ethanol
The Future of Energy is Conservation
Americans have been on a century-long energy spending spree.
From automobiles to architecture, as long as energy costs have stayed
affordable relative to our incomes, neither wastefulness nor environmental
implications figured into our buying and building decisions. But with
skyrocketing energy costs, people are beginning to rethink that approach.
Unfortunately, the inexpensive and immediate fix for our energy problems-energy
conservation-is mostly overlooked in favor of high-cost energy production
solutions, most of which are slow to implement and some of which are counterproductive
THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE “Next Generation” Biofuels
If the price of a gallon of gasoline hasn't gotten your
attention lately, concerns about the environmental impacts of America's fossil
fuel addiction or national energy security likely have. In the face of such
challenges, alternative fuels are rapidly being developed and commercialized.
Minnesota farmers were among the first to answer the call, producing ethanol, a "first generation" biofuel. In the United States, ethanol is produced primarily from corn. Globally, ethanol is made from a wide variety
Alternatives to Petroleum
Most of us use petroleum gasoline or diesel fuels in our cars and trucks, but those aren't the only ones available for our use. A growing number of other fuels are becoming more common. Most of us are familiar with ethanol, since it's used as an additive in regular gasoline to help it burn cleaner. Many gasoline brands in Minnesota contain 10% ethanol. Some cars are now available as "flexible-fuel vehicles" (also known as FFVs).
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