Chris, to produce some volume of alcohol, you will need to burn more energy (in form of gasoline and diesel fuel) than the volume contains. Currently, alcohol is produced, primarily, from corn. To grow corn, you need energy for trucks and others machines. This is catch 22.

The only known reliable energy source without limits is the nuclear power. If mankind is going to survive thru the energy crisis, we need to learn how to use the nuclear power everywhere, directly or indirectly. Indirect usage means that we get energy from nuclkear power and convert it into some other form (for example, into electric batteries or into alcohol - thru corn). Everything else is just a waste of time becouse there is no others known solutions. Solar/water/etc powers are very limited and inconvenient to be used globally.