Alternative Fuel A Look At Ethanol

Market Barriers

Alternative fuels are our future. On this topic there is very little argument. We, as nations, cannot continue on the path we have been on if our future generations are to have a planet and infrastructure to sustain life and happiness as we have known it.

Future generations will be dictated from what we do right now and over the next 2-3 years. We don’t have the luxury of studying it anymore. In order for alternative fuels like bio or hydrogen fuel cells to become commercially viable we need a market.

In order to have a market we must have a buyer and a manufacturing agent that provides a product. With fuel based products there is one more key ingredient. The infrastructure throughout the supply chain. So what is this you ask? The infrastructure is both the pumping stations and the physical plants to produce the products. Then you need the unique suppliers who build the parts unique to the new tanks both in the vehicles and in the ground or where ever the fuel is stored at the delivery station.

So, how do we get there? Well, big business would say they don’t see a buyer or thus a market to invest in the plants and tooling needed to produce the fuels. The buying public would hold off buying a product that is bleeding edge and thus limited support once they drive it off the lot of their auto dealership locally.

In addition, its one thing to buy it it’s a whole other question to answer as to where to re-fuel the tank which leads us to the true market barrier in our opinion.

Today, there are very few if any non fossil fuel stations where someone can refill their alternative fuel vehicle. There are experiments in the field today albeit limited but they are out there and today their support is typically centrally located and thus limited at best to full functional testing. You wouldn’t try a drive through the Mojave Desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on an alternative fuel vehicle today. However, if you had stations setup in Barstow, Baker and the border of Las Vegas you might reconsider your decision as the way points are much more conducive to you safety should something happen to your vehicle en-route.

So, it’s back to the chicken and the egg. All sides want the end result which in this case is a non polluting non fossil fuel vehicle. But who goes first? The United States is not the best country at launching ventures like this. We tend to offer grants and thus research environments but when it comes to the Commercial world we turn to private industry to solve it. Given the decades of build out of our current fossil fuel environment we do not believe that the government cannot be involved. If the USA funded the first 20% of the overall re-fueling stations across the USA the rest would follow and private industry would have its risk reward ROI (return on investment) all set up for venture capital to enter the fray. Alternative Fuel would be on it's way!

Not unlike what Germany has done with the financing of the solar industry in country. It can be done. We are entering a unique period whereby a new President will be voted in. Our current President will leave office due to our two term maximum. The time is now to find the candidate that understands this problem and get behind them. This election is all about fueling our Green Planet needs.

Make no mistake. Alternative fuel investment by our government should not be taken lightly! Our future depends on this election as to wait another 4 years is certain demise to future generations.

Green Planet Waste

I'm tired just typing all of that. What we are talking about is the debate on Solar Energy in general. There are those that want to focus on the fact that just to produce the panels we have to manufacture using existing energy and thus we pollute and consume.

Well if this was the reason we should stop alternative energy research and manufacturing then folks we are in a lot of trouble as a planet.

We MUST continue to forge ahead and what ever cost it takes to get these leading edge technologies in the consumers hands. What ever it takes is not a comprimising statement at all. IT is pure dictartorship and survival in our minds.

We need alternative energy to Fossil fuel platforms, period. If we expense and pollute to get there then by all means. We cannot forget nor neglect the big picture. To NOT do this could mean future generations will not have light at night all the time. It means food and medical production could be impacted.

No, we cannot let these activists who pursue the slow down of alternative energies to win this one. Vote now and vote often. Speak up for the first time in your life if you need to. This is not a complex issue. The oil companies just want to make it one.

Oil Industry Dilema

So, why is it that in the USA we have a refinery problem? Yes, our real problem is a lack of updates and thus investment in our own capability to convert the Oil to a usable format for our vehicles. Why you ask would the country with so much demand (hang on for China!) be so neglectful in keeping up with the refinery needs? If you had to guess what percentage we currently manufacture at (refine the gas) what would you guess, 40, 60 80 percent? Nope, we are north of 90 percent and reaching the point of saturation when it comes to daily supply and demand estimates in the forecast.

There is no quick fix to this problem. Or is there? We could start pumping (no pun intended) more dollars into expansion of the current refineries but that might lower actual barrel fees! Or we can do what really needs to be done and that's extract our funds from this endless circle and go full steam (pun intended) towards alternative fuels liky fuel cells.

Nice Start But Upside Down

Over the past two years the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has invested over $17 million into a fleet of cars and trucks designed to be environmentally friendly for state government use. The 1,138 "flex-fuel" vehicles have driven a collective 10 plus million miles and consumed more than 413,202 gallons of gas. This in itself would be cries for a major annoucement but for one problem. Not one drop has been high-grade ethanol - the fuel that promised to turn the passenger fleet into clean driving machines. Why you ask?

Because the vehicles have no access to ethanol pumping stations. There was none when the Chevrolet Impala sedans and Silverado trucks were purchased and none is scheduled to open until December 2009. That's four years after the vehicles first hit the road.

Now this is not a total loss. The alternative fuel vehicles would have been purchased for every day use regardless and have performed their duties just not able to benefit from a lack of alternative fuel pumping stations. So rather than point a finger at failure as it appears to state in the article, we believe this is a show of support and good faith for the infrastructure to come online and address an inventory of cars ready to accept all the benefits once the pumping stations are fully available.

This gets us back to the same chicken and egg scenario. Or as I have stated in previous articles, "Field of Dreams". The state of California has spoken with their actions. Now we must continue to press for more Clean Fuel intiatives and drive the country in a positive spiral that will lead to more competition coming up with an eventual answer to Non Fossil Fuel propolsion. We get there and this generation can clearly look back at saving the planet.

City of Belmont California!

The city of Belmont just south of San Francisco has announced sweeping changes on their Green Planet and overall Health & Wellness movements. They have banned smoking anywhere within their city limits (amazing aggressive approach) and from a Green Planet perspective they have now waived all Permit Fees for anyone installing Solar Panels for alterative energy solutions. This is a step in the right direction.

If you buy a hybrid car like the many now offered by Honda, Toyota, Saturn, Ford, Nissan and GM you will receive swimming lessons (proposed as of today not approved). Great investment and we hope it is approved soon.

We would like to thank the city managers and the residents of Belmont for taking a leadership role in the fight to save our planet and improve health and wellness!

As we have stated earlier we will continue to monitor the globe and see the good and the bad where countries are stepping up to face the most challenging task facing mankind. The planet needs to go Green, period. It cannot be one country or one State within a country. All or nothing sharing in the technology advancement for the betterment of mankind in general. Today, Austrailia is in the spotlight.

The Australian Government's alternative fuels programs are designed to reduce greenhouse gases and other automotive emissions from Australia's road transportation sector. The aim of these programs is to assess the economic and environmental outcomes of alternative fuels, especially natural gas (NG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), in medium to heavy road vehicles.

This is a good step but we want more, Austrailia! Push the pedal on Non Fossil Fuel research hard and now. Take your best and your brightest and move this effort to the forefront of your economies spend. No country left behind! To do so means we all fail and our childrens children will be asking a lot of questions. Alternative fuel is not better gas mileage! Its the eliminatin of fossil fuel from our propulsion requirements. No more no less.