Biofuels Could Bolster National Security, Leaders Say
by Barrie Barber (Stars and Stripes/Dayton Daily News) A top British envoy says the U.S. and the U.K. could collaborate more on the development and use of biofuels in the military to boost both nations’ security and energy interests and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Royal Navy Rear Adm. Neil A. Morisetti, the British government’s climate and energy security envoy, toured the Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate at Wright-Patterson with retired four-star Air Force Gen. Ronald E. Keys, a former Air Combat Command commander, on Wednesday.
The directorate has an extensive research initiative into the development and use of biofuels worldwide.
…Keys said the investment is worth the cost given the potential payoff.
…One reason the cost is so high about four times the price of conventional fuelis because the military buys the fuel in small quantities, Keys said.
Tim Edwards, the AFRL directorate’s principal chemical engineer, said researchers hope to lower costs through the commercialization of biofuels.
“We’re really kind of in the infancy” of a new industry, he said. The Air Force program’s goal is to become cost-competitive and more environmentally friendly than conventional fuel, he said. READ MORE and MORE (UT San Diego) and MORE (Virginia-Pilot) and MORE (25 x ’25)
