Ethanol & Biodiesel - problem or solution?

In a previous post, I mentioned that bio-diesel may not be the great saviour of our oil-dependant habits, in fact it will gave many the excuse to continue with their current way of life without having to change too much.

Personally, I think bio-diesel should be considered in the same vein as hybrid cars - that it is a transitional technology which should be used appropriately was we change our ways to using cars and oil products less and less. The problem with bio-diesel is that already, great swaths of land have been allocated to producing palm-oil (one of the cheapest ways of producing bio-diesel) in countries such as Borneo that can ill-afford the loss of forest.

Even if the UK were to turn farmland over to crops for fuel, there would not be enough land for fuel and food production, hence my conclusion that ultimately, we need to change our habits.

The latest thing in the US is Ethanol or E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline/petrol) which again is giving vehicle manufacturers an excuse to continue to promote gas-guzzlers which trying to give their drivers a clear conscience. Again the problem is the amount of land required to actually produce the ethanol, and then there’s the hidden oil usage.

This post in the ‘Alternative Energy’ blog gives you a lot more background, facts and figures to back all this up. Please read it and realise that we need a big shift in our lifestyles. Ethanol / E85 is actually part of the problem and not part of the solution.