> I find the fact that such a seemingly miniscule amount of fuel can be 
> used to propel quite massive vehicles along at such speeds quite 
> amazing.  The energy density and convenience of petroleum fuels is just 
> astonishing.

On the other hand, steam engines are more efficient. (I.e., transform 
more of the available energy into useful work.) But they're really not 
"convinient" at all.

> Second thought though is that when you add up the consumption of tens of 
> thousands of vehicles along a section of major road each day it does 
> start to amount to quite a lot.

Uh, yeah...

> And all of this is with a liquid that was produced millions of years 
> ago.  It is the captured sunlight that fell on forests in the time of 
> the dinosaurs.

Indeed.

Still, you'd think it would be possible to somehow take plants living 
today and transform their tissues into some kind of highly flammable 
hydrocardon with reasonably efficiency. This would seem the obvious 
sustainable solution.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Post a reply to this message