Sources of Alternative Fuel Could Be the Future’s Energy
Alternative fuel is one thing that we should be focusing on if we’re going to be responsible stewards of the environment. Between pollution and diminishing supplies, petroleum and other conventional energy sources are becoming nonviable. If we’re going to leave this world in better shape than we found it, it’s time to start looking at alternative fuels. Here are a few of the options.
The conventional and traditional fuel sources are becoming more and more expensive to extract and their indiscriminate use in the past century has resulted in their depletion of oil stores. Alarm bells have already started ringing that these storehouses of natural fuels will reach critically low levels and precipitate a crisis much earlier than we think.
Fortunately, there are a few new discoveries that can give us hope. If we pursue them and develop new methods, we may have found a worthwhile alternative fuel source or sources before any crisis can occur. The ideal fuel would be readily available, as well as affordable and friendly to the environment.
One popular alternative fuel is bio-diesel. This is a diesel-like product extracted from plant matter, which can be burned in an ordinary diesel engine. Another similar product is called E-85. This partly renewable product is made up of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent conventional gasoline. However, it cannot be burned by all cars.
While E-85 and bio-diesel are better than pure gasoline, they still cause pollution. Also, if all gasoline consumption were to be replaced by these fuels, we would quickly run out of available plant supplies. Corn prices have already risen, causing some people in poorer countries to be unable to buy food, and land for growing bio-diesel fuel takes away from land for producing food corn.
One alternative fuel source that’s viable for transportation is electricity. It’s the best currently available technology when it comes to conserving our existing sources of fuel. The efficiency of these cars is greater even when it comes to using conventional means of generating electricity. That’s because all power can be generated in a central location, instead of in the car itself. Alternate energy sources like wind, water, and sun may be used supplementally or instead of coal and oil to generate electricity, depending on the location.
Of course, one of the ultimate alternative fuel sources is muscle power. Changing over to a bicycle or walking is one excellent way to conserve fuel and get in shape. Since fuel prices keep rising as availability continues to decrease, many people are turning to pedal power in an attempt to curtail their usage. Bio-diesel and E-85 aren’t readily available, and electric cars have their own problems. For a short to medium commute, the bike is an ideal solution.
