Algae: America's Pathway to Independence
Abstract
The United States is dependent on foreign oil to meet 63% of its petroleum demand. As China, India, Japan, and Brazil - all major importers - compete with the U.S. for this finite resource, global demand is growing rapidly. The U.S. consumes 25% of the world's oil, but owns only 4% of the world's known oil reserve. Projections indicate U.S. dependency on foreign oil will continue to increase. Vital interests affected by petroleum dependency include uncertainty of supply, influence of tyrants, rising trade deficits, projected shortage of oil reserves, and concerns of global warming. Oil dependency is an unacceptable risk to U.S. national strategy. This paper advocates independence from foreign oil by converting the national transportation fleet to biodiesel derived from algae; a domestically producible, clean burning, regenerative fuel. Biodiesel can be transported and delivered using existing infrastructure, including America's pipelines, tankers, and the 178,000 gas stations. Among the sources for biodiesel, algae may be the least favored option. Yet, they offer innate advantages as the major source of bioenergy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 30, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA469390
Entities
People
- James Custer
Organizations
- United States Army War College