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Date Published:
11 November 2013

Volume 4, Issue 6


FITs: No longer a fit for Germany?

Feature
German industry association calls for the abolition of the FIT system now re-elections are over   German industry federation Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie’s (BDI) calls for a restructuring of renewable energy policies could see the elimination of the nation’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme which helped the nation become Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy.... [read more]

Out with the old, in with the new

Feature
The US government is under pressure to pass a new five-year Farm Bill which would provide $900m for USDA energy programmes   In a letter to senior members of the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and other renewable energy and chemical advocates urged the government to pass a new five-year Farm Bill. The letter, addressed to Senate... [read more]

EPA broadens 'heating oil' definition

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Those producing heating oil from biomass will be able to generate RINs under the US RFS   The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule to expand the definition of ‘heating oil’ under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The term heating oil now also applies to all renewable fuel oils that are used to generate heat to warm buildings or other facilities,... [read more]

Bioenergy: the RO versus CfD regimes

Feature
With the UK government set to introduce the new CfD support scheme, James Greenleaf of Baringa Partners discusses the key differences for bioenergy developers between this and the current RO   In November 2012, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) presented its long awaited Energy Bill to parliament. This marked the beginning of the final phase of DECC’s Electricity... [read more]

Doubling up

Feature
Energy giant Everbright International is building its second biomass power generation plant in China. Keeley Downey speaks to the company’s executive director to find out why it entered the biomass market just two years ago   Under its 12th Five-Year Plan, introduced in March 2011, China aims to increase its total renewable energy consumption to 478 million tonnes of coal equivalent by... [read more]

There's an Elephant in the room

Feature
Independent biogas producer Green Elephant has big dreams for its mini power plant   Green Elephant is a company that does exactly what it says on the tin. Founded in Germany in 2008, it builds, owns and operates renewable ‘green’ energy facilities in India which use residual organic material. And, with over 12 biogas plants already installed, it is one of the largest... [read more]

Attracting investors

Feature
Asia’s biomass-to-power sector is relatively new but the region is making waves which could see it rival Europe in the not-too-distant future   Subsidies and support schemes for renewable energy across much of Europe could soon disappear. A recent surge in the development of renewable energies means last year was expensive for many EU countries, with states looking to limit such... [read more]

large-scale delivering technology is Bio-CCS Going carbon negative

Feature
As the urgent necessity of negative emissions becomes increasingly clear, the only large-scale delivering technology is Bio-CCS   In its newly released Fifth Assessment Report1, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasised the need to develop solutions that can help remove CO2 from the atmosphere in the future. Similar warnings have already come from the United National... [read more]

The biomass trading house

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After it recently signed an agreement with Viridis Energy to market its wood pellets, trading house Ekman reveals what pellet producers should look for when choosing an agent   Europe will need to continue to grow its wood pellet imports over the coming years. Both the industrial and residential markets will likely double in size in the next 10 years and, in addition to this, the markets in... [read more]

Galvanizing steel

Feature
How hot dip galvanizing is providing long-term protection against rust and corrosion   The biomass sector continues to boom across the UK, with developers putting forward proposals to create new facilities up and down the country. As with any construction project though, it is crucial the infrastructure used to store both the inputs and outputs involved in the biomass process is robust... [read more]

Fresh out of the box

Feature
A new cube-shaped bin is giving biomass conveyors a run for their money   Biomass handling equipment is expensive and time-consuming to install and costly to maintain. It is, however, a vital aspect of any biomass energy project. While building biomass power plants in the location where the bulk of the feedstock is generated appears to be a suitable solution, in practice this is not always... [read more]

Pane-less biogas production

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A Malaysian company is adding value to its waste POME with the construction of an anaerobic digestion plant complete with a glass-fused-to-steel tank   Palm oil mills treat the effluent discharged from plants which manufacture palm oil — an important export for Malaysia and Indonesia — in open lagoons. In recent years palm oil consumers have demanded environmental conservation... [read more]

Cashing in on chemicals

Feature
How might the recently introduced Qualifying Renewable Chemical Production Tax Credit Act benefit biochemical producers and the US economy as a whole?   Industrial biotechnology companies have made rapid progress in commercialising new applications to convert biomass and other renewable feedstocks to target chemicals. Driven first by unstable oil prices and growing consumer demand for... [read more]

Can biomass replace crude oil?

Feature
One biomaterials company is on a mission to replace petroleum-based chemicals with sustainable, zero carbon specialty chemicals   Can biomass replace crude oil? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ but some serious considerations need to be made leading up to that event. One of the most important issues to address when talking about replacing any petroleumbased product is feedstock.... [read more]

A hot topic

Feature
Every year people are injured and killed as a result of industrial fires and dust explosions. Instead of taking action after such a potentially catastrophic event, it is possible to be proactive and prevent a fire or explosion from occurring in the first place. Keeley Downey speaks to Anders Bergstöm of Firefly to find out more

A new technology platform for renewable 'crude'

Feature
Does a new hydrothermal liquefaction technology hold more promise than pyrolysis and gasification?   The cost-effective and scaled production of synthetic liquid hydrocarbons or biooil is being explored as a means to address a latent demand for low-carbon (renewable) alternatives to petrochemical feedstocks and/or transportation fuels. This demand is also driven, in some cases, by... [read more]

Biomass and waste gasification

Feature
How is gasification technology helping divert waste away from landfills?   Modern gasification has been around since the 1950s. First deployed in the chemical sector, it has been used in the refining and power industries for over 30 years. Now, gasification is being used to convert biomass and waste into needed energy. Around 250 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated... [read more]

Risks of biomass fuel

Feature
The prospect of co-firing biomass with coal is an attractive one, but there are a number of considerations energy producers must take on board before this becomes a reality   Coal generates the majority of electrical power in the US, with the Midwest especially dependent on coal-fuelled power (approximately 70%1). The option of co-firing biomass with coal represents an appealing opportunity... [read more]

From the cow's mouth

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Danish researchers are looking into novel ways of reducing cattle emissions   Over the last 60 years, dairy cattle have been selectively bred to maximise milk production and, as a result, cows have become extremely efficient at converting food such as grass, silage, hay and concentrates into agricultural products such as milk and meat. At the same time, feed quality, ration formulation and... [read more]

Mass flow measuring

Feature
Biogas is difficult to accurately measure due to its varying composition, until now. New technology provides for precise mass flow measurements   Renewable energy in the US accounted for 13.2% of the domestically produced electricity in 2012. Among the sources of renewable energy is the production of biogas from landfill gas (LFG) or digester gas. To monetise biogas and create the most... [read more]