When oil spiked to $120/barrel several years ago, biofuels became a very sexy topic. When Middle East tensions neared a boiling point, biofuels became a very sexy topic. When intensifying weather events were blamed on reckless use of fossil energy, biofuels became a very sexy topic. And when you have all of these things coming together at once, well that’s a whole new level of “very sexy topic”.

That’s exactly where we found ourselves for several years following the course-altering events of September 11, 2001, and leading up to President Bush’s 2006 State of the Union speech in which he declared America is “addicted to oil”. To fend off impending economic doom, domestically produced, clean burning, renewable biofuels from new energy crops and crop residues we had been “wasting” all these years were touted as the silver bullets. Gas from grass: what better way to feel warm and fuzzy while stuck in traffic in a gas guzzling SUV?

Apparently Switchgrass Fever was a tell-tale symptom of our Oil Addiction. The tens of thousands of pounds of Alamo switchgrass seed I had budgeted to purchase just a couple of months before at $6 per pound were suddenly $20 to $30 per pound as soon as Switchgrass was mentioned in the same speech revealing our Oil Addiction. And that was if you could even still get the seed. Biotechnology companies seemed to spring up overnight to claim their share of the insatiable appetite for a clean, renewable biofuel solution. And new policies, grants and research funding were put in place to accelerate the pace toward large scale and cost competitive production of renewable biofuels from biomass. Actually, the targets set were more like ginormous scale, considering we were at dead zero, and the expectation was not just unsubsidized and cost competitive production, but more like dirt cheap production.

So with great fanfare and hype, American ingenuity and technology were poised to deliver the antidote to our addicted and afflicted state.

While that was merely 8 years ago, as a country and population we tend to have very little patience and very short memories, preferring to measure time more like dog-year equivalents when our demands aren’t immediately gratified or when something shinier or more sensational comes along. So 8 years after we first ooh’ed and aah’ed in anticipation of an unlimited supply of clean, green, affordable, domestic, renewable energy, how do biofuels stack up?

While cellulosic biofuels have moved along a slightly flatter trajectory than many hoped (or even than some companies promised in the early days), I argue that biofuels are just as sexy a solution today as they were 8 years ago. In fact, they may be even sexier, as they are making the last strides to the finish line in the grueling marathon we call market reality.

As much as we all like quick fixes and sound bite answers, it requires tenacity to wade through sensational claims and search for real truth. So check back for follow up posts to find out exactly why biofuels are actually sexier than ever.

By Kelly Tiller, President & CEO