Renewable Energy In America

Switching from the expensive oil to alternative fuels has moved from a dream to reality. Today, there are dozens of alternatives to oil that are currently available us to be used. One alternative to oil that is being used more today is ethanol. Derived from plant materials, ethanol can be a cheaper, cleaner alternative to the gasoline that our vehicles run off. When going to gas pumps, one will notice that much of the gasoline is up to 10 percent of ethanol. According to our text, most ethanol in the U.S. is made from corn, yet ethanol can be made from any biomes-- including garbage. (Turk & Bensel, 2011)

In the United States, ethanol is primarily used as a blending element in the production of gas and as an alternative fuel. More than 95% of the gasoline sold in the United States contains ethanol. Most of ethanol blending into U.S. motor gasoline occurs to meet the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act (RFG Fuel) and the Renewable Fuel Standard set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. (U.S Energy Information Administration)

However, despite its many advantages biomass still has many disadvantages. Firstly it is not as efficient as fossil fuels, for example the ethanol produced for cars via biomass is not even close to the efficiency of petrol and does damage to engines over time. It also has the potential to harm the environment through increase of methane gases which are produced as a bi-product if animal and human waste is used. Biomass also requires a large distance away from residential areas in order to burn it and a large amount of fuel in comparison to other energy sources which can have dramatic effects if large portions of forests are cut down to provide lumber.1

Mankind has relied on non-renewable resources for thousands of years, and only recently has it started to take its toll on the environment. Chemists have been experimenting with different types of fuels and adding to gasoline to make it more efficient. This is when ethanol made its debut into the fuel industry, as an additive to gasoline. Ethanol is put into gas as a combatant against water, which can find its way into fuel tanks of vehicles. It reduces the effect that this water has on the health of the vehicle, and as a result increases gas mileage, and also increases the amount of complete combustion. Ethanol consumption has severe drawbacks pertaining to its effect on the environment. Production of ethanol increases the formation of

Though ethanol may be better for the environment and ultimately the American farmer, it still has several disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that ethanol can be much pricier than gasoline, depending on where you live in the United States. Fuel price data from the Department of Energy (DOE) shows that in the Midwest (where the majority of America’s ethanol is produced) ethanol sells for almost 30 cents less per gallon than conventional gasoline. However, on the West Coast, filling up with ethanol would cost a driver an average of 35 cents more per gallon. In the Mid-Atlantic States, ethanol would cost drivers ever more: a full 44 cents per gallon.

Ethanol is now found in most gasolines, except for the few and far between pumps that sell ethanol-free fuel. Ethanol acts as a “filler” in gasoline, because it is much cheaper than many gasoline components, however it comes at a price because ethanol infused gasoline procures about 33% less energy than ethanol free gasoline, dropping its competitiveness towards diesel even more. (Energy, 2015) Ethanol gasoline types include E10, E15, and E85. E10 represents gasoline with a 10% ethanol content, which is the norm now for most gasoline types, and what will mostly likely be in normal unleaded gasoline. E15, 15% ethanol, can only be used in flex-fuel or light duty cars because it produces not nearly enough power to run a large gasoline engine without major modifications. (Energy, 2015) E85, meaning that it is composed of 85% ethanol gasoline mixture (51-83% ethanol), and can only be used by special flex-fuel

When the final results came in, gasoline came out on top. Surprise, surprise. To go 667 miles, it took 36.5 gallons of gasoline, whereas it took 50 gallons of E85 to go that same distance. That’s a 26.5 percent drop in fuel economy. And having to drive all the way to find a service station that has ethanol will definitely not help keep the tank full, which shows that gasoline is better for mileage, kit and caboodle. (Edmunds and Reed)

Ethanol is now used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form as a replacement for petrol, where it is blended with petrol to improve the vehicles emissions and power. The substitution of ethanol for petrol in cars and light vehicles in Brazil is one of the largest commercial

A report from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Energy Information Administration detailed the most recent government statistics on national energy consumption, sources, and other information regarding energy production and usage. The primary purpose of the report is not to answer a specific question, but to provide accurate information on past and current economic and statistical usage of various forms of energy; including ethanol. The primary methods used for the findings lay within federal oversight of imports, energy companies, power plants, and other heavily regulated

As time progresses, the use of ethanol in fueling our planet is vastly increasing. The U.S. Department of Energy explained the strong presence of ethanol in saying, “The use of ethanol is widespread, and approximately 97% of gasoline in the U.S. contains some ethanol.” (U.S. Department of Energy, 2016) But the hang up in this is noticing that only 10% of the ethanol is actually utilized, while the other 90% is gasoline. So, the question begs, can we slowly increase this ratio in favor of ethanol? The U.S. Department of Energy suggests the use of Flex-Fuel as an option. Flex Fuel is a higher use of ethanol percentages that normally seen in fuel usage. The Economic pushback is that ethanol yields 27% less energy than full-on gasoline usage. In

The chemical formula of ethanol is made up of 2 carbons, 6 hydrogens and 1 oxygen and is classed as an alcohol (Material safety data sheet, 2001). Ethanol has a boiling point of 78.5c, density of .789 and a molecular weight of 46.0684mol (Biofuels Association of Australia, 2015). Ethanol is now usually used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form as a replacement for gasoline, where it is blended with gasoline to improve vehicle emissions and power (Biofuels Association of Australia, 2015).

Well we all know that the energy system is very unstable because the total energy available on the earth is limited, and man has exploited all the conventional technologies to fulfill his needs. By the use of these conventional technologies, the world also has a disability, with problems such as global warming. Consumption of energy by man increased gradually as his wants also increase. The conventional energy resources mainly include fossil fuels, but research shows that this fuel source will be depleted completely in approximately 20-25 years. This could cause major setbacks around the world. As a result, we need an alternative source of fuel that could keep the world running on its wheel. One possibility is ethanol. Chemically extract

Professor Don Hofstrand at Iowa State University says "…a 100 million gallon ethanol biorefinery will reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions by approximately 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year." Although ethanol requires greenhouse gases to be emitted for production, ethanol fuel's net emissions are fifty-four percent less than gasoline. Half of the emissions related to producing ethanol are related to growing crops, while the other half is contributed to refining the fuel (Hofstrand). The burning and production of ethanol combined has a smaller carbon footprint than petroleum fuels. This makes it a good fuel substitution while even greener forms of energy are developed to power automobiles and machinery. Reduced greenhouse gases can help slow climate change.

The most noticeable advantage of corn fuel as an enhancement of fossil fuels is also the biggest advantage of ethanol energy a renewable fuel. Gasoline as a fuel is extracted from petroleum, and what makes petroleum an unreliable source of energy is that petroleum is nonrenewable, meaning it would run out some day in the future. Contrary, corn ethanol is a renewable source of energy, meaning if corns are replanted and remade into fuel, corn ethanol can be a long-term, sustainable energy source. Corn ethanol has the potential to produce a perfect

What environmental benefits do we receive form an influx in ethanol as an alternative fuel? First let’s look