The U.S. Agriculture Department has released a new report on the state of the biofuel industry, and, specifically, the state of achieving 36 million gallons of renewable biofuels - this report is mandated in the Energy Independence and Security Act, and we’re pround to bring you a summary of the report.
The United States will soon have the capacity to produce up to 15 bilion gallons of corn ethanol, but the report still says there are a number of barriers to getting to the 36 billion gallon threshold the bill has set down. Among them is the fact that most vehicles on the road are unable to accept ethanol blends higher than 10% because of their makeup, and to convert engines to run on higher blends could cost a lot of money. But that’s not stopping the biofuel industry, who says that with the right technology it could be the fuel of the future. Many auto transporters are already using ethanol blends in their transport trucks, but the industry is still a long way from putting major ethanol blends into consumer vehicles.
It still has a long way to go - much longer than electric vehicles, for instance - but the idea is there, and they’re still working hard on making it a viable energy source. Only time will tell, as we always say, so keep your eyes open and your ears perked.