Keep Your Filthy Crude Oil!
- Thread starter PeteOz77
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Desert_Sky
Since 1998
wow 20k gallons per acre per year
impressive, but then Exxon is just going to buy these guys out and bury their idea. We'll never see it in production
impressive, but then Exxon is just going to buy these guys out and bury their idea. We'll never see it in production
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PeteOz77
Well-Known Member
5 years ago, I would have agreed, but things are getting so scary now with $10 per gallon predicted in 5 years time, that IF this pans out, it will be worth a LOT more than Exon could afford to pay. Also I just can't see the general public allowing something like this to continue to get buried.
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
Why would they do that? It's not like fossil fuels aren't going to have a purpose once this is in effect. I could see them buying them out and investing in this as their future, but they won't be able to hold something like this down. This has been getting a lot of press lately and it is becoming obvious that this should have been where the research got dumped instead of corn.
Damonic
Well-Known Member
Screw corn and switchgrass.. they screw up the balance of land use and economies.
Algae has been the new holy grail of alternative fuel production for a while now and would revolutionize the world. They don't quite have it down yet but are getting sooooo close.
Algae has been the new holy grail of alternative fuel production for a while now and would revolutionize the world. They don't quite have it down yet but are getting sooooo close.
Laurel
Well-Known Member
and I thought I had an algae problem in my fish tank!
CodeRage
Death by Magumba!
There is an algae farm just south of me in fellsmere, a guy at work put an app in there. Pretty neat stuff. The only problem I know of is that they require LOTS of co2. The only way it would be effective is to tap into another process where co2 is a waste product. Any large brewery could make a mint 
Desert_Sky
Since 1998
There is an algae farm just south of me in fellsmere, a guy at work put an app in there. Pretty neat stuff. The only problem I know of is that they require LOTS of co2. The only way it would be effective is to tap into another process where co2 is a waste product. Any large brewery could make a mint
you should set up shop right next to them
EvilTOJ
Well-Known Member
I read somewhere that a brewery already incorporates CO2 production into an algae farm, but I can't remember the name of it!
NWernBrewer
Well-Known Member
There are plenty of CO2 waste industries. With a civic planning and location incentives, or just a little decency this is no real hurdle.
zoebisch01
Well-Known Member
Corn is the king of subsidy. Something like 15 billion over the past decade.
zoebisch01
Well-Known Member
There is an algae farm just south of me in fellsmere, a guy at work put an app in there. Pretty neat stuff. The only problem I know of is that they require LOTS of co2. The only way it would be effective is to tap into another process where co2 is a waste product. Any large brewery could make a mint
I believe the future of energy will be diverse, symbiotic systems. We have been looking at it with one track minds for far too long and need to close the cycles on things.
Loweface
Well-Known Member
You've hit it right on the head there... A bit of solar, a bit of wind, a bit of hydro, a bit of solid and liquid biofuels... Tidal / Wave / Ocean Current... Geothermal... Waste to energy...
And just a reminder that us Europeams are already paying $10+ a gallon...
EvilTOJ
Well-Known Member
Definitely the best way to get cheap energy is to have diverse ways of obtaining it. Ultimately, once alternate energy means are talking real numbers, it will create competition and prices will go down. Energy's already traded like a real commodity, it should be possible to do deals with wind farmers, algae farmers, prius drivers that move off the smell of their own smugness farts, solar farms, etc.
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PeteOz77
Well-Known Member
OK, SO I moved to Australia in 1998. Since that time I have had a few times to be embarrased about being an American, and planty of times to be proud of it.
Here's one of the bad times:
I was back in my home town in Minnesota in January 07' My family had a bit of a community party and around 100 people showed up. One of my old mates from High school and up to eh time I left USA was telling me about his new "Corn Furnace" He said it burns corn instead of oil, gas or wood.
Now just let me say that since I have moved to AUS, my "World View" has expanded a bit. I dont focus so much on my immediate surroundings as much i do the entire world stage. I don't know if it's because of my world travels, because of more experience due to my age, or my wife's influence, I just know I pay a lot more attention to the world outside my personal space than I did 10 years ago.
So.. anyway I say to this guy.. "Dude! you are burning FOOD! I mean people are starving all over the world, and the amount of corn you burn in ONE DAY would feed a family of 4 for THREE WEEKS!!"
His reply saddened me... seriously, I keep going back to it and thinking about how it was wrong on so many levels..
He said "F*CK EM!!! It's not my fault they don't have any food!" I looked into his eyes and I knew he was serious... I just let it go.
We ****ing pay that now!!!!!!!!
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PeteOz77
Well-Known Member
Yeah Orfy, we are getting too close to that number as well, but since this board is predominantly Americans, I tend to speak in terms that are relevant to USA, then the rest of us can do the conversions from there.
$6.75 USD for US Gallon today
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
We also drive a lot more than you, everything is much further apart here.
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PeteOz77
Well-Known Member
Maybe in Orfy's case, but certainly not in my case!
Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
Perhaps, but at least you guys get a bunch of badass RWD cars that we only see in pages of magazines.
There's a couple pilot systems connected to coal plants in the US. Nothing big. Last report I saw, one of them was shutdown because the algae were growing about 3x as fast as the system could handle.
