As part of efforts to promote the use of less costly, alternative fuel sources, the Fundacion Global Democracia y Desarrollo, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Environment and the Consorcio Tecno-Deah are again hosting pilot Max Shauck, who is the director of Baylor University for Air Science, Waco, Texas. He flew to the DR piloting an ethanol-based aviation fuel Azteca bi-motor airplane. Max Shauck is famous for being the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane fueled by ethanol. This is his second visit to promote the use of ethanol as a viable alternative energy source.
Shauck is coming with Volker Mohnen, head of the Quality Assurance Science Activity Center of the Americas, who will be flying over Santo Domingo to monitor the air quality. Findings are expected to help make the case for the need of changing transport to cleaner energy sources, such as ethanol-based fuel. Furthermore, ethanol is derived from sugar cane and sorghum production, which would create jobs in rural areas. Ethanol is used for transport in the US, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Brazil and Japan. Its promoters in the DR hope to introduce it on a nationwide scale in the near future.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce is backing the introduction of ethanol at a time when imported petroleum costs are at a record high. The government is already studying the idea of introducing ethanol cooking-stoves in order to reduce the country’s dependence on propane gas.
Promoters indicate that ethanol use could represent savings of US$550 million in fossil fuel imports in the medium term, creating 200,000 rural jobs, with an increase in crops for ethanol production.
They explain that ethanol production would boost farming, as it is a vertically integrated agribusiness that generates notable collateral benefits such as clean air, employment in rural areas, and savings in hard currency.
From 9-11 May, the Second Workshop on Energy Policies and Environment will take place at Funglode. During the event new proposals will be presented addressing the country’s energy needs while also creating jobs. The international scientists are recommending the use of ethanol, primarily for transport and to replace propane gas usage.
As part of the workshop, which is open to the general public, Funglode, Baylor University & the Instituto Dominicano de Desarrollo Integral will sign an inter-institutional agreement to promote the use of ethanol in the DR.