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Oil will run dry 90 years before alternatives become mainstream, says UC Davis study

By Tiffany Hsu

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

UC Davis researchers are making a sobering prediction that alternative fuel and energy options won’t be able to fill fossil fuel-level demand until 90 years after the global oil supply runs dry.The study, published Monday, makes a case for more ambitious targets for adoption of biofuel, battery, hydrogen, ethanol and other replacements.

Deb Niemeier, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, and postdoctoral researcher Nataliya Malyshkina examined existing public companies dealing in non-oil fuels such as BlueFire Ethanol Inc. of Irvine and Enova Systems Inc. of Torrance.

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The technologies in the market “may not be able to occupy a sufficient enough niche in the market by the time we need them to,” Niemeier said in an e-mail.

Read more at The Times’ Technology blog.

-- Tiffany Hsu

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Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

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