I wish to comment on the letter, “Nuclear better than carbon,” in which solar energy is depicted as a “nonstarter” among energy sources for Western Washington. For 36 years in Puerto Rico I researched sugarcane and related tropical grasses as the world’s oldest and least expensive system for converting solar energy to alternative energy forms. Upon returning to the Lowell area I did not expect to see sugarcane’s equal here. But in cost per million BTUs, and diversity of uses in a future of constrained farmland, water and energy resources — Snohomish County has a very respectable counterpart of sugarcane.
Reference here is to Canary Grass (Phalaris species), an herbaceous, perennial, self-sustaining plant highly productive with minimal inputs in humid lowlands. Its high self-sustainment without irrigation is alone a wakeup call to a future of impending land and water shortages.
I recently performed some plot studies with existing wild Canary Grass at the Lowell Civic Community Garden area in south Lowell. Without inputs I could harvest about seven air-dry tons per acre, from plots that began growth the first week in February and ended the last week in November. Air-dry biomass contains 7,200 BTUs per pound. One ton has an energy content equal to 1.2 barrels of oil. World oil prices have exceeded $100 per barrel.
Too little is yet known about Canary Grass to say that it is a solar energy resource for Western Washington. One can say, however, that it will never pose a nuclear hazard here.
Alex G. Alexander
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
