Wood chips help fuel 'Green Grand Prix'

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The only byproduct is the water vapor and a trace of carbon dioxide that come out the exhaust.

That's music to the ears of Gillespie, who counts conservation, innovation and education as hallmarks of the Green Grand Prix.

"It's a perpetual motion machine," Gillespie said. "We don't want him to cut down any trees, though."

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Not to worry: The plan is to use the 7.5 million tons of wood waste generated in Pennsylvania each year. The partners also are seeking grants to build a plant to convert it and other organic material into liquid fuel.

Race has evolved in 4 years
The inaugural Green Grand Prix four years ago was a simple display of eight cars on the county courthouse lawn. It has morphed into a bona fide race in which competitors vie in two categories: fuel economy and the traditional scoring system used in SCCA rallies. When they start, the drivers and their navigators have no idea where they're headed. The event is on public roadways, and the whole point is to arrive at the finish line when you're supposed to — not too early and not too late — by obeying speed limits and not making any wrong turns.

"It's not just a parade of cars. It's a full competition, and they run a strenuous course," Gillespie said.

IMAGE: SOLAR POWER ASSISTED BIKE
David Duprey / AP
Jesse Beam rode his solar power assisted bike during the Green Grand Prix road rally in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Two years ago, Tom Lyon of Carlsbad, Calif., won the miles-per-gallon category, averaging 76.1 in a 2000 Honda Insight over a 78-mile course around Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes that stretch across the central part of New York.

Last year, competing against a field that included a 1908 Stanley Steamer, a Honda Accord hybrid sponsored by the IndyCar Series and a bright red 1934 Ford pickup truck propelled by liquid propane, Jory Squibb's Moonbeam Microcar had the best overall mileage of 100 miles on a gallon of gas.

Biodiesel motorbike takes top honors
On Saturday, a biodiesel-powered Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by New England Biodiesel founder Bill Bolch took top fuel honors at 89 miles per gallon, while a Chevrolet Equinox powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was second overall in the road rally.

Perhaps Gillespie's proudest moment came when six elementary schools — five from New York and the other from Salt Lake City — received awards for alternative fuel vehicle design in a contest limited to students from fourth through seventh grade.

"Ultimately, the goal of the Green Grand Prix is to encourage students that are interested in renewable energy and sustainable economy issues to pursue careers in those fields and stay in the Northeast," Gillespie said.

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