Achieving Individual Energy Independence
This article is from my column, Electronic Horizons for 9/2/2005, published in North Texas weekly newspaper, The News Connection.
Ouch! Enough Already! As I am sure all of you know, gas prices are quickly becoming the most expensive tax we as Americans pay. Parking that SUV in front of the pump is quickly becoming an exercise in futility. As for that Hummer H2 in the driveway, well, no wonder it hasn't moved in months.
Yes, its crunch time in the U.S. of A., and the little guy (i.e. – me) is stretched thin just getting to work every day. If you cannot walk or bike, and have no access to public transportation, what are the alternatives to being pinched at the pump? While there is certainly a world of alternative fuels "coming soon," there are very few immediate solutions for the average driver. Clearly, the national fuel economy is choking on its own bile while oil executives rake in record profits.
Wouldn't it be great to get gas for free?
When Rudolf Diesel showed the world his new engine at the Paris World Exposition in 1900, he was running green, using peanut oil as fuel. As Mr. Diesel explained, "The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it." Obviously, if the man created the diesel engine, he knew a thing or two about it.
Today, bio-diesel made from plant matter and animal fat is a growing market. Later this year truck stops selling bio-diesel blends bearing the likeness of Willie Nelsen will be popping up all over Texas and Oklahoma. The city of Ft. Worth already has four retailers that exclusively sell bio-blends, albeit for much more than standard diesel. But there is another way – the good old fashioned, American can-do way, that every man and woman can take advantage of. It's green, not so lean, and it has the potential to wrench energy independence back into our hands.
Hold on to your hat, cowboy. I'm talking about Veggie Power.
Give that Whopper in your hand a big squeeze. See that puddle of juice collecting in your lap? You can drive your truck with that. If Rudolf Diesel ran the original diesel engine on peanut oil, then what is stopping diesel engine owners from growing or producing their own fuel? The answer? Nothing!
Vegetable oil, the commonly used foodstuff, also holds the power to drive your car, heat your home, and bolster your nation’s economy. But, for this week, let’s just talk about converting your car into a green machine.
The only limitation to using vegetable oil in your diesel engine is an oxygenation process that is pre-applied to diesel and bio-diesel. Vegetable oil is much thicker than regular diesel. Therefore, it is necessary to heat the oil before injecting it into the fuel system. An $800 conversion kit is required to run on straight vegetable oil. A hose from the radiator runs to a copper coil in the tank, heating the oil to a more combustible state before it is pumped into the engine. While the oil heats, the engine will run on diesel or bio-diesel from the main tank, then a simple flip of an electric switch installed on the dashboard begins the process. The only major blow to the fuel's usability is that it gels in below-freezing temperatures (a caveat known to affect standard diesel as well). A separate filter is required to run a veggie-power car when it is colder than cold.
Several excellent resources on bio-diesel can be found here:
www.biodiesel.org
www.biodieselamerica.org
To obtain a kit to convert your diesel vehicle, go here:
www.diesel-therm.com
www.frybrid.com
While it may sound strange, vegetable oil in a diesel engine has not caused any known problems, produces far less emission waste, already boasts over 1,000,000 miles of pre-existing road testing, and actually extends the longevity of your car. The biggest drawback is the unusual smell coming from the exhaust. Stand outside your local McDonalds to get an idea of what a veggie-powered car smells like. I think that the smell of fries is much more acceptable than fighting foreign wars, don't you? Most people will not even notice the difference unless you tell them.
Speaking of McDonalds, this is the part where free fuel comes in. Most restaurants with deep-fryers have to pay to have their waste-oil hauled away. Since bio-diesel is 100 percent plant matter and animal fats, a tub of grease hauled out of the back of the burger emporium is almost as good as the pre-treated stuff. If you have the gumption and the need to achieve energy independence, most managers will be happy to give away the grease. Simply filter out the non-oil stuff, place the grease into a container and pour it into your gas tank. It's a win-win situation!
Make your Prius-owning neighbors raise an eyebrow at the deep-fried smell in the morning. Sure, they get 45 miles per gallon on their fancy-schmancy, super-expensive hybrid technology, but they still buy gas. With veggie-power, the particularly dedicated can get free fuel, and America's farmers get a little more support. How can this be a bad thing?
The most popular passenger cars that run on diesel are made by VW, and many can be found for very little money. One writer from Ohio said he bought a 1981 VW Rabbit for $600, paid $800 for a veggie-kit, spent two days installing the system and now enjoys free fuel to the tune of 35 miles per gallon. Others have reported resounding success in converting Turbo Diesel cars made by VW, Mercedes, Porsche and BMW. Veggie-conversion shops have been springing up all over the American Midwest. It is only a matter of time before someone in your town puts the effort into making the change. Most mechanics advertising service on the internet will perform conversions for anywhere between $600 and $1,000. Most drivers will recoup this cost within one year – or six months given today’s petroleum economy.
America is slowly moving toward energy independence. On the individual level, such independence is easier than it may seem. The war on terror, or the global struggle against extremism, or whatever Bush wants to call it, will be won by individual Americans. This country will find recourse not in the oil fields of Iraq, but the corn and wheat fields of our farmers. The soil turned by our ancestors will be the gardens of our victory, helping sustain future generations while protecting our own. Call me crazy, but veggie-power and the smell of french-fries sounds like a better alternative than nationwide conscription.
Said Rudolf Diesel circa 1911: "The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." And we will drive on a road of bones. Mahalo.
Electronic Horizons is a weekly column written by Stephen Webster. It can be found in The News Connection, a community newspaper in North Texas. Mr. Webster gives permission to republish and distribute this article. If you do so, please email swebster@thenewsconnection.com and link back to this page.
