Archive for Biofuels

Dave
 
How very sensible of you to recommend trams as the preferred solution for public transport in urban areas. I attach a note on the potential for integrating waste recycling with ultra light trams. If really good tram networks are installed (and the cost of installing lightweight rail has now been brought below £2 million per route kilometre double track) then, together with pedestrianisation, cycling and rickshaws, urban mobility can be brought to a very high level before having to bring in a few electric taxis.  Read More→

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Acording to National Grid “Renewable gas has the potential to make a significant contribution to the UK’s renewable energy and carbon reduction targets for 2020. And in the longer term, with the right government policies in place, renewable gas could meet up to 50% of UK residential gas demand. Produced mainly via a process of anaerobic digestion (AD) or thermal gasification of the UK’s biodegradeable waste, renewable gas represents a readily implementable solution for delivering renewable heat to homes in the UK.

Renewable gas can also deliver greater security of energy supply for the country as well as a solution for waste management as UK landfill capacity declines. In terms of the cost to the UK of delivering renewable gas, it is estimated that the marginal cost (i.e. that over and above the cost of the waste infrastructure which must be built anyway in the UK to deal with reducing landfill capacity) would be in the region of £10bn. This cost compares well with the likely cost of delivering other large scale renewables such as wind.

The unit cost of renewable gas would be of a similar level to the cost of other sources of renewable energy which are currently supported with subsidies. There are no insurmountable technical or safety barriers to delivering this solution (the technology is already being deployed in many other countries).

Full report at: Renwable Gas

 

 

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Jan
16

ASA bans renewable fuels ad

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The ad which claimed that biofuels were a sustainable answer to OPECs oil, was found to have breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 3.2 (Division of informed opinion), 7.1 (Truthfulness), 49.1, 49.2 and 49.3 (Environmental claims). The ASA said that the the ad must not appear again in its current form. ASA told RFA to remove the claim “BIOFUELS – A … SUSTAINABLE ANSWER TO OPEC’S OIL” from their ad.

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_45582.htm

Thanks for this to:


Dave Auty
Entec UK Ltd, Leeds
Office: 0113 280 6384
www.entecuk.com

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The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had a meeting to discuss the generation costs of energy technologies in November last year. This exercise happens every so often and its objective is to update inputs that might be used in any energy-related modelling work carried out by the department.

The link represent DECC’s initial thinking. It is subject to change and may or may not be published.

They give for example the following costs, all in UK Pounds/kWe:

CCGT – 600 – 690

Coal 1250 – 1500

Onshore wind – 1074

Offshore wind – 1429

The table on the link gives a lot more detail.

 

http://claverton-energy.com/pipermail/claverton-group_claverton-energy.com/2009-January/000351.html

Surprisingly, perhaps (or perhaps not given the historical bias), there is no mention of the capital costs, or the running costs of the cheapest means of cutting CO2 and fuel costs – Combined Heat and Power with District Heating  CHPDH for cities, and micro-CHP for suburbs.

If you have any evidence to suggest that any of the assumptions differ from what is attached in the spreadsheet, you may wish to contact Stephen Green, Senior Economist, Energy Strategy, Security and Markets Directorate Department of Energy and Climate Change, at DECC.

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Dec
16

Biomethane vehicles open up green driving

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UK business can now take advantage of the first mass scale second generation biofuel to be produced from waste. This is as a result of the launch in the UK of 3 brand new vehicles that have been developed by Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz to run on 100% renewable methane (biomethane)

 The Volkswagen Caddy Ecofuel is ideal for companies who operate small white vans or far airport taxis who need 7 seats.  The Sprinter NGT is the perfect large van, ideal for supermarkets and with thousands of applications. The Econic articulated truck is ideal for deliveries into cities and between distribution centres.  All these vehicles have low environmental impact in terms of noise, NOX and particulates but it is their carbon neutrality when fuelled on biomethane that is transformational.

 London aims for 25 anaerobic digesters which will provide 25 sources for biomethane for these vehicles. By making the renewable methane were waste is processed there is a very significant ‘well to wheels’ benefit – avoiding all the emissions associated with producing oil and refining it to diesel and the need to move fuel by road.

 A number of major supermarkets are developing AD facilities to reduce their carbon footprint and moving their waste and their goods in vehicles fuelled with biomethane is a compelling proposition. No other combination of fuel and vehicle can come close to the carbon neutrality offered in these OEM produced and highly reliable vehicles with range for a days work and the ability to be refueled within a matter of minutes.

 A clear and deliverable path to a sustainable future has arrived in the UK.

Popularity: 9% [?]