It's time to force bio fuels to the top ...

[oneoff]

Just what is gained on the CO2 front by switching to bio anything.

Try to keep focus on the topic. If rising CO2 levels is the issue; just what good is done making other replacement oils (by any other means) that produce as much or more CO2 when they are combusted ie. unless you're into sequestering CO2 and making money selling carbon credits.

Which in many ways seems pretty counterproductive.

[Oliver88]

Oneoff, you are likely 100% correct.

Now that the Eco-kooks are steering the green economy down the track until at least 2019 and will run huge deficits, we should try to get our products picked up by the crazy train.

The numbers for climate change policies will never add up or be feasible.....if they did they wouldn't have flew thousands of people to Paris for a week party to discuss the climate.

[oneoff]

The fact might be that a lot of improvements to inventions improve efficientcies of a few per cent. And with no sarcasm included that's important and is actually making progress.

But when when we are forced to reinvent the wheel; maybe no one should be expecting 100 per cent plus improvement; which is exactly what gets factored in; and is probably needed if the assumptions are close to accurate.

Solar panels obviously can't produce power during darkness. Just maybe peak energy uses are in the coldest days (and accompanying shortest sunlight hours of the year). The winds do blow; but no one can count on it during any specific period..and you'd find by looking at year round wind data that without subsidies you'd eventually go bankrupt or have wasted your resources by pursuing that which makes no economic sense. And I've heard that SE Sask is indeed one of those regions.

And Sask power rates aren't cheap. If you are subject to demand charges you'd be suprised at the monthly charge for that needle that sticks at the peak load whether you subsequently use a kilowatt in the next 4 months or not.

And those delivery charges for power are now just under $55.00 dollars for the month for a single phase power meter. For natural gas its about the same for delivery charges as it is for the natural gas used.

And now expect carbon taxes on top. In fact watch your gas meter spin faster as that new gas stripping plant for taking the ethane out reduces the heating value of a cubic foot of natural gas below 1000 BTU's. You'll certainly be using more cubic foots; and be held responsible for that "increased" use.

Not to mention the charge for building that extra new (deep cold cryogenic super cold) facility that you will pay for one way or another through your energy bill.

They don't teach that in school; and nobody talks about it because who would care or understand. But bring on some chemical or herbicide or gluten claim that has obviously caused your sickness and cancer; and everybody buys into it.

And are ready to radically overhaul the ways things are done; with quite possibly a "cost to benefit ratio of less than unity"

And as a trivia question I challenge readers to answer where that quote originated.

[chuckChuck]

High prices for energy cause less to be used. We saw that when oil was 140 per barrel and the profits went to Saudia Arabia, shareholders, contractors, mineral holders,governments and high wages.

A carbon tax will be very small relative to $140 per barrel. We already have significant taxes included in the price.

A carbon tax will buy us some time and stimulate innovation until better technology makes fossil energy less important.

[furrowtickler]

I wonder if the air lines will give us a fuel rebate now ?? They had no problem adding a fuel surcharge a year ago ....

[oneoff]

Well I'll be the first to say "thats on helluva windmill or solar panel" when you find a way to hook even a hundred horsepower tractor to it. And I'll be just as impressed when that hydrogen fuel cell gets up and running on a few 4WD's on everyone's farm. Especially if the first purchasers and trials are paid for by those calling loudest for radical change. Subsidies and using debt to finance that spending isn't sustainable; nor efficient; nor fair to the ones who are crippled later by that spending.
Watch our trading partners make fools of us on this popular fad of the week. And until there are full size prototypes that have the bugs worked out of them; the reports are best given more study and development before becoming overly excited about changeovers.

And while death and taxes are inevitable; I'll still be the last one calling for much of either one. Its all bad news.

But for now thats a long long way down the road; and until those internal combustion engines are paid for and their worth decreased to scrap metal; value it might be best to start to reduce fossil fuel consumption by limiting summerfallowing and diesel fuel intensive operations. Or Not.

It not in the cards to rely on riding ride bicycles on gravel roads; nor expect adequate public transit to even towns; let alone rural addresses

And for those truly interested in reducing their carbon footprint; minimizing mileage through the air; and recreational and holiday travel to show their leadership on the alleged looming global warming front.

There are some pretty obvious gross wastages of energy; and for decades I see not seen many of those wannabe "eco" types supporting minimizing those activities that obviously had special worth to themselves.

At least the topic has changed from the evils of glyphosate.