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Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky US. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.
The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply.
Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens.
Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take
land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.
DeBOLT said, "The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they're the same
people who have food insecurity issues as it is. And then any change in availability would be most
damaging to that group of people."
But he found one item that was in plentiful supply and would not create competition between food and
fuel. Coconut shells are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says it has an "excellent" heating value. All someone needs is a way to release that energy.
DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut power. "Coconuts are growing here and these are the areas where there is possibility for energy poverty to be eased at least in part by these small-scale
production systems."
The researchers say these systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a
country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts and similar fruit could benefit, as well.
But DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the dangerous waste produced in the process. And there needs to be money to get these projects started.
1. Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural areas of developing countries to_____.
A. help farmers make full use of waste
B. seek certain materials to make electricity
C. persuade farmers to grow more coconuts
D. find a suitable place to carry out the experiment
2. DeBolt thought it was not a good idea to grow fuel crops because_____.
A. there are plenty of coconuts
B. local farmers have no interest in it
C. it would make food problems worse
D. fuel crop has little use for local farmers
3. The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that coconut power_____.
A. needs further experiments and efforts
B. can help solve energy problem perfectly
C. will cause technique and money problems
D. has drawn Indonesia's government attention
4. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. Make Full Use Of Coconuts
B. Make Power From Coconuts
C. A Perfect Solution
D. Food And Energy Problems