ALT-6 What is Alternative Fuel
Fifteen years ago, the Energy Policy Act defined a number of fuel sources as being alternative fuel. Included in the government's definition were electricity, hydrogen, propane, natural gas, and methanol. These fuel alternatives were singled out as potential replacements for gasoline, and diesel to power vehicles.
The use of electricity as a power source for cars depends upon more efficient batteries, and solar panels to collect the sun's energy and convert it into usable electricity. While there has been progress, the technology is not yet commercially viable.
Hydrogen is an interesting option because it is the most abundant element on earth. The problem here is the stability of hydrogen fuel cells, and the cost. Eventually it will be the most exciting of all alternative sources because it is totally friendly to the environment.
Methanol, a product of methane gas, is difficult to work with because of its volatility. Today's technology does not make it very useful as an alternative to petroleum products.
As for natural gas, and propane, there is a good potential for relief from the dependency on world petroleum producers in the OPEC cartel. The United States and Canada have plentiful reserves of natural gas, sufficient to power us for years without importing from afar. Honda is marketing a car right now which runs on natural gas. It is not yet ready to replace traditional cars because of limited range, but progress is being made.
Propane is another matter entirely. The technology exists for viable propane vehicles, and at least 50 years of experience is already under our belts. Propane fuel tanks are larger than traditional gas tanks, but not more dangerous. The fuel burns much cleaner than gas or diesel, and at this moment is cheaper than current prices on gasoline even adjusting for lower mileage figures. Liquid petroleum gas, propane, is abundant in the U.S.A., but we're not hearing much about it. It is my choice by far, over all other present alternative fuels.
The reason why Ethanol, which is produced from grain products such as corn was chosen for the most support by our government is unclear. This alternative fuel choice is not a long term answer because we cannot produce enough corn to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil. However, the politics of subsidizing our Midwestern farmers made a lot of people happy, including key politicians.
As evidenced by this list of potential alternative fuel sources, there are a lot of scientists, and engineers hard at work trying to solve our energy problems. With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, they may be successful at reducing our harmful emissions and providing our children with a brighter future as relates to energy resources. I wish them the very best of luck!
source: http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/altfuels.html
