Biofuels — green energy solution?

At first sight, biofuels look like the ideal solution to our energy needs — simply grow all the fuel we need.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple:
● creating fuel from foods, such as soyabeans & sugarcane requires diversion of the food supply
● growing fuel crops requires arable land & fresh water
● commercial food production requires many fossil fuel calories for each food calorie — 10 in USA*

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21648630-investment-biofuels-dwindling-and-scepticism-growing-thin-harvest
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* Melissa C. Lott: “10 Calories in, 1 Calorie Out – The Energy We Spend on Food”, http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2011/08/11/10-calories-in-1-calorie-out-the-energy-we-spend-on-food/

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