EU presidency Finland says only investing in biofuels can influence oil prices
Quicknote bioenergy economics
Finland currently holds the rotating EU presidency, which is why statements made by Finnish politicians get more attention than usual. In an interesting column, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that investing in biofuels and renewable energy resources is the only way western countries can really influence the price of oil. In his column in the Finnish daily Turun Sanomat that was quoted by the Finnish national broadcaster YLE's web site, Vanhanen wrote that energy will continue to be expensive in the future and demand will outgrow supply.
Although Mr Vanhanen called for government support for bioenergy in the form of legislation, taxation and subsidies, he underlined that the energy form must be profitable to be sustainable. "One important principle should be that sustainable bioenergy use can be created only by basing it on market prices." Speaking about Finland itself, Vanhanen suggested that half a million hectares should be used for bioenergy production, but added that there should be no objections to importing raw biomass or biofuels feedstocks from abroad.
From our perspective, we retain three important elements from this short statement: (1) bioenergy has the potential to put a dent in oil prices, (2) it should compete on the free market without subsidies, (3) like oil and gas, international biomass and biofuels trade should be promoted.
Sources:
Forbes: Finnish PM says investing in biofuel can influence oil prices - report
NewsRoom Finland: Next government must continue promotion of bioenergy -Finland's PM
[Entry ends here]
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biobutanol :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: Africa ::
Article continues
Finland currently holds the rotating EU presidency, which is why statements made by Finnish politicians get more attention than usual. In an interesting column, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that investing in biofuels and renewable energy resources is the only way western countries can really influence the price of oil. In his column in the Finnish daily Turun Sanomat that was quoted by the Finnish national broadcaster YLE's web site, Vanhanen wrote that energy will continue to be expensive in the future and demand will outgrow supply.
Although Mr Vanhanen called for government support for bioenergy in the form of legislation, taxation and subsidies, he underlined that the energy form must be profitable to be sustainable. "One important principle should be that sustainable bioenergy use can be created only by basing it on market prices." Speaking about Finland itself, Vanhanen suggested that half a million hectares should be used for bioenergy production, but added that there should be no objections to importing raw biomass or biofuels feedstocks from abroad.
From our perspective, we retain three important elements from this short statement: (1) bioenergy has the potential to put a dent in oil prices, (2) it should compete on the free market without subsidies, (3) like oil and gas, international biomass and biofuels trade should be promoted.
Sources:
Forbes: Finnish PM says investing in biofuel can influence oil prices - report
NewsRoom Finland: Next government must continue promotion of bioenergy -Finland's PM
[Entry ends here]
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biobutanol :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: Africa ::
Article continues
Friday, August 11, 2006
Ethanol gel fuel for cooking stoves revolutionizing African households
Now a new, simple and sustainable biofuel is silently bringing a revolution to African households: ethanol gel. The low cost gel is smokeless, odourless, not poisonous, easy to handle and to store and can be used in traditional cooking stoves. Moreover, it reduces CO2 emissions by up to 50% compared to wood and diminishes pressures on forests. To produce gelfuel, denatured ethanol from sugar or starch crops is mixed with a thickening agent (cellulose) and water through a very simple technical process, resulting in a combustible gel. The gelfuel is thus renewable and can be locally produced in most countries in Africa. Jellified and/or solidified liquid fuels (kerosene and ethanol) have been in use since World War II, when they were used by soldiers for cooking.
The advantage of the ethanol gel fuel is that it can be made from so many tropical crops - from sorghum over cassava to tapioca, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and maize, to name but a few.
Several initiatives like the World Bank's Millennium Gelfuel Initiative - a public-private partnership aimed at adapting and disseminating the cooking fuel for the African household sector - have yielded encouraging results. Consumer tests and marketing assessments conducted in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, and Zimbabwe have overwhelmingly affirmed the appeal and potential commercial viability of the gelfuel. More than 15 African and 2 Latin American countries have expressed interest in introducing the local production and marketing of the gelfuel, and concrete private sector driven Millennium Gelfuel investment projects are being prepared in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Other large commercialisation efforts are underway elsewhere. In Swaziland, for example, local people are "extatic" about a gel fuel project, because not only does it deliver cheaper and cleaner energy than wood, its production also brings in jobs and gives a boost to the local economy. The company in question has made a €uro 4 million investment and will be sourcing cassava as a feedstock from small farmers. Women entrepreneurs will sell the gel packs on local markets. "Everything comes together so nicely", as one woman in Swaziland said enthusiastically about the project. We agree with her.
More information:
- Biomass Technology Group: Ethanol Gel as Domestic Fuel [*.pdf]
- Joanneum Austria, for the IEA's Bioenergy Task 38: Ethanol/Millennium Gelfuel: A Sustainable Engine for Rural Transformation [*.ppt presentation]
- Technical University Eindhoven: Ethanol gel fuel for developing countries
- The World Bank's Millennium Gelfuel Initiative: Gelfuel: A Renewable Low-Cost Cooking Fuel (technical description), and a nice overview of the project's results.
- A company called Greengel African Heat already distributes the ethanol gel in South Africa.
- The Swazi Observer: Locals ecstatic about gel fuel project
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: Africa :: gelfuelArticle continues
posted by Biopact team at 5:30 PM 1 comments links to this post