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Solar Power, now!

You are right, the higher net octane rating of the ethanol blend should reduce pinging, however, you need twice as much ethanol as dino-gas per part of air to make the same power. As you richen the A/F ratio, it gets into an area where the dino-gas fouls the spark plugs, runs rich, wastes gas, while the ethanol still burns WAY too easy resulting in pinging. Its kind of a lose lose situation

I am running a carb, but fuel injection can lessen the problem's noticeablity somewhat though itll show much lower power on a dyno.

For a little while I was running straight methanol, and the major problem was procurement. When I could get it, I got it CHEAP, though it seems, unconventionally and was forced to stop getting it from the subsidized depot (apparently if we form am "organization" my friends and I could keep getting it legally, but it seems like paperwork nightmares).

It was eventually pointed out to me that I really was doing the environment no good from the supply end, as dino gas had to be used to make it and move it around. However from the useage side, a couple of trips through emissions (the way I normally tune my car anyhow, 15 bucks a sniff) and the output of the car was near zero on any of the tests they normally do. Not that it doesnt make some nasty pollution they dont check for I dont know

The only mod I had to do was run hardline from the fuel cell to the carb, and change my fuel pump and fuel filter gaskets from rubber to phenolic. I had to kiss goodbye to my beautiful bradied hose fuel line but whatever.

From a driving standpoint, I get 12 degrees initial timing with dino-gas, 20 degrees with methanol. Driveability and throttele response on the low end go through the roof. No pinging even in the hottest Phoenix days. On the dyno we were able to get WAY more of the dyno horsepower numbers to the street, 385hp dino gas to 425 hp methanol, which is still a bit shy of the 450-ish hp we could get on the dyno but not in real driving, but a lot closer

Now summer's coming up, Im on the 15% whacky juice at the pump and bumming, please someone come up with a way of making methanol cheap, available and green :)
 
[hijack=alternative fuels discussion :D ]

You are right, the higher net octane rating of the ethanol blend should reduce pinging, however, you need twice as much ethanol as dino-gas per part of air to make the same power. As you richen the A/F ratio, it gets into an area where the dino-gas fouls the spark plugs, runs rich, wastes gas, while the ethanol still burns WAY too easy resulting in pinging. Its kind of a lose lose situation

I am running a carb, but fuel injection can lessen the problem's noticeablity somewhat though itll show much lower power on a dyno.

You're touching on a real problem I'm having at work right now. We have info based on the Auto/Oil Air Quality Improvement Research Program from 1992. We're trying to lock down 'real-world' engine efficiencies/emissions for various fuel lifecycles in a modern fleet of average vehicles. Before we go and purchase a bunch of reports from SAE, do you have a recommentdation?

[/hijack]

Again, no silver bullets from any currently proposed alternative fuels. It looks like there are multiple strategies trying to limp to something better. You're probably S.O.L. on methanol, because I don't think anybody's really gearing up to do it on the ethanol scales.
 
[hijack=alternative fuels discussion :D ]



You're touching on a real problem I'm having at work right now. We have info based on the Auto/Oil Air Quality Improvement Research Program from 1992. We're trying to lock down 'real-world' engine efficiencies/emissions for various fuel lifecycles in a modern fleet of average vehicles. Before we go and purchase a bunch of reports from SAE, do you have a recommentdation?

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I wish I knew, I really only know racing cars, and more specifically, naturally aspirated "streetable" cars making less than 750 horses.

I see a lot of subsidized CNG vehicles around here. What is the wisdom on that technology?
 
The "barrel of a gun" thing is a bit off base, I think, considering that you get to vote for the people making decisions. You're forced to spend money as they decide it all the time, why single out one particular initiative?

If the market will not respond to the long-term cost of pollution, or the national security risk of increased reliance on foreign oil... then it makes sense to invest tax funds into some alternative in order to kick-start it. And a majority gets to decide what that is... should it all come screeching to a halt if so much as a single taxpayer doesn't want their money going for that?
 
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/fuel_comp.html

Nifty chart there

This E85, being 85% ethanol and 15 % dino seems a CHUNK better than the other way around. Somewhere between 7:1 and 9:1 A/F ratio for power, if its half the price of gas it will be a bargain

I only see one station in my county and its govt vehicles only :(

No idea how E85 is made and if its just a waste of gas to make it

This E100 would make me MUCH happier however :)

I realize the alcohols, not being oil based would wear the engines down a lot quicker, but for someone like me who will tear down and rebuild a motor every year or so, its fine to test the feasability of these fuels and Im happy to do so
 
I read about this device when it came out, maybe a year or two ago, from Boston College - a light antenna.

I don't know much about the properties of light, or is this is the breakthrough that it claims to be, but if it's true then efficient solar might not be as much a pipedream as I feared.

http://ph99.bc.edu/news/antenna.shtml
 
I believe if the government worked with large manufacturers they could easily agree to build few hundred square miles of solar paneling and it's equipment at relatively low per unit cost, thereby reducing solar energy products to commodity easily afforded by individuals.

Government doesn't work with manufacturers like that in the US, unless it's to pay them subsidies to use as they wish. That's why most wind power turbines, for example, are made in Denmark.
 
He knows.

It's a diversion. Placating the enviro-nuts. The fact that it takes nuclear power to make it actually cost and environmentally effective is likely his goal.
 
I doubt it. I'm betting construction starts on the next one within the next 10 years, max. In fact, I'm betting construction begins on at least the next 100 within the next 20 years. We sometimes inact insane and harmful regulations but eventually, they too will pass.
 
Before or after the litigation? :)

And how long do you expect Bush to live?

Seriously though, you are probably right, but it doesn't seem to be a national priority does it? When when was the last time the president mentioned this "solution"?

France gets some 70% of it's electic power from nuclear, the US some 20% I believe, and Bush thinks that 20% is going to create his hydrogen for him.

Sad, sad.
 
No, Bush knows that this hydrogen is the social lever for more nuclear - at least that's my impression.

Hell, after that you can scratch the hydrogen altogether (given that it is so impractical anyway) and go for the gusto with synfuel and battery technology.
 
France gets some 70% of it's electic power from nuclear
It's actually around 40% (eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/France/Background.html).

To the car guys: What about ethanol made from switchgrass? I read an article (can't find it now) where a professor in GA was able to produce 4x more ethanol than using sugar cane and almost 10x more than ethanol made from corn per sq acre.
 
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I am not up to speed on the latest developments in solar power, but from what I read in the past they are inefficent and don't last long before requiring replacement. Has that changed?

New Scientist has all the latest this week. Efficiency is up, costs are down, research is advancing. (You'll have to pay to read it).

One thing the industry needs is economies of scale to help it along. A kick start from governments would be a big help, since the free market is taking so long to respond.
 

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