Other News

Energy systems company Danish Stirling DK has commissioned a four-engine biomass plant at the spa resort of Tabbs in Tabarz, Thuringia, Germany. The plant, the first of its kind in the world according to the company, is powered by wood chips given from the local area, generating 4,000MWh of heat and 1,000MWh of electricity each year, which is the highest the amount for Stirling DK so far. The…
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Xergi has signed a deal with the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA)to build a new biogas plant in the US which will feature gas-fired CHP engines that will output 8MW of electrical power. Hometown BioEnergy, the name of the plant, will be built in Le Sueur, Minnesota and will produce biogas from waste such as agriculture and food, including sweet corn, potato waste and chicken…
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The body representing biofuels in the US is calling for the cellulosic biofuel tax credits to be extended so that companies can raise the funds they need to build biorefineries. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) says the industry is at a turning point where it is rapidly growing because biotechnology companies have had private investment to help commercialise the…
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The German biofuels association UFOP has dismissed claims in a new report carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) into the predicted emissions to be created by indirect land use change policy. The UFOP says it opposes the adoption of ILUC factors specific for biofuels outlined in the report and says more investment protection needs to be given for existing…
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Biomass to ethanol producer TMO Renewables says it has raised £7.6 million (€9 million) in a financing round from new and current shareholders. This will be combined with the £4.6 million that was raised at the beginning of the year, and will be used to help the company come into commercialisation. The company is working with plant owners and land official from Minas Gerais, a…
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A new municipal solid waste (MSW) to energy centre will be built in Plymouth, processing up to 75,000 tonnes of MSW a year and exporting 3.2MW to the national grid. Wardell Armstrong, the engineering and environmental consultancy, has received permission for the £15 million (€18 million) development from Devon County Council and will work with AAD South West, an Aero Thermal company,…
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OriginOil, an algae technology developer, has joined forces with Australian company Future Energy Solutions (FES), and its subsidiary Alternate Energy Systems (AES), to carry out feasibility studies on the potential for biorefining centres around the world. The biorefineries would serve US and NATO military requirements for alternative fuels, including biofuels. OriginOil has also recently teamed…
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Shipping company Maersk and the US navy are working together to test biofuels derived from algae by fuelling a container ship with the alternative fuel for a journey from the north of Europe to India. The ship, called Maersk Kalmar, was chosen for the tests because it features an engine that has been specifically designed for auxiliary testing, meaning risk of damage on the voyage is reduced. The…
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BNP Paribas Clean Energy Partners has bought a straw-fired renewable energy plant from Eco2 for its clean energy fund. It is the first biomass facility the fund has bought, although it also owns a wind power facility and solar photovoltaics and other assets in France, Italy, the UK and Ireland. The new plant is based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, UK and will be able to produce 40MW, enough power to…
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The UK and India have made a £10 million (€11.8 million) deal to collaborate on sustainable bioenergy research. The programme will see scientific research carried out into plants and algae for bioenergy development. Funding from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Indian Government Department of Biotechnology has helped to put the build of the plant…
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Clayton Hall Farm in West Yorkshire, UK has invested in a £1.6 million (€1.9 million) anaerobic digestion plant which is anticipated to pay itself off within five years. The plant uses a digester which creates gas that activates a generator that supplies 400KW of electricity to the grid, heating farm buildings in the local area. The feedstock used will be food waste from local…
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Sargas, a Norwegian bioenergy company, says it is keen to invest in electrical energy in Malta as part of a deal with plant owners DSME and SNC-Lavalin to construct a plant. The feedstock used at the plant is called bio paste and is a wet mix of biomass and coal. However, natural gas will also power the plant but a carbon capture system will be installed. The company hopes to deliver the…
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The UK committee on climate change says it will be difficult to meet carbon budgets without the use of bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. In order to meet the country’s 2050 targets, bioenergy will need to make up a total of 10% of all energy produced, rather than the 2% it currently stands at. The review of UK energy says a 10% share of bioenergy could make it…
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Malaysia says it wants to export more biomass products to Europe under a new EU-funded deal. Currently RM300 million (€71.5 million) is exported to the region from Malaysia but the head of the EU delegation to Malaysia Vincent Piket says this estimate is only based on enquiries from Europe. Under the initiative, 45 SMEs have been chosen to work under the EU-Malaysia Biomass Entrepreneurs…
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