Alcohol contains one half the energy per weight as does gasoline. It takes about as much petroleum energy to produce a BTU of corn ethanol energy as can be usefully obtained from it. Our food production and distribution is petroleum intensive. So goes the price of oil goes food prices.
Not is all as it seems here. First is has about 60% of BTU energy but it also has much higher octane and cools mixture far more with means greater expansion and power (Indy cars have long raced on Alcohol) The Problem is that all fuel cars do not exploit E85 and do not use it efficiently because they are ham stringed with a lower CR for 87 octane tolerance. A much higher CR would raise MPG up to nearly par with gas PLUS much greater power too.
Diesel is more efficient because the engine - a heat engine - has a higher temperature differential. But it takes 1/3 more petroleum to produce a gallon a diesel. Savings gone!
Heat engine? It is not a Sterling. It gets its efficiency for greater expansion from higher CR as this captures more energy. As far as cost, when they crack a barrel of oil they get several products problem is diesel demand has unbalance the split demand and therefore costs more to make today than in past.
Electric cars are actually coal cars. Plug an electric car into the power grid and where does the power come from? Not from wind or solar. That power is already spoken for and always runs as full as it can. Plug in an electric car to charge and someone somewhere turns up the knob a little bit at a coal plant. Drive an electric car with lead-acid batteries and roughly 3 lbs of battery must be rebuilt each day. That's not so green now, is it?
Actually they are natural gas and oil cars too because last administration pushed expansion and use of oil and natural gas for power plants because it was cheaper to clean even though we are the middle east of coal with proven reserves exceeding 300 years. Power plants are about 50% efficient for overall more efficient than a gas car. Plus there is wind power and such and nuclear. Nobody uses lead acid batteries for cars except home brew or golf carts.
Why do gasoline cars rule? Because they the free market has decided (correctly) that they provide the lowest cost per mile.
A Myth. It is because other forms of energy have been stifled. Do you think Big Oil wants solar, nuclear or coal power to expand? People complain about a 30 or 40 cent tax on gas that at least is spent here but not the 2 dollars plus of ever gallon that goes overseas.
Incandescent bulbs? No more 100 watts bulbs as of the end of this year. The next after that 60 watters go away. And the year after that go the 40 watters. If you enjoy incandescents stock up now.
Good riddance.
Have fun and consume. Who are you saving the petroleum for? The world will drink deeply of it until it's gone, global warming or no global warming. Crank back the power on an amp to make a tube last a little bit longer? No way! Push that puppy and work that DX. Buy a bigger power supply so it "loafs along?" A waste of capital. But the smallest and use it. Use the left over money to buy something else. Consume, don't conserve.
Nothing wrong with trying to use power more wisely as the wasteful attitude by masses has put us in this pickle today. I remember many many years ago during cheap fuel days my dad telling me it was cheaper to heat than insulate well we are paying for it now.
