Markets - 18/March/2019

Biofuels fight for a future in Europe

As policy makers grapple with the problem of how to decarbonise the transport sector, biofuels remain mired in controversy

Frustrated biofuels producers argue the new EU renewable energy directive will not deliver on transport and, as a result, Europe has no hope of meeting its 2030 climate and energy goals. But other solutions waiting in the wings are changing the debate and adding extra uncertainty to the role biofuels will play in the future


Headache: Decarbonising transport is a tricky business. While electrification is increasingly seen as a solution, biofuels have traditionally been held up in the EU was a way to reduce the sector’s emissions

Bad reputation: Linked to deforestation, the destruction of habitats and smallholders losing their land, biofuels, in particular palm oil, have become embroiled in controversy 

Carbon footprint: By fuelling deforestation, and the accompanying release of carbon dioxide, biofuels may be worse for the climate than fossil fuels

Moving forward:Advanced biofuels, or non-food biofuels made primarily from wastes, are seen as holding more promise than earlier offerings, but they are expensive and it is taking time to get them to market

The next step: Other low-carbon liquid fuels, such as power-to-liquids, underpinned by electrolysis-driven hydrogen production, are being touted as having significant future potential

...

Try FORESIGHT - 30 days for €29

Already a subscriber?

Login



Comments are closed.

Related articles

More and better data is needed to help reorient capital flows towards more sustainable investments

EU takes investors to task over climate change

More and better data is needed to help reorient capital flows towards more sustainable investments

Read more

Burning imported waste for energy will be incompatible with climate targets in the longer term, say researchers in Denmark

Limited future for energy from incinerated waste imports

Burning imported waste for energy will be incompatible with climate targets in the longer term, say researchers in Denmark

Read more

European policymakers are convinced, the energy transition cannot rely on electrification alone. “Molecules” will be needed, but the new molecules will not be based on natural gas, and there will be a lot less of them

Will Nord Stream 2 be the last great European gas pipeline?

European policymakers are convinced, the energy transition cannot rely on electrification alone. “Molecules” will be needed, but the new molecules will not be based on natural gas, and there will be a lot less of them

Read more

In an interview with FORESIGHT, Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy in the European Commission, explains why Europe’s heating system is too old and dirty

Europe turns up the heat on old boilers

In an interview with FORESIGHT, Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy in the European Commission, explains why Europe’s heating system is too old and dirty

Read more

FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally

Good policies will allow heavy industry to drive a European clean energy economy

FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally. 

Read more