Energy.gov

Biofuels produced here in the U.S. increase our energy security, but there is still a need for next-generation renewable fuels that can be integrated into the nation's current fuel refining and distribution infrastructure. If successful, electrofuels projects sponsored by ARPA-E could help fill this void.

For most people, the notion that the green gunk coating various pond and river bottoms is a potential fuel source sounds like science fiction. But the fact is, several projects sponsored by the Energy Department are actively developing various ways to turn that “green gunk”, called algae, into a renewable and sustainable transportation fuel that will help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

Researchers at the Office of Science’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have tapped an unlikely source to help create a renewable alternative to diesel fuel.

Researchers at the Energy Department's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have engineered the first strains of the bacteria to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into all three types of transportation fuels -- gasoline, diesel and jet fuels.

Can you imagine a world in which the pace and scale of innovation of the last 100 years is replicated and compressed into the next 10 to 20 years?

For many, a barrel of oil is almost synonymous with its most prominent product, gasoline. While almost 40% of a barrel of oil is used to produce gasoline, the rest is used to produce a host of products including jet fuel and plastics and many industrial chemicals. As the United States works to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, we must recognize the complexity of that dependence and work to replace the whole barrel.

Imagine if the same mold that ruins old grapes and onions could double as a key ingredient in the recipe to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working to harness the natural process that spoils fruits and vegetables as a way to make fuel and other petroleum substitutes.

President Obama launches the National Clean Fleets Partnership, an initiative that helps large companies reduce with fuel usage by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels and conservation techniques into their operations. Charter partners include AT&T, FedEx, Pepsi-Co, UPS and Verizon.

The construction of this facility that will nearly triple the amount of renewable diesel produced domestically.

A new project is using thermophilic extremophiles -- microorganisms that grow optimally in temperatures above 160 deg F -- to produce a new highly efficient fuel. Learn more.

When construction is complete in 2011, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s biomass steam plant will be fueled by roughly 50,000 tons of waste wood per year.

Algenol Biofuels Inc., receives a grant to develop a biorefinery in Freeport, Texas.