No matter where we live or what our background or situation is, the fuel crisis affects us.  Unless we are counted among that small percentage of people or families that makes a ton of money, we can literally feel the effects of the fuel crisis at the gas pump.  Studies show that these days, even the uber-rich are feeling some of the pinch.

If we are not feeling the pinch because we have oh so much disposable income, perhaps we are feeling the need to make sure that global warming and other issues that are harmful to our environment and our planet do not increase.  Or, it might just be a matter of not being dependent on foreign oil in order for this country to function properly.

Regardless of our reasons, most of us – including the government – are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels.  There are a number of them out there – more than meets the eye.  Many of them are in various stages of research and development and others are close to being ready for use or are already being used.

Much of the current research available suggests that a combination approach is necessary to dig out of the current fuel crisis and create an independence when it comes to producing and sustaining fuel.  There are many sources that are being investigated for various reasons including environment, availability, efficiency or cost effectiveness.

Drilling for oil is one part of the equation.  America has numerous sources of oil, both offshore and in various areas on the mainland.  In addition, there is plenty of coal.  In fact, the U.S. has over 25% of the world’s coal reserves and these could be used for fuel, especially through coal liquefaction, which creates synthetic fuel that can be used the same as gasoline made from crude oil.  This is not to say that these are the only answers.  There are finite amounts of coal available, and if we are trying to eliminate certain types of pollution, it is essential that we limit  and balance the amounts of certain fuels.

In addition to coal and oil, solar and wind power are available, but need to be developed further to be viable sources of energy.  Nuclear power is another source of sustainable energy, and the country has the capability to expand nuclear energy.  Bio fuels are also a good alternative to oil, and there are various types that can be grown and generated right here in this country.  Also, automakers can work to create more solar powered cars, hydrogen powered cars and battery powered cars.

With lawmakers and researchers working on all of these sources at the same time, there should be developments that will sustain us far into the future.  If these alternative choices were made available, there would be enough fuel to go around and people could chose what is right for their situation.  For now, we must wait for developments while encouraging researchers, scientists, inventors, farmers, lawmakers and others to keep working to develop as many alternative fuel sources as possible.

Tags: alternative energy, alternative ful, developing fuel, fuel crisis, fuel research

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Gas Prices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.