[dumbluck]

[quote]Originally posted by dumbluck:

Originally posted by oleg:
[qb]... no place to build ... thousands of windmills...

You've never been to western Kansas, have you? Nothing but flat, unobstructed views of the distant horizon, no matter which way you look. Oh, that speck on the horizon? That's the largest town for 100 miles, population 5000.

On a serious note, I'm more inclined to think that Biodiesel is a better solution. Biodiesel is, in essense, identical to petrol based Diesel, but it's manufactured using Corn (or was it soybeans?), an acid, and a catalyst. The acid and catalyst can be recovered and used again, and IIRC, one could then refine the Biodiesel into Gasoline using the same methods as those for Petrol based products.

The advantage to this is that we aren't digging CO2 out of the ground and throwing it up into the atmosphere. Instead, we're pulling the CO2 out of the atmosphere to make the diesel, then throwing it back up into the atmosphere when we burn it. Thus there is no increase in greenhouse gasses, we're just recycling them.

edit: for a more short term fix: there is always ethenol(sp?). It's made from corn (I think Biodiesel comes from soybeans). Auto engines can burn up to a 20%(?) ethenol mixture with gas (gas=80%, ethenol=20%). With some minor modifications to engines, that ratio can be reversed (80% ethenol, 20% gas).

That won't solve all the problems, of coarse. But it would definately make a dent in the pollution levels, huh?

[ January 29, 2003, 12:27: Message edited by: dumbluck ]