Ethanol is a flammable alcohol that is used as a fuel source for motor vehicles. Ethanol has both current and future implications for the auto industry. Currently, ethanol is used in internal combustion engines as a blend with gasoline, normally distributed as E10 and E85. A new field of research is breaking ground for ethanol use in fuel cells for future use, which once developed, will triple mileage (mpg) over today’s vehicles. Ethanol, like many things, is a product of solar power, and thus, for Carolina Ethanol Partnership, the process of making ethanol begins 93 million miles away inside the sun. There an amazing reaction takes place between Hydrogen ions called fusion, which releases unfathomable amounts of energy. This enormous amount of energy reaches the Earth’s surface as sunlight which energizes the planet with over 120 trillion kilojoules of energy every second, which is more powerful than several atomic bombs. Sunlight powers everything from the weather to growing the food we eat, however, the vast majority of energy we receive dissipates as heat loss. CEP is interested in harnessing apart of the Earth’s unutilized sunlight to create ethanol. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form, and CEP is simply using unused sunlight to create clean energy.
CEP intends to utilize solar energy by growing macroalgae in the ocean, then fermenting it into ethanol using its developed technology. The ocean is a greatly under utilized resource that has incredible potential for alternative energy. This is because the ocean is ideal for photosynthetic organisms, such as macroalgae. Because these organisms grow in water, and have ample access to sunlight and CO2, they often grow much faster than land plants. Because of its high output and low costs, using macroalgae is much more cost-effective than the current industry standards. For the ethanol industry, macroalgae yields 5 times more ethanol per acre than corn, with over 2000 gallons produced per acre each year. Currently, CEP is developing a mariculture process which will potentially utilize a part of the South Carolina coastline to grow macroalgae for ethanol production. This mariculture process benefits the natural environment by providing a habitat for hundreds of species of marine life. By using environmentally friendly practices, CEP’s mariculture process will have greater efficiencies and insure the protection of our natural environment. CEP’s process is non-competitive with human resources such as food, will provide jobs for South Carolina, displace oil imports thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increase fish populations for our depleted oceans, and provide a clean fuel for the Carolinas.