Crude Alternatives: Energy Industry Heavyweights Debate Fuels of the Future
A truth that floated to the surface during the BP energy company's Deepwater disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, along with hundreds of millions of liters of oil, is that the world does not have a ready replacement for conventional forms of fuel such as crude oil and likely will not have one for some time, particularly as demand for energy grows worldwide. Cleaner energy alternatives, including natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear and biofuel, have gained ground on greenhouse gas–producing oil (as well as coal), but there is still a long way to go before these inexpensive, efficient fuel sources can be phased out, according to a keynote panel assembled recently at Technology Review 's Emerging Technologies (EmTech) conference in Cambridge, Mass. ( Technology Review is published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where the conference is held.) [More] ...