Other News

Bioenergy academia and industry representatives, who attended the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE), are calling on European policy makers and the media to reconsider their approach to bioenergy. The EUBCE event recently took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (6-9 June, 2016) and was attended by international bioenergy institutions and scientific organisations, among…
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Strong bioenergy demand without strong environmental policies will lead to increase pressure on forests both in and outside of Europe, according to a new study. The new study, conducted by researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and partner organisations for the European Commission (EC), explores the potential impacts, interactions, and implications for…
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The European Union (EU) has funded a project based in Brazil, which aims to harness the combined power of positioning and reflectometry technology in order to create a low-cost, unmanned aerial platform for biomass mapping of the Brazilian Amazon forest. Not only is Brazil a large country but much of it is covered by the dense Amazon rainforest. In a statement on the European Commission website,…
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Confectionery giant Mars has announced that all of its factories across the globe have achieved their "zero waste to landfill" goals in 2015, helped by recycling and converting waste to fuel. In a statement, the US firm said 126 locations had achieved this goal. It also said that the group had accomplished seven of its 16 sustainability targets in 2015. “We have made significant progress…
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A new Hertfordshire-based recycling facility has started accepting food waste. Tamar Energy’s new anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Hoddesdon will recycle up to 66,000 tonnes per annum of food waste, to generate up to 3MW/h of renewable energy, enough to power more than 6,000 homes, and also produce a valuable biofertiliser for agricultural use. As the fifth plant in Tamar Energy’s…
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AIM-listed Aggregated Micro Power Holdings said it has made two further acquisition deals in the wood fuels sector as it posted a wider pre-tax loss for 2015, according to media reports. The company, which sells wood fuels and develops energy projects, said it has proposed the acquisition of Midlands Wood Fuel, a wood fuel supplier, and the customer base of Mi-Generation, a UK-based biomass…
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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has extended a $110m loan to Turkish lender Akbank to fund development of renewable energy projects in Turkey. The financing is a part of EBRD's plans to help Turkey in meeting electricity demand while reducing dependency on expensive imported fuel and address climate change. EBRD funds will be extended through an investment in senior US…
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The UK government has set its fifth carbon budget in order to tackle climate change. The fifth carbon budget will cut carbon emissions by 57% by 2032, based on 1990 levels. This emissions reduction should leave the UK on track to meet its Climate Change Act target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. The UK's Climate Change Act of 2008 sets the 2050 target. It requires the government to set…
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German anaerobic digestion (AD) plant manufacturer Agrafem Technologies has founded a new joint venture together with Active Business Partnerships (Active BP), a strategic agriculture and rural consultancy firm.  The JV, named 4D AD Service, is offering tailor-made services for UK AD plants to assist with solutions and input to optimise performance. For three AD sites in the UK the terms are…
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The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) has announced that Lithuanian Remigijus Lapinskas has been elected its new president. He was elected during the annual meetings in Istanbul in Turkey on 28 May and has taken over from his predecessor Heinz Kopetz. Kopetz will continue assisting WBA in a new role as senior consultant.  “It’s an honour to be elected as the president of World…
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The UK will continue to work with Europe in a number of areas, including improving the environment, the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said. Writing in his weekly column in The Telegraph, the bookies’ favourite to be the UK’s next prime minister said: “I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be. “There will still be…
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Swiss clean-tech company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) has received an order to construct a second waste-to-energy facility at Ferrybridge, UK, in the aftermath of a successful delivery of the site’s first plant. The complete plant, consisting of a total of four lines, ranks among Europe’s largest and most efficient EfW plants. “HZI proved itself to be an exceptionally constructive…
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The UK’s new Prime Minister Theresa May has scrapped the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in her Cabinet reshuffle. DECC policy areas will now move to the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The energy portfolio will now be led by former Communities Secretary Greg Clark. A DECC spokesman confirmed to Bioenergy Insight that DECC policy areas will be…
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Researchers at the University of Georgia have crossed American sweetgum tree with its Chinese cousin, creating hybrid sweetgum trees that have a potential to boost bioenergy production. The hybrid sweetgums have a better growth rate and denser wood than native varieties and can produce fibre year-round. Sweetgum trees thrive under diverse conditions, grow as fast as pine trees and provide the…
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