Biofuels are part of a trend towards increased util ization of local resources for energy generation, especially those with greenhouse gases’ reduction b enefits. In this paper, we argue that photosynthesi s dependent biofuels ‐ with a practical maximum of 2% energy conversion efficiency ‐ can only satisfy a fraction of the world’s liquid fuel needs. Even tha t cannot be achieved without the deployment of 2 nd generation biofuel production processes ‐ still und er development ‐ which accept cellulosic and microalgal feed stocks, not food crops. For these f eed stocks to be sustainably cultivated, they must be grown on non-arable lands using limited amounts of irrigation water and fossil-fuel based agrichemical s. Additionally, biofuels pose their own unique set of issues to consider such arable land use, water consumption among other metrics. Finally, biofuels should be viewed as just one way of converting sunlight into energy besides other means such as so lar heating and photovoltaics, with the latter opti on realizing an energy conversion efficiency exceeding 10%. By reviewing the potential alternatives to oi l and petrol based fuels, it can be seen that biofuel s are only a viable replacement when used in conjun ction with other renewable energy sources.