Alternative fuels availability

The increase in oil demand is principally projected in the transport industry because that market is mainly dominated by this primary energy source, and at present, there are no alternative fuels available in a large-scale way for its replacement. 

In contrast to base-load operation peak shaving differs from the large-scale LNG trains that are generally driven by cost of the LNG as a commodity in comparison with alternative fuels available in the market. Peak shaving on the other hand can be justified by the cost of omitted pipeline charges and the reduced capital cost pertaining to pipeline infrastructure [7]. 

In the United States, in particular, recent legislation has mandated sweeping improvements to urban air quality by limiting mobile source emissions and by promoting cleaner fuels. The new laws require commercial and government fleets to purchase a substantial number of vehicles powered by an alternative fuel, such as natural gas, propane, electricity, methanol or ethanol. However, natural gas is usually preferred because of its lower cost and lower emissions compared with the other available alternative gas or liquid fuels. Even when compared with electricity, it has been shown that the full fuel cycle emissions, including those from production, conversion, and transportation of the fuel, are lower for an NGV [2]. Natural gas vehicles offer other advantages as well. Where natural gas is abundantly available as a domestic resource, increased use... 

Source Adapted from Alternative Fuels Data Center, Properties of Fuel, DOE Report, August 2005, available at www.afdc.doe.gov/fuel comp.html, April 2007. 

DOE 2003. Alternative fuel data center, Properties of Fuels, available at www.afdc.doe.gov/ pdfs/fueltable.pdf, 2007. 

A combination of available alternative fuels should evolve with the most likely choices affected by a number of technical, political and market factors. In order to allow a wider application of alternative fuels, a number of obstacles have to be overcome. These include economic, technological, and infrastructural issues. In the past, gasoline has been plentiful and has had a significant price advantage compared to other fuels. This could change quickly and alternative fuels would need to become more commonplace. 

Technological changes in the manufacture of power sources are required if they are to run on alternative fuels. The development of alternative fuels depends on automotive manufacturers making alternative fuel engines available while fuel suppliers produce and distribute fuels for these vehicles. Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), which are also known as variable fuel vehicles, (VFVs) are designed to use several fuels. Most of the major automobile manufacturers have developed FFV prototypes and many of these use ethanol or methanol as well as gasoline. 

These same concepts could be used in fuel cell powered cars. Ultralight fuel cell vehicles are a part of the current generation of clean concept cars, sometimes called Green Cars. In 1996, when EV1 became available, it accelerated the development of the hybrid Toyota Prius and GM would show a number of alternative-fueled concept cars at the 1998 Detroit Show. Now every auto show has its alternative cars. 

Greene, D. L. (1998). Survey evidence on the importance of fuel availability to the alternative fuels and vehicles. Energy Studies Review, 8 (3), 215-231. 

The alternative fuels and drive systems available only seem to be viable on the mass market, if the oil price stays above 60 to 70 /bbl for a sustained period. Oil prices peaked above 140 /bbl in summer 2008 and many experts believe that stable oil prices over 100 /bbl could be reached in the next one or two decades. The higher the market prices of fossil fuels, the more competitive low-carbon alternatives will become The principal choice here is between biofuels, electricity and hydrogen, provided that they are produced either from low/zero-carbon feedstock or that the C02 generated during their production is captured and stored. But higher priced conventional oil resources, on the other hand, can also be replaced by high-carbon alternatives such as oil sands, oil shale or synthetic fuels from coal and gas. 

There is the possibility of using other available fuels such as light distillates, ethanol, anaerobic digester gas, biomass, and refuse-derived fuel. However, these fuels apply to niche market applications. Fuel cell application here, if practical, will evolve from and after widespread uses. Users may require an alternate fuel, probably natural gas. 

There are four alternative fuels that can be relatively easily used in conventional compression ignition (Cl) engines vegetable oil, biodiesel, Fischer-Tropsch (FT), and dimethyl ether (DME). Both FT and DME can be manufactured from natural gas and are therefore not limited by feedstock availability. Biodiesel on the other hand, is produced from vegetable (and some waste animal) oils whose supply for non-nutritional uses is presently quite limited. 

Hall, R.J. and Lambert, L., Resource Availability and Utilization of Forests for Energy , presented at Alcohols as Alternative Fuels for Ontario Symposium, Toronto, Ontario (19 November 1976). 

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