Department of Defense biofuel testing 'is a game-changer'

Biofuel testing by the US Department of Defense has the potential to change the future of the industry, according to one expert.

Analysis from consultation network the Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) notes the "chicken-and-egg situation" that has developed in recent years due to economic turbulence.

This has left some organisations unwilling to risk investing in biofuel testing - which in turn means the developments that would bring down the cost of the renewable fuel source are not being made as fast.

However, the GLG analyst notes the major exception that the US Department of Defense represents in this trend.

"The Department of Defense plays by a different set of economic rules and has at times in recent history used its economic muscle to build entire new technologies," the commentator adds.

In March 2010, the department announced that it had conducted its first successful test flight of a military aircraft powered using biofuel.