'Fantasy Fuel': Novozymes Looks to the Future
When Denmark's Novozymes first wondered in 2000 how its mass-produced enzymes could be used to make advanced biofuel, the industry did not exist and only now is the fruit of its labour emerging after years of being lampooned as a "fantasy fuel". But as commercial production of transportation fuel made from plant waste rather than valuable corn finally starts in the United States, Brazil and Europe, Novozymes has already turned its gaze towards bioplastics and even diapers. With the biofuels sector waging a drawn-out regulatory battle with 'Big Oil' over potentially damaging cuts to biofuel targets in the United States, Novozymes says it has contingency plans.
UK Subsidises 8 Renewable Energy Contracts
The British government on Wednesday awarded investment contracts under a new subsidy regime to eight renewable energy projects, including five offshore wind farms and three biomass plants. The projects together are worth 12 billion pounds ($20 billion) and will support 8,500 jobs in Britain's energy sector, adding up to 4.5 gigawatts (GW) in new electricity generation capacity, the government said. The contracts were awarded on Wednesday under Britain's new contracts-for-difference scheme which gives renewable power generators certainty of a minimum electricity price over 15 years. The projects include the Dudgeon offshore wind farm…
New Book Addresses Biofuel Future
“In the absence of strong government policies, we project that the worldwide use of oil in transport will nearly double between 2000 and 2030, leading to a similar increase in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Claude Mandil, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) at the launch in Paris today of “Biofuels for Transport: An International Perspective”. This new IEA publication looks at recent trends in biofuel production and considers how the future may look if recent initiatives in IEA countries and around the world are fully implemented. The report takes a global perspective on the nascent biofuels industry, assessing regional similarities and differences as well as the cost and benefits of the various biofuel options and technologies.
