Other News

In a public release by the University of Michigan (UM), research professor at the U-M Institute, John DeCicco argues that growing and harvesting bioenergy from crops is a ‘poor use of land’. The UM researcher said that untampered green areas such as forests and fields isolate carbon dioxide effectively enough, and that they are ‘one of society’s best hopes’ for…
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A new report claims the British industrial sector could save up to £540 million (€601 million) per year on its energy bills by switching to new energy technologies such as combined heat and power (CHP), solar or battery storage. The research comes as part of Centrica Business Solutions Powering Britain report, which has analysed the UK’s major production and…
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Martin Bentele is the CEO of the German pellet association (DEPV) and will be speaking at the International Biomass Congress & Expo discussing the German pellet sector, including an overview of the heating market as well as an outline of the ENplus certification for wood chips and pellets. The International Biomass Congress & Expo will be held for the first time in Berlin, Germany on…
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A share of €8 million ($9.2 million) worth of funding has been awarded to a total of 45 innovative energy research projects in Ireland.  The money granted is due to the government’s ambition to develop solutions to help homes, businesses and communities deliver a cleaner energy future, and will vary from one to four years’ worth of funding. CEO of the Sustainable Energy…
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The August edition of the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook has been published, revealing forecasts on renewables consumption in the US. Biomass generating capacity for the electric power sector is expected to hit 7,363 megawatts by the end of 2018, up from 7,313 megawatts in the previous year. The projected figure for 2019 is 7,526 megawatts. Of this…
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Policy makers in the UK are being called on to review the impact grants for crop based renewable energies, such as anaerobic digestion and biomass, are having on the countryside. The National Sheep Association, the association for the UK’s sheep industry, has voiced concerns over the pressure AD and large scale biomass burners exert on forage stocks, suggesting a ‘rethink’ may…
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The Philippines’ Department of Trade has approved a proposal for a Bioenergy Innovation – Incubation Hub and Co-Working Space /Product Testing Centre. The new Shared Service Facility (SSF) will come under the operation and supervision of Mariano Marcos State University’s National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center. With a proposed budget of almost PHP50million (approx.…
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In an effort to encourage Californian dairy farmers to recycle animal waste, Land O’Lakes and California Bioenergy (CalBio) will begin assisting the implementation process of “barn to biogas” technologies. The two companies will also offer financing to help farmers install on-site methane digesters that can produce renewable compressed natural gas. The initiative will allow…
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The World Biogas Association has been accepted as a new Actor under the Agriculture and Waste Initiatives of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). CCAC cooperates with key emitters of short-lived climate pollutants and other stakeholders globally to ‘encourage, enable and catalyse action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions’. "We are…
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Combined Heat and Power (CHP), anaerobic digestion and biomass power could help ensure the energy supply to industry and protect the UK’s National Grid, according to resource management company Veolia. The company is aiming to highlight how sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical & chemical and food & beverage could meet their energy needs locally and have more…
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The European Parliament, Commission and Council have reached a preliminary agreement on the new Renewable Energy Directive (REDII). The deal sets out a path for Europe’s renewable energy sector post 2020. As part of the new legislation, European-wide sustainability criteria have been adopted for solid biomass. Bioenergy will be accounted towards overall renewable energy targets, provided it…
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Dr Mike Mason, chairman of engineering, procurement and construction company Tropical Power, discusses how AD could become more competitive with other renewable energy sources. In 2012, solar modules sold for about $1/Watt; in 2018 they are selling for $0.37/Watt ex-factory in China, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance projects that this will drop further to $0.24/Watt in 2019. Recent solar power…
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A problem facing biorefinery operations is the flow of biomass into and throughout facilities. Lignocellulosic biomass, often made up of post-harvest agricultural materials such as corn stover and soybean hulls, often accumulates and compacts while moving through augers, forcing shutdowns for maintenance. A team led by Purdue University scientists is to receive a $1.8 million grant from…
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The utility’s new thermal hydrolysis plant (THP) is now processing 100 tonnes of sludge daily. The £60m project changes the way the company treats waste before it’s used to generate green power. It’s designed to make the process considerably more efficient and increasing the amount of clean energy produced by almost a third. More than half of the plant is now up and…
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