EUROPE REPORT
Over the last decade we have worked to reduce fossil fuel consumption in Europe without cutting back the use of our cars, trucks, and motorbikes. It was thought that by mixing diesel and fuel with crop-based bio-fuel it would reduce fossil fuel usage.
However, over the last 30 years the emission of CO2 has increased, raising questions about the effectiveness of this measure. After extended analysis from the Environmental Action Germany (DUH), it has been concluded that this may not be a solution to the problem of reducing carbon emissions.
Consider that the production and consumption of immense areas of land across the globe dedicated to the cultivation of these fuels actually have a huge environmental cost. For example, to satisfy Germany’s appetite for these natural bio-fuels, 1.3 million hectares of land have been converted to its production. This equates to 9.2 million tons of CO2 saved each year. However, if we were to dedicate this land to natural restoration projects with a portion dedicated to solar energy production, we would be able to save 27.5 million tons of CO2 each year.
Source: Euronews.Green Read The Article
Source: PSR OE Link™
PSR Analysis: In light of this new information, it is critical that good decisions are made going forward. As we can see, this decision has actually had a positive impact on the environment, already saving 9.2 million tons of CO2 each year. However, we could be saving much more, up to an additional 18.3 million tons of CO2 each year.
At the same time, the actual farming of these crops to convert into bio-fuel has a higher environmental impact than if we were to just let nature take its place. This would have a very positive impact on biodiversity and provide a home for endangered species.
This has an impact on other renewable energy solutions that we have implemented over the last few years as well as future decisions. It is very important to analyse each aspect and impact of these and future solutions going forward. Currently, we are seeing a number of different solutions in the industry provided by OEMs without at this point having a clear understanding of which solution would be best moving forward. These are indeed very interesting times and the race to a cleaner world has effectively started. PSR
Christopher Bamforth is an Analyst – European Operations, for Power Systems Research
