Alternative energy can reduce Thai dependence on oil imports

Samai Jai-In, an expert on renewable energy, said that Thailand should quickly enact legislation on alternative energy to help boost the country’s energy security. Oil dependency in the country’s transport sector is still as high as 90% today, about the same ratio as it was in the early 1970s. In Japan, for example, oil currently accounts for just 47% of fuels used in transport, compared to the substantial figure of 76% back in the 1970s. Brazil also started to diversify its fuel sources and started to rely more on ethanol and other fuels decades ago, with ethanol now representing 20% of total oil demand. (June 15, 2008)