News

The territorial government of Yukon, Canada, has given $150,000 (EUR 140,000) in support of a First Nation community’s biomass project, according to a news release. Yukon’s Teslin Tlingit Council is currently converting ten community buildings from propane and electrical heating to biomass heating. The money from the territorial government will be used to contribute to the labour…
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The Pilbara region of Western Australia has long term potential for bioenergy developments and carbon farming, according to a new scientific review published by the Western Australia Department for Agriculture and Food. Covering an area of 502,000 square kilometres, the Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region characterised by distinctive red earth and huge mineral deposits. At present…
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A Japanese research team has revealed the oil synthesis mechanism in microalgae cells, a discovery which could aid in the development of biofuels. The amount of biomass on earth is approximately ten times the amount of energy currently consumed on the planet, and half of that biomass grows in aquatic environments, according to a University of Kobe press release. Ocean based biomass such as…
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A new state aid scheme to support investments in ‘less exploited’ renewable resources, such as biogas, biomass and geothermal energy, has been approved in Romania. The new support scheme from the Romanian government applies until 2020, and has a total budget of over EUR 100,000 ($107,000). 85% of the budget comes from the European fund for regional development, 15% from the…
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Macquarie Bank has bought the UK’s Green Investment Bank for £2.3 billion (€2.74bn). The Green Investment Bank was set up by the UK government five years. The Treasury secures £1.7 billion through the process, with a further £600m of liabilities taken on by the Australia-based business lender. The bank was set up to fund renewable and low-carbon projects and has…
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A wetland centre in Horsell, UK, is combining woodland preservation with a new biomass heating system. The Heather Farm Wetland Centre in Horsell is designated as a ‘Site of Special Interest’ due to the unusual flora and fauna in the surrounding habitat. However, the fragile ecosystem is under threat as secondary woodland starts to take over. HCPS recently began the renovation of its…
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Plans to build the UK’s biggest anaerobic digestion plant have been put on hold following a series of protests and campaigns against it. FD Bird & Sons wants to build an anaerobic digestion plant near Beverley in East Yorkshire. The plant would create biogas through the anaerobic digestion of organic materials, turning up to 50,000 tons of food waste destined for landfill into heat and…
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The UK ran coal free for 24 hours on Friday 21 April, the first time the country had done so on a working day since the Industrial Revolution. According to the BBC, about 50% of British energy on 21 April came from natural gas and around 25% from nuclear power. The remaining 25% was provided by biomass, wind and imported energy. Coal-free days are likely to become increasingly common in the…
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Nina Skorupska, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA), the UK’s largest renewable energy trade association for renewable energy and clean technologies, has agreed to speak at this year’s Bioenergy Insight 2017 Conference and Expo. With approximately 700 members this not-for-profit organisation represents British renewable energy producers across power, heat, and…
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The ice plant could play a key role in helping bioenergy feedstocks cope with the salinity and drought of a warming climate, according to a press release from the University of Nevada, Reno. Biochemist and molecular biologist John Cushman from the University of Nevada will analyse the biological mechanisms allowing ice plants to survive seasonally arid climates and those with intermittent water…
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The world added record levels of renewable energy capacity in 2016, even as investment in clean energy fell, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced. “Ever-cheaper clean tech provides a real opportunity for investors to get more for less,” said UNEP executive director Erik Solheim. “This is exactly the kind of situation, where the needs of profit and people…
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A new programme called the Born Global Slip-Stream Challenge has been launched to help to drive the development and commercialisation of products like biochar, wood ash, CO2, lignin, waxes and C5/C6 sugars. The aim of the project is to work towards a goal to improve the overall profitability of bio-based projects and create replicable models for deployment in the US and Europe. This challenge is…
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New government funding to help develop clean and efficient heating systems has been awarded to 13 local authorities across England, Climate Change and Industry Minister Nick Hurd announced. The £24 million (€28m) is spread across projects from Sheffield to Somers Town, which will soon help warm homes and businesses with low-carbon energy. This is the first round of funding from a…
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William Strauss, president and founder of FutureMetrics, will be speaking at this year’s Bioenergy Insight Conference. Strauss is globally recognised as a leading expert in the wood pellet sector. Strauss continues to be a thought leader in the sector and has published numerous papers on a variety of subjects relevant to the wood pellet sector. He is also a founder and a director of Maine…
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