I think Canada has led the way in demonstrating that the transition to biofuels can occur in just a few years. Most of the fundamental research and original equipment has already been built, i.e. Cellulose-to-Ethanol production. So now it's just a problem of deployment. People always underestimate how quickly things can be done on a large scale.

One area that might benefit from more research is ocean biomass. Seaweed is usually very low in cellulose, but I'm sure there are some that aren't. And we can always selectively breed or engineer a cord grass or saltwater reed that floats on the open sea. Oceans cover 70 percent of the world's surface, and it'd be awesome if we could grow a biomass solar collector at sea. Iogen Corporation suggested they might purchase seaweed for about $35 per tonne if a near-infrared or chemical analysis could show it to be at least 40% cellulose and 20% hemicellulose by mass.

In China, Japan & Korea aquaculture farms where much of the world’s seaweed is cultivated, seaweed varieties are chosen for their minimal root structure, particularly seaweeds that employ only holdfasts or non-penetrating anchor points instead of roots, and for their ability to float on the water. Artificial rafts are built up in the form of bamboo racks, or inexpensive rope structures, and simply supported with floatation buoys or posts driven into the seafloor. These factors along with low labor costs in Asian countries make seaweed cultivation a profitable business. Such methods employed in North America for biomass cultivation on the open ocean could allow energy crops to be grown on much larger areas than what is possible today in shallow coastal areas. Thousands of square miles of otherwise lifeless ocean could be used in this manner to cultivate seaweed for automotive ethanol production.