Alternative fuels are just generally non-fossil fuel related sources. They are also called renewable fuels as they can be replenished whereas natural gas, propane, petroleum and other fossil/nuclear sources cannot.Renewable fuels have become popular for their sustainability, low carbon contributions, and in some cases, lower amounts of greenhouse gases. They also are not tied to the geo-political fluctuations of Middle Eastern oil.
While no alternative fuel is ready to replace petroleum overnight, there are many attempts at solutions to the current fuel problem. For example:
- Biofuel - using carbohydrates instead of hydrocarbons as a source of energy such as using the sugar in sugar cane and corn can create ethyl alcohol or ethanol
- Hydrogen fuel - hydrogen gas is used for energy where it can be biologically derived or made in chemical production
[Case Study]
Green-Tuned Porsche Sets Record 210 mph!
The June 2008 issue of Excellence magazine has an article on a Alternative Fuel 9ff Cayman. It has 781-HP motor and is claimed to be the fastest alternative fuel street car. It achieved a speed of 210 mph. During the speed test it lost one of its underbody panels, so it probably could have gone for more that 210 mph according to the article.
Energy has traditionally driven innovation. For the industrial age to have happened companies relied on cheep and abundant sources of energy. Now that we have reached "Peak Oil" production with gas at $3+. We are seeing a decline in the economy driven in part by the use and dependance on fossil fuels. What is the effect of new sources on economic development?
ReplyDeleteThe energy industry is certainly one of the, if not THE main driver of all industry. From the waterways that powered New England looms for textiles to nuclear powered submarines, energy determines the magnitude and powers in systems and society.
ReplyDeleteI compare new sources of energy similar to like new technologies of the telegraph and telephone.
First, it was violently opposed.
Second, it was ridiculed.
Third, it was accepted as self-evident.
Not quite sure who to credit that concept for, but I read it somewhere.
Harry S. Dent in his many books on economics and demographic studies describes technology as following a "S" curve that essentially follows Alfredo Pareto's principle of the 80/20 rule. I see our movement to superior sources of energy as slow at first till the point of critical mass for widespread adoption and standardization.
Buckminister Fuller's ephmeralization concepts come to mind as well in the decades to come.