| Alex Terrell 2005-08-10, 5:21 pm |
| For a simpler version using more modern measures:
Most crops currently used can produce 1 ton of bio diesel per hectare
per year
=100 tons per km2 = 733 barrels per km2 per year = (approx) 2 barrels
per day per km2.
The UK consumes about 1.5 million barrels per day, out of a gobal total
of 80 million barrels. So to support the UK, would need 750,000km2 of
arable land.
The area of the UK is about 250,000km2.
You can do better with palm oil - about 5 tons per hectare,with lots of
irrigating and lots of sun - but much more promising is using algae.
This was discussed here:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/sc...8e560027593c554
Two big advantages:
1. Can produce 150 tons per hectare.
2. Can use salt water for irrigation.
So in theory, 250,000km2 of desert landscape would supply all our oil
needs.
The next big thing for Western Australia? Or perhaps the Western
Sahara. Oe Southern Texas.
Further, oil needs could be significantly reduced with the use of
PHEVs. A typical car could do 75% of its mileage on grid electricity,
and only 25% on bio diesel.
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