I love the idea of exploring alternative fuels. While ethanol, biodiesel, etc. are still not as efficient as fossil fuels, they will soon have to do. What we should do is explore the possibilities of the alternates now, before it's an emergency. Ethenol currently has a 1:5 ratio of how much energy is created for how much is used to creat it, butt that could chance if we can find more efficient ways to preocess the bio material. The same is true of biodiesel (I'm thinking of getting a diesel car for just this reason). Most diesel vehicles will run pretty well on biodiesel, vegtable oil, and other biofuels with little or no modification. I have an orange tree, grape vine, lemon tree, tamato bushes, and an olive tree in my back yard. I have to wonder if it's possible for me to use the oils from the fruits of these plants to drive to work. A friend of mine gets about 30 MPG using biodiesel in his 80's Mercedes.
If one of the petrol corporations were to seriously invest in alternative fuel technologies, they are guerenteed amazing profits in the next few years. Even beefore the peak of oil production, alternative fuels are only going to get more popular.
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