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Green
Fuels
Alternative
fuel (alternate fuel), also known as non-conventional
fuels, is any material or substance that can be used
as a fuel, other than fossil fuels, or conventional
fuels of petroleum (oil), coal, propane, and natural
gas. The term "alternative fuels" usually
refers to a source of which energy is renewable.
The
main purpose of fuel is to store energy in a form
that is stable and can be easily transported from
the place of production to the end user. Almost all
fuels are chemical fuels, that store chemical potential
energy. The end user is then able to consume the fuel
at will, and release energy, usually in the form of
heat for a variety of applications, such as powering
an engine, or heating a building.
Some
well known alternative fuels include biodiesel, ethanol,
butanol, chemically stored electricity (batteries
and fuel cells), hydrogen, methane, natural gas, wood,
vegetable oil, biomass, and peanut oil.
In
the year 2000, there were about eight million vehicles
around the world that ran on alternative fuels, indicating
the increasing popularity of alternative fuels {citation
needed}. There is growing social interest, and an
economic and political need for the development of
alternative fuel sources. This is due to general concerns
of sustainability, both environmental, economic, and
geopolitical. A primary concern is that the fact that
the use of conventional fuels directly contributes
to the global warming crisis. Another concern is the
problem of peak oil, which predicts a rising cost
of oil derived fuels caused by severe shortages of
oil during an era of growing energy consumption. According
to the 'peak oil' phenomenon, the demand for oil will
exceed supply and this gap will continue to grow,
which could cause a growing energy crisis by the year
2010 or 2020. Lastly, the majority of the known petroleum
reserves are located in the middle east. There is
general concern that worldwide fuel shortages could
intensify the unrest that exists in the region, leading
to further conflict and war. (See future energy development
for a general discussion). (Credit:
Wikipedia)
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