Soon Walmart

[SkiDog]

Soon they'll be building them right in the protected wilderness in Alaska...

good job Wal Fart.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/47168.html

M

 

[thebigo]

I have long been an opponent of wallmart. There are many shocking statistics when you look at the company closely, for example the have 50% annual turnover. The only reason they are reviewing their labor policies is because they are running out of people to hire. Another troubling statistic is that walmart alone accounts for 11% of the US trade deficit with China.

The 'bully of bentonville' is an great book detailing how walmart became the largest retailer in the world.

However if the article below is true and walmart plans to invest in and ditribute E85 nationally than in my eyes all will be forgotten. I might even start shopping there. They are really one of the very few companies with the financial clout, distribution network and logistics to make E85 commonplace in America in the very near future.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/08/news/companies/pluggedin_gunther.fortune/index.htm

 

[SkiDog]

I have long been an opponent of wallmart. There are many shocking statistics when you look at the company closely, for example the have 50% annual turnover. The only reason they are reviewing their labor policies is because they are running out of people to hire. Another troubling statistic is that walmart alone accounts for 11% of the US trade deficit with China.

The 'bully of bentonville' is an great book detailing how walmart became the largest retailer in the world.

However if the article below is true and walmart plans to invest in and ditribute E85 nationally than in my eyes all will be forgotten. I might even start shopping there. They are really one of the very few companies with the financial clout, distribution network and logistics to make E85 commonplace in America in the very near future.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/08/news/companies/pluggedin_gunther.fortune/index.htm

If you research E85 you'll find that when corn is used (which is what they will use in the US production) that more BTUs are used in its refining than it will return when burned as fuel. Therefore..we are just using the energy we "save" by burning E85 simply by making it (those plants use something to run them)...that makes no sense...now...E85 out of wood pulp or something..ill get all jazzed up about...sugar cane e85 like in Brazil...im up for that too...too many "outside" influences in the use of corn for E85. Just from what i've read anyway...


M

 

[SkiDog]

I have long been an opponent of wallmart. There are many shocking statistics when you look at the company closely, for example the have 50% annual turnover. The only reason they are reviewing their labor policies is because they are running out of people to hire. Another troubling statistic is that walmart alone accounts for 11% of the US trade deficit with China.

The 'bully of bentonville' is an great book detailing how walmart became the largest retailer in the world.

However if the article below is true and walmart plans to invest in and ditribute E85 nationally than in my eyes all will be forgotten. I might even start shopping there. They are really one of the very few companies with the financial clout, distribution network and logistics to make E85 commonplace in America in the very near future.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/08/news/companies/pluggedin_gunther.fortune/index.htm

Not to mention we need car makers to put out more offerings that will run E85...just becasue walmart carries it..and make it "commonplace" we still need to buy the vehicles that burn it, otherwise it means nothing.....oh yeah...and more would have to buy them....

There are better alternatives to E85...we just need to spend more R&D dollars on finding them.

M

 

[ctenidae]

Auto makers won't build for it and better methods won't be researched until there's acceptance of it in the marketplace. I'm with SkiDog- if anyone can push it through, WalMart can.

#1 target for getting cheap ethanol is the Sugar lobby- they work to maintian sugar tarriffs, which means super cheap ethanol from Brazil, which is distilled from sugar cane, can't be imported to the US. Figure that one out.

 

[SkiDog]

#1 target for getting cheap ethanol is the Sugar lobby- they work to maintian sugar tarriffs, which means super cheap ethanol from Brazil, which is distilled from sugar cane, can't be imported to the US. Figure that one out.

yeah its too weird, but isnt Lousiana sugar cane country?? maybe thats rice?? either way...CORN isnt the answer......its sugar or cellulose...I prefer cellulose as we could probably use the "waste" from mills and paper making facilities.

M

 

[thebigo]

The negative energy balance argument is based upon 20 year old technology and is simply no longer accurate. I have listed one source at the bottom but just do an internet search and you will find that modern ethanol production techniques have a 20-30% net energy gain during the process. With a future potential for an even greater energy return. If you just take a few minutes on google you will find many articles discussing the changing energy balance, i would list more but im supposed to be working right now, and finishing a term paper.

Furthermore corn ethanol is not the future, look at the new ethanol facilities being produced and look where the money is being spent. It is all in the area cellulosic ethanol. In other words ethanol from biomass that can not be consumed by humans.

It also baffles my mind that our government subsidizes the importation of oil but has placed a 50% tariff on brazilian ethanol.

There are plenty of current car manufacturers offering e85 flex fuel vehicles. GM and Ford both have many lines where flexfuel is standard. In addition the change over for many modern vehicles carries a price tag of $200-$300 dollars.

There are clearly better alternatives but as you said they are in the future and require big bucks to be spent to get there. In the meantime ethanol and biodiesel are technologies that are available to us today and are not being fully utilized largely due do public perception and the fact that all the money is currenlty in oil.

http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/RENEW/...df#search="cellulosic ethanol energy balance"

 

[thebigo]

BTW, this has to be one of the most blatant thread hijacks in alpinezone history, sorry

 

[ctenidae]

BTW, this has to be one of the most blatant thread hijacks in alpinezone history, sorry

It's okay. We pretty well beat WalMart to death on a weekly basis, anyway.

The best part of cullosic ethanol is that you can use the waste as fuel to power the distiller, wildly increasing the energy gain. You can do it with corn, too, but not as well. Beets don't work at all.

As for Louisiana being sugar cane country, it is, but not much. Most domestic sugar production comes from sugar beets grown in Idaho and such, and it is hugely more expensive than sugar cane. The tarrifs are ridiculous. I would much, much rather get my ethanol from Brazil than my oil from Iran. If nothing else, Brazillian women are HOT, and Iranian women wear burkas.

 

[thebigo]

Brazilian women are hot, thats the worst part about the upper deck burning down at kmart, no more international night. That means no more drunken dancing south american women.

 

[SkiDog]

It's okay. We pretty well beat WalMart to death on a weekly basis, anyway.

The best part of cullosic ethanol is that you can use the waste as fuel to power the distiller, wildly increasing the energy gain. You can do it with corn, too, but not as well. Beets don't work at all.

As for Louisiana being sugar cane country, it is, but not much. Most domestic sugar production comes from sugar beets grown in Idaho and such, and it is hugely more expensive than sugar cane. The tarrifs are ridiculous. I would much, much rather get my ethanol from Brazil than my oil from Iran. If nothing else, Brazillian women are HOT, and Iranian women wear burkas.

Guess thats why we have the great corn sryup...that makes america FAT.. ha...hardly..I hate that stuff...

Anyway...I think cellulose is the way to go...cant wait til they get that squared away..

I am going to try to get an old diesel pickup and convert it to biodiesel...when I move to NH...hopefully ill actually do it.


I dont think it was a hijack really by the way. ;-)

M