Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'Worse than Fossil Fuels'
Murray McNair edytuje tę stronę 8 miesięcy temu


Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even worse than fossil fuels'

The UK's "irrational" usage of biofuels will cost vehicle drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank says.

A report by Chatham House, external says the growing reliance on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food costs.

The author says that biodiesel made from veggie oil was even worse for the climate than fossil fuels.

Under EU law, external, are set to make up 5% of the UK's transport fuel from today.

Since 2008, the UK has required fuel providers to add a growing proportion of sustainable products into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.

Deep fried fuel

But research study carried out for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level indicates that UK motorists will need to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year because of the higher cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more often as biofuels have a lower energy content.

The report say that if the UK is to meet its responsibilities to EU energy targets the cost to motorists is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

"It is hard to discover any great news," Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, informed BBC News.

"Biofuels increase costs and they are an extremely pricey way to minimize carbon emissions," he said.

The EU biofuel mandates are also having hugely distorting results in the marketplace. Because utilized cooking oil is related to as among the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the rate for it has risen rapidly. Rob Bailey states that towards completion of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.

"It produces a financial incentive to buy refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then offer it at profit,"

"It is crazy but the incentives are there."

There are likewise frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is developing more climate problems than it solves. The more fuel of this type that is put into vehicles the larger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had actually lead to increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.

"Once you consider these indirect results, biofuels made from vegetable oils really result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from using diesel in the first location," said Rob Bailey.

"Plus you are asking motorists to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is an entirely irrational method."

Biofuel advantages

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the industry, external across the EU, said it was aware of the problems triggered by the mandate. But it thinks that biofuels have lots of positives.

"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles on the planet is a bit too overstated," said Isabelle Maurizi, job manager at the EBB.

"It has brought lots of advantages. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel