Bioenerģija un enerģētiskās koksnes plantācijas Austrālijā

"Forest and wood products can play a key role in Australia meeting its future greenhouse gas emission targets, according to the nation's major forestry body.
The forestry sector delivered more than 43 million tonnes of carbon dioxide abatement in 2004, says the National Association of Forest Industries.
In a submission to the Federal Government's national emissions trading taskforce, NAFI said forestry was now lumped in with land clearing or other land-use changes.
NAFI chief executive Catherine Murphy said this was unfair.
"The forest industry, through the carbon sequestration benefits of native forest and plantations in wood products, can assist in offsetting emissions from other sectors," she said.
"The plantation sector could assist agriculture as well as other sectors in offsetting emissions."
Mrs Murphy said the full net benefits of wood products should be included in the development of a national emissions trading scheme.
She said recognising the long-term storage of carbon in wood products would:

• Make carbon trading more attractive for industry.
• Increase the value of carbon sequestration in forests as the penalty now paid due to the false belief all carbon is emitted at harvest would be removed.
• Encourage more plantations for carbon sequestration, encouraging small growers.
• Increase the use of carbon-storing wood products over high carbon-emitting materials.
• Encourage the use of wood waste residues for renewable energy and biofuels. Mrs Murphy said wood products were renewable and required less energy in their production than alternative materials.

"Because energy rating schemes … are not based on full life-cycle assessments, the comparative environmental advantages of sustainably harvested wood are not fully recognised," she said.
Storage of carbon in wood products was a more secure way of locking up carbon, she said. Forests were always threatened by fires, disease and natural mortality. "A frequent harvest-planting regime would minimise the risks associated with the long-term build-up of fuel load in permanent forests," she said.
Establishing more plantations through the 2020 Vision — the target of trebling the area of commercial tree crops by 2020 — would produce an estimated 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide offsets a year, Mrs Murphy said.
"This could be achieved by recommitting to the strategy in the context of the benefits for emissions reduction and climate change," she said."

Oriģināls

Koksnes un zālaugu biomasas pelnu izmantošana kārklu plantācijās

"Ash composition in general
The composition of ash depended on plant species (e.g., wheat, rape, Salix) and variety, growth conditions, ash fraction (bottom ash, fly ash) and heating plant. Independent of the biofuel source, fly ash has generally higher concentrations of several heavy metals than bottom ash. Wood ash has generally higher Cd contents than straw ash.
Ash from cereal and rape straw
The composition of 79 samples of straw ash from 7 heating plants was analysed. Compared with bottom ash, Zn, Pb and Cd concentrations in fly ash were 10-90 times higher. Also the concentrations of Cu and K were higher, although to a lesser extent. With respect to heavy metals, pure fly ash is therefore not suitable as fertiliser on arable soils.
The content of Cd per unit of P in straw bottom ash was similar to that of the average in P fertilisers sold in Sweden in 1997 (0.03 g Cd kg-1 P). The Cd/´P ratio in fly ash was 0.6 g Cd kg-1 P.
The liming effect varied between 3.5 and 44 % CaO and depended mainly on the Ca content. Ash from rape straw had a higher Ca content and liming effect than that of wheat straw, and the liming effect of rape ash was more than three times higher than that of wheat ash.
Due to high K contents, straw ashes are suitable as fertiliser especially on soils low in K or to crops with a high demand for K. Since K competes with Mg with respect to plant uptake the K/Mg ratio of the soil must be considered.
Ash used as fertiliser in Salix
Ash amendments were used either to supply 24 kg P yr-1 (0.6-1.5 t ash ha-1 yr-1) or as liming agent (6 t ha-1 containing 2.0-2.9 t CaO-equivalents) in two Salix plantations, one on clay soil and one on sandy soil. Ash treatments were compared with lime and commercial fertiliser treatments. All treated plots received non-limiting doses of N fertiliser. Treatment effects were monitored during the first rotation of the crop (4-5 years).
Ash additions gave equal Salix stem mass as commercial fertilisers did. However, a lower uptake of P in the ash treatments than in treatments where superphosphate was added, indicated that the short-term availability of P in ash could be 80% of that of the easily soluble P fertiliser. Lower amounts of nutrients than those added were removed with stems.
The liming effect of ash was similar to that of slaked lime on a CaO-equivalent basis. Full effect was obtained in the year of application. Due to increased pH in the lime and ash treatments, Mn and Cd mass in stems decreased.
Amounts of Salix ash representing mere recirculation (0.6-0.7 t ha-1) supplied once during the rotation would have supplied P amounts covering the removal with stems and 50% of the CaO-equivalents corresponding to acidification.
Calculated amounts of nutrients in leaf litter exceeded the amounts required for stem growth whereas amounts of Cd recycled with leaf litter were slightly lower than those removed with the harvested stems.
Vertical distribution of plant nutrients and heavy metals in Salix
Elemental concentrations of Salix shoots increased significantly with height. It was shown for the three-year-old shoots that a slight shift in sampling point location (3-4 dm) could result in 10% change of average shoot concentration. This is mainly due to higher mineral concentration in bark than in wood tissue.
Heavy metal circulation
Net accumulation in the topsoil of Cu, Mn and Ni occurred in all ash treatments; Zn and Cd were net accumulated in the wood ash treatments and net removed in all other treatments. Higher amounts of Salix ash than representing mere recirculation resulted in net accumulation of Cd. In all, 7-16% of topsoil amounts of Cd were net accumulated in the wood ash treatments, whereas 5-8% were net removed in the controls and straw ash treatments.
The effect of ash application on soil chemistry and trace metal uptake in the Salix stand was monitored during the first rotation of the crop (4-5 years)."

Oriģināls - http://www.eeci.net/archive/biobase/B10310.html

Kārtējais raksts par bioetanolu ASV

"Developments in the past week include emphasis on ethanol production, increasingly likely for Park Falls at Butch Johnson’s new Flambeau River Biorefinery, in Gov. Jim Doyle’s State of the State message Tuesday night, Jan. 30.
Doyle’s call for more startup funding for greatly increased biofuel production closely followed similar comments by President George W. Bush in his annual State of the Union address one week before, in which he specifically mentioned wood chips among materials researchers hope can be used in large quantities soon for cellulosic ethanol production.
Bush’s speech to the nation came four days after Butch Johnson, his son, Bill, and Park Falls Mayor Tom Ratzlaff returned to Park Falls with the news that the Department of Energy won’t be able to come up with the $80 million grant until next year for a demonstration ethanol plant that the Johnsons, mill employees and entire community had been hoping for in 2007 federal budget. Now it appears that the three $80 million grants won’t be funded until the 2008 budget.
As explained by Bill Johnson in an interview with him and his father in Butch Johnson’s office at the mill in Park Falls on Friday, Jan. 26, Congress has been unable to adopt a 2007 budget, partly because of preoccupation with funding for the war in Iraq, and has been funding government operations with continuing resolutions based on 2006 funding. Bill Johnson is in charge of political affairs for the paper company and biorefinery.
Far from being taken aback by that news, Butch and Bill Johnson continued to talk of future biofuel/ethanol production at the refinery here as though it were a done deal.
They were reinforced by a new DOE program to make 80% guaranteed loans to applicants seeking money for putting to use innovative biofuel energy-production technology, and by an even more significant new development bringing their plans for the Flambeau River Biorefinery closer to reality.
At the Park Falls Common Council meeting last Wednesday. Jan. 24, along with an update to the council in which he reported that he is pleased at the progress Flambeau River Papers is making in reducing costs, Butch Johnson announced that Flambeau River Biorefinery has entered into a “memorandum of understanding” with American Process Inc. of Atlanta, GA, to provide project management and engineering services for its cellulosic ethanol project at Park Falls.
After giving the council a report on cost- containments at the mill and stating that he is very happy with the efforts that all employees are making to “find better ways” to do what has to be done for the company to succeed in papermaking, he circulated copies of a news release from the Georgia firm with the title heading, “Cellulosic ethanol takes off,” and with a subheading stating: “Engineering commences for the first U.S. pulp mill based biorefinery.”
It states in the opening paragraph that “the new biorefinery will be constructed adjacent to the Flambeau River Papers facility in Park Falls, and continues “Flambeau River Papers, LLC, makes 400 tons per day of book printing and copy grades on three paper machines. The mill recently announced plans to replace its natural gas boilers with a biomass boiler or gasifier. This will make Flambeau River Papers the first energy independent integrated mill in North America.
“The Flambeau River Biorefinery project will be the first modern U.S.-based pulp mill biorefinery to produce cellulosic ethanol. It will be designed to produce 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year from spent pulping liquor. The technology selected for this biorefinery is AVAP™, a patent pending process technology of American Process Inc. This technology enables production of ethanol without putting additional pressure on the wood basket and without fossil fuel consumption.
“The new biorefinery, as designed, will have a positive carbon impact of 140,000 tons per year. That is, it will displace carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Once in operation it will increase employment in the Park Falls area by approximately 100 people.
“A feasibility study and preliminary engineering were completed in August 2006, when Flambeau River Biorefinery, LLC applied for the Integrated Commercial Biorefinery Demonstration grant from the Department of Energy. The project has strong support from the city of Park Falls, the state of Wisconsin and Clean Tech Partners Inc., key partners in the project. Project engineering has commenced, with production of ethanol expected to begin as early as 2009.
“The commercial production of cellulosic ethanol got a boost after last Tuesday’s announcements in the president’s State of the Union address that increased the emphasis on domestic renewable fuels production.
“The Flambeau River Biorefinery project will be among the first industrial co-producers of pulp and ethanol from wood,” the announcement continued. “Flambeau River Biorefinery, LLC is based out of Park Falls, WI, and is the owner and developer of the pulp and cellulosic ethanol facility to be constructed in Park Falls.”
“American Process, Inc. is an engineering and consulting company based out of Atlanta, GA, specializing in pulp and paper and biorefineries, and is the inventor of the AVAP™ technology proposed for use at the Flambeau River Biorefinery,” it concludes.
Regarding the paper-making operation, Johnson also told the council at the Jan. 24 meeting that paper prices are below the company’s projected forecast, but the prices are expected to improve yet this month.
Bill Johnson provided another, more detailed description of the paper company biorefinery operation in a comprehensive publicity release under the heading “Flambeau River Biorefinery – A Modern Forest Biorefinery That Lowers Ethanol Cost.” Referring to the “carbon-positive” designation for the company that would result from operation of the biorefinery after installation of the new technology, Bill Johnson said Flambeau River Papers would become nationally known as a “green, green mill.”
The more comprehensive release begins with an explanation of the mission of the project and its “benefit to the nation.”
“Flambeau River Papers (FRP) will be the first pulp and paper facility to become a biorefinery through the integration of known technologies that are proven commercially or at the pilot scale. This presents a new benchmark to the industry and one sufficiently powerful to influence additional conversions.
“The production cost for cellulosic ethanol is conservatively estimated at 50 cents per gallon. This is roughly half the operating cost of ethanol from corn starch fermentation. The low cost is the result of several factors, none of which can be matched by corn. On a tonnage basis, the nation’s supply of wood far exceeds corn and crop residues.
“Cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule on the face of the planet. The forest products industry processes 278 thousand dry tons of wood per year. Trees are dense, which minimizes transportation costs and may be left standing until needed, eliminating 10 months of storage for annual crops. The integrated forest biorefinery produces three useful and relatively high value products concurrently. In order of current value, they are pulp,ethanol and lignin. The nation needs a large supply of low-cost ethanol,” the release states.
Providing a review of progress on the project as of Jan. 14 this year, the release continues: “FRP restarted last fall and is ahead of schedule in sales through improved quality in recognized brands and a unique relationship with the world’s largest specialist in the marketing of wood pulp and paper products. FRP can produce 400 tons/day of book, printing and copy grades on three paper machines. It produces 150 tons/day of hardwood sulfite pulp and 80-100 tons/day of post-consumer waste or recycled pulp. The remainder of the pulp is purchased.
“The current pulping operation is one of a kind in the U.S. Most of the hemicelluloses in the pulp wood are converted into shorter chain, five carbon sugars by the acid pulping. These sugars are sold into the sweetener market under a long-term contract. The sugar-free lignin from the wood is also recovered and sold into the binders market. When the Flambeau River BioEnergy project is completed, FRP will be completely fossil fuel free
“Mill energy is supplied from biomass, coal and natural gas. Five megawatts of power is co-generated from the steam before it goes to supply the mill’s thermal needs. Annual energy purchases range from 14 to 16 million dollars, making energy the mill’s second largest purchase.
“The new combined cycle facility feedstock will include bark, tree tops and solid wood, much of this currently left on the forest floor during logging. Utilizing this reduces fossil fuel use and leaves the site more environmentally pleasing. A commitment for the required wood has been obtained from Futurewoods Corp., Hayward, WI (also a Johnson operation).
“Quotes for a biomass boiler/steam turbine and a biomass gasifier/steam turbine are being evaluated. The biomass gasifier is preferred as it fits the environmental strategy of FRP and will be less costly to permit. However, the higher costs will make financing more difficult. An advisory committee is being formed to assist with planning, startup and deployment to other facilities. The entity will be named Flambeau River BioEnergy.
“The biorefinery mission will be accomplished by building a second 500 ton/day softwood pulp line adjacent to the existing 150 ton/day hardwood pulp line. A modified low energy pulping technology will be used to make a stronger sulfite pulp and concurrently produce 18 million gallons per year of fuel grade cellusoic ethanol and 154,000 tons per year of lignin for energy self sufficiency.
“The hemicelluloses in the pulpwood will be removed and hydrolyzed to C5 and C6 sugars by the new pulping process. The C6 and C5 sugars will be fermented to cellusoic ethanol with technologies developed at the U.S. Forest Products Labs in Madison, WI, which are superior to those used to ferment ‘wood sugars’ to ethanol at the obsolete pulp mill in Bellingham, WA recently closed by GP. Details and attractive economics are presented in a response to DOE Funding Opportunity DE-PS-06GO96016.
“All of the required ingredients have been developed including feedstock requirements, procurement commitment, proposed processes, energy, emission compliance, economics feasibility, project plan, team qualifications, operational management plan, market plan, deployment plan and financial commitments for the approximately $140 million of non-grant funds. All of this detail is available.
“This is of such importance that the state of Wisconsin has committed funds included in the numbers above. The detailed schedule begins with a notice to proceed from investors. One year is allocated for preliminary engineering and permitting. Construction is estimated at roughly 12 months and commissioning/startup adds another six months (The Johnsons said no additional property will be acquired for the project, and although the exact location of new construction has not yet been decided upon, the entire facility will be on present paper mill property).
“It has been observed that large corporations will not take the lead in changes of this magnitude (see article ‘Why Not Become Fossil Fuel Free,’ Pulp and Paper, January 2007). At Flambeau River Papers there is a convergence of need, opportunity, willingness and demonstrated capability. The project developed is of sufficient size and magnitude that it will be recognized as a milestone event by the pulp and paper industry.
‘The DOE secretary should create an internal set-aside of one award for at least one forest-based ligniocellulosic biorefinery in deployment solicitation DE-PS36-06GO96016 as well as future biorefinery deployment solicitations.
“FRP will obtain and commit funds for 20% of the installed cost. The city of Park Falls will lend its name to a state industrial revenue bond to finance the remainder. FRP has made application for the DOE loan application program. Any guarantee will enable the bonds to carry the needed interest rate.
“Following financing, startup will occur 16-20 months after permit approval. Permits will be expedited under Wisconsin’s ‘Green Tier’ program,” the second release concludes.
More than before, questions have arisen about the prospects for continuation of the biorefinery project if the Flambeau River Biorefinery doesn’t get the $80 million grant. It’s something the Johnsons and everyone else in the community would rather not think about, but Butch Johnson said should that occur, he is hoping to continue with the project through investor funds, although it will be much more difficult.
He noted that in the most recent cut of 30 remaining applicants, 15 were notified that they didn’t qualify. “We were not one of them, so we’re one of the 15 left. Obviously the grant would be very beneficial in getting the project off the ground,” he said.
“We are still laying plans to proceed with the project” even if the Flambeau River Biorefinery is not chosen to be a recipient of one of the $80 million grants, he said, adding that a future cut from among the 15 remaining applicants would leave five, and those five remaining applicants may be asked to send representatives to Washington to make presentations before DOE officials.
Park Falls was among a very small number of communities in the state taking center stage in an advance front page Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on Doyle’s State of the State address in the newspaper’s Sunday, Jan. 28 issue.
Flambeau River Papers was identified in the article as one of three potential applicants for $5 million in state funding earmarked by Doyle to help Wisconsin become the site of the first plant in the nation that would make ethanol from cellulose, described in the article as “a catch-all term for a variety of materials from paper pulp and wood chips to corn stalks and straw.”
Other potential applicants for the new state funding were identified as Georgia Pacific and Stora-Enso. As also disclosed locally by Butch and Bill Johnson, the article notes that Flambeau River Papers has already started developing plans to produce ethanol by 2009 “from the natural sugars contained in its surplus wood pulp.”
Preceding the announcements by the Johnsons relating to the biorefinery plans was an announcement of the appointment of Ben Thorp as president of Flambeau River Biorefinery. Butch Johnson described Thorp, formerly employed by Georgia Pacific, as a “very renowned expert in the field.” The Journal Sentinel quotes Thorp as saying, “There are a lot of people working on cellulosic ethanol, and it’s going to be a race to see who can get it first.” The newspaper also quotes him as saying that if built, the ethanol plant would add 100 jobs in the Park Falls area.
The Journal Sentinel also provided a preview of ethanol tax credits announced by Doyle, which would cost $2 million and which would lower the cost of installing a biodiesel or E-85 ethanol pump by up to $5,000. E-85 is described as a fuel that contains 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, a blend on which an increasing number of vehicles can run.
The Milwaukee newspaper alerted its readers that in his State of the State, address, Doyle would announce that he will appoint a global warming task force and create an energy independence office to coordinate the state’s effort to dramatically expand the use of renewable energy by 2025. The article preview of the governor’s address included the fact he would propose grants, loans and tax credits for projects to help the state rely less on fossil fuels and curb emissions linked to global warming “at a time when energy costs and concerns about climate change are rising.”"

Plašāka informācija par ES Mežu rīcības programmu

Meži klāj aptuveni 37,8% ES valstu teritorijas (166 milj.ha). Kopējā mežu platība ES pēdējo gadu laikā būtiski pieaugusi, pateicoties lauksaimniecības zemju apmežošanai. Mežainākās un ar meža resursiem bagātākās valstis ir Somija un Zviedrija, attiecīgi 73,9% un 66,9% šo valstu teritorijas klāj meži. Mazākais mežainums ir Īrijā (9,7%), Nīderlandē (10,8%), Dānijā un Lielbritānijā (abās 11,8%).
Ar mežu saistītās tautsaimniecības nozares nodrošina darbu 3,5 milj. ES iedzīvotāju un to kopējais gada apgrozījums ir 400 miljardi eiro.

Plašāka informācija - http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/eu-forest-action-plan/article-156911

Informācija par ES bioenerģijas rīcības programmu

Bioenerģija veidojas no koksnes, atkritumiem, lauksaimniecības kultūrām. Patreiz ES biomasa nodrošina aptuveni 4% no kopējā enerģijas patēriņa. Biomasas rīcības programmas galvenais mērķis, kas izvirzīts 2005.g. decembrī, ir dubultot šo īpatsvaru līdz 2010.g. Rīcības programmas realizācija samazinātu naftas produktu importu ES valstīs par 8%, samazinātu siltumnīcas efektu izraisošo gāzu emisiju par 209 milj.t CO2 ekvivalentu gadā un radītu līdz 300 tūkst. jaunas darbavietas lauksaimniecības un mežsaimniecības sektorā.
Plašāka informācija - http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/biomass-action-plan/article-155362

Diskusija par biomasas kurināmo EC

The debate on biofuels is heating up, with the Commission and the Greens guarding against potential negative impacts such as rainforest depletion in Brazil and increased competition with wood and food production.
The benefits of biofuels are well known. Supporters say they are a 'carbon neutral' source of energy - they do not emit more carbon dioxide than the amount absorbed as the plants grow.
This would help resolve the global-warming effect of cars burning petrol. Currently, transport emits a third of CO2 emissions, and 98% of that figure is accounted for by oil, according to the Commission.
In addition, biofuels can be produced in Europe, unlike oil and gas, which have to be imported. Another plus is that they could offer new income and employment opportunities to European farmers after the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy.
Issues:
In an 'energy and climate change package'external put forward on 10 January 2007, the Commission proposed that 10% of all transport fuels in the EU be produced from biofuels by 2020. This is up from the 5.75% target for 2010 laid down in the EU biofuels directive, adopted in 2003.
Biodiesel and ethanol, the most common biofuels in use today, are produced mainly from agricultural crops: sugar cane, soybean rapeseed and corn.
However, these crops are often water intensive and pose a number of environmental problems related to land use and soil degradation.
This is why the Commission favours so-called 'second-generation' biofuels which are more efficient and less problematic from an environmental viewpoint. These are typically made from agricultural residues and 'woody' sources such as straw, timber, woodchips and manure (see Commission public consultation on biofuels). They can be turned into high-value products such as bioplastics and other green materials, using so-called 'green chemistry' processes (see EurActiv LinksDossier on sustainable chemistry).
But these more energy-efficient biofuels are still only at the development stage and require bio-refineries to be built up to process this emerging type of feedstock.
Denmark is at the forefront of this development, with the announcementexternal in June 2006 of construction beginning on what will be Europe's largest biorefinery (€13.4 million plus €26.8m from the government) to produce cellulose ethanol.
Positions:
Green MEPs are increasingly sceptical that biofuels can replace oil in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
On 30 January, the Greens launched a campaign against the unguarded promotion of 'plant fuels' produced from agricultural crops, arguing that studies indicate that they may take more energy to produce than they would offer in return.
But they point to another growing concern: the impact on farming. They say that a big push for biofuels could take land away from the food sector.
"Plant fuels are touted publicly as the solution to the problems of oil dependence and climate change, while being quietly pushed in the EU as the way to wean Europe's farmers off CAP subsidies," said Green MEP Friedrich Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf, who is also vice-president of the Parliament's Agriculture Committee.
"Diverting scarce food resources from dinner tables to petrol tanks will increasingly place pressure on global food prices, meaning the poorest will go hungry," he added.
The Greens argue that big biofuels development in Europe would also have an impact on countries such as Brazil, where rainforests crucial for absorbing greenhouse gases will be knocked down to make more room for agricultural land. And because the ethanol produced in this way would need to be transported to Europe, they say that the result will be less forests and higher transport costs, both of which lead to increased CO2 emissions.
"The production of plant fuels is highly energy-intensive and often carbon negative, while the clearing of rain forests to facilitate the cultivation of plants for fuels also strips away the positive effects of plant fuels for our climate," said Green energy spokesperson Rebecca Harms.
The Greens' concerns were echoed by the Commission as well. In a speechexternal on 29 January 2007, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "If an increased use of biofuels means that more cutting of rainforest to make way for plantations is needed, then it is not acceptable."
In the same way, Dimas added: "It is not acceptable to place on the market biofuels that have been obtained through a production process that emits as much carbon dioxide as is saved from using them".
"Therefore, it is imperative that any support system for the production of these fuels must discourage the use of unsustainable production practices for biofuels."
"Second-generation biofuels need to enter to European markets as soon as possible as they are more promising both in terms of energy potential and of the limited impact on the environment."
Another concern relates to increased competition for wood resources as biofuels production rises.
A studyPdf external presented on 30 January by the Confederation of European Paper Industries claims that it is four times more economically viable to use wood as a paper-resource first than to use it for energy.
"As a result of sustainable forest management, Europe’s forests are increasing at an area of more than 4,000 football pitches per day," CEPI said.
However, it added that "increasing competition between wood for bio-energy and for the paper industry presents a new challenge." Refering to a studyPdf external by the European Environment Agency, which showed a slowdown in forest growth, CEPI said it wondered "how more ambitious targets on wood for bio-energy could be met without risking the overall sustainability of Europe's forest and agricultural resources".
Others are more upbeat about biofuels, such as biotech group EuropaBio, which says it "can and will play an important role in the development of second generation biofuels".
"Making ethanol fuel out of biomass is already a reality," said the group in a briefing paper on so-called white biotechnologies. "Thanks to the use of enzymes to break it down, the under-used resources of agricultural and forestry waste can be unlocked," it says, offering an opportunity for "alternative farm incomes".
Latest & next steps:
A revision of the 2003 biofuels directive is scheduled to be proposed, together with a new framework directive on renewables, later in 2007 said Ferran Tarradellas Espuny, the Commission's energy spokesman.
The timing of the new proposal will depend on the outcome of the March summit of EU leaders, which will decide on the fate of the Commission's energy package. Depending on this, the Commission could put forward a proposal in July or September, Espuny indicated.

Oriģināls - http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/wood-food-biofuels/article-161307

Lielbritānijā cukurbiešu laukus sāk aizstāt ar daudzgadīgajām energokultūrām

"Yorkshire farmers are fortunate in one sense, in that there are developing biofuel industries in both Humberside and Teesside.
There is potentially a good market, therefore, both for grains such as wheat grown as a biofuel, and for oilseed rape.
Sugar beet itself can also be used to produce bioethanol. Sadly, the cost of transporting the beet to British Sugar's Wissington refinery in Norfolk means it is uneconomical for local farmers to continue growing it for that reason.
Drax Power Station, pictured, could conceivably in future take sugar beet as a biomass fuel, to burn alongside coal.
Given the high cost of processing the beet, however, that was some way off.
The power station does, however, hope to expand its use of willow coppice and elephant grass, both of which are being grown locally by farmers.
By 2009 it was hoped ten per cent of the electricity Drax produced would be the result of co-firing with willow and elephant grass.
This would save more than two million tonnes of CO2 a year - as well as proving an expanded market for farmers."

Oriģināls - http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/display.var.1149284.0.no_beet_surrender.php

Saskaņā ar Pasaules Bankas paziņojumu, atjaunojamās enerģijas tehnoloģijas ir straujāk augošās energotehnoloģijas

"Renewable energy is the fastest growing energy technology in the world and has a major role to play in reducing poverty while protecting the environment, according to the World Bank.
In its report Improving Lives: World Bank Progress on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Fiscal Year 2006, released January 23, the bank said its annual commitments for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects totaled $668 million -- nearly double the 2005 level.
The funding, supporting 34 projects in 61 developing countries, is "an environmentally sustainable way to address the problem of one and a half billion people in the world who do not have access to modern energy," said Anil Cabraal, the bank’s lead energy specialist, in a press release.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also is working to expand access to modern energy services in both rural and urban areas in the developing world by helping governments establish legal and regulatory regimes attractive to private investors while safeguarding citizens' interests, and through multilateral partnerships, the agency said.
With three-fourths of people who live in sub-Saharan Africa and nearly 60 percent of people in South Asia lacking access to electricity, there is a "global crisis in energy," World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said in a November 2006 speech in Australia.
"Energy deprivation on that scale is a serious obstacle to development," Wolfowitz said.
EXPANDING ENERGY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Because demand for energy in the developing world is predicted to further expand in coming decades, more advancements, investments and policies facilitating biofuel technology are needed, according to a report from the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
IFPRI said energy generation should be centralized using local sources of farm wastes and more effectively collecting, transporting and storing energy from those wastes.
According to the World Bank report, energy security can be enhanced in many countries through a better diversity of fuel sources, improvements in energy distribution infrastructures, increased supply and demand for more efficient fuels, and promotion of equitable energy distribution.
Where people do have access to energy, even small advancements such as the installation of more efficient windows and light bulbs can save energy and lower costs, the report said.
Access to reliable and affordable energy "is considered a prime contributor" to the delivery of education and health services and the generation of employment, according to the report.
Affordable energy access also is "crucial" for combating hunger and malnutrition: 95 percent of the world's staple foods need to be cooked to be digested, the report said.
The bank said it intends to continue to expand its support for alternative energy and development of energy efficiency in the fastest-growing and largest energy-consuming developing countries in Africa and Asia. It has developed a Clean Energy and Investment Framework to address simultaneously the challenge of energy access in developing countries and spur investments in clean technology.
The bank said that because of the high costs required to extend conventional electricity grids, it is devoting more financing for such projects as solar home-lighting systems, small hydropower systems, and wind power and biomass energy production using wood and animal and crop residues.
It said a project in Bangladesh in which solar power systems were installed in 90,000 homes "is considered the world's most successful solar power initiative."
Another example of bank support for renewable energy is a forest management project in Senegal that is able annually to produce tons of wood for fuel on a sustainable basis for urban household use. The project generates local income while reducing deforestation caused by unmanaged wood gathering.
Other examples are solar-powered public space lighting in Bolivia, which has resulted in safer streets for women and children, and improved district heating systems in Serbia, giving children warmer classrooms, according to its report."

Energokultūru audzēšanas apjoms Latvijā var palielināties, mainoties ES atbalsta maksājumu shēmai

Enerģētisko kultūraugu audzēšanas apjoms Latvijā palielināsies, Eiropas Komisijai nolemjot piemērot enerģijas kultūraugu atbalsta shēmu arī uz jaunajām Eiropas Savienības dalībvalstīm

Ieviešot atbalsta shēmu, paaugstināsies energokultūras audzējošo saimniecību ieņēmumi, kas ļaus audzēt augus tieši enerģijai. Audzēt rapsi jau šobrīd ir ekonomiski izdevīgi, taču arī šī kultūrauga audzēšanas izmaksas ar katru gadu palielinās.

Tāpat būs lielāka iespēja audzēt kultūras ko šobrīd Latvijā vēl neaudzē enerģijas iegūšanai, piemēram, kukurūzu tā zaļās masas dēļ biogāzes iegūšanai.

Tomēr pastāv vairāki sarežģījumi enerģētiskās shēmas iedzīvināšanai zemnieku vidū, norāda Arāja. Pagaidām nav atcelts nosacījums par drošības naudu, kas ir jāiemaksā iepirktās energokultūras pārstrādātājam

Arāja arī uzsver, ka zemnieks, noslēdzot līgumu, kļūst saistīts ar konkrēto produkcijas pircēju, un mainoties situācijai tirgū, iespējams, zemniekam nāksies pārdot produkciju par zemāku cenu, nekā to piedāvā citi pircēji.

Šie un arī citi šķēršļi gaida šī projekta iedzīvināšanu dabā. Taču EK sola atvieglot shēmas nosacījumus, tādējādi padarot atbalstu zemniekiem pieejamāku.

2004.gadā par rapša sējplatībām uz laukaugu papildu valsts tiešo maksājumu pretendēja 1 394 zemnieki, 2005.gadā tie ir aptuveni 1 500 pretendenti, informē ZM pārstāve. Taču nav zināms, cik no šo audzētāju saražotās produkcijas tiek pārstrādāts eļļā, cik biodegvielā. Turklāt arī no graudaugiem Latvijā iegūst bioetanolu un arī to saimniecību skaits, kas audzē graudaugus bioetanola ražošanai, nav zināms.

Šobrīd rapša, graudaugu audzētāji saņem vienotos platību maksājumus un valsts tiešos maksājumus. Vienotais platību maksājums šogad ir 22,92 lati (2005.gadā - 18,4 lati) par hektāru, bet papildu valsts tiešais maksājums ir 49,03 lati (2005.gadā - 47,34 lati) par hektāru.

Ieviešot enerģētisko kultūraugu atbalsta shēmu, klāt pie esošajiem maksājumiem audzētāji varētu saņemt vēl 45 eiro jeb (31,6 latus). Turpmāk gan vienotais platību maksājums un papildu valsts tiešais maksājums mainīsies, jo tas atkarīgs no pretendentu skaita un deklarētajām platībām.

LETA jau ziņoja, ka EK ierosinājusi attiecināt enerģijas kultūraugu atbalsta shēmu (SAPS), kas tika ieviesta ar 2003.gada Kopējās lauksaimniecības politikas (KLP) reformu, arī uz astoņām dalībvalstīm, tostarp Latviju, kuras pašlaik to neizmanto, aģentūru LETA iepriekš informēja EK pārstāvniecības Latvijā Preses un informācijas nodaļa.

Tas nozīmētu, ka vajadzētu palielināt maksimālo platību, par kuru var saņemt atbalstu, no pašreizējiem 1,5 miljoniem hektāru līdz diviem miljoniem hektāru. Lai vēl vairāk pamudinātu ražot izejvielas atjaunojamās enerģijas ieguvei, EK ierosina arī atļaut dalībvalstīm piešķirt valsts atbalstu, lai segtu līdz 50% no izdevumiem par daudzgadīgo kultūraugu ieviešanu platībās, par kurām iesniegts enerģijas kultūraugu atbalsta pieteikums.

Dati par bioetanola un biodīzeļdegvielas ražošanas attīstību, kā arī nesen uzbūvēto uzņēmumu jaudas liecina, ka nākamajos piecos gados ļoti palielināsies pieprasījums pēc enerģijas kultūraugiem, secinājuši EK eksperti.

Atbalsts enerģijas kultūraugiem ir pamudinājums lauksaimniekiem ražot kultūraugus enerģijas iegūšanai, nevis pārtikai. Pašlaik 8 no 10 jaunajām dalībvalstīm - Čehija, Igaunija, Kipra, Latvija, Lietuva, Ungārija, Polija un Slovākija -, kas piemēro SAPS, nevar saņemt šo enerģijas kultūraugu atbalstu, bet Malta un Slovēnija var saņemt šo atbalstu tikai pakāpeniski.

Miskantu un īscirtmeta kārklu plantāciju ierīkošanas iespēju salīdzinājums Velsā

Jan 9 2007

"Agriculture is entering a period of change. New crops such as miscanthus and short rotation willow coppice (SRC) are set to change cropping patterns and open up a new energy market to growers and the wider rural community.
As custodians of the environment, the choices that farmers and landowners make have direct implications, both positive and negative, for the rest of us.
There is now no doubt that our climate is changing, and there are two ways in which we can respond. The first is through mitigation – reducing greenhouse gas emissions – and the second is through adaptation – responding to the impacts of climate change.
Mitigating actions include changing the way we farm, by reducing carbon emissions, for example, and by replacing processes that emit greenhouse gases with carbon neutral energy sources. Biomass crops such as miscanthus and SRC fall into this category.
Biomass crops are widely regarded as almost carbon-neutral because the carbon dioxide released when these crops are burnt as a fuel for heat or for electricity is matched by the amount of carbon dioxide the plants absorbed through photosynthesis when they were growing. As a fuel, therefore, they are substantially more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels.
However, this doesn’t give us the full picture. The way the crops are grown, the land use they replace and biodiversity all need to be considered for a good understanding of the environmental impact of introducing these crops into the Welsh landscape.
Wales is predominantly agricultural with roughly 74% of the total land area – 1,629,000 hectares or just over four million acres – classified as agricultural. Of this, 85% is permanent pasture or rough grazing, 11% is arable and the remaining 4% is woodland or set-aside.
Miscanthus and SRC are both long-term perennial crops. Miscanthus originated in Asia and the current commercial variety miscanthus x giganteus is a sterile hybrid that does not produce seed. It is a fast-growing, clump- forming, non- invasive grass, a long-term perennial crop with a potential productive life of some 20 years.
Many willow species are native to Britain where they have been part of the landscape for hundreds of years. Willow (salix.spp.) is a diverse species, with several hundred varieties readily available within Wales.
The osier or basket willow salix viminalis is a shrub native to the UK and it is the parental stock to many of the willow varieties planted for use as short rotation coppice. Its production is more comparable to agricultural cropping methods than it is to forestry.
Both crops are planted in the spring, miscanthus as rhizomes and SRC as rods. Weed control is essential during the establishment phases (years 1 and 2) and herbicides are routinely used.
Trials in upland areas of Wales suggest fertiliser applications may be beneficial and the addition of lime is likely to be essential in these areas. Using organic wastes such as cattle slurry or treated sewage sludge can reduce the environmental impact compared to inorganic fertiliser applications.
As the crops approach harvest they translocate nutrients, back into the rhizomes in the case of miscanthus, or into the stools in the case of SRC.
Leaves drop in the winter adding organic matter and increasing soil nutrient status. Both crops have much lower agricultural inputs than conventional arable crops and the risk of ground water contamination by agro- chemicals is very low.
There are currently no pests and diseases in miscanthus, but SRC crops attract a lot of invertebrates and the crop is susceptible to a number of insect pests, particularly willow beetles, which can cause considerable damage. The crop is also susceptible to diseases, the most important of which is rust.
But the need for insecticides to control pests and disease can be minimised by careful plantation design and varietal selection. Varieties are now being bred with resistance to pests and diseases in an effort to reduce dependence on fungicides and insecticides.
Both crops have a good root system and well-developed mechanisms for recycling mineral nutrients. They can be used as buffers along rivers, blocking surface run-off and phosphorus pollution, particularly at the bottom of slopes. As the crops are perennial, soil disturbance is reduced with the potentially damaging effect of yearly soil cultivations being avoided.
The roots help bind soil together, stabilising it and reducing the risk of soil erosion. Both crops use a large amount of water and SRC is deep rooting and can damage land drains. SRC will grow well on most land where there is a reasonable level of rainfall and is therefore well suited to the Welsh climate.
Miscanthus and SRC are fast growing, tall crops that can radically change the appearance of a site so it is important to consider the site’s ecological and historical value as well as the visual impact of the crop on the landscape. For this reason it is currently a requirement that those proposing to grow SRC complete an environmental statement provided by the Forestry Commission. This will then determine whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required.
Replacement of grassland with biomass crops may have greater environmental implications. With 85% of Welsh agricultural land under grass this is likely to be particularly an issue in Wales.
Ploughing up long-term grassland releases large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and this adversely affects the greenhouse gas abatement objective of biomass production. But there is a big difference between replacing a 50-year-old species rich meadow, and replacing a three-year-old intensively managed rotational grass crop, for example.
Energy grass crops can be grown on set-aside land and can make farmers useful additional income in the process.
Transport also needs to be taken into account. In order to be both economically and environmentally viable, crops need to be grown close to where they will be used as a fuel.
Good planning and management practices include avoiding priority habitats and untouched wildlife niches, and minimal use of insecticides and herbicides. These measures alone can go a long way to ensuring that biodiversity is maintained or increased over previous land use. In addition, the crops need to be part of a mix of farming land use.
Energy crops can create new habitats and opportunities for colonisation by many species of plants and animals. SRC has been found to be particularly species diverse, with three times as many invertebrates as cereal crops and a higher density and more species of birds – although it is potentially detrimental to some species that prefer a more open habitat.
Fewer bird species are found in miscanthus crops, though young crops of miscanthus offer patches of bare ground that are popular with birds such as skylarks and lapwings, and the crop offers a good over-wintering habitat.
Both SRC and miscanthus are harvested in winter, which is outside breeding times and summer migrants are not present. Two-to- three-year-old miscanthus plantations are used as over-wintering sites for birds, small mammals and invertebrates.
So it would appear that younger crops of both SRC and miscanthus have a higher level of biodiversity than older, fully established crops.
Of the two, willow can be seen as being richer in biodiversity terms, with miscanthus having biodiversity levels more comparable to arable crops, though with the added bonus of no insecticide and fertiliser requirements.
Properly planned SRC and miscanthus plantations can enhance the landscape and environment, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and bring new markets to the rural economy.
Farmers are the custodians of the environment and keeping them in business is key to keeping our rural heritage alive."