Bio fuel and bio power
As the end of cheap and abundant fossil fuel based energy draws to a close, there is a desperate need (at least in the minds of many) to locate a substitute. The unfortunate truth is that nothing we know of that could be commercialised in the near future could replace oil in its many roles and diverse applications.
The idea behind bio fuels is simply to convert organic matter high in sugar or cellulose into a liquid energy carrier. This usually involves some form of fermentation, distillation or digestion.
Regrettably, people inherently desire to continue their way of life at all costs and blindly believe what they hope to be true.
The reality is that human energy consumption is, for the most part, subsidised by fossilised sunlight in the form of oil and gas. Our attempts to replace these sources of energy using organic matter grown with the current daily sunlight can never match demand. No only does humanity consume such a vast amount of energy, the farming practices used to produce the mega crops of corn, sugarcane and palm oil rely heavily on liquid fuels in the first place. Large scale mechanised agriculture uses at least 3 times more calories of fossil fuel equivalent energy than it produces in foodstuffs.
So, no only does it take more energy inputs than it delivers but it also takes valuable farming land, experience and technology that might otherwise be deployed in the production of food for human consumption. The question becomes, who eats first, the engines or the people.
More energy is lost from the system during the processing, transportation and distribution of any bio fuels produced, furthering the negative returns on energy invested.
It was while contemplating this that I realised that I was bio powered, and as an extension, anything that I in turn powered was bio powered.
Rather than growing a crop that might yield something resembling fuel, processing it and running it in a modified lawnmower I could simply grow my own food (which I need to survive anyway) and get to work with the push mower with much higher conversion of energy and the added bonus of rewarding physical activity, reduced noise and noxious fumes.
The fewer times an energy source or carrier is handled, moved and modified the less is lost along the way. If conversion of energy containing plant matter into work is more efficient by way of the human gut and skeletal mechanics then it seems likely we will witness a reversal of the process of mechanisation in both factories and farming. It remains to be seen what relationship the 'workers' will have with their employers / masters / owners.
