ALTERNATIVE FUELS - THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY TRUTHS

ALTERNATIVE FUELS – THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY TRUTHS

 

All of the Preachers involved in the religion of Alternative Fuel want to evangelize you.  They want you to be a believer.  They want you to believe the fuel preached about during their sermon is right for you, for your state, for your country, for the world.  

Much like any religion they have different sects.  Some of the churches preach about solar, others are wind, ethanol, electric cars and hydrogen.  Why there’s even a church of Used Deep Fryer Grease.  Lest I forget there is the Al Gore Church of Anything But Fossil Fuel (As Long As I and My Close Band of Church Overseers Can Make A Fortune Selling Bogus Carbon Credits).  Yes, my friends, we have no shortage of sects in the religion of alternative fuel.

Just like in real life, one needs to be aware that there are bogus religions that turn out to be a cult.  This is especially true in the religion of Alternative Fuel.  

Today I will take to the Pulpit and lay thread bare what previous has been some hidden truths of this growing and somewhat cult like false god.  

THE CHRUCH OF FOSSIL FUEL

The long standard torch bearer religion has been that of Fossil Fuel.  On the good side, for years there has been plenty of it.  However, there are some problems within this church.  As other countries (China) becomes advanced and industrialize, the demand goes up.  When a select area of the world (Mid-East) holds the sacred drilling ground, the world can be held hostage to price and availability.  There is also that nasty and way overblown side effect of CO2 emissions.  Other sects use CO2 to get parishioners to defect and jump on board a ‘new hip trend setting’ sect.  The Al Gore Church has been very good at marketing his sect by bashing Fossil Fuel.  Please note – I used the word good and not correct in the last sentence.  I also called it marketing because that is exactly what he has been doing with his false god(s).  

There is yet another problem with the Fossil Fuel sect.  It has a finite supply in a world of growing demand.  However, Fossil Fuel is not the only item with a finite supply.  There is also a limited supply of potable water and land for growing food.  Message to world – You cannot have an infinite supply of people and a finite supply of resources.  Much like a never ending national debt this equation simply does not work.  You don’t have to be a genius to figure the eventual reality of such a nonsensical belief.  

THE SUN GOD

I did some studying of the theology at the Solar Sect.  The theology is solid albeit a bit flawed.  Power companies and even the government like to push this sect with verbal and financial support.  However, if you investigate beyond the obvious, there is an ulterior motive.  Power companies throw verbal support because the feds have forced them into it by requiring said companies to advance the cause of alternative fuels.  On the plus side for the power companies is a PR campaign that makes them sound environmentally concerned, plus they get to raise rates and blame the feds.  Quietly those same power companies really don’t want Joe Consumer going solar.  Those companies like to drag their ‘Ready Kilowatt’ feet on rebate programs while passing the blame on to the State Public Utilities Commissions.  

Here’s something I find most interesting.  Recently there has been a defection from the Solar Sect by the Green Members of this religion.  The Greeners have discovered it takes acres of land for solar panels to produce a questionable amount of electricity.  These same Greeners are now jumping ship because these shaded acres are disturbing the ‘natural beauty and natural environment’.  It seems that rattlesnakes love the shade of solar panels on a hot desert sunny day. 

From a government corruption standpoint, crony capitalism is alive and well within the solar religion.   Please don’t make me spell out Solyndra (U.S.) or SunTech (China) as just 2 examples.  Yes, there are more (Tonopah Solar and others).

Click http://www.trutv.com/conspiracy/government/pork-2011/gallery.all.html for a list of other government waste projects.  

Oh, I almost forgot there is a Greener issue with toxic waste in the solar panel manufacturing process.   Suffice it to say it’s not all sunshine in the Solar Sect. 

THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, AIN’T BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

There is a bad wind blowing on the once popular Wind Sect.   Problem #1 is that the best place to build a wind farm will never be used.  Of course that “BEST” location is in D.C. around the White House and Capitol Building.  A wind farm there would produce enough electricity to power the nation, if not the world.  

This once popular group amongst the Green has plummeted.   It seems, much like solar, this is proving to be unfriendly to our friends with wings.  A samurai sword whirling in a 60 m.p.h. wind has a devastating effect on an eagle.  Don’t you think it’s kind of odd that nobody thought of this one before?  I do.  

I personally can’t attest to this next complaint, but there is said to be a noise factor from those rotating birdland butcher shops.  

Maintaining a wind farm is no cheap and easy process.  These towering knives MUST be kept clean and in top shape to produce a questionable amount of maximum benefits.

Much like solar, a wind farm requires a lot of open space in the proper location.  So when and wherever these churches are built, they are BIG.  The problem with having a big church is you need a lot of attendees to pay for it. 

FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER

The religion of Ethanol became big in Brazil and eventually made its way to the U.S.

Much like many of the sects this had a sound good/feel good structure.  On the simple end, you take corn, make a fuel alcohol, mix it with gas, use less imported oil and the world will be a better place.  To make it even better sounding we point to a country that is already making it work.  Really?

The entire country of Brazil only has a small fraction of the vehicles used in the U.S.  It takes more oil to produce the ethanol equivalent of what you would have used in actual oil to produce gasoline.  That kind of shoots the environmentally friendly aspect right in the a$$.  You’ve got to hand it to Brazil; they figured this one out, didn’t they?  Now that country is drilling oil off of their coast and wanting to sell it to the U.S.  

Three more things you may want to know about the Church of Ethanol.  Ethanol burns hotter than gasoline and because of the excess heat it is harder on an engine.  It also produces less power than the gasoline equivalent.  

It also takes an incredible amount of corn to make Ethanol.  So much that the corn that was one time used as animal feed is being moved over to make Ethanol.  This genius (sarcasm) move skyrocketed corn prices and raised the price of chicken feed.  So if you’re wondering why the price of eggs has jumped during the last year or so, thank the driver of the car burning ethanol.  For what it’s worth, his hotter burning engine will probably require more maintenance so he’ll pay in the end too.  

CHARGE IT!

Maybe this should be called the Hybrid Sect.  Or maybe it should be called “Just Because It Sounds Cool and Smart Doesn’t Mean It Is”.  No, that’s too long, let’s stick with the Hybrid title.  

GREENER ALERT – This process does nothing to reduce pollution.  It simply shifts it from the tailpipe of the car to an electric generating plant.  

Car makers need to sell hybrids to meet EPA average m.p.g. standards.  Likewise car dealers are forced into a half-truth situation when it comes to battery packs.  THINK ABOUT THIS - - Some of those manufacturers and dealers are throwing a 10 year warranty on those hybrid batteries.  They are a very expensive piece of the hybrid puzzle and that 10 year thing is appealing – UNTIL - - - - HERE IT COMES - - - People are keeping their vehicles longer and 5 to 10 years is slowly becoming the new norm.  Let’s say you keep your hybrid 6 years and go to get rid of it.  YOU WILL HEAR THIS from the dealer, “You know that battery pack is 6 years old and we’ll have to replace it before we can sell this car.  This means we will have to lower your trade in value by (pick a high number here) thousand dollars.”  Oh, yeah, it’s already happening.  

All of that money you thought you saved just went out the back door on a trade-in.  All of that good you thought you did for the environment did nothing but make a shift in where the pollution existed AND if your electric rate goes up (and they always do), when you charge your car, that my friend, is going to cost you.  Oh, if you had to install a special charging station at your home that’s even more money spent. 

THE BIG BANG THEORY

The tent religion of Hydrogen really does make pretty good sense.  Hydrogen is made from water, you know H2O.  When it’s burned it becomes water again.  The score on this game is now Power 1, Pollution 0.  

The downside is the explosive volatility of Hydrogen, like in Hydrogen bomb.  So you go out with a bang.  

Properly managed and engineered this could be the best sect to join.  

GREASE IS THE WORD

I’ve been told if you’re looking for a fun group of worshipers, this is the group.  

It’s not the most practical fuel supply because of the limited and somewhat sloppy supply problems, but it does work and your exhaust smells like French Fries.  

Your fuel supply is your problem.  The grease must be strained and/or filtered.  From what I’ve been told you can convert to this religion from nearly any gasoline engine vehicle.  I also understand this can be a slightly high maintenance option.

I have to admit, I’d consider becoming a convert if I could get my exhaust to smell like bacon.  Yummy, bacon.

A few final thoughts….

I’m not picking on Greeners.  I recycle.  I really do. 

I firmly believe people should be careful about what they buy into.  Remember Jim Jones of Jonestown back in the 70’s?  More than 900 people died in that event.  How about David Koresh in Waco?  More dead people as the result of questionable religions and lunatic leaders.  

If you get nothing else from what you’ve just read, please remember and hold the truth of the sentence in red.  It will eventually lead to our demise.  

In the meantime and on the lighter side – I’m thinking BACON!

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