Focus should be on tapping alternative fuel sources

Over seven billion tonnes of resources are mined from earth each year. Over two million hectares of our forests are cut down and burnt. That leaves only 28% of wild forests globally. While these statistics are not good, one can go in for alternative ways and means to create energy than merely depend on mining and wood. In the past, we relied on conventional fuels like fossil fuels (petroleum oil), coal and natural gas. Nuclear materials like thorium and uranium were also in use. Unfortunately, oil and gas, especially when produced irresponsibly, pose catastrophic health and environmental risks. We are finding that alternative fuel sources are helping us find ways to create energy without destroying the planet. And in some cases, they produce cheaper and cleaner energy. More than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development for use in alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles. Although, government and private sector fleets are the primary users of most of these fuels, a big change is that individuals are showing a renewed interest in them. Using alternative fuels, including electricity, and advanced vehicles instead of conventional fuels and vehicles is helping the United States to conserve petroleum and lower vehicle emissions.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled cooking grease for use in diesel vehicles. Electricity can be used to power electric vehicles, which are increasingly available. Ethanol is a widely used renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials. It is blended with gasoline for use in vehicles. Hydrogen is a potentially emissions-free alternative fuel that can be produced from domestic resources for use in fuel cell vehicles. Natural gas is a domestically abundant fuel and costs less compared to gasoline and diesel fuels. Renewable diesel is a biomass-derived transportation fuel suitable for use in diesel engines. Sustainable aviation fuel is a fuel derived from renewable feed-stocks that enables a reduction in net life cycle carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional fuels.

P-Series fuels are a combination of natural gas liquids, methyl tetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) and ethanol and they can be used in flexible fuel vehicles. Alas, no manufacturer is making flexible fuel vehicles at this moment. Harvesting electricity from humid air could one day power our devices. An experimental device, a humidity sensor, had started generating electrical signals. Researchers have been developing a technology that can harvest electricity from nothing but humid air. Numerous research groups from around the world are discovering new ways of gleaning electricity from water molecules that naturally float in the air. It is possible because those water molecules can transfer tiny electrical charges between themselves – a process that researchers are aiming to control. The challenge is in picking up enough usage electricity. But scientists now believe they may be able to harvest enough to power miniature computers or sensors.It raises the tantalising prospect of a new form of renewable energy that might be floating all around us, practically 24/7.