Jatropha, Key Plant for Energy Sustainability

There is already a key way to solve our energy and warming challenges. Just transition to biodiesel using Jatropha plants. Our energy production priorities, should be ranked by which are practical and then are the most cost and energy effective here and now. Our future energy systems should be ranked first by feasibility, and then cost, and energy effectivity. Ideas like hydrogen cars would have never made the cut. See: http://tinyurl.com/hydrogenhoax .

Pickens' Plot does not address oil directly. But, yes we can plant vast quantities of Jatropha that can be growm in desolate areas lile with windmills, power lines, deserts. Jatropha can be grown locally and processed locally on land unsuitable for food crops. It does not need food quality land, it does not need pesticides because it has its own poison and it does not need much water. We could easily produce biodiesel from them, far before we could, by drilling for oil offshore or in Alaska. As we begin to supply all our diesel needs with biodiesel, we will be well on our way to transforming to a sustainable future. At first, our government would have to agree to buy all our plant oil production at $100 per barrel, until our national security needs are met. Lower biodiesel prices will help drive our economy's recovery. Our gas supply will be expanded and lower priced, because the part of oil now going to diesel will be cracked, to make more gasoline. That could be also helped by practical here and now alternatives like sugar cane ethanol ,until we could perhaps make cost effective butanol using a virus or other alternatives. I wrote to Pickens website about using biodiesel to help, but I am not holding my breath.

On a personal note, we have already bought 100% biodiesel for our 2006 VW Jetta TDI, locally at the Shell station that our FNP wrote about, for a lower price than other local Shell stations sell diesel. This was while gas was at about $3.50. This is in spite of our dropping dollar at that time, that is helping Europe run our local prices up, by buying biodiesel to meet their mandatory percentages, and in spite of the land soybeans has lost to subsidized corn. So, planting Jatropha in our marginal land to produce biodiesel and not interfere with food production here should be a no brainer. However, Pickens' oil, gas and windmill money, can buy a lot of influence, until our mass media and web bloggers, start telling all the factual stories, much more often, than he can. What part are you interested in playing in our generations' biggest challenge?

Are you ready to search for what part you are interested in doing? You could start with Jatropha Diesel.