S70: From oil to cellulosics, an introduction to the first biofuel decade

At the beginning of the new millennium the economy was booming, oil was cheap and the renewable energy industry was flying mostly under the radar: the domain of a few visionaries, environmental campaigners, countries with limited access to oil, and those who had been laboring in the area since the fuel shortages of the 70s.  In the US, the bioethanol industry was growing slowly, and in Europe, where the Green movement was stronger, the biodiesel industry was gaining ground.  However, there was no great impetus in growing the volume of renewable liquid fuels and the research sector was somewhat in the doldrums.  Then everything changed.  A confluence of interrelated events, including an oil shortage, loss of refining capacity, the 9/11 attacks and an increase in pressure from environmental groups and the public at large brought renewable energy to the forefront of public attention.  Renewable energy was cited as crucial by George Bush in a State of the Union address and money started flowing into the sector for basic research, plant development and the establishment of multidisciplinary research centers.  In this presentation a review of the industry will be presented to show where we have come from, and to set the scene for a panel of industry leading speakers who will give an in-depth analysis of different biofuel industry viewpoints and their opinions of where the next few years will take us.