Hey guys im new to this site and the boards in fact. i just wanted to start off by saying that for the most part im not some huge liberal or anything lol. anyways the reason i posted is i want your input on alternative fuel sources. i think so far one of the greatest combinations or just by itself has been elctric WITH E85 or just e85. I think with enohg help this kind of fuel could decrease wars for fuel and even with the fight for the artic regions and shut down the alaskan pipeline with threatens many animals lives every day.

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Originally posted by kaaittlyn:
You here all this stuff about oill companies and leaders of countries admitting to the factt that we rely on oil to much. So why aren't the doing anything.

The problem is not so much that we can't figure out how to change the system to make it more environmentally friendly, it's that not everyone wants to. The issue is money. A small number of very powerful people, namely the leaders of countries and oil companies you cite, make a lot of money from the system that is in place now. Oil companies pressure the government (particularly the US gov't) with the economic power they hold, so the government is reluctant to sign on to new proposals for more sustainable energy sources. In addition, the US government tends to be a revolving door with the private sector, meaning many US officials, both elected and appointed, have conflicts of interest related to controversial issues like energy and war. Vice President Dick Cheney, for example, is a former CEO of Halliburton, a multibillion dollar US energy (oil) company.

I'm not saying that severing ties from foreign oil is hindered purely by economic interests, but it's certainly a prevailing factor.

You here all this stuff about oill companies and leaders of countries admitting to the factt that we rely on oil to much. So why aren't the doing anything. I know this is more oof a rant, but there are many other ways to supply power. There is wind power, and hydroelectric power. why can't we figure out how to change these things to keep the air we breath clean.

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Originally posted by hopefulcanyon:
So when you drive and you stick your head out the window, you feel wind, right? So, what if there were wind-powered cars? They could use small amounts of gas to start, and for use when driving slow. But there could be a little windmill on the roof of the car, or somewheres and it would generate wind to power the car. Does this make sense?

There's actually someone who's trying to do something similar to this. It's not as simple as "putting a windmill on top of the car". You'd have to have some kind of extremely efficient windmill system to make that work.

A windmill would create all sorts of drag, requiring more and more power to go faster and faster. It's really difficult to get enough energy back from the windmill to make up for the drag it creates.

The best idea I've heard so far comes from two different sources. Bear with me here:

1.) Right now we use huge chemical batteries to store power in hybrid cars. However some engineers found that it's far more efficient to store energy not in batteries but in compressed gas. That is, instead of charging the batteries when you brake the car, you power a pump that compresses nitrogen gas. Same thing with the gas motor, it uses some of the power to compress this gas. Now when you get up to highway speed, you can run the car essentially off compressed air. It's lighter and cheaper than the huge batteries they use now.

2.) A SIX stroke engine. Currently we use old 4-stroke engines. The Crower 6-stroke engine, while still a prototype, increases fuel efficiency by 40% with no hybrid systems at all. That means that the high fuel efficiencies hybrids have now will almost double. It uses steam to dissipate the heat from traditional combustion, so you don't need a raidiator or power-robbing fan.

Okay, maybe this sounds completely insane, but it was just an idea that popped into my head. It probably makes no sense, but I thought I'd bring it up anyways.

So when you drive and you stick your head out the window, you feel wind, right? So, what if there were wind-powered cars? They could use small amounts of gas to start, and for use when driving slow. But there could be a little windmill on the roof of the car, or somewheres and it would generate wind to power the car. Does this make sense?

Although I highly support alternative energy, I think that we should be careful to stay away from finding any "One" source, because all forms of energy production have their drawbacks. Using varied methods would help offset any paricular drawback, as well as let individual regions find whatever method works the best for them (like solar panels in arizona, windmills in the rockies, geothermal power in Iceland, etc.).

I disagree with the assertion that ethanol is "virtually unlimited." Ethanol comes from crops like corn (the most popular in the US right now), which have to be grown somewhere. Currently, and assuming market trends continue, those crops are not grown in an environmentally sustainable way. Corn produced for ethanol is grown with massive amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and the corn itself is genetically modified. I would be more in favor of ethanol as a fuel source if it were grown in a sustainable way, but since nonorganic production is cheaper for large-scale monocropping operations like the ethanol industry, the production will remain harmful to the environment. Another issue with ethanol is that since the most popular source is corn, the price of corn and corn products around the world is rising at an almost unheard of pace. For people throughout Latin America who rely on corn as a staple food (for many, corn tortillas is all they can afford), the price jump means going hungry more often. There are other sources of ethanol, like sugarcane and different types of grasses, but they are either difficult to grow in the US or yield less ethanol per acre.

Also, when thinking about using electricity to power cars (I assume that is what you are referring to in this thread), I believe it is the best option, but you have to remember that electricity doesn't just appear. It too has to be produced - by turning heat into electric power. Most electricity in the US today is produced by burning coal and oil. Doesn't look so great now, does it? That's why saving electricity by turning the lights off when you leave a room and such is important in reducing fuel consumption. Now, if we can find a way to produce enough electricity through sustainable means (wind, sun, tides, etc.), I think electric cars are the answer.

Here's a site with more info about alternative fuels: http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/

Welcome to the boards Master. Just a friendly reminder to use capital letters.

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even with the fight for the artic regions and shut down the alaskan pipeline with threatens many animals lives every day.

As an alaskan resident, I can testify that the pipeline in no way a threat to wildlife. So there.

I agree with you on Ethonal. Ethonal burns muchs cleaner, cheaper, virtually unlimted, and provides extra revenue for farmers. In fact, the entire country of Brazil runs their automobiles on ethonal.

However, I disagree about your pipeline comment. The pipeline has four different leak detection systems and 24 hour availability clean-up crews. There is approximately 579 pipeline animal crossings. Over 170 new species of birds have been found along route. Thirty-four new species of fish have been found. Not to mention, the caribou population has risen dramatically since 1970.
http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/Pipelinefacts/Wildlife.html