Biofuels ... further rants

Just when I thought I was beginning to cut through all the malarkey, I’ve learned something else.

Apparently Biodiesel, which is carbon neutral as it contributes no net carbon greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere (William Kemp - The Renewable Energy Handbook) does not need to be made from feed crops, such as corn or soy. It can also be made from recycled vegetable oils!
Think about what that means … we could be making fuel from an ingredient which is considered a waste product, something every fast-food and 5 star restaurant currently pays to have removed and disposed of.

So, do we grow an ingredient from seed (water, apply chemicals, harvest, process, repeat …), a crop which could feed people, or do we re-use a product which currently exists in large quantities, which folks would finance to have utilized? Hmmm ...

To make matters more confusing, there is a product called Cellulose Ethanol. You’ll love this. It is made from corn stover (stalks and husks), wood-processing by-products or even fast-growing switch grass. And, unlike grain-based ethanol production, the manufacturing process does not consume fossil fuels for distillation, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions (W.H. Kemp).

So, I guess now the only thing that’s really confusing is … how come we’re making all the wrong choices?

The Renewable Energy Handbook and our Energy Retrofit Master Plan (E.R.M.P.)

The Renewable Energy Handbook by Canadian William H Kemp (you can hear an interview with him on The Watt) is, by far, the most user-friendly, comprehensive guide to living sustainably that I've been able to locate. It's also helped us in being realistic about what we can hope to achieve, considering we are neither rich or contractors. Our list so far is ...

1) Reduce our present energy consumption
2) Replace existing windows and the large front window (French doors opening onto porch?)
3) Low flush toilet (and taller)
4) Replace hot water tank with a hot-water-on-demand, tankless heater (gas or electric)
5) PV solar panels with battery storage
6) Back-up power (wind turbine, bio-diesel)
7) Grey-water system (like using shower water to flush the toilet)
8) Fireplace as a heat source (I'm leaning towards Pellet fueled).

We are presently consuming at least 484 kmh per month, or 16 kwh daily. We'd have to reduce that by half to even begin. Time to get to work.