Tag Archives: energy
Better Biofuels Coming Along, But Slowly
Advanced biofuels aren’t where U.S. lawmakers expected them to be, but that failure is in the rear-view mirror. The question now is about the road ahead, and the pro-renewables group E2 is forecasting steady growth – but whether that growth will come fast enough to meet the growing requirements of the U.S. renewable fuel standard seems doubtful. Ineos Florida plant during construction (image via Ineos Bio) That would mean the regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency would be called on to “modify the program and adjust to market realities” – and that’s a familiar story. Not that there haven’t been some signs of life from the industry. In March, Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that the cost of enzymes, pretreatment and fermentation for cellulosic ethanol had fallen “significantly,” putting the fuel “on course to be cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2016.” Continue reading
Meeting Booming Asian Pellet Demand: How Competitive Are Regional Play
CMT’s Biomass Pellets Trade & Power summit, put together with support from Premium Sponsor Pellet Association Malaysia (PAM) and Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM), in Seoul, on the 09-12 September, will set the stage for deep analysis of the ground realities in pellet trade patterns, feedstocks uncertainties, sourcing strategy, sustainability initiatives and pricing dynamics in the North East Asian biomass value chain. Asian biomass markets are witnessing profound shifts in trade and feedstocks sourcing with South Korea and Japan setting the pace for China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Korean RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) and the Japanese feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for biomass have been important enablers of biomass trade in the region. Despite the potential, the Asian biomass market still face an uncertain future due to diverse challenges in cultivation, sub optimal pellet capacities, price volatilities, and cross border trade shifts. Korean and Japan’s demand for bioenergy depends on competitive sourcing of pellets from global sources. Moving forward, global and regional Asian pellet suppliers will have to invent novel supply models to remain competitive. Among the panelists are Chang Joo Ok, President & CEO of Korea East-West Power Co., delivering the keynote address and Timothy Ong, interim Chairman of Pellet Association Malaysia (PAM) speaking on the new initiatives in Malaysian biomass trade. Addressing Biomass pellet trade and development of wood pellets market trends is Prof. Gyu-Seong Han from Chungbuk National University (Forest Product Marketing Center), while global trade dynamics end is covered by Nick Tsirigotis of EDF Trading. Sharing DONG Energy’s experiences in conversion of coal to wood pellets fired power plant is Jens Price Wolf and elaborating on sustainable supply strategies will be Matt Bovelander of Indufor Asia Pacific Ltd. An inside perspective on going biomass-based power generation projects from South Korea’s top power utilities, Korea Southern Power (KOSPO), Korea East-West Power (EWP), Korea South-East Power (KOSEP), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and Korea Midland Power (KOMIPO) allows for a rare opportunity to assess the emerging scenario. The modalities of intra-regional alliance models will be explored by JP Jaepil Song, Eco-Frontier while Philippines project status update will be provided by Michael Paik, EnerOne, Inc. Bas Melssen from Agensi Inovasi Malaysia will present an overview of Malaysia’s National Biomass Strategy 2020, International biomass pellet trade shifts will be addressed by Todd G. Bush, Green Circle Bio Energy Inc., and the Russian wood pellet market by Dr. Olga Rakitova, The National Bioenergy Union, Russia. For more information and registration contact Ms Hafizah hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg at +65 63469218 & for more details. http://www.cmtevents.com Continue reading
UK Government Sets Biomass Power Rules
Electricity from biomass is expected to save 70% of greenhouse gas emissions 22/08/2013 UK government sets biomass power rules Financial support only available if sustainable Helen Tunnicliffe THE UK government has set new sustainability criteria for biomass to ensure that it contributes effectively to the country’s emissions reduction targets. Electricity from biomass is expected to save 70% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels, but concerns have been raised that some of the wood chips and pellets used in biomass power stations is no better than coal and in some cases worse if it has been harvested in an unsustainable way, from a badly-managed plantation or shipped from thousands of miles away. The new standards announced by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are designed to address these concerns and apply to all companies generating 1 MW or more of energy from solid biomass or biogas which are claiming financial support under the Renewables Obligation (RO). The RO means that all generating companies must source a set proportion of their electricity from renewable energy, but receive a premium for doing so. From April 2015 onwards, electricity generating companies could face losing these financial incentives if they cannot prove that the biomass fuel for their plants meets the tough new standards. The sustainability criteria look at the way the source forest is managed, including ensuring that harvesting rates are sustainable, that biodiversity is protected and that indigenous populations retain their land use rights. DECC has also pledged not to make any more changes to the sustainability criteria before April 2027. Greg Barker, the minister of state for energy and climate change says that biomass is an important part of the UK’s energy mix. “The new criteria will provide the necessary investor certainty and, crucially, ensure that the biomass is delivered in a transparent and sustainable way,” he adds. The news has been welcomed by the Renewable Energy Authority (REA), which represents UK companies in the renewable energy industry. “These sustainability criteria ensure that the UK can reap the benefits of biomass, safe in the knowledge that it is making a real dent in our carbon emissions and that ecologically sensitive land is being protected. Biomass is a great way to bridge the looming capacity gap because it has all the same benefits as fossil fuels, such as reliability and flexibility of supply, but without the carbon impacts,” says REA CEO Nina Skorupska. The REA, however, warned that all biomass generation must be supported by the government. Earlier this month, RWE closed its Tilbury power station in the UK, which it had been converting from coal to biomass, when the government withdrew subsidies under the Contracts for Difference scheme which invests in low carbon technologies. Only combined heat and power (CHP) projects are now eligible for subsidies under this scheme, but REA points out that many otherwise suitable sites have no users for the heat generated. Continue reading
