of grassroot research can be found at The Solar Living Institute located in Hopland, CA.

It is a non-profit research facility that holds a series of workshops - everything from Solar 101 to the outfitting of large facilities with alternative power.

What a great gift for someone who's just learning about the awesome power of the sun!

Solar Living Institute

www.solarliving.org

I want to use photosynthesis to leverage the awesome power of the sun into 50 BILLION GALLONS OF FUEL ETHANOL produced each year... with proven technology... Together we can do so. Thanks, LeRoy Deichman

Tell us more about combining photosynthesis with sunpower.

In brief; Sunlight is the "catalyst" that enables the chlorophyl molecule to combine carbon dioxide with water to produce simple sugars in the chlorophyl laden green leaf of photosynthetically active plants. Those simple sugars after complex biosynthesis to fermentable carbohydrates and bioconversion back, become the feedstock for fuel ethanol. The CO2 combustion emmision of that fuel is not a net CO2 addition to our atmosphere like fossil fuel CO2 emissions are, but recycled CO2 that was "scrubbed" from the atmosphere by the growing green plant earlier in the year by annual plant feedstocks. I would like to propose a Comprehensive
Plan to enable us to produce 50 BILLION GALLONS annually in the U.S. with existing biotechnology! Working models are in place showing how this can be accomplished with todays technology! Thanks, C. LeRoy Deichman

Several varieties of plants should be efficient solar power converters. There are some of those plants that don't really need to be converted into alcohol. They can simply be burned, efficiently, saving a step. This could replace or at the least supplement our coal supply, without the primary problems associated with burning coal.

I'd like to see a comparison of the overall efficiency of photovoltaic cells to some of the fast growing, burnable plants.

Of course, with some varieties of plants we would get something we could use, like grain, and then still be able to burn the rest of the plant. Seems like there would be a lot of variables to consider in such a comparison.