Biofuels
« Previous EntriesProspects for Jatropha-based Biodiesel in LAC
Saturday, September 26th, 2009From the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA): Jatropha touted as “one of the best alternatives” for biodiesel production in the Americas Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica discussed the generation of fuels from Jatropha curcas, also known as physic nut or piñoncillo. According to Jamil Macedo, coordinator of a hemispheric agroenergy network, “Despite its […]
IDB Updates Its Biofuels Scorecard
Friday, September 11th, 2009From the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB releases new version of Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard Update incorporates feedback from five regional consultations and addresses concerns regarding food security, indigenous peoples and biodiversity preservation The Inter-American Development Bank has released a new version of its Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, which will enable users to better anticipate the impacts […]
Time for a New Biodiesel Policy in Brazil?
Friday, July 17th, 2009Luiz Prado says it’s time for Brazil to adopt a “serious” national policy on biodiesel. I think he has a point. Brazil has had a biodiesel policy — er, make that a biodiesel program — since 2003. It has a number of elements, but the lynchpins are a blending mandate (currently set at B4), and […]
Vale Invests Heavily in Biodiesel from Palm Oil
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Desde Vale: Vale vai investir na produção de biodiesel Consórcio será o maior produtor de óleo de palma das Américas A Vale acaba de dar mais um passo em busca de uma matriz energética mais sustentável. A empresa anuncia hoje (24/06) o consórcio com a Biopalma da Amazônia S.A para produzir óleo de palma, matéria-prima […]
Brazil Invests in International Research Cooperation on Second Generation Biofuels
Friday, May 29th, 2009Brazil will invest R$11.6 million (about US$ million at current exchange rates) in international research cooperation regarding second-generation biofuels with the 27 member states and the many associate states of the European Union (EU). A request for proposals from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) calls for projects that develop new production […]
The Status of Global Renewables
Saturday, May 16th, 2009The Vienna, Austria-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) has just released its latest review of the global state of adoption of renewable energy sources — solar (both photovoltaics and passive systems, such as solar water heaters), wind, geothermal, wave, biofuels and small hydro (REN21 excludes large hydropower projects from its review). […]
A Scorecard for Sustainable Palm Oil
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009From the WWF: WWF to grade palm oil buyers Only one percent of the sustainable palm oil available on the market has been bought, according to new figures released by the WWF today. In a bid to speed up this “sluggish performance”, WWF will assess the world’s major users of palm oil over the next […]
FAO: Bioenergy Can Benefit Rural Poor / La bioenergía puede beneficiar a los pobres rurales
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a study showing that bioenergy projects can benefit the rural poor. The study looks at 15 case studies in 12 nations in six regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America to examine the impacts that different types of local level Bioenergy initiatives can have on rural […]
Jamaica Opts for Biofuels
Thursday, March 12th, 2009From the Ministry of Energy: JAMAICA MOVES TO DEVELOP BIOFUELS INDUSTRY Coming on the heels of the successful implementation of E10, the Ministry of Energy is moving to introduce a blend of motorgrade diesel fuel from locally grown plants such as castor beans and jatropha. This is the word from Energy Minister, Clive Mullings who […]
Not Always Easy Exporting Ethanol
Saturday, February 21st, 2009To hear some biofuel critics tell it, ethanol from sugarcane is being produced in Brazil without regard to its environmental impacts, and certification requirements in export markets such as Europe do not influence such behavior. Hearing of cases such as the one below gives me doubts about such charges. The sugar and alcohol producers in […]
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