This briefing paper reviews evidence of the impacts of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on food prices, with a focus on corn and soy, and presents new analysis on the impact of the RFS on U.S. livestock farmers. Studies examining the relationship between food prices and biofuel demand conclude …
This European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals 2017 – Shaping the future of energy in Europe: Clean, smart and renewable, examines the state of play of Europe’s energy system and recent trends. European countries consume less energy compared with 10 years ago, mainly due to energy efficiency gains. Europe also relies …
The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) has launched its WBA Global Bioenergy Statistics report for 2017. The report claims that across the world, bioenergy remains the biggest source of renewable energy. A number of key findings are unearthed by the report. Most significantly, the global supply of biomass increased to 59.2EJ …
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used too strict of a test when it denied Sinclair Oil Corp's request for an exemption from the country's biofuel regulations, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The ruling could broaden the rules governing such exemptions and force the EPA to grant more of …
Renewables Information 2017 includes detailed renewables and waste data by country and by product for OECD countries up to 2015, with provisional data for 2016. It also contains summary tables of renewables and waste data for non-OECD countries up to 2015. This overview from Renewables Information 2017 contains a summary …
Global food commodity prices are projected to remain low over the next decade compared to previous peaks, as demand growth in a number of emerging economies is expected to slow down and biofuel policies have a diminished impact on markets, according to the latest 10-year agricultural outlook published by the …
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has set out to produce comprehensive, reliable data sets on renewable energy capacity and use worldwide. The Renewable Energy Statistics 2017 yearbook shows data sets on renewable power-generation capacity for 2007-2016, renewable power generation for 2007-2015 and renewable energy balances for about 100 countries …
Southeast Asia has considerable resources to produce liquid biofuels sustainably, using biomass feedstocks that would not cause carbon-dioxide emissions or interfere with food supply. Fulfilling the region’s biofuel potential would depend on increased residue collection from food crops and forest products, intensified cultivation of farmland, and reducing waste and losses …
Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017 presents the status of renewable energy employment, both by technology and in selected countries, over the past year. In this fourth edition, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds that renewable energy employed 9.8 million people around the world in 2016 – …
The need for energy security and climate change mitigation have increased blending mandates worldwide; in Southern Africa, demand for biofuels could increase following South Africa’s planned blending mandates. However, land constraints limit local industry expansion, with demand likely to be met in land-abundant countries. This paper reviews the status of …
This paper assesses biofuels technology readiness and provides foresight to biofuels development in Southern Africa. Efficient conversion pathways, coupled with biomass from waste or high-yielding energy crops, reduces both the costs of biofuels production and the environmental impacts. Currently, most biofuels are more expensive than petroleum fuels and market uptake …
Key World Energy Statistics contains timely, clearly presented data on the supply, transformation and consumption of all major energy sources for the main regions of the world.
This report considers the potential availability of land and crops for biofuel expansion in Southern Africa. It is based on a regional-level review of data and is designed to highlight regional-level opportunities and constraints. It does not attempt to concentrate on specific national-level issues (which are covered in more detail …
This new REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report presents views of 114 renowned energy experts from around the world, on the feasibility and challenges of achieving a 100% renewable energy future. Their thoughts are grouped into 12 Great Debates ranging from the future of heating and transport, the interconnection of sectors, …
The EU’s 2009 renewable energy directive (RED I) was designed to increase the share of “renewable” fuels in transport. To achieve this the EU imposed a target of 10% renewable energy in transport on EU member states. EU policy focused on achieving big volumes of renewable fuels but failed to …
Although the United States has pursued rapid development of corn ethanol as a matter of national biofuel policy, relatively little is known about this policy's widespread impacts on agricultural land conversion surrounding ethanol refineries. This knowledge gap impedes policy makers' ability to identify and mitigate potentially negative environmental impacts of …
This excerpt from the World Energy Outlook 2016 looks at the critical interplay between water and energy, with an emphasis on the stress points that arise as the linkages between these two sectors intensify. The analysis assesses the current and future freshwater requirements for energy production, highlighting potential vulnerabilities and …
Switching to biogas as vehicle fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector between 60% and 80% compared to fossil-based fuels like gasoline and diesel. This brief highlights the technologies available – both established and newly emerging – for biogas production and biogas-driven vehicle fleets. It evaluates costs, …
Developing and promoting biofuels for aviation will be essential to reduce carbon emissions from commercial aviation. As a first step, some pioneering airports have already incorporated bio-jet fuel into their refuelling systems. Yet wider bio-jet adoption is constrained by high costs compared to fossil-based jet fuels. New policy approaches are …
As a flexible and competitive source of renewable energy, bioenergy can play a key role in decarbonising energy systems by responding to the needs of a wide range of demand profiles in the electricity, buildings, and transport sectors. Recognising the importance of taking a cross-cutting approach to bioenergy strategies that …
Develops a cost-benefit analysis to compare the impact of three separate policies to spur the additional production of ultralow-carbon fuels in California: a contract-for difference price guarantee, a per-gallon subsidy, and upfront capital grants. Uses a cashflow model to estimate the amount of new production of qualifying fuels in California …
