Bacteria as fuel?

One of my favorite global analysts, Fareed Zakaria, recently interviewed a Univ. of Maryland researcher on his pioneering efforts in alternative energy for conventional vehicles. His interview is viewable here.

Oh, I forgot to mention, that fuel-producing bacterium does its thing by eating CO2. How fast can we get it on the market??!! Whether it's this or hydrogen engine commercialization or large-scale solar, shouldn't there be a government-led investment policy effort to help accelerate market formation for these promising technologies? More than just seed money for entrepreneurs. We're talking infrastructure build-out on a national scale.

What if an oil boomlet happens?

If OPEC would slash prices, new wells come online, Iraq and Nigeria production gets back to full capacity, and gasoline in the the U.S. hits $2 a gallon, would the alternative energy movement dry up and blow away?

I sometimes wonder about that. Just as E-85 and biodiesel are starting to reach the next level, as GM and other car makers aim to dramatically increase their flexfuel vehicle roster, as battery and fuel cell technologies make quantum leaps, could it all go away?

According to Renewable Energy Focus, an Elsevier publication, $18.9 billion in new money for clean energy companies was raised in the public markets in 2007, up 80% from last year. In the private equity/venture capital space, $8.5 billion was raised, up 27% from the prior year.

This investment level will expect long-term returns. And when investment luminaries from Richard Branson to the senior team at Google are placing large investments on alternative energy as well, it seems there's no turning back.

Could it replicate the telecom meltdown earlier in the decade? If rampant overcapacity is taking shape right now, sure.

But it seems clean energy is displacing legacy coal and petrol based systems, albeit at a very measured pace, and not adding vacant capacity.

The clean energy train has left the station.

Unkulhschidt: Gas wasters

More and more, I find myself getting depressed when I'm sitting in my car at stoplights. Not because it takes the light forever to turn green. It's because I'm constantly amazed at the number of vehicles that arrive at the intersection going nearly 50 m.p.h. and only start thinking about slowing down when they're 20 feet from the stoplight.

And jackrabbit starts. Drivers who have to accelerate from a stop as though they're late for their own wedding. Jackrabbit starts, especially with large trucks and SUVs which are plentiful where I live, can burn as much as 40% more gas than gradual starts. Of course there are dozens more driving tips that can help increase gas mileage. Going 65 instead of 75 can improve fuel efficiency by up to 25%.

The depressing thing is, if this country ever faces a true gas shortage again, like it did in the late 70s, I'm not sure we have the mentality and collective will to successfully deal with it.
If U.S. motorists could decrease gas consumption by just a few percentage points, gas prices might come down dramatically. According to an MSNBC column last year, U.S gasoline demand fell 7 percent between August 2006 and January 2007. Gas prices accordingly fell 28%.

I just sense that the great majority of American drivers think energy efficiency is a passing fancy, and won't be much of an issue in the long run. We're a NASCAR country. Cylinder numbers and engine displacement still rule. CAFE is, well...what's CAFE?

Is there a public information campaign in someone's mental file cabinet that could change driving habits among the everyday Jeff Gordons? Especially a campaign that directs the messaging to drivers while they are in the car?