e^2 questions
Ok, the Nobel prize was a red herring, sort of. The point is: he's a bright dude, with the ability to move from lasers to cellulosic ethanol. If anyone can tell you what the issues and possible solutions are, he's the guy.e2 video: Growing energy1. Google Steve Chuwhere does he work?-United States Secretary of Energy under president Barrack Obama.where did he work before?-Berkeley!on what?-Cellulosic Ethanolwhat did he get an award for?-He won the Nobel prize for research on cooling and trapping atoms with laser lights in the Bell Laboratories.why is this important to the end of this story??
It also speaks to Obama's long term plans for sustainable energy in this country, see?
without irrigation or fertilizer (from petroleum)2. Google Dan Kammenwhere does he work?-Berkeley!on what?-Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)why does he cite Brazilian sugar ethanol as sustainable?-Because it is a domestic solution to a national problem. Sugar cane grows perfectly in Brazil, and they can create enough to basically supply their country with the energy they need.
perhaps. the big deal is: which is sustainable?compare this with corn ethanol grown in the US (e.g. Nebraska)-Corn ethanol competes for food. Sugar also has a much higher energy concentration than corn, and takes less energy input to produce.
assuming you don't use the cellulose3. Compare sugar ethanol from Brazil with US corn ethanolwhich competes for food?Cornwhich needs petrochemical to fertilize?Cornwhat is the energy balance like for each?Corn needs much energy input, but is low in concentrated energy.
just a first gen biofuel (e.g. burning). It was also used as a building material (look up)Sugar is very high in concentrated energy.what is/was bagasse used for?-Used as a biofuel.
not exactly-cellulosewhat is bagasse made of?-Byproducts of sugar production from sugar cane
burned, right?how did sugar cane mills here in Hawaii fuel their boilers?Using bagasse
why not?was sugar indigenous, and could it grow here again? explain.Sugar cane is not indigenous, but it could grow here again because we have enough rain and sun. It is not economically feasible to grow here though.
what happened in October of 2006 that changed this for good, and why are Honoka'a, Pauuilo and Hawi ghost towns now?
big climate change guy as well.4. Google Vijaywhat is he involved in now?He is the senior editor for the Economist. His goal is to raise awareness for the future about sustainable energy and alternative energy sources.
and satellite photos5. Oil Embargowhen did this happen?-1973why?-The US supplied weapons to the Israelis during the Yom Kippur War.
increased conservation efforts as well...OPEC punished us by cutting off our oil supplies.what happened?how did this change the lifestyle of people in the US?-Crippled our economy.
was it consistent?is this similar to today?-Started a trend toward smaller and more efficient vehicles, so yes it is similar to today.
not really, farmers would plant soy if they could make more money on it. corn is expensive to farm, the machinery is VERY expensive, and so is the fertilizer.6. Corn Ethanolwhy is this so prevalent in the US?-We have lots of corn!
okwho backs it and why?-We have lots of corn farmers that are very politically influential.
yep. see the trend?who was president in 2002, when many of the corn ethanol policies began?-Bush.what was his line of work before?-Oil industry!what about the vice president?-Cheney, worked in the oil industry!
right, but why did they not work on hybrids for the world market?7. Carswhy do you think VW has put more research into biofuel cars than hybrids?-Because there was a huge niche in the Brazilian market for cars that could run off both gas and ethanol (flex fuel). Also, given the existing infrastructure in Brazil, it was much easier to modify existing infrastructure, than to introduce an entire new system.
good...Also, volkswagon realizes that hybrid cars are not going to be sustainable because of the high cost and limited lifespan of batteries.when were CAFE standards started?during the oil crisis.what is a CAFE standard?-corporate average fuel economy standards.what was made exempt from CAFE standards around 1995?SUV'swhat impact did this have on the country?Fuel economy sunk to a 20 year low. We have cars on the road that are less fuel efficient than Henry Ford's Model T!
or any non-fruit part of the plant (yes, the corn kernel is the fruit)8. Cellulosic Ethanolwhat is this?-Ethanol made from "woody" plants (cellulose)
If we are using corn it does.how is it different from corn ethanol or sugar ethanol?-We can't digest cellulose. Also, this does not compete with food supplies.
What happened to the price of tortillas in Mexico over the past few years?
10x?now rethink your bagasse question from abovewhy is Steve Chu key to this?-He is researching cellulosic fuel because he realizes that they have the potential to be up to 10 times more efficient than corn ethanol.
right!imagine Brazil with sugar ethanol AND cellulosic ethanol-your thoughts?-Sugar cane can be used to produce sugar, then the byproducts can be used to create ethanol.