WHAT'S NEXT -- ENERGY

BusinessWeek - Plants such as algae that produce the fats used in biofuel not only can be grown locally but also spend most of their existence sucking up CO2. Commercial airlines, the U.S. Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA are all on board ... WHAT'S NEXT -- ENERGY बिओदीesel fuel for trucks, cars, and trains. energy crops, algae have "the potential to deliver 10 or 100 times more energy per acre," says Ron C. biodiesel from other plants is already a robust market. energy entrepreneurs such as Martin Tobias, CEO of Imperium Renewables in Seattle, which is armed with $145 million in venture capital and private equity funding. biodiesel] a month," says Chief Operating Officer Jonathan S. energy group E-On Hansa said it will build a $3.2 million pilot algae farm at its Hamburg power plant with support from the city government. biodiesel maker SGC Energia is investing in a $3 million pilot algae farm next to a power plant. enFuel Technologies in Cambridge, Mass., founded in 2004, quickly snared $20 million to create a business around its patented algae bioreactor. enFuel raised an additional $5.5 million to pursue a lower-cost approach. biofuels made from algae oil, says an article in the Sept. Fuels for Jet Engines." Plants such as algae that produce the fats used in biofuel not only can be grown locally but also spend most of their existence sucking up CO2.

- WHAT'S NEXT -- ENERGY

What's The Alternative Power?

For the first time since the 1920s, when early steam-powered and electric vehicles yielded to the internal combustion engine, a real picture is starting to emerge on alternative power systems for the future। Until now, automotive companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to develop new means of vehicle propulsion -- and with good reason Oil is a finite resource that simply will run out one day. And the auto industry is under increasing pressure to reduce pollution by creating cleaner-running cars.

Over the years, attempts to develop pure-electric and hybrid-electric vehicles have not met with great success. Not long ago I drove a fully charged electric vehicle at General Motors' proving grounds and was impressed by the vehicle's power and overall quality. However, no company has yet to make a major breakthrough that can keep an EV running for more than 50 to 100 miles without recharging. And the cost of the vehicle is still prohibitive.
Hybrid vehicles, which combine electric motors and gasoline or diesel engines, also are being developed with some positive results. But hybrids are more likely to serve as a "bridge" from one technology to the next
Then there are fuel cells, which seem to have the backing of everyone from the major automakers to the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE projects that if a mere 10% of automobiles nationwide were powered by fuel cells:

- What's The Alternative Power?