Types of Alternative Fuels

There are several types of alternative fuels currently in use and more are continually being developed. While it’s understood that a definitive move away from petroleum-based fuel is an absolute necessity for the sake of the planet’s health, there is as yet no one ideal solution for going forward. Fortunately, the continued discussion and research mean that we will see some real progress on this problem, perhaps even sooner than seems possible.

What we put in our gas tanks has significant effect upon the planet.

The alternative fuel that has gained the most traction in recent years is ethanol, a biofuel that can be made from sugar cane or corn. Other much-discussed fuels include hydrogen, biodiesel, natural gas and vegetable oil.

Each fuel has its advantages and disadvantages. Inventors are also trying to improve existing methods such as the electric car, and exploring the possibility of cars that could run on wind or solar power. Furthermore, active research is underway to apply the use of alternative fuels to trucks and planes, which cause even more environmental damage than cars.

There are important political and economic reasons for moving away from petroleum-based fuel for all methods of transport and heating. The even bigger concern is the rapid growth of global climate change, which is causing ice shelves in the Antarctic to melt, killing plant and animal species and spreading disease. The burning of fossil fuels, like oil and coal, increases the concentration of greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming. Fuel derived from renewable resources could conceivably be almost free and, more importantly, does not create the sort of pollution that damages the planet.

Although much effort is being spent in promoting the use of corn-based ethanol, scientists and environmentalists are quick to assert that the best types of alternative fuels are those that are more truly renewable, such as wind, solar and tidal power. Concept cars have been successfully tested that run well on all these fuels, so that it will only require effort on the part of car manufacturers to mass produce such vehicles and get them on the road. That effort is not small by any means, but it becomes more necessary by the day. The more the public clamors for this change, the better the chances it will come about soon.

As the most popular type of alternative fuel, the drawbacks of ethanol need to be more widely discussed. One of the biggest concerns is that, when world hunger is still a pressing issue and due to get worse thanks to rising food shortages (caused in part by problems associated with climate change), it appears highly irresponsible to use perfectly edible food to make fuel. Already, the realization is growing that increased beef production is a strain on land and grain, and designating more land to the growth of corn for fuel may end up creating far more problems than would be solved. Furthermore, evidence indicates that fuels like ethanol and biodiesel are more expensive than gasoline and diesel, whereas a vehicle operating on alternative energies such as solar power would cost nearly nothing to run. This is not to say that ethanol should be wholly abandoned, but these factors should be considered in the debate.

Although car and truck manufacturers have been reluctant to alter engines to accommodate emission regulations and mileage standards, their severe decrease in sales, combined with some governmental assistance, should prompt them to reconsider. This is technology that is already in existence, allowing motorists in Europe and Japan to drive cars that get as much as 50 miles to the gallon. Such standards, combined with increased development of vehicles that can run on solar power, will mean a marked decline in the amount of crude we need to buy or develop and the amount of pollutants we put in the air. With political will and global effort, we can say goodbye to fossil fuels for good.

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