Camden Central High School
Camden, Tennessee
Teacher: Wanda Allen
A Corny Future
By: Lindsey Sroka
Senior, 12th grade
Who would’ve ever thought that one day our cars would be running on corn? Well, it might actually surprise you to know that some of Henry Ford’s first Model T's were fueled by exactly that. Today the possibility of alternative fuels is becoming more and more real. Each and every day new fuel options are springing up and new improvements are being made to those already existing. Many of the questions that once were relentlessly debated are now being answered. Gasoline’s prospects of surviving as the world's leading source of fuel are dramatically declining as alternative fuels move steadily into the future.
In the past, there has been a notion of finding alternative fuels besides that of petroleum. However, recently the campaign for alternative fuels has increasingly become one of the world's biggest issues. The United States, in particular, has become more and more aware of the fuel crisis largely in part to the passing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This act seeks to "provide incentives for traditional energy production, as well as newer, more efficient energy technologies, and conservation" resulting in a "comprehensive, long-range energy policy."
With the vast array of choices, how is anyone supposed to choose the next "big thing" in fuels? Most definitely, the best route is to weigh the negatives against the positives. By doing so, we can then establish the most capable and proficient fuel available with long-term use and no unnecessary consequences.
At this point along the twisting highway of non-petroleum sources, the “fuel of the future” seems to be heading in the direction of ethanol. Ethanol is a clear, colorless gas that is traditionally made from corn, barley, or wheat. However, with improved technology ethanol can now be created from agricultural wastes such as corn stalks, rice straw, sugar cane bagasse (pulp of sugar cane after juice is removed), pulpwood, switch grass, etc. Ethanol not only gets rid of unwanted wastes, but it is also more environmentally friendly than that of petroleum. Burning ethanol reduces carbon emissions, while also eradicating the release of sulfur dioxide (which causes acid rain).
Another important concept when considering ethanol is that many decades before, our vehicles were made to accept ethanol as a fuel. However, it has not been until now that improvements have been made on our engines to withstand this potent mixture that had been known to cause faulty starts on cold mornings, weak pickup, and corrosion. Also the process of distributing ethanol at the pumps and making the engine ethanol friendly requires only a few changes and would cost only a few dollars compared to the hundreds of thousands you would spend for a completely different product.
While ethanol has its advantages, it also has its drawbacks. While ethanol has been quite successful in Brazil, it took a very slow going pace to get to the point it is now. We should think that this would be no different for any other future ethanol countries. Also, the process of building biorefineries to make the ethanol along with providing enough feedstock without damaging our food supply would cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
Focusing in on this one particular fuel alternative gives you a good idea of just how complicated making a decision on this issue can be. I myself have sat pondering this exact same thing. I have come to the conclusion that an alternative fuel is definitely needed and that ethanol would be a prime choice. While switching fuels will no doubt cost a lot of money, I think it is necessary to [sustain] our economy and progress for the future.
With the rise of gas prices, people are spending more and more of their paychecks on gas than on the necessities of everyday life causing a [decline] in living [standards]. This in turn affects the market of other products that need people’s extra money to stay afloat. Without this money these markets crash and thus does our whole economy. Also with the increasing problems in the Middle East, Americans fear that our supply of oil will be cut off and we will be left stranded without any form of transportation, [thereby] sending our economy into a whirlwind of desperation.
As previously mentioned the environment is another good reason for considering alternative fuels. We not only decrease our destruction of the ozone layer and reduce global warming by a couple of decades more, but we also preserve our nonrenewable resources. By producing fuel out of a very renewable resource, it could mean not having to ever change our fuel source again.
While there are other fuel alternatives out there such as hydrogen, electricity, natural gas, propane, and methanol, one thing is for sure; we need a new fuel source. Petroleum is bad for the environment and too costly. An alternative fuel will lighten the effects of carbon on the environment and possibly could be maintained for centuries, if not millenniums, to come.
Questions & Answers
1.
Gasohol is a byproduct exclusively from gasoline and
ethanol whereas cellulosic ethanol can be produced from agricultural
waste such as prairie switchgrass, woodchips, and
cornhusks.
2. Why did automakers produce cars that could operate using ethanol as well as gasoline before there was an adequate number of service stations that could provide ethanol?
·
Automakers quietly added the flex-fuel feature to get a break form fuel-
economy standards.
3. When were the first cars produced that were capable of using ethanol?
·
1979
4. In a paragraph, describe Brazil's experience with ethanol. What did the Fortune article claim was Brazil's key to success?
· Ethanol slowly crept into Brazil's mainstream of fuels and now accounts for 40% of the fuel used in Brazilian cars. In Brazil, 73% of the cars sold in 2005 came with flex-fuel engines. Also, Brazilian ethanol sold 45% less per liter than that of gasoline in 2003 and 2004.
· The key to Brazil's success is that consumers are choosing ethanol rather than being forced to buy it.
5.
What is the significance of a yellow gas cap?
· Yellow gas caps mark those cars with flex-fuel engines.
6.
Describe bio-diesel.
·
Bio-diesel refers to ester made form oil and methanol.
7. Explain the term "flex-fuel engine." What American auto manufacturer introduced the first prototype of a flex-fuel engine?
· A flex-fuel engine is one that can use both ethanol and gasoline.
·
Ford
8. Trace the progress of H.R. 6 for viewers to our web site.
· Signed by President Bush on August 8th, 2005.
· Congressman Russ Carnahan voted against the act.
· Passed with 275 in favor, and 156 opposed in the House of Representatives.
9.
What is the purpose of the fuel hybrid vehicle commercialization
initiative?
·
The purpose is to improve technologies for the commercialization of hybrid/
flexible-fuel vehicles.
10. What is the nation's largest renewable energy resource?
·
Hydroelectric dams
11. What is the purpose of the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative?
· The purpose is to develop the technology to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel-cell vehicles.
12.
List seven items mentioned in the 2005 energy tax bill that taxpayers
can claim as credits against their tax bills.
· Tax credits for the contractors of new energy efficient homes if the homes achieve an energy savings of 50 percent or more over the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code.
· Tax credits for the purchase of water heaters, heat pumps, air conditioners, furnaces and other equipment that achieve certain efficiency levels when purchased for residential properties.
· A new tax credit for manufacturers who produce highly energy-efficient dishwashers, clothes washers, and refrigerators.
· 30 percent tax credit for the purchase of solar, photovoltaic and fuel cell properties for use in residences.
· Offers businesses and consumers tax credits for the purchase of alternative- fuel and hybrid vehicles.
· Provides 30 percent credit for investments in alternative fuel refueling stations.
· Provides $2.7 billion in production tax credits to encourage the production of clean renewable energies for wind, closed- loop biomass, geothermal, small irrigation power, landfill gases, and trash combustion.
Works Sited
"Alternative Fuels Data Center." Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy. 8 Mar. 2006. U.S. Department of Energy. 2 Apr. 2006 <http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/>.
(Very Informative)
"Energy Policy Act of 2005." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
MediaWiki. 2 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005>.
(Very Informative)
Lashinsky, Adam, and Nelson D. Schwartz. "How to Beat the High
Cost of Gasoline. Forever!." Fortune Magazine Feb. 6 2006: 75, 76, 78, 80, 81, 87.
(Very Informative)
Noe, Garry. The Alternative- fuel Vehicle Directory. 27 Jan. 2001. 2
Apr. 2006 <http://facultystaff.vwc.edu/~gnoe/avd.htm>.
(Very Informative)
Other References
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Group. 2006. Alexander Communications
Group, Inc.. 2 Apr. 2006 <http://www.altfuels.com/>.
(Very Little Informative)
Alternative Fuel Vehicles. 2006. 2 Apr. 2006
<http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml>.
(Somewhat Informative)
Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) and High-Efficiency Vehicles. 3 Mar.
2006. California Energy Commission. 2 Apr. 2006
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/afvs/>.
(Somewhat Informative)
"Alternative Fuels." Fuels and Fuel Additives. 7 Mar. 2006. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. 2 Apr. 2006
<http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm>.
(Very Informative)
Alternative Fuels for Vehicles. 2006. General Motors Corporation. 2
Apr. 2006
<http://www.gm.com/automotive/innovations/altfuel/fueling/>.
(Very Little Informative)