Venezuela's Oil Power

[smeagol]

So the choice is the lesser of two evils?

Well, there is no question in my mind I would live in a country who's president is Dubya rather than in country ruled by Castro / Chavez / Peron / Somoza / Stroessner / Daniel Ortega / Videla, Viola, Galtieri, Bignone / or any other dictator/clown LatAm has has to put up with.

Yes, sometimes the choice is the lesser of the two evils. You, my friend, living in Argentina, should know this. Every time we vote we chose between the lesser of two evils 'cause our politicians suck donkey's guevos.

[boutons_]

The Repugs refusing to push down the price of oil with conservation is financing not only Venezuela, but Iran and Russia, whose oil $billions will clearly not be used to USA's benefit.

Oil is the key geo-political/security problem, vulnerabilty for the USA, but the Repugs do nothing but enhance/protect the oil revenues of the US oil/gas companies.

[exstatic]

Ethanol is unworkable for the united states or the world.

1. How many thousands of square miles of rainforest had to be cleared for the crops to make the ethanol?

...

OK, think about this: We pay farmers NOT to grow in this country. We do NOT lack for arable land, and family farms are going under right and left.

[xrayzebra]

Heard a report yesterday that made my ears standup. Everyone thinks ethanol is
the cure for our oil shortage, but did you see where they run out of Gas in the
Dallas area because, get this: a shortage of ethanol, because it can only be transported
by truck, not by pipeline, because it is too corrosive and will mix with water to
easily. There was a shortage of trucks to get the stuff to the refineries. That kinda
puts a crimp in things, doesn't it? Is it back to the drawing board?

[boutons_]

The basic question about plant-derived fuel is whether harvesting solar energy from plants, considering all the artificial energy inputs to grow plants (fertilizer, pesticides, petroleum-based inputs, extraction/refining, irrigation, distribution, etc). produces a net energy gain.

ie, for a 100 units of (non-solar) energy input into plants, do we get 50 energy units of output (a net loss), or 150 units ?

The best photo-voltaics are up to 30% efficient in converting light energy to electrical energy.

Internal combustion engines are about only 30% efficient in converting fuel energy to mechanical energy, the 70% is lost in heat.