Batteries

Bio-Fuels are produced mainly from plant-matter. Plant derived Biofuels come from a variety of plants some of which are: corn, sugar cane & soy beans. A common misconception about biofuels is that they are an "entirely clean and renewable energy source". However, when calculating the full EROEI, it is easy to see there are many fossil fuel inputs required throughout the process of manufacturing biofuels. Petroleum based pesticides & fertilizers, diesel driven tractors and trucks, electricity for irrigation and distilleries; when included in the final calculation these energy inputs make biofuel into more of an energy carrier then an energy producer (many scientist believe biofuels are "Net Energy Losers").Albeit the final products of biofuels are cleaner then gasoline or diesel, many of the biofuel farmers are clearing forest and jungles to make room for biofuel crops. This clearing of vegetation causes the concentration of CO2 to increase further. Also the expanded use of biofuels directly increases the cost of food for humans & livestock, further exacerbating already skyrocketing food commodities prices.

Although biofuels will continue to be used throughout the next century, the limited cropland and increased need for food for growing populations will keep biofuels production to a small percentage of total energy consumption.

Coal is a fossil fuel formed from plant remains, over millions of years.Coal is amazingly energy dense, only second to crude oil. Coal is the number one source of electricity generation, globally.

Demand vs. Supply

Coal reserves in the US remain amongst the largest in the world. These reserves are claimed to hold hundreds of years of supply. However, many analyst that discuss these reserves tend to leave out important supply statistics that drastically change the claimed inventory basis. Even the EIA uses misleading nomenclature when discussing America's coal reserves. Here is a quote from the EIA web site:

"There is enough coal to last approximately 236 years at today's level of use."

A very important part of this sentence that must be understood is "TODAY'S LEVEL OF USE". The sentence should be written as follows:

At 0% demand growth, America's coal reserves will last 236 years.

Of course America has rarely experienced a year where demand for coal remained flat. This leads to understanding the Exponential function. According to Dr. Albert Bartlett, "The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." In terms of coal demand, if we take a fairly conservative growth rate of 2% per annum, we can calculate the time it takes to double our current usage. There is a logarithm (Rule of 70)that when derived you take the number 70 and divide it by the growth rate, this leads to the doubling time. So at 2% growth in coal usage per year, we will have doubled our usage in 35 years. When calculating the future of energy, one must always include probable growth rates.

CTL to CTG

Coal-to-Liquid or Coal-to-Gas are fuels that are refined from coal. The US Government has been exploring these CTL/CTG options for decades. New technologies for converting coal to liquid or gas are being developed.

"Across the world, energy has now become the linchpin of economic competitiveness, forcing the U.S. and its industrial competitors to strategically reassess their energy supplies and sources."

visit: www.futurecoalfuels.org/

The new technologies for converting coal to liquid fuels or gas are substantially better for the environment then the past. However, when calculating the unbelievable demand growth that will come with using coal for transportation, it is obvious that CTL or CTG cannot solve all of our problems. Though continual investment in this technology will certainly prove beneficial for improving our national energy security.

Compressed Air