From GreenCar & jcwinnie.biz
it is critical to note that cellulosic ethanol, which does much better than corn ethanol in such assessments, means more emissions and fewer miles traveled than when you employ electric drive powered by electricity generated from biomass.
Notes Elliott Campbell, lead author of a paper published in the 8 May issue of the journal Science, “We found that converting biomass to electricity rather than ethanol makes the most sense for two policy-relevant issues, transportation and climate.”
The results of the study correspond to prior studies commissioned by the Dutch government repeatedly supporting the conclusion that the conversion of biomass to electric power is more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sound option compared with conversion to liquid fuels. Nevertheless, federal energy and agricultural policy so far continues to support ethanol.
The study by University of California, Merced, Assistant Professor Elliott Campbell along with Christopher Field of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology and David Lobell of Stanford University, found that bioelectricity produces an average 81% more transportation kilometers and 108% more emissions offsets per unit area cropland than cellulosic ethanol. Dutch researchers have obtained similar results. But, then, that’s science, rather than the prevailing pork politics.