We all know that the earth’s supply of oil is limited. We know that it is dwindling, and some people have even said that we are right now at so-called “peak-oil”, the point where we are getting the largest amount of oil and that after this, it will only begin to become much, much less.

To this, car makers and governments have various answers. One of these is the hybrid car. Hybrids use a combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine to power a car. At slow speeds, the gas engine is not used as the car gets power from its batteries. Right now, Toyota is the dominant player in this market with its Prius.

Another solution presented is the plug in electric vehicle, a car that runs solely on electricity. As the name implies, it is charged by plugging it into one of the electric outlets in your home. Another though is the use of Biofuels. Biofuels are classified as fuel derived from relatively recently dead biological materials. They can be made from waste materials such as used cooking oil which is processed to be able to run a car engine, or from grown crops high in sugar or starch such as corn or sugar cane.

Biofuels have proven to be as effective in powering vehicles. The biggest question people have about biofuels is the fact that most are produced by growing crops. In a world where hunger is still prevalent, why would people farm crops for fuel when they can use it for food instead?

Whether biofuels become a lasting solution to the world’s growing energy demands remains to be seen.