Advanced BioFuels USA

by Matthew Capuano-Rizzo (Leaders in Energy)  … In an Oxford University study, Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglize outlined how government spending on low-carbon industries and activities would better benefit the economy in the short and long term than bailing out the fossil fuel industry. City leaders from Los Angeles to Lisbon, São Paulo to Seoul, Melbourne to Mexico City have published a ‘statement of principles,’ pledging to center COVID recovery plans around climate action. As these plans are drafted, we must save a seat at the table for renewable fuels. 

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How do biofuels fit into the clean energy market?

Despite many policymakers focus on an “electrify everything” approach, liquid fuels appear here to stay for the foreseeable future. This is not to say that electrification ambitions, particularly those involving high speed rail and the expansion of electric vehicles should be abandoned. Rather we must understand the reality of how fast a transition will occur. Ivancic, citing a study done by the Maryland Department of the Environment, underscored that “even if all the cars being sold in the state of Maryland are electric by 2050, half of the cars on the road will still need liquid fuel.” Thus, biofuels should not be viewed in opposition to electric vehicles (EVs), but rather in partnership with EVs. The economic effects of Maryland’s full 2019 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act draft plan are below.

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One way of achieving high levels of renewable liquid gas use lies in Advanced Biofuel USA’s proposal of a Non-Renewable Carbon User Fee that the organization recently submitted to the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Climate Crisis. As the renewable content of the fuel increases, from 10% to 85%, the consumer fee would decrease over time, from $92.40 to $17.60 per year. Instead of refunding the profits of the dividend to the American people as proposed in the Climate Leadership Council’s Plan, revenu from a “disappearing” carbon tax would be invested in research and development in renewable fuel and the construction of renewable fuel pumps across the United States. The plan emphasizes that such infrastructure should first be constructed in low-income communities that experience disproportionately more air pollution. It should be noted that such disparities are much more acute for people of color who experience on average 66% more air pollution than their white counterparts. Many countries have already begun implementing plans that have increased production and use of biofuels.

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Many countries are leading the charge in the realm of biofuels and beyond. Oslo, the capital of Norway employs biogas from food waste to power the city’s 135 buses. Employing renewable fuels in public transportation is particularly effective because residents forgo each taking a private car, which emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.  Vietnam, in a similar strategy, has begun replacing wood-burning stoves, a source of indoor air pollution, with biogas stoves, powered by pig waste. Similarly in Tanzania, the construction of more than 12,000 bio-digesters has benefitted more than 70,000 Tanzanian people with clean energy and an organic fertilizer. Across the Atlantic, Sabesp, a Brazilian company and one of the largest water and sewage companies in the world, has begun using biogas generated from its sewage treatment plan to power its vehicles. This initiative replaces 1,500 litres of diesel each day. Thus, change is possible. While electrification and growth of solar and wind energy will be essential to decarbonization, renewable liquid fuels will play an integral role in the energy transition. Biofuels facilitate circular economies by using the waste products of sewage, agriculture, and food scraps as fuel.   READ MORE

What cars will we be driving in 2050? (Fuel Freedom Foundation)

Obama energy secretary: Coronavirus economic fallout could cause ‘permanent’ changes in oil industry (The Hill)

Letter to Congress urges more support for bioethanol businesses (Biofuels International)

What will be the new normals after the coronavirus pandemic? History shows the aftermath of plagues have brought about radical transformations for societies. So what changes could come in the aftermath of COVID-19? (CBS News)