The New York Times had a story yesterday about getting energy from currents in the oceans…or even the East Rives.  Like biofuels, there are a lot of challenges. And like biofuels, taking action to overcome those hurdles is worthwhile.

Minnesota Public Radio has an interesting report about a Wisconsin biofuels company, Virent Energy Systems, that transforms sugar into fuel.  

 The small biorefinery is a complex piece of machinery, but essentially it works this way; sugar water goes in one end and gasoline comes out the other. The secret is a patented inorganic catalyst material that triggers a chemical reaction.

Automobile Magazine is reporting that two college professors at Kettering University, in Flint, Michigan will begin testing the impact of ethanol on some vintage rides.  Because ethanol is more corrosive than traditional gasoline, there could be some impacts on plastic and rubber materials used in older automobiles.

What’s the lesson here? Traditional gasoline, which maybe better for vintage cars, is becoming vintage itself.  Supporting oil rich sheikdoms should also become vintage and biofuels offer promise for making oil a thing of the past.

The Boston Globe printed a Q and A session with Ian Bowles, the Massachusetts’ Secretary of Energy.  It only talks briefly about biofuels, but offers some interesting tips for energy conservation and steps Massachusettes is taking to be more energy efficient and green. 

Worth a read.

Ineos, a Bristish chemicals company, has announced a new technology allowing it to make ethanol from common garbage.  The Times of London reports:

“The company claims that it can produce about 400 litres (90 gallons) of ethanol from one tonne of dry waste. The new process works by heating the waste to produce gases, then feeding the gases to bacteria, which produce ethanol that can be purified into a fuel.”

Ineos says the technology will be available commercially in 2010.