The use and need of bio-fuels is now more or less established, and recognized worldwide. From various reports it appears that bio-diesel is the leading alternative fuel coming into prominence. Brazil is the leading producer of bio-diesel from corn, but now other countries like USA, Australia and Europe are catching on. In Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and China are among the existing producers of bio-fuel from corn, sugarcane, jatropa and other plants. India, particularly South India, is well on to producing bio-fuel from jatropa, sugarcane, rice husk and other sources. Another source for bio-fuel is cow dung, which is also being exploited in our subcontinent, particularly in India.

This race for bio-fuel based on agricultural products, however presents one draw back; and that is the allocation of land between fuel and food. Since bio-fuels has potentially higher market price, related to hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline and diesel; it provides a larger scope for value addition. It can therefore attract land to be used for fuel farming rather than the farming of foodgrains, vegetables, potato, sugarcane and other crops destined to feed the people. This is the fallacy that faces poorer countries where the need for food is perennial and vital.

Given this eye-opening opportunity of potentially better financial reward per acre of arable land for growing fuel related plants, the prospect of food bearing crop planting naturally becomes less attractive day by day. This is nothing but the age-old priority based on demand and supply. It may even lead to increase in the price of most food products; a rather unpleasant scenario. The result could lead to sharp escalation in the prices of food grain and other food crops. For the large numbers of the poor in Asia and Africa, scarcity of food and its high price can soon lead to famine like scenarios, which will not bring any happiness to many countries in Asia and Africa including Bangladesh and India.

It is against this backdrop that this writer would propose the widespread use of bio-gas from human excreta, in preference to agricultural products and animal dung which is directly used as fertilizer, and as dried fuel cake by rural farmers in Bangladesh. Other options are sunlight and wind energy, which needs to be exploited in Bangladesh. High-rise building windowpanes can provide power, and the voltaic film laminated windowpanes has already taken off for highrises in California, USA.

Following on, our important effort and drive should be to minimize usage of fossil fuels. Hybrid land vehicles are already becoming popular, cutting down the consumption of hydrocarbon fuel for road transportation. This needs to be introduced widely in Bangladesh, and hybrid cars and other vehicles should be imported at very concessionary import duty and taxes. Government should provide maximum import duty benefit and other financial incentive for introducing Hybrid vehicles in Bangladesh. The losses in import tax revenue will be more than amply offset annually by large volumetric reduction in import of petroleum-based fuels burnt in our existing transport vehicles, and result in foreign exchange savings.

Two new developments needs to be pursued, and its use as power source should be exploited as soon as possible. One is a revolutionary idea of "Sky Sails" providing motive power for ship and water transport vessel propulsion. The MV "Beluga Sky Sails" employs a "Sky Sail" system, which utilizes wind power to propel a cargo vessel. This innovative system similar to a "para-glider" kite like sail; helps to tow the cargo vessel and reduces the fossil fuel (hydrocarbons) consumption between 20 to 30 percent. It is a very new development, now on experimental phase, but it has potential of reducing marine population fuel consumption substantially.

A big step ahead of the hybrid vehicle cars, which uses between 50 to 60 percent less fuel then conventional cars, is a newly designed vehicle that also cuts down on environment pollution. It is a newly developed zero emission road vehicle running on compressed air. The car slated to have its debut in France and India in late 2008 will not need any hydrocarbon fuel for running. The first model called "One CAT" can take up to five persons and can travel up to five hundred highway miles on one compressed air filling, at speeds up to 68 miles per hour. The car's plug in compressor can recharge the car to refill the compressed air tank in four hours from household power outlets. Although it is not totally a fuel-less car, as somewhere the power is generated to drive the compressor that refills the compressed air tank. However, if power comes from a hydro-electric plant then the car can be really hydrocarbon fuel free. This is a far superior option to the battery operated electric car, which cannot match the performance of the compressed air car in payload and speed. It is expected to be on the road by 2009, and should be a very economic and attractive option for car users.

Alternative energy sources, and energy conservation options are realistic and feasible opportunity, which also reduces emission of harmful gases. Of the two options (alternative fuel and fuel conservation) this writer believes that for Bangladesh, the first priority should be for fuel conservation, by reducing the need and use of power. Side by side we must take all necessary steps to generate biogas from human excreta; beginning with creating public opinion and break the taboo against it. This opinion building should be a prime objective of our information ministry in the national interest of producing local gas for household and other use, both in rural and urban area.

All the developments that have been described earlier provides us with eco-friendly ways and means of power and energy source, which next to food is the prime need for mankind in one form or another.