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Dr' Jonathan Scurlock National Farmers Union of England and Wales Biofuels: Opportunity or Threat

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Title: Dr' Jonathan Scurlock National Farmers Union of England and Wales Biofuels: Opportunity or Threat


1
Dr. Jonathan ScurlockNational Farmers Union of
England and WalesBiofuels Opportunity or
Threat?
  • EERU / Design and Innovation Seminar
  • Open University, Milton Keynes 12 March 2008

2
Energy security, food and climate change
  • Climate change non-stop media coverage? Not
    just 2006 or 2007 we face decades of climate
    change!
  • Oil prices and energy security 109/bbl
    higher than 1980
  • Rising food prices (at last!) due to
    worldwide structural change, globalisation and
    new markets (biofuels)
  • Climate change, energy and food security are all
    driving policy at international, national and
    regional level

3
Why this is important for agriculture
  • climate change is driving policy on reducing GHG
    emissions at international, national, regional
    level
  • challenging EU and UK targets for renewable
    energy for electricity, transport fuels (but
    not yet for heating)
  • agriculture is part of the solution to a
    public problem CC Task Force
  • private sector may also become an important
    driver demand for low-carbon food and
    other products

Agriculture
Energy industries
Manufacturing and construction
Transport
4
Biofuels one part of the solution
  • With 75 of UK area, agriculture can provide
    abundant land-based renewable resources
  • replacement of farm energy inputs
  • export of electricity to the rest of the economy
  • provision of renewable heat and wood fuels
  • agricultural commodities for electricity or fuel
    production off-site
  • For the first time in 50 years, farming today
    offers a solution, no longer a financial burden
  • Back to the future? horse fodder used to occupy
    large areas of land (biofuels are modern
    equivalent)
  • Biofuels strategically important no other
    pathways ready to substitute for road, rail, even
    aviation fuels

5
Biofuel production large scale
  • Most commercial opportunities to UK growers are
    at large scale through conventional grain
    trading, maybe on different terms

Ethanol plant, Nebraska
Greenergy construction work
6
EU and UK targets for biofuels
  • EU Biofuels Directive 2 by 2005, 5.75 by 2010
    indicative targets only (UK only 0.3 by 2005)
  • UK RTFO sets 2.5 (2008/09), 3.75 (2009/10), 5
    (2010/11) by volume (Roy Soc called for 2025
    target)
  • EU 2020 target (March 07, Jan 08 RE Directive)
    10 is binding on MS much-needed long-term
    signal
  • large biofuels plants now operational or planned
  • Biofuels Seal Sands, Greenergy Immingham, D1
    Oils, Argent/ESL
  • Ensus Teesside, BP/ABF/DuPont South Humberside,
    Abengoa?
  • 5 UK petrol 3 million tonnes wheat to ethanol
  • 5 UK diesel 2.7 million tonnes OSR to biodiesel

7
Myths and Misconceptions
  • Continuing media/public backlash only to be
    expected?
  • NFU wants a mature, science-based debate
    sustainability criteria could be extended to all
    biomass or even all agricultural commodties in
    future
  • (1) Food Prices
  • (2) World markets and rural incomes
  • (3) Not enough land?
  • (4) Harming, not helping the environment?
  • (5) We should wait for cellulosic technologies
  • (6) Energy subsidies? Feed prices?

8
Getting the message across
  • Public sector procurement
  • Captive vehicle fleets
  • High-blend biofuels (E85, B30)

Local authorities
National Parks
9
Small-scale biofuel production
  • HM Revenue and Customs simplification of
    regulations from Summer 2007, allow 2500
    litres/year without registration or payment of
    fuel excise duty

home-made biodiesel processor
commercial processor small oil
press Environment Agency guidelines allow 5000
litres/year without PPC registration 2500
litres/year is the fuel consumption of one small
commercial vehicle doing 11,000 miles at 20 mpg -
or one or more diesel cars totalling 25,000 miles
at 45 mpg
10
Is this Easy?
Commercial or non-commercial production? SVO or
biodiesel? Vehicle compatibility? High-pressure
common-rail? Often determined by injector pumps
and injector system configuration Fendt,
Deutz-Fahr (also Same, Lamborghini and Hurlimann
with Deutz engines) all OK For road vehicles
only or low-carbon field operations as well?
11
Farm-based business examples
www.greendragonfuel.co.uk (Notts.) www.oilsee
dpress.co.uk (Northumberland) www.vegoilservices.c
o.uk (Yorkshire)

12
Perennial energy crops a new sub-sector
  • SRC willow (harvested every three years) and
    miscanthus (harvested annually)
  • Solid biomass fuel for power stations, local
    heat, future transport fuels new NFU discussion
    group formed
  • Explicit ES needs to be rewarded (biodiversity,
    permeability, low inputs, low run-off, flood
    control)
  • However poor market devt., loss of flexibility
    in marketing, cannot be diverted back to
    food/feed uses like grain-based feedstocks

Short rotation coppice willow
Miscanthus
13
Economic evaluations and biogas
  • Reports and calculators for small-scale biofuels
  • Booth et al. (SAC) for NNFCC (Report 07-012)
    www.nnfcc.co.uk
  • Andrew Martin (report for SEEDA)
    farming_at_rmfarms.co.uk
  • Marches Energy Agency www.mea.org.uk -
    spreadsheet still available?

Upgrading of biogas for transport use possible
only at medium to large scale economics
uncertain (Organic Power Ltd.)
Biogas bus in Vasteras, Sweden
14
Conclusions
  • Agriculture a major natural resource -
    significant contribution to energy supply and
    climate change mitigation
  • Biofuels (small and large scale) are just one of
    many options
  • NFU supports sustainable development and the
    transition to a low-carbon economy
  • Dr Jonathan Scurlock
  • Chief Policy Adviser, Renewable
    Energy and Climate Change
  • National Farmers Union
  • Stoneleigh Park
  • Warwicks CV8 2TZ
  • jonathan.scurlock_at_nfu.org.uk
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