Solar much more efficient for powering cars than biofuels

[eridani]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/03/27/1783781/for-powering-cars-solar-is-orders-of-magnitude-more-efficient-than-biofuels/

Climate Progress recently reported on a study that found both economic and environmental benefits if homes in the northeastern United States upgraded older heating systems by moving from heating oil to switchgrass. However, one point to emphasize was the findings were specific to those circumstances — the region, the homes, and that particular use.

Switchgrass was not nearly as good an idea for electricity generation or transportation fuel. Further confirming the need for a diversity of renewable solutions to our energy needs, a recent study determined that electricity generated by solar beats out biofuels for powering cars under myriad scenarios.

The report, put together by a team from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and published in Enviornmental Science and Technology, compared five different approaches to see what was the most efficient way to power a compact passenger vehicle for every 100 kilometers driven:

1.Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) run on electricity from solar power.
2.Battery-electric vehicles run on electricity from switchgrass.
3.Internal combustion vehicles (ICVs) run on switchgrass biofuel.
4.Battery-electric vehicles run on electricity from corn.
5.Internal combustion vehicles run on corn-based biofuel

[Archaic]

1. Thanks for posting this.

I absolutely hate the concept of using topsoil and clean water to turn into fuel for a car. If we didn't have local and global hunger issues, it'd still suck. But in the current world, it's criminal.

My Volt's running on wind at the moment. But I'm going to figure out how to put up a proper solar array and get it over with.

[Sherman A1]

2. K&R

Thanks for posting.