Abstract
Over 80% of the world' s primary energy supply is currently derived from coal,
gas and oil (collectively known as 'fossil fuels' ), which are used to generate
electricity, power, energy and heat for industrial, commercial, domestic and
transportation purposes.
The world' s dependence on crude oil for
transportation is particularly marked, with the International Energy Agency
(IEA) estimating that fuels from crude oil currently supply about 96% of the
worldwide energy demand for transport purposes.
As the world' s population
grows and developing countries look to expand their economies, this insatiable
demand for fossil fuels is unlikely to show any sign of easing, with oil and
gas accounting for 60% of the world' s increasing energy demand between now and
2030. Furthermore, with most significant reserves of fossil fuels unevenly
distributed throughout the world, energy security is set to become an
increasingly critical economic and political issue over the coming decades.
Real or perceived disruptions to the global supply of fossil fuels - notably
crude oil - are likely to grow in frequency and cause wild fluctuations in
the price of energy, as they have done so in the past. However, one of the
most pressing reasons for seeking alternative sources of energy and fuel lies
in the form of climate change. The combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon
dioxide (CO2), a potent 'greenhouse gas' (GHG), which are considered to be
responsible for 'global warming' .
According to the IEA, if no changes are made
to the world' s existing energy economy, related emissions of CO2 will grow
marginally faster than energy use, meaning that by 2030 global CO2 emissions
will be more than 50% higher than today. Over two-thirds of that projected
increase in emissions is expected to come from emerging economies, such as
India, China - both of which are set to rely heavily on coal-based power
stations to drive their rapidly developing economies.
The combination of
biomass and biofuels accounted for around 26% of the world' s total renewable
energy production in 2008. Second generation biofuels have been developed due
to limitations of first generation biofuels, primarily that the resources used
threatens food supplies. Second generation biofuels production processes
include use a variety of non-food crops such as waste biomass, the stalks of
wheat, corn, wood and miscanthus. Second generation biofuels use biomass to
liquid technology, such as cellulosic biofuels from non-food crops.
'Third generation biofuel' primarily references fuel derived from algae. Algae fuel
is not yet commercially available or viable due to cost constraints, but
through various laboratory experiments promising results have been obtained.
In 2008, the US Department of Energy noted that algae can produce 30 times
more energy per acre than land crops such as soybeans.
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