We use 20 million barrels of gasoline every day in the US, and demand is growing. It would be nice if we could predict when peak oil production occurs, so we knew when we really might be running out... but so far, we've missed a lot of the prior projections.

Maybe all those forecasters aren't pond scum after all, or maybe they forgot about pond scum - aka algae. Of course, it's just one of many alternative fuels, but at present, algae fuel appears to be a promising option for helping us to stave off the growing world-wide demand for oil. Wouldn't it be great if we could produce a source of energy that through just exposure to sunlight, and nourishment with dirty water, using swamp land!

To fully replace our oil consumption, it would take land area nearly the size of Maryland, but we have over seven times that much land growing corn in the US at present. It still produces emissions, so isn't a permanent solution like the hydrogen economy may someday be, but it is obviously better than waiting for the next formation process to appear.

There is something satisfying about a formulation that could make countries like Saudi Arabia a little jealous of us!