The segment on the New Bedford energy-from-garbage plant was -- as has been typical of most episodes -- long on gee-whiz science but short on realistic analysis. For instance, it seems there was a lot of energy-intensive processing to turn that garbage into the end product fuel. Does anyone know what the EROEI (energy returned on energy invested) is for this plant? In other words, does it make significantly more energy, by some objective standard (e.g. kilocalories, BTus, etc.), than it uses? Do they envision the plant eventually being powered by its own end product? It's only by answering these kinds of questions that we can rise above the "isn't that cool!" factor and determine which of this stuff might actually have some value in powering our nation.
