Alternative Transportation Fuels: Biofuels

CSIS's Energy Program and Global Strategy Institute, with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), hosted the second session of the Alternative Transportation Fuels series.

Rising oil demand and import dependence are the main driving forces behind the consideration of alternative energy sources.  Increasingly, environmental, national security and foreign policy concerns are drawing attention to nonconventional transportation fuels. The much-mentioned hydrogen economy will not make sufficient inroads in the United States to cause a significant reduction in the liquid fuels demand in the near- to mid-term. Therefore, we expect that the number of alternative fuels for transportation will grow substantially in the coming years to meet growing demand and to replace petroleum-based gasoline.

This increased demand may be met by expanding the fuel choices available for cars and trucks and also by applying new technologies to passenger vehicle design.  Alternative fuels may include ethanol (including those from non-corn sources), biodiesel, synfuels, gas-to-liquids, coal-to-liquids, other biomass options or some combination thereof.  Car and truck design will expand to utlize existing technologies to create hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid, natural gas, fuel cell, battery and flexible-fuel engines.  We anticipate that while the fuel mix and the associated vehicles will become more diverse, and perhaps complicated, they will be based on the existing infrastructure used for gasoline today.

The second session in the series, held in September 12, 2006, provided an overview of the current status and projections for the use of biofuels in the United States. Speakers were:

• Douglas Arent, director, strategic analysis, NREL
• John Sheehan, senior strategic analyst, NREL, Presentation
• John Reese, fuels product management advisor U.S., Shell Oil Products U.S., Presentation
• Bill Frey, global business director, Biofuels Business, DuPont, Presentation
• Dr. Tad Patzek, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Presentation
• Dr. Bruce Everett, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Presentation
• Frank Verrastro, director and senior fellow, Energy Program, CSIS