Qatar Airways yesterday (11th January) unveilled a biojet fuel development programme that will be backed by Qatar Science & Technology Park, Qatar Petroleum and Airbus. The programme follows the company's successful trail of a Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel blend, as part of a commercial flight, last October.

Addressing a press conference in Doha, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: "Building on the experience and success of the GTL Consortium, we now move to the next phase of alternative fuels while continuing to develop GTL further. While others talk, we take action!"

Seven months ago, Qatar Airways, Qatar Science & Technology Park together with US-based Verno Systems Inc., embarked on a feasibility study on sustainable Biomass-to-Liquid (BTL) jet fuel and possible by-products such as biodiesel.

The study, says the company, looked at all available bio feed stocks that would not affect the food or fresh water supply chain. It also looked at existing and future production technologies with a viability analysis. Based on the result of the study, the partners have agreed to establish the "Qatar Advanced Biofuel Platform" (QABP) which will lead activities in the following four areas.

    * A detailed engineering and implementation plan for economically viable and sustainable bio fuel production
* A bio fuel investment strategy
* An advanced technology development programme
* Ongoing market and strategic analysis

These activities will be built on, and primarily motivated by, the objective of executing advanced bio fuel projects – with Qatar Airways initially as a dedicated end-user.

As a follow-up to my last post, this one is about a Qatari company (from a country that is one of the leading oil producers) investing in production of jet fuel from biomass. The reality is, no matter how much or how little your energy needs are, waste disposal is becoming a real issue around the world and making energy out of that waste is the most useful remedy that is available to deal with that problem.

A core group of ATA airlines has signed, what they describe as, a groundbreaking memoranda of understanding with two different producers - AltAir Fuels and Rentech - for a future supply of alternative aviation fuel it was annopunced yesterday (14th December). A total of 15 airlines, from the USA, Canada, Germany and Mexico have signed MOUs with one or both of the producers.

Speaking yesterday Glenn Tilton, ATA board chairman and UAL Corporation and United Airlines chairman, president and CEO, said; "Today's announcement reinforces the proactive steps that airlines are taking to stimulate competition in the aviation fuel supply chain, contribute to the creation of green jobs, and promote energy security through economically viable alternatives that also demonstrate environmental benefits." Tilton also noted that discussions with a number of additional alternative-fuel producers about other projects are underway, as are discussions with the US military regarding other cooperative opportunities.

"Our intention as an airline industry is to continue to do our part by supporting the use of alternative fuels. We urge the US government and the investment community also to do their part to further support this critical energy opportunity," said Tilton.

AltAir Fuels Founder and CEO Tom Todaro said, "The airlines' pledge to use renewable jet fuel sends a clear and unmistakable message to policymakers, investors and industry leaders that AltAir Fuels has entered a new era of more sustainable aviation."

The AltAir Fuels project contemplates the production of approximately 75 million gallons per year of jet fuel and diesel fuel derived from camelina oils or comparable feedstock, refined at a new AltAir Fuels plant to be located at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Wash. The Rentech project in Adams County, Miss., contemplates the production of approximately 250 million gallons per year of synthetic jet fuel derived principally from coal or petroleum coke, with the resultant carbon dioxide sequestered and the carbon footprint potentially further reduced by integrating biomass as a feedstock.

 

Clean energy to grow into 1.6 trillion euros industry: WWF

(AFP) – Dec 10, 2009

GENEVA — The clean energy technology sector will grow into a 1.6 trillion-euro (2.4 trillion-dollar) industry by 2020, becoming the third largest industrial sector after automobiles and electronics, WWF said Friday.

The clean energy industry, which includes wind energy infrastructure, insulation, solar panels and bio-ethanol treatment production, generated 630 billion euros in revenues in 2007, a sum that has already surpassed that of the global pharmaceutical industry, said WWF.

"This is the clean economy growth happening now with only a partial Kyoto protocol international framework supporting clean energy development, patchy national support for green energy and huge subsidies to fossil fuel use," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF?s global climate initiative.

"Imagine what is possible with a successful Copenhagen climate deal and the national mechanisms to deliver its outcomes -- clean energy is where the money is going to be and this is where energy security is going to be," she added.

Germany, the United States and Japan currently lead clean energy sales, according to 2008 data cited by the WWF.

China is ranked fourth in absolute sales, but is expected to take up a "rapidly increasing share" in coming years.

In terms of sales relative to gross domestic product, however, it is Denmark, Brazil and Germany which are leading the scale.

Denmark is leading wind energy and insulation products, while Brazil has a massive bio-ethanol industry.

Germany, meanwhile is a specialist in solar and wind energy products.

"Clearly, from a national perspective there is much to gain and nothing to lose from investing in clean energy," said Donald Pols, Head of the Climate Programme at WWF-Netherlands.

"Forgoing these opportunities for the sake of propping up an aging, polluting fossil fuel sector for as long as its lobbying power remains significant is acting for vested interests not the national interest."

Some 194 nations are meeting in Copenhagen under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), seeking to secure an agreement spelling out national pledges for curbing heat-trapping carbon emissions.

Over the past 250 years, atmospheric concentrations of these invisible, odourless, tasteless gases have risen, propelled by the unbridled use of coal, oil and gas.

The envisioned December 18 accord will also pump hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to poor countries, providing them with new and clean technology and the means to toughen their defences against the impact of climate change.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

A project by Ceres to increase biomass yields of several energy grasses has attracted a $5 million advanced research grant form the US Department of Energy.

A few years ago, who would have thought that one day we will be producing energy from grass. Today, it looks to become a major source of future fuel consumption.

The results showed that, while new technologies such as electric vehicles and other fuels such as biogas will undoubtedly make a contribution, the vast majority of the renewable transport fuel will come from traditionally produced biofuels.

In a rather interesting report, Renewable Energy Association by Imperial College London argues that the UK and EU can produce 80% of their biofuel needs domestically. This, the report argues, can be done in a sustainable manner and without increasing the price of food.

I haven't seen the report yet but it is a bit difficult to fathom how this will be done, given the well documented agricultural land shortages in the UK and on the continent in general. Add to that the fact that wheat-based ethanol is not the most effective source of biofuels, and the whole equation looks wrong.

However, if this does turn out to be the case, what would it mean for the biofuel movement going on across Africa right now?

Engineering News reports that the financial crisis is hindering African biofuels exports, said Hart Energy Consulting Global Biofuels Center (GBC) biofuels director Maelle Soares Pinto. GBC sees a overcapacity in the European Union (EU), the most likely market for biofuels exports from Africa. Pinto also said several African countries benefit from special tariffs in the case of ethanol exports to the EU. Hart’s GBC executive director Tammy Klein adds that, as yet, there is still not a demand driver in the African marketplace.

Europe doesn't have enough land to grow its own biofuels, and the continent needs to increase its biofuel consumption at least five to six times to meet EU targets. Most European countries are increasingly looking towards African lands for production of biofuels. This is partially due to familiarity--most of these lands were governed by European nations until a few decades ago--and partially because of how much unused land is available in Africa.

This poses a number of challenges to the African governments. They need to balance their food and fuel production; find a way to increase their share of the value chain; and ensure that their own energy consumptions costs go down. Most importantly, they need to make sure that someone will buy the biofuels produced by their farmers--and the recession is turning many of them away.