Biofuels: ‘Irrational’ and ‘even Worse than Nonrenewable Fuel Source’

Biofuels: ‘Irrational’ and ‘even worse than fossil fuels’

The UK’s “illogical” use of biofuels will cost motorists around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank states.

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

The author states that biodiesel made from grease was even worse for the climate than fossil fuels.

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

Since 2008, the UK has required fuel suppliers to add a growing proportion of sustainable products into the fuel and diesel they supply. 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 states that reaching the 5% level means that UK drivers will have to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year due to the fact that of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling regularly as biofuels have a lower energy material.

The report say that if the UK is to meet its obligations to EU energy targets the cost to vehicle drivers is most likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.

“It is hard to find any good news,” Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, informed BBC News.

“Biofuels increase costs and they are a really costly method to lower carbon emissions,” he stated.

The EU biofuel mandates are also having hugely distorting results in the marketplace. Because used cooking oil is considered one of the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the rate for it has increased quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more expensive than refined palm oil.

“It creates a monetary incentive to purchase refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and after that sell it at earnings,”

“It is insane but the incentives exist.”

There are likewise frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is developing more environment issues than it solves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars and trucks the bigger the deficit developed in the edible oils market. This had actually caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.

“Once you consider these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from utilizing diesel in the first location,” said Rob Bailey.

“Plus you are asking vehicle drivers to pay more for the fuel – it makes no sense, it is a completely irrational strategy.”

Biofuel benefits

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, stated it knew the issues brought on by the mandate. But it believes that biofuels have numerous positives.

“Blaming biofuels for all the difficulties on the planet is a bit too overstated,” said Isabelle Maurizi, project manager at the EBB.

“It has brought great deals of advantages. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel; it has actually lowered EU reliance on animal feed imports, thanks to the rapeseed we grow for biodiesel.”

“If there was no biodiesel farmers would just make their land idle – no food, no feed!”

As the UK strikes the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the government faces some hard decisions on how to progress on this concern as it deals with tripling the costs for motorists by 2020.

Insiders recommend its preference would be to try and get agreement in Brussels on the impacts of indirect expenses which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting arrangement from countries with powerful agricultural sectors who gain from the existing plan will be difficult.

“When you have a lobby which includes the agricultural sector and the oil sector it is really tough for Governments to make a U-turn,” stated Rob Bailey.

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