Blogcritics Comments on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Comment by Les Slater on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 00:26:45 EST

STM, "...turbodiesel powered cars also have much high torque on tap through the mid-range, which means you are gaining in terms of performance..." I can attest to that. I have a VW Beetle TDI. That suckers got torque. I pull onto freeways from the ramp totally in 5th gear. I quickly get to the left lane with the fastest traffic. That was the biggest surprise I was in store for when I got the car. I expected, and got the fuel economy, but am quite pleased with how that little 1.9l, 100 hp engine performs. I am totally sold on diesel as t "...at less cost..." I get 40 MPG without trying. Even with the premium price that you have to pay for auto-diesel, it's still economical. However Volkswagen charges about a $2K premium for the turbo diesel. Les

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 20:15:31 EST

No, the world's fuel supplies can't be met by ethanol, and since America uses a large proportion of that, it's not feasible. There simply isn't enough arable land on the planet to produce enough ethanol to solve the world's fuel needs. But mixing it a bit more with petrol, and relying more and more on diesel (which IS a greener fuel when combined with strict particulate and emissions controls and turbos) and biodiesel will go some way to giving us breathing space. It would stave off the arrival of peak oil, and allow time to look at alternatives - hydrogen and electricity being the main two. Right now, as the Europeans have known for some time, is the time most internal combustion engines should be built as diesel. It costs less to refine, is cheaper and more frugal in terms of miles per gallon/litres per kilometre, and with the right controls, is putting out near clean air. The other bonus, as the Europeans have also discovered, is that turbodiesel powered cars also have much high torque on tap through the mid-range, which means you are gaining in terms of performance at less cost both for the driver and the planet rather than losing. Biodiesel, properly produced, can also be used and will do the same job without any need to reconfigure an engine. In Australia, which has huge gas reserves, many vehicles have been switched to LPG (nearly all cabs on that continent now run on gas), which is also cheaper, so there's another alternative too. It also has huge reserves of natural gas, which can also be used to power vehicles. It's likely that countries taking these steps and doing the research will move beyond the US in terms of alternatives unless the US looks now at its petroleum use. Ethanol is a pipe dream unless wec want to put fuel production ahead of food production. And a few yuppies buying the odd Prius isn't going to help, either, BTW. It's a nice thought on a personal level, but it needs action at all levels of government for alternatives to petroleum to be viable.

Comment by Fox on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 16:48:47 EST

N. Carolina 02/06/08 The first question we have to answer! it is viable environmentally and economicaly. the situation in Brzil is dramaticly diferent, not only Brazilian flit is sigficantly smaller labor is cheaper. Now we need technology for inexpensive fuel's: Etanool, Synfuel, Hidrogen and Maglev. This technologies will revolutionize how we build the next generation of power plants. I am from Brazil and travel to Bazil frequently.

Comment by moonraven on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:25:50 EDT

"The Brasilian State stimulates the use of resettled lands under agrarian reform and lands of small producers, currently responsible for 70% of the production of food, for biofuel crops, compromising food sovereignty. As a result, we assume the commitment of: Expanding and strengthening the struggles of social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean, through an articulation among existing workers' organizations and support groups. Denouncing and combating any agrarian model based on monocultures and concentration of land and profit, destructive of the environment, responsible for slave labor and the overexploitation of the working force. Changing the current agrarian model implies a full realization of a profound Agrarian Reform that eliminates latinfundios. Strengthening rural workers' organizations, salaried workers, and farmworkers to construct a new model that is closely cemented to farmworker agriculture and agroecology, with diversified production, prioritizing internal consumption. It is important to fight for a policy of subsidies for the production of food. Our principal objective is to guarantee food sovereignty, as the expansion of the production of biofuels aggravates hunger in the world. We cannot maintain our tanks full while stomachs go empty." Sao Paulo, February 28, 2007 Comissao Pastoral da Terra (CPT) Grito dos Exclu�dos Movimento Sem Terra (MST) Servico Pastoral dos Migrantes (SPM) Rede Social de Justica e Direitos Humanos Via Campesina

Comment by Dave Nalle on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:30:33 EDT

Dave, I've done a little poking about and I can't find anything close to a 2/3s of new models will take E85 number. I've got links for info on GM and Ford and they do seem to be offering 2/3 or more of their models as E85 compatible. Looking for more info. Also, what do you think of the observation that there just isn't enough biomass to do anything like a whole economy fuel transition? I think it's a reasonable concern, but the key thing about biomass is that it can be regenerated. But we DO need more efficient ethanol production, from sugar rather than corn. The other vital element is to run E85 in a hybrid engine, for which my personal preference would be the Mercury Mountaineer AKA the Ford Escape. The hybrid engine offsets the lower fuel efficiency of ethanol. But the REAL answer is biodiesel, which is much more efficient and easier to produce than ethanol and consumes less biomass. And right now the US is lagging way behind Europe as far as diesel engine quality and availability. We also need good hybrid diesel engines. And they ARE coming. Honda has a diesel/hybrid Civic coming which sounds pretty fantastic. Dave

Comment by Vinay Gupta on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 08:01:30 EDT

Dave, I've done a little poking about and I can't find anything close to a 2/3s of new models will take E85 number. Also, what do you think of the observation that there just isn't enough biomass to do anything like a whole economy fuel transition?

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:04:52 EDT

Actually, it's acts of idiocy like that made me realise all those years ago that you're not that different to us. Not as good as the Poms, though, who had rubber Spitfires attached to their hands when they played Germany in the soccer world cup. There's also a beer brewed in the County of Kent in England called Sptfire Ale - "the bottle of Britain". One of their advertising slogans is (true): "Downed all over Kent, just like the Luftwaffe".

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:44:25 EDT

Ah, God...some of the images we Yanks present to the world...:>(

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:36:18 EDT

I've seen guys on the TV at the NFL wearing pretend cheeses on their heads ... Green Bay Packers? I want one, if only to frighten my children.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:11:45 EDT

It is, and Wisconsin is where they make all that rubbery cheese. The natives of that wild and primitive land proudly call themselves "cheeseheads." Go figure.

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:49:24 EDT

"It's a conspiracy hatched in the cellars of Milwaukee..." Isn't that also the beer and polka capital of America? I'll personally sponsor a beer-discovery mission anywhere in the universe ...

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:35:11 EDT

It's a conspiracy hatched in the cellars of Milwaukee...

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:26:38 EDT

"And as big a project as the Kennedy-led one to put men on the moon." I believe the real reason for the moon landings was held from us. They were sent to discover cheese and the theory is, they actually found it but it's since been kept a closely guarded secret because the US doesn't want to give up its monopoly on the manufacture of rubbery cheese slices used in hamburgers.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:11:44 EDT

troll says: agreed - and this should be priority one And as big a project as the Kennedy-led one to put men on the moon.

Comment by troll on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:58:45 EDT

Clavos says - *I look forward to the day when US makes the fuel switch to the extent we can say F you to all the oil producers. To me, that's THE most compelling reason to develop alternative fuels.* agreed - and this should be priority one

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:51:43 EDT

Yankee capitalist running dog. Let's go halves?

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:39:11 EDT

However, I AM a capitalist. I WILL want royalties. Have your girl call my girl, and we'll do lunch.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:37:53 EDT

Go for it, mate. I'm flattered.

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:27:19 EDT

.... bugger ... all these years ... Lol. "Southocentric". Some of your best work, that old boy. Love it. I bags using it next, too.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:10:45 EDT

No they haven't, lied to you, mate. It's just that you Southerners are so "Southocentric," you don't realize we're talking Western hemisphere here.

Comment by STM on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:00:38 EDT

I thought Australia's was the top performing and fastest growing economy in the southern hemisphere. Bastards've been lying to us again, obviously.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:57:36 EDT

The Woman Who Knows It All says: Venezuela is the fastest growing economy in this hemisphere--and one of the fastest in the world. Well, guera, growth rates are, at best, deceptive: The man who has one dollar and earns another enjoys a 100% growth rate. The man who has a thousand dollars and also earns one dollar, has only a 0.1% growth rate. They both have the same earnings. Which one is better off? Your hero, Castro-clone "Chango" Chavez is screwing his economy up big time, as outlined in my #24. History is full of examples of countries whose primary source of revenue was the sale of their natural resources. And throughout history, those that didn't diversify their economies, all failed when the resources ran out; as one day, inevitably, Chavez' oil will run out. But even before that, the price of oil will plummet as the Global Warming forces assert themselves, gain power, and force the switch to alternative fuels. We all saw what happened in Venezuela just a few months ago with a relatively small and brief drop in the price of a barrel: chaos. But what's ole Monkey Boy doing? Just like Nero, he fiddles, chasing GWB around South America like a dog nipping at Bush's heels and yapping nonsense. I look forward to the day when US makes the fuel switch to the extent we can say F you to all the oil producers. To me, that's THE most compelling reason to develop alternative fuels.

Comment by Clavos on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:06:22 EDT

According to the CIA World Fact Book, measured in terms of "GDP_real growth rate," the country with the fastest growing economy in this hemisphere is Trinidad and Tobago, at 12.6%, with Anguilla coming in second at 10.2%. Venezuela weighs in third in the hemisphere at 8.8%; 22nd in the world, behind such powerhouses as Azerbaijan (32.5%), Equatorial Guinea (18.6%), Angola (14.0%), and Sudan (9.6%). In inflation on the other hand, Venezuela, with 15.8% inflation for 2006 ranked 218th (seventh from the bottom) in the world, ahead of only Afghanistan, the Congo, Burma, Guinea, Iraq, and Zimbabwe. In unemployment, Venezuela is 20th in the hemisphere (103rd in the world), with a rate of 8.9%. It is beaten by, among others: Guatemala 3.2%, Nicaragua 3.8%, El Salvador 6.0%, Costa Rica 6.6%, Peru 7.2%, Chile 7.8%, Bolivia 7.8%, to name just a few. Even in GDP (purchasing power parity), considered by economists to be the most accurate measurement of relative prosperity between countries, Venezuela fares badly. As described in the World Fact Book: "This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries." Venezuela ranks only 9th in the hemisphere in GDP (PPP), behind (in order) the USA, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. Yup, that's a real good economy, all right.

Comment by moonraven on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:27:05 EDT

Not so fast, Dave. You seem to forget that Brazil is a petroleum-producing country. Only approximately 30% of the fuel in use in Brazil is ethanol. And Brazil has a lot of cane production because it is a HUGE country. Please keep in mind that Chavez was referring to Venezuela--a country that you have never visited so you would not be expected to know that it is a fairly SMALL country--especially compared to Brazil, which is the size of a continent! Planting enough sugar cane to yield 3 million barrels a DAY of ethanol would not even be possible in Venezuela! I live in a state which produces sugar cane--and I also know what happens to fields that have been devoted to cane production--they are rendered very quickly useless for any other crops. Cuba found that out the hard way after the massive push to produce cane in the late 60s and early 70s. As to clavos--wow, are you ignorant! Venezuela is the fastest growing economy in this hemisphere--and one of the fastest in the world. Guess that guy has a much better grasp of math and ECONOMICS than you could even dream of, gusano.

Comment by Dave Nalle on Brazil Runs on Ethanol. Can We?

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:04:38 EDT

MR, what I didn't understand is how he could do math so badly. Brazil clearly consumes more fuel in a year than Venezuela produces, yet they were able to switch over to using ethanol without clearcutting everything and turning it all into ethanol crops, so Chavez' math cannot possibly be correct. But I do have a theory. Chavez' perspective on ethanol is suspiciously similar to one which was being promoted by US oil companies a couple of years ago when they wanted to discourage ethanol production. Could it be that his ethanol theory is the result of pure greed? Dave