It is now four years since I started driving a car powered by bio-ethanol. Those four years ended yesterday when I returned the car to the dealer with only a few days left to run on the lease.

The car that I have replaced it with no longer runs on bio-ethanol (E85), although it does use the new E10 fuel.

So how have those four years been and why did I switch back?

Well, whilst on the one hand it was nice to try something new (more…)

We often hear debates about whether bio-ethanol production is taking the food out of other peoples’ mouths.

So how about growing crops especially for bio-ethanol production, that are not intended for human consumption.  Such as grass.

The grass in this report would not only be one possible solution, but researchers claim that it produces more energy than is required to make it.  In other words, it takes less CO2 to produce the bio-ethanol than the amount that is being saved, making an overall net reduction in CO2 – aparently 94% compared to the same volume of petrol.

I wonder what people will find wrong with this solution?

It’s really a logical step if you think about it.  There are petrol-driven generators and diesel-driven generators, so why not make one that uses bio-ethanol?

That’s what Germany’s Frauenhofer Institute have done according to this article, although they are referring to the item in question as a “fuel cell”.

They hold up to 300 litres of bio-ethanol and can generate 250 Watts of electricity.  One idea for their use is in developing countries, eg. in hospitals.  But perhaps there will also be a demand for this sort of generator in industrial countries as well.

Last week I wrote about how bio-ethanol was being used for table-top fires.

Well, this week I came across a larger version that can even be used as a fireplace in a room.  But while it does sound like a good idea to use alternative fuels and not have the coaldust to clear up afterwards, I still think the price tag of $6,900 is a bit high.

Find out more about it at ecofriend.