Alternative to oil?

Biofuels are not new. The engine invented in 1911 by Rudolf Diesel was made to run on peanut oil. However, cheap oil prices ensured that petrol became the fuel of choice to drive vehicles. For a variety of reasons, including rocketing oil prices, there is a global rush to biofuels. But they are not necessarily the panacea for dear transport fuel, gas-guzzling polluters or energy supply insecurity. A confidential World Bank report, details of which emerged yesterday, blames biofuels for pushing global fuel prices up by 75%. This is not what the supporters of biofuels, from governments to manufacturers, want to read.