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Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by Roritharr on Saturday July 23, 2016 @06:08PM (#12151192)
Because the rotting process would create methane which would seep out easily, its wasteful and ethically questionable (people are still starving, so not even using corn as fuel is pretty horrible). Storing Carbon cheaply and safely is to me an unsolved problem. Especially if you want to do it without wasting tons of minerals (before someone talks about vacuumed dried algae or stuff like that).
Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by tim333 on Saturday July 23, 2016 @06:51PM (#12151349)
I like the idea of building stuff out of wood. Then we can have nice buildings and store carbon.
Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by dredmorbius on Sunday July 24, 2016 @07:53AM (#12153076)
There's actually a really good idea in there.

After transport, building materials are a large energy consumer. Coming up with alternatives to concrete, steel, aluminium, and similar materials, possibly though biologics, whether low-tech like wood, or self-forming biocrete and biobrick.

Paving, especially.

Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by tim333 on Sunday July 24, 2016 @10:24AM (#12153387)
Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by dredmorbius on Sunday July 24, 2016 @05:38PM (#12155033)
I'm aware of that (and pointed to a few examples myself).

What I'm pointing out is that energy is a means to some service goal, and in the case of construction, alternate means to ends may well obviate much the need for new energy supplies.

Or taking an alternate formulation: rather than tap energy and convert and store and transform it multiple times to accomplish some goal, employ biological means to achieve the same end with far fewer (loss-entailing) energy transforms.

Trees, plants, algae, and/or microbes, operating over a large area, accomplish a very large net throughput. The questions are whether we can manage that, what outputs are possible, at what rates, and what subsequent changes in capabilities result. I suspect no biologic will have, say, the capabilities of steel. If we're limited to masonry or ceramic-based structures, the age of the 100-storey supertower is gone, but there are a many 10-20 storey towers which might be possible, resulting in high urban densities, if that's what we want.

Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by visarga on Sunday July 24, 2016 @06:30AM (#12152936)
What about Iron fertilization of the upper ocean to stimulate a phytoplankton bloom?
Re:Q&A: Bill Gates on investments in energy technologies by DiabloD3 on Saturday July 23, 2016 @11:00PM (#12152027)
You're half right on the wasteful and ethically questionable part: corn is very low nutrition, and is basically junk food. Growing it at all while people are still starving is pretty horrible.