ABSTRACT
The phrases sustainable development and green sources of energy keep popping up every day often in unexpected places. Sustainable provision of energy supplies able to reduce the costs associated with them and controlling pollution seem to be the right targets. In reality, however, they contradict each other. Solar and wind energy, for example, cannot compete with coal and oil without hefty subsidies. To be sustainable, however, the solution they provide must be cost-effective in comparison to today's carbon-rich energy sources. The way it has been generally defined, by and large, alternative energy means renewable energy. This is not necessarily synonymous with a decarbonized or environmentally-friendly energy solution. Gas is an alternative energy to coal and features a significant degree of decarbonization, but it is not renewable. Biofuels provide the advantage of decarbonization, when compared to coal, but they are renewable. Energy based on biofuels is also more sustainable than that of wind turbines or solar cells.
