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  • From: Don Bowen KI6DIU <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] An International Analysis of the Credit Debacle
  • Date: Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:36:04 -0700

At 10/7/2007, you wrote:
Which is what farmers do, historically speaking. Ethanol seems to be
having a hard ride just now with not enough product or market to keep
new plants operational.

The basic problem is transportation. Ethanol cannot be transported by existing pipelines and running new redesigned pipelines to the various distilleries scattered about is prohibitively expensive. The tank cars, barges, and trailers have to be special purpose so cannot do back hauls.

Currently rail transport is choked because the major lines have been acquiring each other and not putting money into new trackage. Several lines have long stretches of single line and the hope was that by combining lines one-way routes could be developed but that has not happened. The traffic in containers from the west coast ports is a huge part of the overall load.

Truck traffic is also tight because of infrastructure problems and the expense. Barge traffic is heavy in other products and the water routes tend to carry products to where ethanol is not needed.

OTOH, the Germans are putting solar panels on all their roofs, more or less.

It is more than roofs, farmers are selling huge chunks of the countryside for solar panel and wind farms. No matter how many solar panels or wind farms or what ever, nothing comes any where close to crude oil for energy invested vs energy returned and none will be able to fully replace the millions of gallons of motor fuel.



Don Bowen Awl Knotted Up KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com




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