--- "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@INTREX.NET> wrote:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4220790.stm>
Last Updated: Wednesday, 7 September 2005, 00:49 GMT 01:49 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Tall grasses set to power Europe
By Jonathan Amos
BBC News science reporter, Dublin
How many times do I have to say this. The most energy-efficient
species of life on planet Earth is Homo Sapiens. I don't care
how you slice and dice it, photosynthesis is never more than 1%
to 2% efficient in capture and utilization of solar energy.
Human beings have achieved 20%, 25%, 30% efficiency using the
higher cost pure monocrystal photovoltaics, and 13%-14% using
the low cost Multi-Crystalline PV.
There's no plant nowhere, not on steroids, not GMO, not nothing,
that can come within one-sixth as good as human beings on its
best day.
We don't need expanded human footprint to waste land in
inefficient energy production. We don't want net-zero CO2, but a
drawdown in CO2 by smartening up and forgetting about every kind
of carbon fuel. Burning carbon in any form whatsoever is not
smart,
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.