Re: bio-diesel hybrid future

[Steve Spence]

heh, you would think so. not the case with the dd 2-71 .......

Steve Spence
Dir., Green Trust, http://www.green-trust.org
Contributing Editor, http://www.off-grid.net
http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html

Herb wrote:

>
> Almost forgot to mention that two strokes apparently don't vibrate as
> much since they have a power stroke each revolution of the crank.
>
> Herb

[Herb]

Steve Spence wrote:

> heh, you would think so. not the case with the dd 2-71 .......
>
> Steve Spence
> Dir., Green Trust, http://www.green-trust.org
> Contributing Editor, http://www.off-grid.net
> http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html


You've definitely got the experience there. The only two stroke
experience I have (diesel anyway) is the 6 and 12 cylinder
Fairbanks-Morse 38ND8-1/8's we had on the boats (submarines) I sailed
on. When they were running, who cared if they vibrated, they were so
loud you could barely think. They were two stroke, opposed piston (2
pistons in each cylinder) huge fuel oil beasts. They were as reliable
as a stone though, which is good for an emergency generator.

Herb

[Matt Whiting]

Steve Spence wrote:
> I wonder why Bob thinks solar panels take land out of production? Maybe
> he never heard of roofs?

Roofs aren't adequate in most situations. They are OK for single level
homes in the southern lattitudes. They won't suffice for a high-rise
building or even a two or three story structure in the northern lattitudes.


Matt

[Anthony Matonak]

Matt Whiting wrote:
> Steve Spence wrote:
>
>> I wonder why Bob thinks solar panels take land out of production?
>> Maybe he never heard of roofs?
>
> Roofs aren't adequate in most situations. They are OK for single level
> homes in the southern lattitudes. They won't suffice for a high-rise
> building or even a two or three story structure in the northern lattitudes.

Perhaps parking lots, roads, railroad right of ways, deserts and
the occasional orbital platform could fill in for those places
that don't have enough roof space.

Anthony

[Andre]

"Rod" > wrote in message
...
> Right on, Bob. It has been said that the energy required to produce a
solar
> cell is greater than the energy it is likely to produce in its life.
> Bummer.
>
> A similar argument can be made about bio-fuels. The energy required to
> plant, cultivate, harvest and distil is greater than the resulting energy
> produced.
>
> Rod

The one problem with this statement is that it is usually based on existing
technology. If the tractors, trucks, etc. used to plant, cultivate and
harvest the fuel were to use bio-diesel instead of regular diesel then the
use of petrolium based fuel for production of bio-diesel would go down.

Also, depending on the type of crop harvested might have something to do
with it as was mentioned earlier.

A third aspect is that we can reuse oil used for something else. For
example, vegetable oil used for cooking can be resued, so it serves double
duty. The waste solids can still be used for soap so serving triple duty.

Andre