ABSTRACT
Energy security and greenhouse gas emissions reductions are perhaps now more than ever one of the most important priorities of many countries. Energy security is a growing concern because of uncertainties in supply coupled with sharp increases in prices due to geopolitical tensions and weather disturbances in oil-producing countries. In addition, maintaining a clean and healthy environment has also gained worldwide attention, even as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently conrmed that human activities are to blame for global warming. To address these issues, many oil-importing countries have embarked on programs to develop alternative cost-effective but locally available, unconventional renewable energy sources that would reduce their dependence on oil, especially for transport, as well as minimize adverse impacts on the environment. Advances in technology have opened new opportunities for achieving some of these objectives.
