Biofuel analysis indicates current aim 'a viable goal'

Biofuel analysis conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign indicates that the ambitious targets set out in the US for the uptake of renewable energy sources are "a viable goal".

However, the scientists who compiled the biofuel analysis do have some reservations about the costs that might be involved in achieving a 30 per cent replacement of energy sources currently derived from petroleum.

For instance, upscaling production could also increase the price per ton - from $40-50 (£25-30) to more than $140 - as high-yield grasses including miscanthus are introduced into biofuel composition across the board.

"Most studies only tell you how much biomass is potentially available, but they don't tell you how much it's going to cost to produce and where it is likely to be produced," says agriculture and consumer economics professor Madhu Khanna, who led the study.

The University of Illinois says its alumni include scientists, astronauts and winners of Olympic medals, Pulitzer prizes and Nobel prizes.