Philippines: government should use biofuel profits to fund coconut re-planting program
Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the congressman who drafted the Philippines' biofuel legislation, has urged the government to set aside the money it saved from the use of coco methyl-ester (biodiesel) to replant coconut plantations in copra-producing regions, like Bicol, that were hard hit by a series of typhoons last year (see UNICEF's assessment). Because indeed, biofuel crops are fragile. They are prone to diseases, pests, climatic factors and, in the case of coconut palms, typhoons. In most cases, these risks can be mitigated relatively easily, making energy plantations safe. But natural disasters like the typhoons in the Philippines, show that even for bioenergy, the risk of supply disruptions is always present.
Typhoons are not uncommon in the Philippines, but last year's storms were exceptionally intensive. Some see them as the result of global warming. So this is the situation we face: bioenergy and biofuel production is one of the safest, most effective strategies in combating climate change, but as we go ahead with implementing vast bioenergy programs, they might get affected negatively by the damages caused by what we are trying to fight...
The regions of Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Southern Tagalog account for a third, or 1 million hectares, of the 3.11 million hectares of land planted with coconut trees in the island state. Collectively, they account for 22 percent of the almost 2.5 million metric tons of annual copra production.
But three typhoons, Milenyo, Reming and Senyang whiped out some 365,000 hectares of the plantations, which is why some are calling for a "coconut rescue program".
"Bicol’s economy and future are linked to coconut. Copra is what lubricates the regional economy," said Zubiri, noting that the country is inching toward the mandatory sale of diesel blended with 1-percent coconut oil-derived biodiesel.
Zubiri said the government should earmark a portion of the fees and taxes collected from the production and sale of coco-diesel to rehabilitate coconut farms in the affected regions.
biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: plantations :: coconut :: natural disasters :: bioenergy supply risks :: Philippines ::
The landmark Bio-Fuels Law of 2007 requires the mandatory blending upon the effectivity of the Bio-Fuels Act’s implementing rules.
Zubiri said with the projected sale of 657 billion pesos (€10.4/US$13.5 billion) worth of bio-fuels based on current levels of fuel consumption, an estimated 29 billion pesos (€460/US$595 million) will be saved by the government.
“That alone is a already an incentive for the government to undertake a coconut re-planting program, so we can help the coconut farmers, the motorists, and the environment because coco-diesel is a clean fuel,” said Zubiri.
Article continues
Typhoons are not uncommon in the Philippines, but last year's storms were exceptionally intensive. Some see them as the result of global warming. So this is the situation we face: bioenergy and biofuel production is one of the safest, most effective strategies in combating climate change, but as we go ahead with implementing vast bioenergy programs, they might get affected negatively by the damages caused by what we are trying to fight...
The regions of Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Southern Tagalog account for a third, or 1 million hectares, of the 3.11 million hectares of land planted with coconut trees in the island state. Collectively, they account for 22 percent of the almost 2.5 million metric tons of annual copra production.
But three typhoons, Milenyo, Reming and Senyang whiped out some 365,000 hectares of the plantations, which is why some are calling for a "coconut rescue program".
"Bicol’s economy and future are linked to coconut. Copra is what lubricates the regional economy," said Zubiri, noting that the country is inching toward the mandatory sale of diesel blended with 1-percent coconut oil-derived biodiesel.
Zubiri said the government should earmark a portion of the fees and taxes collected from the production and sale of coco-diesel to rehabilitate coconut farms in the affected regions.
We need to guarantee the future supply of coco-diesel. The best way to do it is ensure that primary sources are made sustainable. -- Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, main author of the recently signed Biofuels Act.He noted that with coconut soon fueling diesel cars in the country, a percentage of government income from the sale of coco-diesel should be plowed back for re-planting coconut:
biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: plantations :: coconut :: natural disasters :: bioenergy supply risks :: Philippines ::
The landmark Bio-Fuels Law of 2007 requires the mandatory blending upon the effectivity of the Bio-Fuels Act’s implementing rules.
Zubiri said with the projected sale of 657 billion pesos (€10.4/US$13.5 billion) worth of bio-fuels based on current levels of fuel consumption, an estimated 29 billion pesos (€460/US$595 million) will be saved by the government.
“That alone is a already an incentive for the government to undertake a coconut re-planting program, so we can help the coconut farmers, the motorists, and the environment because coco-diesel is a clean fuel,” said Zubiri.
Article continues
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Biogas maize holds large potential in Europe: report
Maize ('corn' in the US) is a feedstock that can be used for the production of ethanol and biogas. But the conversion into a liquid fuel is energy inefficient compared to anaerobically fermenting it into biomethane. Per hectare, corn yields an average of 20 Gigajoules (45Gj max.) per year if converted into ethanol; when the crop is converted into biogas, it yields an average of 55 Gj (125Gj max.), some two to three times more useable energy (earlier post).
Biogas has the advantage that it can be used both as an automotive fuel (in CNG vehicles) and as an energy source for stationary applications (such as in biogas fuel cells or natural gas power plants). After cleaning the biomethane, it can be fed into the natural gas grid (earlier post). In Europe, energy maize is being bred as a dedicated crop for biogas production, with a 'super' variant that yields a much larger amount of easily methanisable biomass than ordinary variants (earlier post).
On the basis of these developments and advantages, IFRE scientist Thomas Breuer ran a large series of simulations and predicts that Germany's agriculture will be dominated by energy maize in the near future. A large-scale biogas industry that can compete with natural gas is feasible. For some regions, like the Landkreis Borken, 50% of the entire agricultural hectarage will be covered with the dedicated biogas maize. A similar situation will be found in the region of Neumünster, Schleswig Holstein:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: energy security :: natural gas :: biogas :: biomethane :: maize :: corn :: plant breeding :: Germany ::
But Breuer says that, even though the technical potential for biogas looks very promising, government policies, both at the national as well as at the EU level are decisive. Tax incentives, subsidies, policies that reward biogas producers who feed green methane or electricity derived from it to the grid, are all needed for the permanent establishment of a large-scale biogas industry that can compete with natural gas.
Breuer observes that biogas is now capable of delivering energy under 'real economic parametres'. Rising fossil fuel demand from India and China put a never-ending pressure on oil and gas prices, making longterm investments in biogas a realistic alternative. Add the EU-policies on energy security and climate change, and the framework is set: "the EU intervenes very strongly now in the issue of energy independence and has given the go-ahead to invest in biomass and bioenergy; this creates a politically secure investment climate for biogas."
The projected increase in energy maize hectarages will especially impact grain maize (used for the livestock feed industry) and other grain crop production. "Maize can now be grown much more cheaply and more easily than before by farmers", says Breuer. No longer a 'specialist crop', the biogas opportunity will lead to considerable increases in production efficiency and yields for maize, the scientist thinks. Farmers who invest in energy maize are expected to invest more (of their higher profits) in knowledge and expertise than maize growers who supply the livestock feed market, boosting their competitive advantage.
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posted by Biopact team at 4:13 PM 0 comments links to this post