Comments on: Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html Investment Advice and Investment Research with a Contrarian Point of View Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:06:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: teri http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-41237 teri Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:18:08 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-41237 This article is a disappointment, and an example of a Flawed analysis of Biofuels. For starters, Biodiesel (not ethanol)is environmentally sustainable and won't affect food prices as long as we produce other commodities other than food products, and prohibit the destruction of forests to grow palm oil. There are strides being made in the production of biodiesel such as; cellulosic biomass, and algae. Algae researchers are seeking ways to cost effectively mass produce biodiesel. I suspect it won't be long before they figured that out. Further, 100% Biodiesel has no harmful emissions, and current production from cooking oils produce a byproduct that can be used to make soap. Many products which run on fossil fuels if not already converted to 100% biodiesel, can! For instance, my neighbor runs his home furnace on Biodiesel, cars, trains and planes can run on 100% biodiesel... and more products can easily be manufactured to run on biodiesel as well. And I agree with fellow blogger; Harold Segelstad. "We can generate far more energy with wind, solar, geothermal,etc. diapatched on a smart grid at half the cost of nuclear". Amory Lovins world renowned scientist, and co-founder of think tank; Rocky Mountain Institute, testified in front of the Dept of Energy in (2006?) and in various conferences and appearances since, that nuclear energy is Not a viable option. It simple is Not cost effective. Natural Gas is Not viable either. In fact, natural gas is a BAD Idea. The EPA has launched an investigation into the a natural gas process called, "fraking". It is destructive and the "Fraking process" poisons underground water supplies with "hydrochloric acid, benezene", and other known toxins. Colorado cattle ranchers have reported livestock died from drinking the water, birth rates are lower, and an in flux of livestock birth defects. reference: (http://splashdownpa.blogspot.com/2010/03/university-of-pittsburgh-scientist.html) (www.propublica.org/.../epa-launches-national-study-of-hydraulic-fracturing) This article is a disappointment, and an example of a Flawed analysis of Biofuels. For starters, Biodiesel (not ethanol)is environmentally sustainable and won’t affect food prices as long as we produce other commodities other than food products, and prohibit the destruction of forests to grow palm oil. There are strides being made in the production of biodiesel such as; cellulosic biomass, and algae. Algae researchers are seeking ways to cost effectively mass produce biodiesel. I suspect it won’t be long before they figured that out. Further, 100% Biodiesel has no harmful emissions, and current production from cooking oils produce a byproduct that can be used to make soap. Many products which run on fossil fuels if not already converted to 100% biodiesel, can! For instance, my neighbor runs his home furnace on Biodiesel, cars, trains and planes can run on 100% biodiesel… and more products can easily be manufactured to run on biodiesel as well.
And I agree with fellow blogger; Harold Segelstad. “We can generate far more energy with wind, solar, geothermal,etc. diapatched on a smart grid at half the cost of nuclear”. Amory Lovins world renowned scientist, and co-founder of think tank; Rocky Mountain Institute, testified in front of the Dept of Energy in (2006?) and in various conferences and appearances since, that nuclear energy is Not a viable option. It simple is Not cost effective.

Natural Gas is Not viable either. In fact, natural gas is a BAD Idea. The EPA has launched an investigation into the a natural gas process called, “fraking”. It is destructive and the “Fraking process” poisons underground water supplies with “hydrochloric acid, benezene”, and other known toxins. Colorado cattle ranchers have reported livestock died from drinking the water, birth rates are lower, and an in flux of livestock birth defects.
reference: (http://splashdownpa.blogspot.com/2010/03/university-of-pittsburgh-scientist.html)

(www.propublica.org/…/epa-launches-national-study-of-hydraulic-fracturing)

]]> By: harold segelstad http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-39474 harold segelstad Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:50:43 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-39474 Your critique on corn based ethanol and palm oil based biofuels has merit. In both cases there are more economically and environmentally desirable techniques to generate these necessary resources to supplant fossil fuels. So do not make a broad brush condemnation. There is much promise in the R&D pipeline for cellulosic biomass ,algae,etc. I speak as a pioneer who originated and directed the Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s Renewable Energy R&D Program in 1976. Also be aware that nuclear energy is NOT economically viable.We can generate far more energy with solar ,wind,geothermal etc. dispatched on a smart grid at half the cost of nuclear. Why are there ZERO privately financed nuclear plants in the world? All are massively government subsidized,a great waste of taxpayer money. Your critique on corn based ethanol and palm oil based biofuels has merit. In both cases there are more economically and environmentally desirable techniques to generate these necessary resources to supplant fossil fuels. So do not make a broad brush condemnation. There is much promise in the R&D pipeline for cellulosic biomass ,algae,etc.
I speak as a pioneer who originated and directed the Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s Renewable Energy R&D Program in 1976. Also be aware that nuclear energy is NOT economically viable.We can generate far more energy with solar ,wind,geothermal etc. dispatched on a smart grid at half the cost of nuclear. Why are there ZERO privately financed nuclear plants in the world? All are massively government subsidized,a great waste of taxpayer money.

]]> By: Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37971 Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:54:42 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37971 [...] Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You [...] [...] Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You [...]

]]> By: Raul Monzon http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37868 Raul Monzon Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:06:08 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37868 For more details regarding C-M1, Pls visit www.cangrier-m.com , the energy of the future. For more details regarding C-M1, Pls visit http://www.cangrier-m.com , the energy of the future.

]]> By: Glenn Caldwell http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37775 Glenn Caldwell Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:07:26 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37775 I disagree with those that thought this was a great article. Too bad David appears to not know anything about current farming practices or why groceries got high in price. Corn used for ethanol is not the same corn that most people think of when they are buying food at there local grocery. Corn used for ethanol is number 2 yellow corn and typically used for animal feed, not human.When used in dry grind ethanol production, it produces a co-product (DDGS) that is used to replace corn displaced from it's usual use as an animal feed. DDGS has proven to be better, cheaper animal feed than corn. By using DDGS in animal diets the need for whole kernel for the animal diet is negligible. The corn at the grocery store is still there and not taken from anyone's mouth. Food prices went up because the index funds forced oil excessively high in the furures market price speculation and therefore transportation and manufacturing costs went up. Corn has fallen from high prices to very low break even at best prices, but how much have groceries come down in price. They haven't! In the grand scheme agriculture very few acres were switched to plant corn but yields increased tremendously and more than made up a bulk of increased use of corn for ethanol. As a farmer with an ethanol plant within a half mile of my front door,I kept my same rotation of wheat, corn, and soybeans. The only thing that has made me change rotation strategy has been due to excessive rainfall that has delayed or prevented planting crops at the appropriate times. AS far as "subsidy" to ethanol, most think it went to the ethanol plants and farmer. The fact is the "subsidy" was a blenders credit and for the most part has gone to refiners and oil companies as they were the ones that have done most of the blending of ethanol with gasoline. I would guess that most people don't know or have forgotten that ethanol replaced MTBE in gasoline for our autos. MTBE is a carcinogenic found to be poluting our fresh water supplies. It was a product produced by the petroleum industry to satisfy the clean air requirements placed on our fuel supply and used in almost every gallon of gasoline. Without having a safer product readily available and an incentive to use that product, it would have been impossible get the industry to change the recipe for our auto gas. How wonderful to have a product that we could reproduce and add to the Green environment. The blending credit has actually saved the taxpayers incredible amounts of tax dollars by creating a market for corn that actually returns a profit to farmers. With corn being profitable the support offered to agriculture has been tremendously reduced by an amount many times greater than the blenders credit. Before there is a claim made about how expensive the "ag bill" is that congress debates every year, be awarr that two thirds of funding for the "Ag Bill" is used for programs like food stamps and not as a direct subsidy to agriculture. I wish I had the time and literary skills to actually address the half-truths expressed by David and others, but writing and arguing is not my expertise. I sure wish the press and other publications such as this one would refrain from printing so many opinions in the limelight and also check the source of information from several layers deep as was done in the old days of journalism. There is so much misinformation that the general public, as well as so called experts such as David, take for granted just because they read it in print from a source and repeat the information without performing the due diligence to really verify the material as to the latest and most honestly fair analysis. Now that the media blitz to discredit ethanol has all but destroyed the corn ethanol industry, look what has happened. The large oil companies like Valerol, Shell, and British Petroleum (BP) have gobbled up many ethanol plants in the US and have formed partnerships to gain control of the ethanol industry in Brazil! I wonder who had the money to provide for all the misinformation that made ethanol go from the tremendous home grown solution it could have been to once again something controlled by the same people that loved to bringing expensive oil subsidized by our military from outside our borders. If I remember correctly, I believe there were some unheard of revenues in the oil industry just proceeding the media attack on ethanol. If 10% of my market share was being mandated by having a replacement additive in our fuel blends, I would think there would have been a huge incentive to use some of those high profits to monopolize the industry again. If we don't grow the ethanol industry inside our borders, this country will continue to be dependent on foreign fuel. I disagree with those that thought this was a great article. Too bad David appears to not know anything about current farming practices or why groceries got high in price. Corn used for ethanol is not the same corn that most people think of when they are buying food at there local grocery. Corn used for ethanol is number 2 yellow corn and typically used for animal feed, not human.When used in dry grind ethanol production, it produces a co-product (DDGS) that is used to replace corn displaced from it’s usual use as an animal feed. DDGS has proven to be better, cheaper animal feed than corn. By using DDGS in animal diets the need for whole kernel for the animal diet is negligible. The corn at the grocery store is still there and not taken from anyone’s mouth. Food prices went up because the index funds forced oil excessively high in the furures market price speculation and therefore transportation and manufacturing costs went up. Corn has fallen from high prices to very low break even at best prices, but how much have groceries come down in price. They haven’t! In the grand scheme agriculture very few acres were switched to plant corn but yields increased tremendously and more than made up a bulk of increased use of corn for ethanol. As a farmer with an ethanol plant within a half mile of my front door,I kept my same rotation of wheat, corn, and soybeans. The only thing that has made me change rotation strategy has been due to excessive rainfall that has delayed or prevented planting crops at the appropriate times. AS far as “subsidy” to ethanol, most think it went to the ethanol plants and farmer. The fact is the “subsidy” was a blenders credit and for the most part has gone to refiners and oil companies as they were the ones that have done most of the blending of ethanol with gasoline. I would guess that most people don’t know or have forgotten that ethanol replaced MTBE in gasoline for our autos. MTBE is a carcinogenic found to be poluting our fresh water supplies. It was a product produced by the petroleum industry to satisfy the clean air requirements placed on our fuel supply and used in almost every gallon of gasoline. Without having a safer product readily available and an incentive to use that product, it would have been impossible get the industry to change the recipe for our auto gas. How wonderful to have a product that we could reproduce and add to the Green environment. The blending credit has actually saved the taxpayers incredible amounts of tax dollars by creating a market for corn that actually returns a profit to farmers. With corn being profitable the support offered to agriculture has been tremendously reduced by an amount many times greater than the blenders credit. Before there is a claim made about how expensive the “ag bill” is that congress debates every year, be awarr that two thirds of funding for the “Ag Bill” is used for programs like food stamps and not as a direct subsidy to agriculture. I wish I had the time and literary skills to actually address the half-truths expressed by David and others, but writing and arguing is not my expertise. I sure wish the press and other publications such as this one would refrain from printing so many opinions in the limelight and also check the source of information from several layers deep as was done in the old days of journalism. There is so much misinformation that the general public, as well as so called experts such as David, take for granted just because they read it in print from a source and repeat the information without performing the due diligence to really verify the material as to the latest and most honestly fair analysis. Now that the media blitz to discredit ethanol has all but destroyed the corn ethanol industry, look what has happened. The large oil companies like Valerol, Shell, and British Petroleum (BP) have gobbled up many ethanol plants in the US and have formed partnerships to gain control of the ethanol industry in Brazil! I wonder who had the money to provide for all the misinformation that made ethanol go from the tremendous home grown solution it could have been to once again something controlled by the same people that loved to bringing expensive oil subsidized by our military from outside our borders. If I remember correctly, I believe there were some unheard of revenues in the oil industry just proceeding the media attack on ethanol. If 10% of my market share was being mandated by having a replacement additive in our fuel blends, I would think there would have been a huge incentive to use some of those high profits to monopolize the industry again. If we don’t grow the ethanol industry inside our borders, this country will continue to be dependent on foreign fuel.

]]> By: Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You | Whitecapreport.com http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37746 Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You | Whitecapreport.com Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:09:27 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37746 [...] Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You [...] [...] Biofuels: Don’t Let This Alternative Energy “Greendoggle” Fool You [...]

]]> By: Garth Ballantyne http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37598 Garth Ballantyne Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:16:40 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37598 A great article and very on the mark for the lunacy of creating false markets for products that cannot function financially in the real world. When Germany cut back on solar subsidies the market cap of every major producer dropped dramatically. The cut back on food production is ludicrous to make ethanol at more cost than it can be sold for. Denmark has the highest concentration of wind power generation in the world and even their Energy Minister has declared it a financial boondoggle. Technology designed in Canada uses almost no outside power to create conversion of bio-solids and organic matter into clean green renewable energy. No CO2 no NOX gases during combustion, no fossil fuels used in the processing and 50% of all feed stock becomes usable fuel. Landfills can be rehabilitated, no new trees have to be cut, and a minimal carbon footprint is the result. No odor, clean, renewable, green energy and systems that last for 25+ years. There is an alternative and it is being adapted by the world. Currently operations in The USA, Canada, Britain and Ireland all attest to the efficacy of this incredible system. It makes coal burn cleaner and has even been used to neutralize PCB contaminated soil. There is a simple alternative that is cost effective that doesn't break down that has never relied on government subsidies or handouts. Perhaps that is the problem. A great article and very on the mark for the lunacy of creating false markets for products that cannot function financially in the real world. When Germany cut back on solar subsidies the market cap of every major producer dropped dramatically. The cut back on food production is ludicrous to make ethanol at more cost than it can be sold for. Denmark has the highest concentration of wind power generation in the world and even their Energy Minister has declared it a financial boondoggle.

Technology designed in Canada uses almost no outside power to create conversion of bio-solids and organic matter into clean green renewable energy. No CO2 no NOX gases during combustion, no fossil fuels used in the processing and 50% of all feed stock becomes usable fuel. Landfills can be rehabilitated, no new trees have to be cut, and a minimal carbon footprint is the result.

No odor, clean, renewable, green energy and systems that last for 25+ years. There is an alternative and it is being adapted by the world. Currently operations in The USA, Canada, Britain and Ireland all attest to the efficacy of this incredible system. It makes coal burn cleaner and has even been used to neutralize PCB contaminated soil.

There is a simple alternative that is cost effective that doesn’t break down that has never relied on government subsidies or handouts. Perhaps that is the problem.

]]> By: Jimbo http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37521 Jimbo Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:07:58 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37521 Henry Ford built a 1930 Auto that had plastic parts made from Hemp, Powered this Auto with fuel made from hemp. Hemp was processed into rope, paper, paint, medicines, cloth and many other uses. Hemp was considered a gift from god for its many uses. Hemp grows so tall that it prevents weeds from getting sunlight so they die.Hemp requires no pesticides. Hemp does not harm the earth, it removes more polution from the air than any other plant. The only draw back with hemp is it was the top compeditor to big oil and Dupont so big oil and Dupont went to the best government that money can buy and had hemp labeled, Marijuana and the gov. started a campain against hemp and with a doctor that was there"expert witnes" to say that marijuana when smoked made people violent. Now you know why the earth is so poluted and why it will only get worse. Henry Ford built a 1930 Auto that had plastic parts made from Hemp, Powered this Auto with fuel made from hemp. Hemp was processed into rope, paper, paint, medicines, cloth and many other uses. Hemp was considered a gift from god for its many uses. Hemp grows so tall that it prevents weeds from getting sunlight so they die.Hemp requires no pesticides. Hemp does not harm the earth, it removes more polution from the air than any other plant. The only draw back with hemp is it was the top compeditor to big oil and Dupont so big oil and Dupont went to the best government that money can buy and had hemp labeled, Marijuana and the gov. started a campain against hemp and with a doctor that was there”expert witnes” to say that marijuana when smoked made people violent. Now you know why the earth is so poluted and why it will only get worse.

]]> By: commander http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37486 commander Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:58:31 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37486 Hey, US already doesnt import much from the middle east, most middle east oil goes to Asia as its closer. In the next few year the US will get even less oil from middle east as its crowded out of the market. Canada is the US biggest oil supplier and will get bigger. Hey, US already doesnt import much from the middle east, most middle east oil goes to Asia as its closer. In the next few year the US will get even less oil from middle east as its crowded out of the market.
Canada is the US biggest oil supplier and will get bigger.

]]> By: Investment U http://www.investmentu.com/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37453 Investment U Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:00:28 +0000 http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2010/March/the-biofuel-industry-greendoggle.html#comment-37453 Thomas, The Fredonia Reactor report can be found on the Oxford Club website under the Investor Reports section, it should be one of the very top reports on that page. Thank you, Investment U Thomas,

The Fredonia Reactor report can be found on the Oxford Club website under the Investor Reports section, it should be one of the very top reports on that page.

Thank you,

Investment U

]]>