How did the stupid cellulosic ethanol scam fail to end up scalable?

[NNadir]

Despite nearly a decade of "cellulosic ethanol will save our car CULTure" representations here by dumb anti-nukes, after billions of dollars in car CULTure investments, and billions of hand waving promises from people with very, very, very, very, very poor science educations, it appears that cellulosic ethanol is "not a slam dunk."

Duh?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/business/12ethanol.html?hp

“The ethanol industry is on its back despite the billions of dollars they have gotten in taxpayer assistance, and a guaranteed market,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy analyst at Rice University.

The government’s Energy Information Administration recently projected that the industry would fall short of the targets for expanded use of ethanol and other biofuels that Congress set in a 2007 energy law. “It’s possible we may have to look at the targets again,” said Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

VeraSun Energy, one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers, has suspended production at 12 of its 16 plants and is planning to sell production facilities. In recent days Renew Energy, Cascade Grain Products and Northeast Biofuels have filed for bankruptcy protection. Pacific Ethanol said it would suspend operations at its Madera, Calif. plant.

Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group, estimated that of the country’s 150 ethanol companies and 180 plants, 10 or more companies have shut down 24 plants over the last three months. That has idled about 2 billion gallons out of 12.5 billion gallons of annual production capacity. Mr. Dinneen estimated that a dozen more companies were in distress.

Ronald H. Miller, the president and chief executive of Aventine Renewable Energy, said, “The economics right now are very poor.” Aventine has suspended construction of one Nebraska plant and delayed completion of a second in Indiana...

...Producing the advanced fuels entails breaking down a tough material, cellulose, that is abundant in corn cobs, wood chips and other biological waste, then converting it to liquid fuel. While scientists have proven it can be done, the cost is still high, and little if any cellulosic ethanol is being produced at commercial scale.

Carlos A. Riva, president and chief executive of Verenium, a company working to produce ethanol from sugar cane waste, said that solving the technological hurdles for this type of fuel was “not a slam dunk.” But he and other executives say they are optimistic

They're always optimistic, especially with other people's money.

If those billions had been spent building a nuclear power plant, creating jobs and infrastructure that would last for nearly a century, we would have actually reduced climate change gas releases.

As it is, we're left with just talk.

[XemaSab]

1. Switchgrass, bitches.

n/t

[thunder rising]

2. First we need to build a nuclear plant in your back yard ... then...

I'll bet that's an awe-shit. Nuclear plants look good as long as the companies do not have to pay for the actual cost of operation; ie, spent nuclear fuel disposal.

The price of oil reflects OPEC's opinion on what the possibility of the US actually introducing alternative fuels. Hence, when Obama got elected the price of crude dropped.

[NNadir]

3. I would be thrilled to have a nuclear plant in my back yard, because unlike

an uneducated anti-nuke who is oblivious to science, I know what nuclear energy involves.

We could certainly use the tax revenue and the clean secure affordable energy supply here, and it would beat the shit out of diesel trucks hauling corn to ethanol plants in terms of safety.

Close to one million people last year, according to WHO figures died from the burning of biomass on this planet. You. Couldn't. Care. Less.

[jpak]

4. Whither the charlatan NJ molten salt breeder reactor???

whither?

whither????

It is a fraud.

:rofl: