Other News

Bosnia is failing to exploit its biomass potential, according to industry experts. According to media reports on news channel Balkan Insight (BIRN), industry experts say that the Eastern European country could exploit clean biomass energy to cover a significant share of its total electric needs. Fahrudin Kulic, an expert on biomass working with USAID, told BIRN: "Bosnian authorities are planning…
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US Deputy Secretary of Energy, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, has urged the energy industry to attract more young people and more women into the sector to help tackle climate change. She made the comments at a roundtable discussion on ‘The importance of women in energy’, held by UK-based NGO Energy Institute and POWERful Women, a group that aims to get more women into the energy…
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A team of UK researchers, including experts from Cardiff University’s Cardiff Catalysis Institute, have shown that significant amounts of hydrogen can be unlocked from fescue grass with the help of sunlight and a cheap catalyst. It is the first time that this method has been demonstrated and could potentially lead to a sustainable way of producing hydrogen, which has enormous potential in…
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The UK’s House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has today launched a new inquiry into the economics of the UK energy market. UK energy policy over the last decade has focused on three objectives: maintaining continuous supplies of energy and minimising threats to energy security; ensuring that the costs of energy supply are competitive for business and individual users;…
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Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer, has launched a new insurance proposition for biogas and solar plants, projects, or facilities in the UK and Ireland. Biogas and solar are playing an increasing role in the UK's energy mix with 200 biogas plants in operation across the country. In early July, for the first time ever, solar plants produced almost…
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UK-based energy-from-waste (EfW) technology supplier, Energos, has entered administration, due to “cash flow issues caused by contractual disputes with their two main contractors”. Matthew Wild and Lindsey Cooper of RSM Restructuring Advisory have been appointed joint administrators of Energos. The company had four ongoing contracts for the construction of waste plants…
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The abolition of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has prompted mixed views from the UK’s renewable energy sector. The UK’s new Prime Minister Theresa May scrapped DECC in her Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday (14 July). 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…
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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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Groen Gas Gelderland (GGG), a co-operative venture between biogas specialists BEB Holding, Engie Biogas Holding and Biogas Plus, has started construction of biogas plant in the Netherlands. The plant, which is due to open in 2017, aims to produce gas from 72,000 tonnes of waste per year. The waste includes manure, high-energy crops and grass. AIM-listed Greenlane Biogas, a biogas upgrading…
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The UK’s Wood Recyclers Association (WRA) is calling on the Environment Agency (EA) to clarify its position on bespoke permits under new Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) guidance for the UK’s wood waste sector, following fears it could seriously damage the industry. In an e-bulletin sent out last week, the Environment Agency (EA) stated a number of changes to the proposed FPP guidance…
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Canadian natural gas distributor Gaz Métro has announced that it has been conducting a demonstration project aimed at converting wood chips into natural gas using a new thermochemical process. The company has been running the project over several months. It has been in collaboration with British Columbia-based cleantech company G4 Insights. The demonstration-scale project uses a…
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The UK’s anaerobic digestion (AD) industry will concentrate on improving its environmental, operational and safety performance in an effort to move the sector forward, Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association’s (ADBA) CEO Charlotte Morton told Bioenergy Insight. Morton’s comments came as she officially launched ADBA’s Best Practice Scheme for the AD sector at the…
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England’s first action plan designed to increase the quantity and quality of household and commercial food waste collected and recycled has been launched today. Announced at UK AD & Biogas 2016 conference, the Food Waste Recycling Action Plan (FWRAP) developed by industry – including local authorities, waste treatment operators, private sector waste collectors, and industry bodies…
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