Energy Post

Daily reports on the European and Global energy transition

  • Newsletter
  • Search Categories
    • Renewables
    • Policy
    • Oil, Gas & Coal
    • Hydrogen
    • Outlooks
    • Grids
    • Nuclear
    • Markets
    • Transport
    • Videos
  • 24-linkedin 24-twitterfacebook Follow-Us

EVs vs Biofuels: new study looks at ethanol’s impact on agricultural land use, food prices, emissions

July 21, 2022 by Josh Gabbatiss

For transport, biofuels have lower emissions than gasoline/petrol, but EVs will have the lowest emissions of all. Hence the opposition to those biofuels, along with objections to the valuable cropland used to make the ethanol. But the overall advantage depends on the speed of transition to EVs charged with clean electricity. Now, a calculation has been made of the amount of agricultural land preserved for global food production - or kept as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy, Transport and energy Tagged With: agriculture, biofuels, Brazil, CarbonSinks, China, electrification, emissions, ethanol, EVs, Food, India, maize, transport, US

SAFFiRE: cheap, Sustainable Aviation Fuel from agricultural waste

July 6, 2022 by Ryan Horns

SAFFiRE (Sustainable Aviation Fuel From [i] Renewable Ethanol) is a 10-ton-per-day pilot plant project. The goal is 7bn gallons of sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuel by 2040. Ryan Horns at NREL explains that the sustainable fuel is made from corn stover, an agricultural waste product, chemically broken down into sugars that can then be converted to fuels. The SAFFiRE process can take advantage of the existing infrastructure of over 200 ethanol … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy, Transport and energy Tagged With: agriculture, aviation, biofuels, biomass, ethanol, fuel, jetfuel, SAF, waste

Engineered soil microbe can convert CO2 20 times faster than natural photosynthesis

June 8, 2022 by Glennda Chui

New research led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Germany has shown how a bacterial enzyme found in the soil can be made to convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster than plant enzymes do during natural photosynthesis. As Glennda Chui at Stanford University explains, it’s very early days but could open a door to artificially … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Carbon Capture, Energy Tagged With: biofuels, CCS, CCUS, CDR, CO2, enzyme, fertilisers, innovation, microbe, soil

Russia-Ukraine stalls EU Biofuels, but accelerates its medium/long-term targets

May 23, 2022 by Cornelius Claeys

Rising food and fuel costs are pushing several EU countries to freeze or lower 2022-2023 low-carbon blending mandates for transportation fuels. That will likely mean a rise in emissions, but only in the short term, says Cornelius Claeys at Stratas Advisors. However, the same policymakers understand that ending imports of fossil fuels from a belligerent Russia is an opportunity to raise low-carbon targets for the medium and long term. So, right … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy Tagged With: aviation, biofuels, biomethane, oil, REPowerEU, road, Russia, shipping, transport, Ukraine

Record Renewables additions for 2021 and 2022 despite supply bottlenecks prove Solar & Wind’s resilience

May 13, 2022 by IEA

Despite – or perhaps because of – global market and political turmoil, renewable power is set to break another record in 2022. That’s after 2021 also saw record new capacity from solar, wind and other renewables worldwide. It’s mainly driven by solar PV in China and Europe as governments around the world take advantage of renewables’ energy security and climate benefits, according to the IEA’s latest Renewable Energy Market Update. 295GW of new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: biofuels, China, distributed, EU, Europe, hydro, IEA, India, LatinAmerica, policies, renewables, Russia, security, solar, US, wind

Event summary: “Unlocking the potential of Bioenergy”

March 21, 2022 by Sara Stefanini

Sara Stefanini provides a written summary of our panel discussion held on Thursday March 17th 2022. It’s a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights (potential for bioenergy, hard-to-abate sectors, sustainability, policy needs). Those highlights include the need to scale bioenergy up from around 50 EJ today to 150 EJ by 2050; the importance of carbon … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy, Events, Videos Tagged With: aviation, BECCS, bioenergy, biofuels, biomass, CCS, CCUS, cement, chemicals, FitFor55, forestry, GreenDeal, infrastructure, policies, REDII, SAF, steel, sustainability, transport

Biomethane for decarbonising transport: the Swedish example

March 14, 2022 by Angela Sainz Arnau

Biomethane has a critical role to play in the decarbonisation of transport, particularly long-distance trucks and ships, where electrification is more difficult and expensive. Angela Sainz Arnau at the European Biogas Association explains that biomethane represents one of the lowest greenhouse gas intensive pathways when the whole emissions lifecycle is measured. However, when nations implement bans on internal combustion engines to cut the use … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy Tagged With: bioenergy, biofuels, biomethane, emissions, ICEs, renewables, ships, standards, Sweden, transport, trucks

Green hydrogen-based fuels pivotal in decarbonising Shipping by 2050

October 12, 2021 by Gabriel Castellanos and Roland Roesch

The international shipping sector’s emission levels are comparable to Germany’s. Like aviation and heavy transport, reaching net-zero will need renewable fuels – direct electrification won’t be sufficient. Existing fossil fuel engines allow for biofuel blends of up to 20% without any modifications, and 100% methanol engines are a proven technology. Making sufficient quantities of clean fuels - without consuming food crops – is the challenge. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alternative fuels, Energy, Transport and energy Tagged With: ammonia, biofuels, costs, efficiency, hydrogen, methanol, shipping, transport

Engineering yeast to create Biofuels from non-food crops (straw, grass, cellulosic waste)

July 21, 2021 by Anne Trafton

Using ethanol can reduce the global consumption of fossil fuels. But, commercially, ethanol in the U.S. is produced from corn and not enough is grown to make a significant impact on U.S. fuel needs. Anne Trafton at MIT describes research that has engineered yeast to break down straw and woody plant material to create ethanol as efficiently as it’s done from corn. High yields of ethanol were extracted from five different types of cellulosic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy Tagged With: aviation, biodiesel, biofuels, biomass, ethanol, gasoline, petrol, petroleum, shipping, trucking, US, yeast

Aviation and Shipping emissions: will Biden take on the challenge?

February 12, 2021 by William Todts

William Todts at Transport & Environment is very worried about the Biden administration’s approach to aviation and shipping emissions. The signals are that the U.S. wants to work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). But they have neither the ability nor the means to spur technological breakthroughs. That matters, because it’s only the use of alternative fuels that can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alternative fuels, Biofuels, Energy, Hydrogen, Transport and energy Tagged With: Airbus, ammonia, aviation, Biden, biofuels, Boeing, Caterpillar, electricity, emissions, hydrogen, ICAO, IMO, kerosine, MAN Energy, shipping, synfuels, transport, US

Clean Trucks are coming: a review of battery, hydrogen, synthetic fuels and more

January 18, 2021 by Sören Amelang

New EU fuel efficiency rules are forcing truck makers into a race to get their low emission vehicles onto the roads. From 2025, newly registered trucks must have 15% lower emissions, and from 2030 it’s 30%. Battery-electric drivetrains are most likely to dominate, assisted in their evolution by the assured progress and charging infrastructure of EVs. Hydrogen fuel cells and synthetic fuels are also in the game, though hindered by the inevitable … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Transport and energy Tagged With: Amazon, batteries, biofuels, buses, BYD, catenary, Daimler, DHL, Digitalisation, EU, EVs, freight, fuelcells, Germany, hydrogen, Mercedes, Paris, Pepsi, Poland, Rivian, Scania, Tesla, transport, trucks, UPS, Volvo, Walmart Canada

A new EU Gas Market must expose it to all clean energy solutions, not just gas-on-gas

January 15, 2021 by Simon Skillings and Lisa Fischer

Towards the end of this year the EC is expected to issue new proposals for gas legislation, a once in a decade market reform. Simon Skillings and Lisa Fischer at E3G highlight the big difference between the design of gas and electricity markets for Europe. The electricity market is growing, the gas market needs to shrink. The authors quote figures showing that the EU's 55% emissions reduction target for 2030 means natural gas use will reduce by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Markets, Oil, Gas & Coal Tagged With: biofuels, Digitalisation, EC, efficiency, electrification, gas, GreenNewDeal, hydrogen, JustTransition, markets

Nuclear-Wind hybrid plants for grid stability, Power-to-X and more

January 6, 2021 by NREL

How would you use a nuclear-wind hybrid plant and maximise its potential? When intermittent wind’s output falls, nuclear can step in to feed the grid. When it’s not doing that it can use its power to run the production of a wide range of commodities: from biofuels, hydrogen, pumped hydro to wastewater purification, desalination, chemical manufacturing and more – including straightforward thermal power for industry. In collaboration with NREL, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear, Renewables Tagged With: biofuels, chemicals, desalination, gas, grids, hydro, hydrogen, industry, JISEA, Nuclear, regulations, renewables, storage, thermal, wastewater, wind

Bioenergy is the undervalued pillar of the clean energy transition

December 17, 2020 by Seungwoo Kang and Elisa Asmelash

Bioenergy is already the world’s largest source of renewable energy, responsible for 70% of the supply (and around 10% of total primary energy). Burning organic matter goes back to the invention of fire and is still commonplace around the globe. Yet it gets hardly any of the attention and policy support that’s given to other clean energy technologies like solar, wind and now hydrogen. Bioenergy can and should play an even greater role, explain … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy Tagged With: aviation, BECCS, bioenergy, biofuels, biojet, biomethanol, cement, chemicals, farming, forestry, shipping

Biofuels vs Hydrogen: which can fuel aviation, shipping, trucks?

December 3, 2020 by Cornelius Claeys

The positive signals coming from EV sales and charge points contrast with the lack of progress in finding alternative fuels for aviation, shipping and trucks. Cornelius Claeys runs through the prospects for biofuels and hydrogen to power long-haul transport. Biofuels are already used as a substitute for fossil fuels, and EV uptake will usefully free them for fuelling heavy transport. But as decarbonisation ambitions rise the pressure on scarce … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biofuels, Energy, Hydrogen, Transport and energy Tagged With: aviation, biofuels, emissions, EVs, hydrogen, shipping, trucks

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • Next Page »

Most read this week

  • Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals by Dolf Gielen | posted on January 26, 2023
  • 10 Carbon Capture methods compared: costs, scalability, permanence, cleanness by Ella Adlen | posted on November 11, 2019
  • Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades? by David Chandler | posted on February 1, 2023
  • Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal by Daisy Dunne | posted on February 3, 2023
  • Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR by Dennis Wamsted | posted on January 27, 2023
  • The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) by Joseph Majkut | posted on January 30, 2023
  • Micro-nuclear reactors: up to 20MW, portable, safer by Christina Nunez | posted on April 22, 2021
  • EU Energy Outlook to 2060: how will power prices and revenues develop for wind, solar, gas, hydrogen + more by Alex Schmitt | posted on December 6, 2022
  • Biofuel is approaching a feedstock crunch. How bad? And what must be done? by IEA | posted on January 23, 2023
  • EU ETS and CBAM: what the big update to emissions trading rules means for Europe’s key sectors by Simon Göss | posted on January 16, 2023
  • Can Aluminium-air batteries outperform Li-ion for EVs? by Helena Uhde | posted on September 8, 2021
  • Steel decarbonisation: Australia must stop making excuses and follow Europe’s lead by Simon Nicholas | posted on February 2, 2023
  • What’s best for Hydrogen transport: ammonia, liquid hydrogen, LOHC or pipelines? by Herib Blanco | posted on May 5, 2022
  • Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks by James Kim | posted on January 31, 2023
  • Gravity Batteries: any nation can do it at scale using rocks by Simon Read | posted on July 27, 2022
  • Hydrogen production in 2050: how much water will 74EJ need? by Herib Blanco | posted on July 22, 2021
  • Concrete: 8% of global emissions and rising. Which innovations can achieve net zero by 2050? by Ben Skinner | posted on January 24, 2023
  • Why hydrogen fuel cell cars are not competitive — from a hydrogen fuel cell expert by Zachary Shahan | posted on June 17, 2016
  • Smart Glasses: experts can monitor and advise on power plant inspections anywhere in the world by Christoph Gatzen | posted on January 25, 2023
  • The 10 big problems with simply replacing fossil cars with electric by Schalk Cloete | posted on December 6, 2021

Information

  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy including Cookies
  • Terms and conditions for posting content
  • Comment Policy

More Information

  • About us
  • Authors
  • Contact Us

Most read in last 24 hours

  • Recent Posts
  • Recent Comments
  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Tags
  • Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal
  • Steel decarbonisation: Australia must stop making excuses and follow Europe’s lead
  • Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?
  • Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks
  • The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
        • carbon bubble
        • CCS
        • China
        • climate change
        • coal
        • coal power
        • diversification
        • electric cars
        • electricity
        • electricity market
        • emissions
        • energy2030
        • energy efficiency
        • energy security
        • energy storage
        • energy trade
        • energy transition
        • EU
        • EU energy policy
        • EU ETS
        • European gas market
        • financing
        • gas
        • geopolitics
        • grid
        • grids
        • hydrogen
        • infrastructure
        • investment
        • natural gas
        • nuclear energy
        • oil
        • renewables
        • Russia
        • shale gas
        • smart grids
        • solar
        • solar power
        • sustainable mobility
        • transport
        • unconventionals
        • US
        • US energy policy
        • wind
        • wind power

        Recent Posts

        Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal

        Steel decarbonisation: Australia must stop making excuses and follow Europe’s lead

        Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?

        Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks

        The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

        Copyright © 2023 Energy Post. All Rights Reserved