Reconsider EU Biofuel Goal Says Incoming President
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 06.30.08
How not to do it: Oil palm plantation in Indonesia. Photo by Achmad Rabin Taim.
Can anyone think of the exact moment when the biofuel backlash first reached its tipping point? In any case, it seems like, finally, people are realizing that liquid biofuels aren’t quite the green panacea they were once made out to be. Not to demonize them, it’s just that (like most things) there are plusses and minuses to each feedstock and production method and these need to be carefully considered when formulating policy. It seems like the incoming EU president, France, has gotten the message.
Reuters is reporting that France has said that the EU may have to reconsider its policy of getting 10% of transport fuels from biofuels by 2020.
Sustainability More Important Than Quota Levels
Commenting on this policy, French secretary of state for ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said that a setting a specific quota was probably a mistake and the emphasis should instead be on setting strict environmental and social criteria for biofuels—making sure they do not displace food crops or encourage deforestation, for example—and then determining what production levels were viable.
Earlier this month, Sweden and Brazilian biofuel producers signed an agreement for the export of 115 million liters of ethanol which has been produced using strict sustainability criteria.
via :: Reuters
Sustainable Biofuels
Sustainable Ethanol Deal for Sweden and Brazil
Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance: The Good Guys Fight Back
The Good and the Greasy: The Sustainable Biodiesel Summit Aims to Raise the Bar
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- Obama Commitment on Second Gen Biofuels Good, Let’s Hold Him To It
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- 90-95% Cost Reduction in Algae Production Claimed by Solix Biofuels
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The primary thing that will effect how much of fuel can sustainably come from biofuels in 2020 will, I think, primarily be determined by what percentage of energy for transportation comes from grid power. I cars and trucks in 2020 get their first 100 or so miles each day from a battery charged overnight, then I could imagine 100% biofuel being totally doable for the balance of energy use. If we insist on not adopting plug-in vehicles including PHEV, then even 10% will likely not be doable.