Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Algae Biodiesel Vs Solar Panels

Algae Biodiesel Vs Solar Panels
Which is the senior flat source of energy for sustainable transportation, biofuels or solar panels?

To understand out, lets distinguish the office of patch up that is looked-for to perform the fuel to clash a car 12,775 miles a see (35 miles a day) either as biodiesel to run a diesel-hybrid car or for solar panels to run an electric car.

The furthermost flat producer of biodiesel by far is algae which can perform 15,000 gallons of biodiesel an acre. Committed to metric we get 37,000 gallons per hectare (2.47 acres per hectare) or 3.7 gallons per hot chronometer (10,000 hot meters per hectare).

The VW hybrid TDI Golf notion car gets 70 mpg. To clash 12,775 miles would take part in 182.5 gallons. At 3.7 gallons per hot chronometer, this would take part in 49.3 hot meters of patch up to leave algae.

Solar panels groupie 263 kWh per hot chronometer a see. A Tesla Roadster uses.2kWh/mile. To clash 12,775 miles would take part in 9.7 hot meters of solar panels.

The solar panel fueled electric car takes a a small amount of under that 1/5 the office of patch up to run as a algae biodiesel power-driven car. It is by far the senior flat source of energy for sustainable transportation.

Why is the electric car system so knowingly senior efficient? I storage space that furthermost of the disparity has to do between how knowingly flat an electric motor is compared to an hidden vigor mechanism (90% solidity vs 25%). The solar panels in the same way bring in tactfully senior energy from the sun (18% vs 15%), and not all the energy the algae collects is won over into oil (not obligated in the function of % of energy is won over to oil).

It requisite in the same way be noted that the yield for algae is a meant one that has not yet been in line in the stance. Other estimates put it at 1800 gallons per acre, which is knowingly under that the 15,000 excellence, but in the same way abundantly significant than the #2 producer: palm oil which comes in at 500 gallons per acre. It is in the same way significant than any source of ethanol. It requisite in the same way be mentioned that biodiesel food senior energy per gallon (130,000 BTU vs. 84,000 BTU) and a diesel mechanism is senior flat than a gasoline mechanism, so a gallon of biodiesel can thrust a car knowingly contemporary than a gallon of ethanol.

This commentary in the same way doesn't take part in into assertion the economics of the two systems. Nor does it take part in into assertion that biodiesel allows for quicker refueling period, greater coverage connecting refueling and can senior austerely be integrated into the represent transportation system. Taking into consideration frequent are besotted into assertion biodiesel is knowingly senior competitive, awfully in the rapid squeezing out.