Question about alternate fuel?

Question

I would like to learn more about them

like how do they work exactly?

and if I wanted to do research in this area which

major would be more or less in that direction?

physics?

Answer 1

i wish they thought about this along time ago we are now paying for our arrogance but this would be under energy and also enviromental issues to check out this website

Answer 2

Much of this really depends on what kind of alternative fuels you are talking about. Alternative fuels are essentially defined as any fuel other than oil. If you want to go more in the direction of biofuels (like ethanol or biodiesel) you might want to try Organic Chemistry for example. For the vast majority of alternative fuels, you would need some kind of Chemistry background. Some Physics would also be beneficial (especially when it comes to electricity). In almost every case, you would need some kind of Physical Science, usually Chemistry.

Answer 3

Environment is the surround where we live:

All of living humans & animal ; inhale oxygen & exhale carban dioxide.

For the earth’s environment plant inhale carban dioxide  & exhale oxygen.

For Eco. Balance oxygen = carban dioxide

but by burning the energy resources to Generate the Power, release  the excess carban dioxide , which is causing the green house effect – due to this Global warming is taking place.

Energy resources are mainly – Conventional  & Non conventional

Conventional such as – Coal , Fossil fuel ( Diesel, Petrol, LPG,CNG, etc.) & Nuclear etc.

Non conventional -  Solar, Wind, Hydro & Bio diesel etc.

These are mainly for used generating power, using Thermal/Gas/ Nuclear Power Plants. Which is turn used for Domestic use, Industrial & Commercial purposes such as running Factories & Transportation, running Agricultural Infrastructures etc.  Obliviously with Industrial revolution energy requirement is tremendously increasing. However it leads to releasing of harmful gases and solid waste such as fly ash etc. which is causing Green house effect & Nuclear plant has risk of harmful radiations which is dangers to human life & animal kingdom.

Diesel, Petrol, ATF & Gas is being used in big way for IC& Jet engines which in turn used for transportation (LMV, LCV, HCV etc.) and Generators etc. Which in turn leading to Global warming, melting of polar ice & climate change etc.

We are still running plants based on old technologies, warn out & completed it’s full life may be 40 – 50 years old or more. In India we have seen the fiasco such as Enron Power, a new plant but due to red- tapism  couldn’t  be operated as per initial agreement & many more cases. ,  

Use of Freon in Air conditioners is also causing to damage to environment. By developing the alternative to Freon & curbing the use of it.

Where new alternatives are under Research & development such as Bio diesel using Jetropha seeds (Ratan Jot)etc. so can we plant the Jetropha, this can give us Alternative Fuel for future and stopping the deforestation? and Non conventional sources are still not economical compared to conventional ones except hydro in some cases.

so keeping  watch of electricity consumed, Airconditioners and  SUV's & no. of Vehicles used by us...

As a social cause it’s the duty of all citizen, Govt. & Industry to conserve the energy recourse, by not exploiting them and Make our planet Greener & safer for all.

• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) headed by the Nobel laureate R.K. Pachauri. some of this contributions as reported by various news agenies;

Saving Planet Earth

Pachauri, R K, 2 June 2008

The Times of India, Education Times

Climate change and the threat that it poses to human existence is a major concern today. Even the youth have an important role to play to save planet earth

There are many lessons in human history which provide adequate warning about the chaos and destruction that could take place if we remain guilty of myopic indifference to the progressive erosion and decline of nature's resources. Much has been written, for instance, about the Maya civilization, which flourished during 250-950 AD, but collapsed largely as a result of serious and prolonged drought. Even earlier, some 4,000 years ago a number of well-known Bronze Age cultures also crumbled extending from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley, including the civilizations, which had blossomed in Mesopotamia. More recent examples of societies that collapsed or faced chaos on account of depletion or degradation of natural resources include the Khmer Empire in South East Asia, Eastern Island, and several others. Changes in climate have historically determined periods of peace as well as conflict. </P< span>

Atoms for peace

Pachauri, R K, 19 June 2008

The Indian Express

Democracy in India has taken firm roots, and earlier misgivings about coalition governments at the Centre have proved largely unjustified, as recent experience has shown. However, in one respect, Indian democracy, with and without coalition politics, has not served the interests of Indian society adequately. In mature democracies, even when there are deep divisions on crucial issues of national interest, opposing parties drop their differences to coalesce around what is perceived as common national interest. One wonders when Indian politics would reach such a stage of maturity.

Greenhouse gases: the developed world

Pachauri, R K, 14 March 2008

Time

Most references to the role of China and India in global mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are generally simplistic. The typical argument put forward highlights the fact that these countries would continue increasing their emissions substantially, and, therefore, any efforts at reduction in the developed world would be more than neutralized by increases in the former. The reality is in fact much more complex. It is important to remember that the problem of human induced climate change has been caused by the cumulative emissions of GHGs with concentration levels at 280 parts per million of CO2 in pre-industrial times growing to around 380 parts per million currently. This increase is largely the result of substantial increase in use of fossil fuels in the industrialized world. For this reason, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) included the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility", requiring the developed countries to take the first steps in mitigating emissions of GHGs. However, the record of the developed world has been less than satisfactory in this regard.

National debt vs natural debt

Pachauri, R K, 24 February 2008

The Times of India

The Annual Budget is, undoubtedly, an important exercise in charting out the direction of government revenues and expenditures, but it also meets a much larger objective in signalling priorities for growth and development. Based on an assessment of long term trends the Budget must clearly indicate structural changes that could be brought about through a mix of fiscal measures.

Will the Rs 1 lakh car be an environmental nightmare

Pachauri, R K, 26 December 2007

Business Standard

The recently concluded Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came up with a final declaration that highlighted the need for "deep cuts" in emissions of greenhouse gases to combat the problem of global climate change. The tone and content of the Bali Conference represented a perceptible departure from previous such meetings, in view of the major impacts of climate change assessed in great detail in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (lPCC).

Essentially, the problem of climate change, which is the result of cumulative emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) since the beginning of industrialisation, represents only a part of the-much larger problem of unsustainable development. While the world has achieved remarkable success through innovation in providing the means for satisfying the needs of the human race, there are also several distortions which have taken place and grown as a result.

Caring for an angry earth

Pachauri, R K, 30 August 2007

DNA

The answers to the perils of climate change will come from intellectual innovation.

The environmental problems facing the world and the depletion of natural resources in different regions of the planet require solutions with a strong intellectual content. A good example of this is the fact that it took the world at least a century-and-a-half to realise the effects of emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, and to accept its influence on climate.

This delay was in spite of the fact that scientists as far back as the end of the 19th century highlighted the danger of increasing emissions of carbon dioxide on the earth's climate. The reason for this enormous delay lies in a lack of scientific analysis of the problem as well as gaps that existed earlier in the dissemination of information of a scientific nature.

Caring for an angry earth

Pachauri, R K, 30 August 2007

DNA

The answers to the perils of climate change will come from intellectual innovation.

The environmental problems facing the world and the depletion of natural resources in different regions of the planet require solutions with a strong intellectual content. A good example of this is the fact that it took the world at least a century-and-a-half to realise the effects of emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide, and to accept its influence on climate.

This delay was in spite of the fact that scientists as far back as the end of the 19th century highlighted the danger of increasing emissions of carbon dioxide on the earth's climate. The reason for this enormous delay lies in a lack of scientific analysis of the problem as well as gaps that existed earlier in the dissemination of information of a scientific nature.

Future power

Pachauri, R K, 9 June 2007

The Indian Express

The search for clean fuels is taking the political centre-stage. Recently, the Indian government announced that 2020 would be the target year to have 1 million carbon-free hydrogen vehicles on the road. So is hydrogen the favoured green technology of the future? Do we have a plan for producing hydrogen from renewable sources in cost effective ways? Or is this all a shot in the dark? R.K. Pachauri, director-general TERI, and chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has the answers

Future shocks

Pachauri, R K, 7 January 2007

Business World

Living in this world would get much more difficult if climate change continued unmitigated in the future. Already, average Arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate in the past 100years. Contraction of snow covered area, increases in the depth of thaw over most permafrost regions  

Answer 4

That depends which alternative fuel you're interested in.

The two most promising are electric cars running on electrical energy, and biodiesels running on algae oil.

http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/electr...

http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/algae-...

If you want to research electric cars, the best field would probably be electrical engineering.  If you want to research biofuels, the best field would probably be something related to biology.  Perhaps if there's a bioengineering major or something like that.

Answer 5

Alternative fuels, also known as non-conventional fuels, are any materials or substances that can be used as a fuel, other than conventional fuels. Conventional fuels include: fossil fuels (petroleum (oil), coal, propane, and natural gas), and nuclear materials such as uranium.

Some well known alternative fuels include biodiesel, bioalcohol (ethanol, butanol), chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen, non-fossil methane, non-fossil natural gas, vegetable oil and other biomass sources.

check the search engine such as google or yahoo

Answer 6

ALTERNATE FUEL means the

resources which are

alternatively  used  other than

the conventional resources

used to produce energy.

Such as bio-mass,solar energy,

wind energy  and hydal  energy etc.

can be used

to  generate and accumulate energy.