Cellulosic ethanol? Sounds promising

I don't know about you, but the plethora of "solutions" being bandied about to cure us of our oil addiction is dizzying. For years (or even decades), we have been hearing about various up-and-coming technologies to fuel our cars. This includes, amongst others, hydrogen power, battery power, solar power, gasohol, and corn-based ethanol. Yet here we are -- still using oil in our cars in 2006. It's frustrating. People have been screaming for a solution for years. Still, none of these technologies have panned out.

There have been a number of possible reasons why no single viable solution has stood out from the rest. Here are some of those reasons:

• Lack of investment: Money has been invested in all the technologies I mentioned. However, it is often a pittance compared to what is needed.
• Lack of scientific breakthroughs: It could be lack of investment, incapable science/scientists, or just bad luck, but we just have not seen the breakthroughs that would be needed.
• Lack of infrastructure: Even if a solution was found, it would often require a herculean effort of unprecedented proportions to get the solution to market. There are gas stations located all around country. Any solution to replace gas would likely need some kind of similar infrastructure to make itself viable.
• The oil lobby: Let's face it -- with the money the oil companies make, they could find a solution if they wanted to. Obviously, they aren't overly interested in supplanting oil (for obvious reasons). And they have such a tight hold on the loyalties of our elected officials that the government, despite what Dubya or others say, is not going to try too hard to find something to replace oil.

With that being said, I read something last week about cellulosic ethanol and it sounded promising. It's similar to corn-based ethanol, but it can be made from pretty much any organic matter -- not just corn. Listen to this:

But unlike corn-based ethanol, cellulosic ethanol can be made from a variety of things that might otherwise be considered waste – sewage sludge, switchgrass, plant stalks, trees – virtually anything that contains carbon.

According to the article, not everyone is sold on it. And you can be rest assured that oil companies and the politicians on their payrolls won't be helping it along. However, it has drawn the attention of former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and is attracting significant investment capital. Will it get enough money and attention to reach the critical mass necessary for us to FINALLY, at long last, get a solution that works? I don't know. I wouldn't start turning joyous somersaults just yet. Still, the recent confluence of events (high oil prices, terrorism, increased pining for alternative fuels) could provide the impetus needed to get us over the hump once and for all.

As for me? I'm still hoping we'll eventually have Mr. Fusion, the trash-powered energy source for the DeLorean time machine in "Back to the Future". But hey, trash-powered -- sludge-powered -- it sounds like we're headed in the right direction!