Ethanol & Fuel Cells: Converging Paths of Opportunity Prepared by Jeffrey Bentley and Robert Derby for the Renewable Fuels Association

The energy challenges facing our Nation offer tremendous opportunities for agriculture and technology. For example, by combining fuels such as ethanol with fuel cells, farmers can be energy producers as well as consumers. The events of September 11, 2001, served as a reminder of our evergrowing dependence on oil that flows from an unstable region of the world. Meanwhile, the US is under increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recent energy supply crunches and price spikes have once again focused attention on the need to improve energy security, increase and diversify domestic energy supplies, ensure environmental quality, and modernize the nation’s energy infrastructure. Ultimately, America’s economic prosperity and national security depend on the availability of reliable, affordable energy.