Energy Biosciences Institute

Seeking a New World of Renewable Energy

Embarking on a journey of discovery is always exciting, as any of the scientists at the Energy Biosciences Institute can tell you. Like the explorers of old, the partners in the Institute are setting forth in a colossal search for new breakthroughs that will lead to sustainable, clean fuel sources, like non-food crops from which biofuels can be made.

"Our mission is to harness the potential of bioenergy, to make discoveries and commercialize realities out of these, which could benefit the world," says Institute Director Dr. Chris Somerville, who leads a team of top researchers affiliated with the EBI, a partnership between BP, the University of California, Berkeley; the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and the University of Illinois.

"We can see the end of the fossil fuels era. If we take account of the need to move from fossil to renewable fuels to slow impacts on our atmosphere then it's coming sooner rather than later." Somerville notes. He emphasizes, though, that the Institute's objective is even broader. Its scientists also are probing the social, economic and environmental implications of using plants for a sizable portion of the earth's energy needs.

Until now, bioenergy has been a research field that has been limping along with modest funding and scattered resources. But by establishing and supporting the Energy Biosciences Institute, BP is changing that, Somerville says. The Institute's scientists have plenty of exciting ideas that they can now test. And that is reason for optimism. Somerville is confident that within a generation, it may be possible to meet much of the world's transportation fuel needs with a few percent of the earth's land devoted to the production of energy crops.

	Feedstock Development Scientists in this program study plant species that can be used to produce biofuels in a more productive and highly sustainable fashion. Switchgrass and miscanthus are just two plants fitting that description. Researchers believe there are more.
	Biomass Depolymerization Discovering more productive methods of breaking down plant sugars so they can be used in the biofuel-making process is this program's goal. Success could result in trimming the cost of biofuel production and making this sustainable energy product more affordable.
	Biofuels Production This program's aim is to find ways of improving the concentration of fuel produced by traditional fermentation processes that have been used for centuries to make beer and wine. Achieving that objective could reduce the cost of making biofuel.
	Fossil Fuel Bioprocessing Researchers in this program are seeking ways to use biological processes to reach oil and coal – and to do so in a manner that conserves energy and spares the environment. Making it easier to gather fossil fuels aids in the sensible use of these limited resources.
	Environmental, Social and Economic Dimensions Even renewable forms of energy, such as biofuels, can have harmful impacts on society and the environment. This program will provide critical data that policymakers can use in adopting energy policies that are kinder to the land and its people.