linux_author I am currently working in a biochemistry lab at my university. The new biochemistry professor used to work at a company called novozymes who's work was to create enzymes for industrial ethanol manufacturing. Although it sounds good, right now you only get 1.23 times the energy out that you put in to make the ethanol. Now if someone comes up with an enzyme that can quickly break down cellulose we could make ethanol from all sorts of fibers and wood products. This may help but you have to realize that biodiesel and ethanol are coming from food sources right now. Cooker is right, if we have to choose between food and driving I think most sane people will pick food. All of the nitrogen fertilizers we use come from the haber bosch process wich fixes atmospheric nitrogen with the help of emense pressure in heat which requires a great deal of energy. And where do we get that energy from? And the survey says... fossil fuels!
I wish people wouldn't just rely on us scientists to fix all of their problems so they can go on living without having to make any moral decisions that may make their lives harder. We didn't learn much from the 72 American oil production peak and we didn't invest much at all trying to find new sources of energy. So we are pretty much starting now when it is getting very late. Hopefully most of us are wrong and we will find an environmentally friendly energy solution that will keep everyone alive and happy. But from someone who is going into the alternative energy field it's not looking too bright as of yet. (keep your fingers crossed)