, it could carry say 10% of 
the global grid baseload.  Note that I here exclude the 
eucalyptus jungle biomass.  It too can be fired the same 
way.  Coal now carry about half of the electric grid 
baseload, worldwide. 

..my part of the way:
http://www.crest.org/discussion/gasification/199903/msg00055.html
Dead pellets link moved to:
http://www.ivar.rl.no/IDybden/avlop/analyse.biopellets.cfm
Norw. -> english -> http://www.tranexp.com/InterTran.cgi

..Jack Bitterly's way of making electric muscle cars:
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1049/flywheels.html

..would eat into the gasoline fired muscle car market shares.
Does not need biomass at all: drop props in between Florida 
and Cuba, drag off say half a knot of the current and cool 
off the EUropeans in the process.  ;-)

..so, what impact would any and all of this have on global 
energy pricing?  How would _that_ impact affect the oil 
companies profits?  How does that again, motivate which actions?

..one example; the Norwegian natural gas export to the EU,
_can_ be matched by the EU's own MSW.  THis export income 
now amounts to 1/5 of the gross national product of Norway.
"You do the math."...

-- 
..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt... ;-)
...with a number of polar bear hunters in his ancestry...
  Scenarios always come in sets of three: 
  best case, worst case, and just in case.

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