HJL,
Liquid fuels are expensive, heavy, dangerous to transport, and a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Even if you have enough stored for a year, what then?
Direct conversion of biomass to fuel for gensets has been proven successful for thirty plus years now. I have operated a design for powering small gensets that works as well today as it did in the early 80’s. It’s also driven a few thousand miles on a truck that runs on nature’s finest.
Due to space and weight limitations not present in stationary applications, refining wood into gas on board a vehicle is a much bigger trick than powering a stationary genset from wood. There are plenty of folks powering vehicles already. Checkout driveonwood.com for more info.
A solid fuel refinery takes up less space and weighs less than storing long-term, useful amounts of liquid fuels.
Biomass– wood, stalks, and stems– provide plenty of energy that does not need to be hoarded and is so low value it is not worth stealing. Various forms of dry biomass are likely to be even more plentiful in worst case scenarios.
The more people who switch now, the lower the bottom and the quicker the rise from the fall.
The Creator designed a world with plentiful energy provided above ground by the daily passage of the sun overhead. That this energy “manna” is not good enough, not even considered when seeking to serve energy needs, is a sign of the times.
A 1993 US DOE report by Larry Dobson presented the potential quite clearly. The report is not hard to find for those who seek to learn more. –DAB