As energy independence remains a top environmental and security concern, businesses are increasingly focusing on alternative fuel R&D. Technologies and information derived from such research can lower health-affecting emissions, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease dependence on imported oil.

Alternative fuels can be produced domestically or from renewable resources and include: ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane and hydrogen. Consider the following alternative fuel research and development basics:

1. Obtain alternative fuel research and development data.

2. Take advantage of research opportunities available with academic and scientific organizations.

3. Understand the experiences of companies involved in alternative fuel R&D and learn about available government aid.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read through alternative fuel R&D data and trends

Learn about research for alternative fuels and alternative fuel businesses before setting out on a research endeavor at your business. Understanding the current economic situation and challenges faced by other businesses undertaking alternative fuel research will enable your business to plan ahead and minimize surprises. Being informed about data and trends regarding research for alternative fuel is critical for the success of a alternative fuel company.

I recommend: Download and view alternative fuel trends and regional data provided by the US Department of Energy. Download and view or listen to programs highlighting alternative transportation fuels investment and infrastructure challenges as well as the feasibility in bringing alternative fuels to market at GreenMotion.

Work with organizations collaborating with companies researching alternative fuel

Understand opportunities available with organizations working with companies researching alternative fuels. Collaborating with academic and scientific organizations can help your business research alternative fuels by providing information, funding and consulting and technology implementation services. Make sure you are aware of all the opportunities and benefits available to your business before taking on alternative research alone.

I recommend: Learn how your business can work with Argonne National Laboratory in your quest for alternative fuel research and development. Consider research and business opportunities for your business provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Learn from the experiences of alternate fuel companies and how you can receive government funding

Read articles about alternative fuel research funding and alternative fuel companies that are utilizing alternative fuel R&D. You can gain a better understanding of how your business can receive government aid as well as learn from the experiences of companies involved in alternative fuel research.

I recommend: Keep track of trends in alternative fuel research and development with the articles collected at ScienceDaily's alternative fuels page. Read an article provided by Aviation International News to learn how companies like Shell and Airbus are utilizing alternative fuel research and development.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  As public awareness increases concerning the need for alternative fuels and decreasing the country's dependence on foreign oil, make sure consumers understand the steps your business is taking to move away from the use of gasoline. Keep your customers informed about new technologies being implemented and alternative fuel R&D being conducted.

Alternative transportation fuel research and development is highly speculative at the moment, so don’t expect an immediate return on investments in these alternative fuel businesses. However, the alternative fuel research industry does hold great promise. Alternative fuel is a worthwhile investment for two reasons: the cost of gas is constantly going up; and depending on foreign oil can be a national security issue. So we need to invest in alternative transportation fuel research and development.

This is not to say that we should forget about oil. After all, it is still the lifeline of the economy, and will be that way for years to come. However, it makes sense to invest in alternative fuel R&D. Many entrepreneurs are developing alternative fuel companies. Here are alternative fuel and research and development technologies you should consider:

1. Invest in alternative fuel research businesses that make fuel cells.
2. Invest in alternative fuel research companies that use hydrogen.
3. Invest in gas and energy companies that research for alternative fuels.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Invest in alternative fuel research businesses that make fuel cells

Fuel cells involve using a fuel such as hydrogen and converting it into electricity, which produces very little pollution. This alternative fuel is ideal for power sources in remote areas, including large parks, spacecraft, and remote weather stations. Fuel cells that operate on hydrogen can be light, compressed, and contain no moving components. Because they contain no combustion and no moving components, fuel cells ideally can be reliable up to 99.9999% of the time. Some companies are starting to use fuel cells, but much room exists for further alternative fuel R&D in this area.

I recommend: Plug Power makes alternative fuel research products, including GenDrive, ideal for pallet trucks. Workers inside distribution or manufacturing centers can drive the GenDrive without having to swap out or recharge batteries. A publicly traded alternative fuel company, Plug Power has been in business for more than 10 years. You’ll also want to look at FuelCell Energy. This alternative fuel company makes Direct FuelCell products for commercial and industrial businesses. These products operate on biofuels.

Invest in alternative fuel research companies that use hydrogen

Hydrogen is highly regarded as a clean alternative fuel. However, it is still in the early stages of making an impact in society, because to date it's an expensive technology. However, if hydrogen lives up to its potential, it can prevent climate change, in addition to making Americans less dependent on foreign oil.

I recommend: Quantum Technologies supplies hydrogen technologies to the automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). This alternative fuel company creates hybrid electric technology for military and luxury vehicles. Praxair is a Fortune 300 company that supplies gases, including hydrogen, to various customers. This company is heavily involved in research for alternative fuel. It's involved in the Oxy-Coal Power Plant project with Jamestown Board of Public Utilities in New York.

Invest in alternative fuel companies that are involved in alternative fuel research

Believe it or not, you would do well to invest in companies like Chevron or British Petroleum. These companies have the resources, including talent and capital, to research alternative fuels. They may focus on producing oil, but these corporations want a clean environment and a profit. They will take the steps to ensure this occurs.

I recommend: British Petroleum is investing in alternative fuel research technologies. The corporation is involved in developing new types of biofuels in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Chevron is also involved in alternative fuel research, including hydrogen, fuel cells, and biofuels.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider investing in a mutual fund that invests in alternate fuel companies. That way, you'll get broad exposure to companies that invest in these technologies.

There are three reasons to check out alternative transportation fuel research and development education and training: economic, ecologic, and politic. Learning the latest on alternative fuel R&D can potentially lower your utilities and fleet overhead costs, lower greenhouse gases for the planet, and reduce our exposure to foreign threat of choking off our fuel supply.

While there are a number of companies researching alternative fuels, alternative transportation fuel research and development currently focus on the big three moving the transportation scene at this time:

1. Electric vehicles;

2. Alternative fuel businesses focusing on liquid or compressed natural gas or propane;

3. Alternative fuel companies producing biofuel, whether methanol or biodiesel.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take a course from colleges specializing in alternative fuel research and development

Companies researching alternative fuel try to capitalize on electric motors' advantages over internal combustion engines: they convert three times the energy to turn the wheels; they emit no tailpipe emissions; they run quieter and smoother with stronger acceleration; and they need less maintenance. However, they must conquer electric's shortcomings: they can't go as far before refueling, they take longer to refuel or recharge, and the fuel storage-the battery packs-are heavy, take up a lot of space, and are expensive to replace and dispose of. So for now, hybrids provide the bulk of electric vehicle motivation.

I recommend: The Rio Hondo College Alternative Fuel Program delivers certification-level training on electric vehicle technology. The University of Tennessee's Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) center, funded by the Department of Energy, focuses on the development of hybrid systems.

Take the natural route with an alternative fuel company supplying propane

Natural and propane fuel, compressed or liquefied, offer several advantages: the fuel is domestically produced; you can more readily retrofit current vehicles to run on the fuel (even 'dual fuel' vehicles), and exhausts far less pollution and costs less than gasoline or diesel. However, currently there are fewer vehicles produced that are ready to run on the gas; these vehicles get lower mileage, and like most alternative fuels, the infrastructure is not nearly as extensive.

I recommend: The University of Northwestern Ohio's College of Technologies is a charter member of the National Alternate Fuels Training Consortium and offers a degree program in alternative fuels technology. The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AVFI) offers public and in-house training for fleet managers to learn about alternative fuels, particularly natural gas.

Look up companies involved in alternative fuel research in biodiesel or ethanol

Biodiesel is manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, recycled restaurant greases-some labs are even experimenting with coffee grounds! It's safe, biodegradable and produces less air pollutants (except nitrogen oxide) than petroleum-based diesel. Similarly, ethanol, distilled from local crops can potentially lower foreign oil dependence and lower greenhouse emissions. However, pure natural fuels in their pure form are less stable than petroleum-based fuels and have to be mixed; they also tend to be more expensive and experience lower power and fuel economy levels.

I recommend: The Alternative Fuels Institute (AFI) provides information on the development and use of E85. Azure Biodiesel, a manufacturer of biodiesel processors, offers a hands-on workshop on the basics of biodiesel, including how to make it, store it and gauge quality.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  More exotic alternative fuel research such as hydrogen or fuel cell technology is still in relative infancy. Nonetheless, they bear mention-depending on where you live, you may be able to take advantage of these technologies before other parts of the country can. Carefully review your transportation landscape: what and how much you transport, the size and nature of your fleet, and the territory you cover. Then match the alternative fuel to your work environment.