ScienceNOW’s daily news reported yesterday on a study that claims that biofuels are more efficient if they are turned into electricity than used in cars.

It’s an interesting thought: if we turn the crops and wood chippings into electricity instead of bio-ethanol, and then drove electric cars, this could well have a positive change on the emissions.

Turning biofuels into electricity on a large scale could well mean that the CO2 emissions even better controlled, thus meaning less of it getting back into the atmosphere.

I wonder whether other studies will support their claims?

It’s really a logical step if you think about it.  There are petrol-driven generators and diesel-driven generators, so why not make one that uses bio-ethanol?

That’s what Germany’s Frauenhofer Institute have done according to this article, although they are referring to the item in question as a “fuel cell”.

They hold up to 300 litres of bio-ethanol and can generate 250 Watts of electricity.  One idea for their use is in developing countries, eg. in hospitals.  But perhaps there will also be a demand for this sort of generator in industrial countries as well.