Should We Ever Subsidize an Oil Company? “Of course not!” might be the immediate reaction of most people. But doesn’t it depend on the objectives you are trying to achieve or the behaviors you wish […]
Tag: biofuels
Democrats Plan to Reverse Tax Break
As someone said to me just now by e-mail, “It ain’t about the fuel… it’s about a piece of the pie.” Democrats Plan to Reverse Tax Break for ConocoPhillips, Tyson April 20 (Bloomberg) — Democrats […]
The Biodiesel Lobby Cries Foul
Let me be clear that I strongly support biodiesel. It has a better energy return than does corn ethanol, and diesel engines are far more efficient than gasoline engines. Each gallon of biodiesel displaces far […]
The Logistics Problem of Cellulosic Ethanol
Update: This article got a mention in today’s Wall Street Journal Energy Roundup. ————————– In my essay Cellulosic Ethanol Reality Check, I identified several big challenges that must be addressed before cellulosic ethanol is commercially […]
My Reaction to the State of the Union
I think it’s great to set ambitious goals. It’s true that if you set stretch goals, but fall a bit short, you still probably did OK. But it is also important to set goals that […]
Key Questions on Energy Options
A question was recently posed to me: What is the most important question concerning ethanol production? That got me to thinking about important questions regarding not only ethanol, but all of our energy sources. There […]
Ethanol, Biodiesel, and Food Prices
The following story from Bloomberg caught my eye today: Ethanol Drives Up Food Commodity Prices Some notable excerpts: Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) — Global ethanol production is driving up prices for food commodities, from feed stocks […]
Who Supplies the Most Biofuel?
I learned something interesting today. If you had asked me who is the world’s largest distributor of bio-fuels, I would have probably guessed ADM. It looks like I might have been wrong. Here is a […]
Ammonia and Biofuels
The following is a guest post by Dave Bradley, who has some very good technical essays on wind power here. Dave introduced himself to me via e-mail several months ago, and after exchanging a few […]