I remember watching a CNN special report on alternate fuel sources. They emphasized on how much we needed to find alternative sources of fuel. There are plenty of ideas for alternative fuel depending on what part of the world you live in. The use of corn ethanol is very feasible alternative source at the moment in all of the United States.
In the 80s and 90s, they were going to use ethanol as an alternative source of field. There are plenty of cornfields and farmers willing to sell the corn. I could remember the commercials they aired in between breaks on Face the Nation on Sunday mornings on CBS or Meet the Press on NBC. But they pulled the rug out from the farmers by going back to oil when the price was eased.
It is possible to go back to the cultivation of corn for its corn ethanol. There are plenty of corn farmers willing to sell the corn because they’ve been in a crunch for a very long time. Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Franchise who’s investing a lot of money should definitely look into that source. The farmers have been in a tight spot ever since the government went back to buying oil. Because of this, most to about all of the farmers aren’t willing to grow the corn unless they benefit. If the United States government screws the corn farmers again, kiss the possibility of using corn ethanol goodbye for a very long time.
Brazil is pretty much independent of foreign oil because they managed to use sugarcane ethanol. But it didn’t happen overnight. I watched a segment on the CNN special report and saw that all of the gas stations in Brazil use sugarcane ethanol. The government financed the Programa Nacional do Alcool or National Alcohol Program to phase out fuels derived from fossil fuels. The cost of sugar was inexpensive and Brazil has the tropical climate needed to grow sugarcane along with an ample source of water. Due to environmental reasons, farmers have to be able to sustain the land.
For very windy areas such as Chicago, there are the use of windmill generators. However, wind energy is used to power up households, buildings, and other structures. It can fuel cars as long as they’re the hybrid cars that run on both gas and electricity.
In very hot areas such as Arizona, Nevada, and so forth, substitute wind with solar power. Again, it only helps if you own a hybrid car.
Hydroelectricity is another possibility. But not as feasible as solar and wind power. More money, research, and resources would have to be allocated into this venture.
Because all of the cars in the United States including hybrid cars are still dependent on fuel, the best bet would be corn ethanol. There are already the arguments in place that cultivating corn ethanol is expensive.
Yes it is. It wouldn’t have been expensive if people especially the government didn’t abandon the project twenty years ago just because the cost of oil was eased up. However, corn is plentiful. As long as the governments don’t backstab the corn farmers, we should be fine.
In short, when finding alternative sources of fuel, you have to allocate a lot of funding, research, and funding to those projects. The world governments especially need to pitch in to help. Without the help of the world governments, the chances of finding alternative sources are slim to none.
Of course there are still the arguments on expenses. Research is expensive, especially in today’s world. In the past it wasn’t expensive. If we don’t invest the time, money, and resources right now, we’ll still be in the same mess twenty years into the future. And the costs of the research will be far more expensive then it is now.
However, there’s going to be strong opposition. In this case, the Big Oil and OPEC. Biggest concern are these two opposing forces placing pressure to abandon such projects. They have the money and can use it to bribe government officials. One of the biggest steps towards alternative sources of fuel is stamp out corruption in the world governments and military. After that, we have to keep elected officials in check.
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