All about Alternative Fuel

With gas prices soaring sky high, the talk on the street today is of alternative fuel sources. Alternative fuel generally refers to any fuel that is not a fossil fuel or a nuclear material. Many, but not all alternative fuels are renewable resources - that means that they can be created rather than just extracted from the earth.

Reasons for Fuel Alternatives

High prices at the pumps isn't the only reason the world is searching for ways to productively use fuel alternatives. Another major concern is global warming - a widely accepted scientific theory which states that burning fossil fuels is contributing to rising temperatures in the earth's atmosphere. While global warming is still only a theory, many people around the world believe that finding cleaner burning fuel sources is a necessary step towards improving the quality of our environment.
Another reason to search for alternative fuel sources is Peak Oil, the concept that eventually, our sources for conventional fuels like petroleum will run out. Since conventional fuels are generally not renewable, many people are concerned that one day, the demand for these fuels will exceed the supply, causing a major world crisis.
Even non-environmentalists agree that the location of most of the world's oil fields (in the Middle East) presents political and economic problems. Finding a way to produce new fuels in other countries would ease the conflict and unrest caused by the world's dependence on fuels from the Middle East.

Types of Fuel Alternatives

There are lots of different types of fuel alternatives out there, although some are more promising options than others. Renewable energy from wind, solar power, or hydro power, is actually used in many places around the world to produce electricity. Some other types of renewable energy sources require the use of non-renewable fuel sources for their production. These fuel sources are still good alternatives, as they are usually cleaner and better for the environment.

Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel

Biodeiesel is a type of diesel fuel produced from animal and vegetable fats. It is more environmentally friendly than regular diesel, and it also is cheaper and produces less waste. Since it is produced from renewable resources, it could lessen the world's dependence on the limited fuel within the earth.

Wind and Solar Energy

Harnessing the power of wind and sun are inexpensive and clean ways to produce electricity. In many countries, wind and solar energy is already widely used to supplement conventional electricity production. Since the use of wind and sun produce no by-products, these resources are one of the best fuel alternatives for our environment. The only drawback is the subsequent dependence on the weather for our fuel - solar power is only available in very sunny areas, and even then, it doesn't work at night or with dense cloud cover. Wind energy is feasible in windy areas only.

Ethanol

One of the most promising fuel alternatives is Ethanol, a fuel produced from vegetable crops and wood byproducts. Some of this fuel can be produced from crops grown for the purpose, but it can also be produced from agricultural waste products and poultry litter. Many standard vehicles can be run on fuel blends which contain a low percentage of ethanol, while some flexible fuel vehicles can be run on combinations that are mostly made up of ethanol.

Hydrogen Power

Hydrogen can be produced in a number of ways - from fossil fuel and animal waste extractions, to solar, wind, and biomass production. When it's used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, it produces absolutely no emissions. This makes it a promising fuel alternative, both for its friendliness to the environment and its renewability.

Natural Gas

Compressed natural gas is currently used in many converted vehicles and 20% of busses in the United States. While natural gas is generally available only through extraction from fossil fuels, it is still considered to be a good fuel alternative because of its availability in the United States. It is also cleaner burning than regular petroleum.



In addition to these possibilities, there are numerous other potential alternative fuel sources out there. Using any of these fuel alternatives would give Western countries easier access to fuels that are better for the environment and our peace of mind. With a little bit of research and a commitment to finding a good solution, high gasoline prices may one day be a thing of the past.