Now that the President has included Natural Gas as part of the energy way forward, there are some suggestions to improve adoption. The stated goal was to reduce oil imports by one third in 2025. This acknowledges the need for alternative hydrocarbon based fuels will continue for some time.
The first is to have the department of Energy (DOE) conduct applied research into vehicle sized liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanks. Currently, the compressed natural gas (CNG) takes up too much volume and is practical only for the larger vehicle (busses, trucks, vans, and the like). The research might consider graphic (and other) composite materials that would allow LNG to be used for personal owned vehicles. {Note: a vehicle that runs on natural gas will run on hydrogen.
Second, use natural gas to create other fuels less volatile. Case in point, the Air Force successfully conducted tests of aviation fuel created from natural gas [1]. One could use the same concept to create other fuels, including gasoline and propane (already used extensively in other parts of the world). Propane for cars, referred to as autogas, is easier to handle and provides a bridging technology.
Third, many of our landfills and outer organic waste are potential sources to recover natural gas. Many times, we hear of gas explosions in the sewer lines. Again, the DOE could fund applied research into ways to recover more of this naturally occurring byproduct of organic decay.
References
1. Abramson, Mark, Starts and Stripes, Air Force explores potential of powering aircraft with nonpetroleum sources, April 18, 2001.
