Clean energy: Fuel for debate

Continuing on my previous posts on biofuels, It is great to see that  European Commission announced policy on 17th sepetember to support second generation biofuels such as those based on algae, garbage and agricultural waste after citing concerns of increasing food prices and deforestation

 

Clean energy sectors face a murky future with solar and wind industries embroiled in recent trade disputes and the European Union moving to restrict crop-based biofuels in its transport fuel mix.

But despite these challenges, chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore Edwin Khew says the outlook for renewable energy industries remains positive. Speaking to Eco-Business in a recent interview, Mr Khew said: “If you look deeper, they are all positive happenings for the market and for technology.”

 

For example, stiff competition and a glut in the solar parts market – which US and Europe solar manufacturers say is due to Chinese firms flooding the market with below-cost products in a process known as ‘dumping’ – has cut prices for solar equipment in half.

Mr Khew noted that lower prices for solar and wind manufacturing components have made wind and solar farms more affordable, allowing them to compete with fossil fuels and reach grid parity sooner.

“This should attract greater investment into these renewable energy sectors where returns on investment are seen to be shorter and more attractive,” he explained.

Mr Khew, whose organization provides a way for clean energy companies and funders to meet and collaborate on projects, noted that viable solutions to clean energy challenges will require cooperation and dialogue amongst government, private sector, academics and financial institutions.

The upcoming Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW), to be held from 22 to 25 October at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, will feature such a discussion on future energy challenges.

Mr Khew noted that this year’s conference, with the theme “Shaping a New Energy Landscape”, is a great opportunity to “acclerate clean energy technologies, businesses and economies”.

Energy security is one of the biggest challenges facing countries, including Singapore, which as a city-state lacks its own conventional energy sources.

“Today, there is always the need to find better and cheaper ways of producing energy, water, and food. This is especially true with the added challenges of climate change impacts such as increased typhoons, hurricanes, droughts, floods and earthquakes,” he noted.

 

As for biofuels, Dr Christoph Weber, president of global biofuel firm JATRO, said that he welcomed the turnaround of the EU energy policy, as crop-based biofuels have led to unwanted consequences worldwide by contributing to the increase of food prices, poverty, world hunger and deforestation.

“The EC is finally recognizing the fact that the use of food-crops for fuel is problematic, if not counterproductive,” he noted. He added that it was good news for the jatropha industry, which produces advanced biofuels and bio-kerosene, because the plant is grown on land unsuited for agriculture. Globally, anywhere between 500 million and 2 billion hectares of such land is available, he estimated.

“Producing jatropha on marginal land will keep food on the table and the rainforest untouched,” said Dr Weber.

JATRO, which has secured land use rights for commercial scale jatropha and bio energy crop production on more than 1 million hectares in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, is producing biofuels for the aviation industry.

The aviation industry is focused on finding sustainable, reliable sources of biofuels to mix with conventional kerosene, and they want biofuel production scaled up as quickly as possible, he added.

Dr Weber is one of 25 experts who will be speaking at an inaugural Asia Future Energy Forum at SIEW. Some other high level speakers at SIEW include International Energy Agency executive director Maria van der Hoeven, Royal Dutch Shell executive vice-president of strategy and planning Ruth Cairnie, International Renewable Energy Agency director-general Adnan Z Amin, and Carbon War Room president Jose Maria Figueres, who is also the former president of Costa Rica.

Co-organized by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority and the Energy Studies Institute think-tank, the fifth annual SIEW will focus on four topics: Options for the Future Energy Mix; Financing Tomorrow’s Energy Needs; Keeping the Door to 2°C Open; and Connecting the Dots: Energy-Water-Food Nexus.

Ministers, policymakers and business leaders will discuss these and other issues at SIEW, which last year attracted over 20,000 delegates from over 60 countries.

Fore more on story and source:

http://www.eco-business.com/features/clean-energy-fuel-for-debate/

 

Suitable algae-to-biofuel locations identified

Follow on from my previous blog on Is Biofuels our future - This story provides some in-depth in to Algae based biofuel production....

Scientists have, for the first time, identified a number of WA sites capable of producing large quantities of commercial biofuel from microalgae.

They say the best sites for big-scale algal biofuel plants include stretches of land south of Geraldton, south-east of Exmouth and large areas near Karratha and Port Hedland.

Professor Michael Borowitzka from Murdoch University’s Algae Research and Development Centre and Assistant Professor Bryan Boruff from the School of Earth and Environment at The University of Western Australia used geographical information systems (GIS) technology to study more than 2250 km of WA coastline from Lancelin to Broome and 170 km inland.

Their report, ‘Identification of the Optimum Sites for Industrial-scale Microalgae Biofuel Production in WA using a GIS Model’, was prepared for the WA Government-funded Centre for Research into Energy for Sustainable Transport(CREST) and is the first WA-wide study of its kind.

Read more here: Sustainability Matters!

Is Biofuels our future?

                                                                                                          source: NSW office of biofuels

Today there has been much hype on the topic of biofuels. For some it’s an opportunity for new business, creating new innovation or more income through increased agricultural activity. Many governments recognise biofuel as “sustainable energy source” versus some as a way to move away from                                                
dependency on oil reach countries. Fossil fuel creates so much of carbon dioxide and pollutes our air and affects human’s livelihood. It has been well recognised that fossil fuel are harming our environment and needs to be replaced. At the same time fossil fuels are non-renewable resources which have a limit and humans are not far from reaching out those limits.

Biofuel is considered as a substitute of fossil fuel and largely involved in producing ethanol from various plants. Currently biofuel is produced from corn, soybean, rapeseed, oil palm and sugarcane. Many biofuel producers are demanding more and more of these plants for their production. Biofuel is not something new or invented in last few years. In-fact biofuel has been used by many generations for their fuel needs; for example in past or even today many poor people use plant based fuel for cooking and lighting lamp at night. Coconut oil is a good example of this. Continuously increasing demand of biofuel due to its renewable nature and recognition of alternative to fossil fuel has put pressure on farmers to produce more. It is possible that more of these plants will be diverted to producing ethanol instead of sending it for food consumption. Data shows that around 40% of the earth’s land has been converted for the purpose of agriculture. In 1960 world population was around 3 billion and in 2012 it has reached 7 billion. Humans have increased production of crops through industrialisation and use of various chemical fertilisers. We have cultivated more land in last 50years to feed the world yet today in the world there are around 800 to 900 million people are starving and going to bed without food and we are promoting to divert possible food stock to produce fuel so that we can drive our cars.

Increasing demand of biofuels will shoot up food prices and it may mean that those living under poverty lines have no or very less access to basic food items. To solve one problem of climate change we are inviting many other problems associated with the production of biofuel. Some of the corn production and its prices have already gone up in US. Products made out of corn have witnessed price increase in last decade. In 2006 the department of agriculture in US made statement that the world grain consumption will increase by 20 million tons. Out of 20 million around 14 million will be used for biofuel and only 6 million will be left for food consumption. AsiaSentinel reported on 14^th Dec 2006 that Malaysia and Indonesia will allocate 40% of combined annual palm oil yield for biodiesel production. This decision would have tremendous pressure on basic items made up of palm oil. Indonesia has the 2^nd highest rate of deforestation in the world. Clearing forest for palm oil plantation is the leading cause of deforestation.

It is very unfortunate that we have ignored the impact of biofuel in the hope of finding alternative solution of fossil fuel. Deforestation will accelerate, and food prices will increase, less feedstock for animal and all of these will contribute to climate change. After all it does not stop usage of fossil fuel since it is heavily used in order to produce biofuel. Currently majority of plants use fossil fuel to produce biofuel. Their plants, machinery, logistics, transport and many other surrounding supports uses huge amount of fossil fuel.

Time is very crucial and the effect of biofuel may be reversible in next 10 to 20years from now on. The world really needs to demand strict international policies in order to provide sustainable solution instead of just an alternate solution. One of the sustainable solutions that are available today is through capturing of CO2 and harvesting algae. Algae produced from CO2 can be used for biofuel or spirulina. The leftover from algae biofuel production can be used as a feedstock for animals. I hope that the government and other international organisations support the sustainable solutions rather than quick fixes.