5-26 IAN Ethanol Now

  How big can bio-energy become, how much of a role does ethanol play, can farmers get significant revenue by growing biofuels, and can we be energy independent.

 Over the years I have reported relentlessly on the obvious value of biofuels. I’ve done reports on ethanol from corn, ethanol from biomass, miscanthus grass, algae, even the use of marijuana and opium producing poppies as alternative fuels. The standard take on biofuels is that, oh sure they work, but they are not economically viable. With gas soaring towards four dollars a gallon, with the Mideast literally blowing up, with world factors getting more desperate every day, all of a sudden growing gasoline at home and on our farms starts to take on a little bit different look. POET energy has been a leader in ethanol production for many years. I got together with their spokesperson Nathan Shock  recently and asked if there weren’t alternatives to corn knowing that so many livestock producers blame high feed costs on ethanol. In other words, why not try something else. Here’s his response: “I think certainly there are opportunities to produce all kinds of domestic fuels from a variety of different raw materials.  The only thing that has made a large impact to date is ethanol.  It’s currently about 10% of the gasoline supply in the country and the potential exists to do so much more.