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Old 08-11-2013, 09:20 AM   #69 (permalink)
IamIan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant-53 View Post
At the micro level the energy efficiency is key.
I'll agree with many of the + & - you brought up ... but wanted to add a bit more + / - on this one in particular.

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Looking at the net system efficiency from sunlight to , move your car ... Ethanol is more net system energy efficient , than fossil fuels ... but less than the ( More-Direct-RE )+BEV.

but ... ( you knew it was coming ) ... as the saying goes ... free to me ... ie ... all that low efficiency fossil fuel solar energy , isn't low efficiency we have to pay for ... the efficiency hit already happened ... weather it is use the stock piled chemical energy or not.

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And cost efficient is a big factor ... often much larger than energy efficient... like why houses don't use 40+% efficient satellite grade solar cells on all the roofs ... it would be more energy efficient , but far less cost efficient.

So there is a point of ... as the saying goes ... 'good enough' ... 'it doesn't have to be perfect' ... at a certain point there are diminishing returns for the increasing costs.

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We have finite resources to work with ... individually and collectively ... I can't afford to pay $1 Million for a car ... no matter how energy efficient it is... heck it could produce a surplus of power after all my driving needs and power all my house hold needs and I still couldn't afford to pay that much for it.
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