Released April 04, 2022 | SUGAR LAND
en
Part 1 of a Series
Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The key to the environmental turmoil sweeping the globe lies in deciding what form of energy will replace fossil fuels or diminish their emissions. For the grid, the leading contenders are pretty clear: wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and geothermal.
But for transportation, the options are fuzzier. Batteries have yet to match liquid fuels for power concentration (which determines distance traveled per fill), convenience or the speed of refilling/recharging. So, the race is on to find an environmentally friendly/renewable replacement that doesn't also compete with humans for food. There are many fuels whose champions are clamoring for attention amid certainty that they are at least one of the viable options.
This is the first in a series that will investigate the possibilities, sorting through the extremes, to find balance and truth as best as can be determined. One of the keys will be to realize that there are many facets to the question. It is not just about what a fuel sends out through the tailpipe, although that is certainly toward the top of the list.
For example, one current debate pertains to diesel fuel replacement options. The older biodiesel is clinging to a diminishing lead against renewable diesel, according to the projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Renewable diesel is more like petroleum diesel, so it can be used unmixed with its petroleum cousin. And renewable's emissions are cleaner than that of either competitor.
But it costs more to produce, and some have measured its processing emissions to be higher than those of biodiesel. Both are issues in the bigger picture.
This series will address these issues based on criteria such as:
Viable options vary across sectors and regions globally, so there may not be a single shoe that fits every foot. This kind of research and open discussion is part of Industrial Info's service, bringing the best information to readers and clients, in order to make those informed decisions.
For the last century or so we've been spoiled on the supply of fossil fuels. Need more? Drill more, there are billions of barrels down there. This is not true at all for any form of renewable energy yet tapped, because even wind and solar depend on a supply of surface land. No one drills deeper to find more wind or sunshine.
This pushes the biofuel decision beyond just gauging tailpipe emissions. Any fuel with "bio" in the name relies on either purpose-grown feedstock or some kind of waste such as wood chips, restaurant grease or corn stubble. So, there is a limit to how much can be created--there is only so much stubble, and only so much agriculture land. For purpose-grown feedstocks, at what point do they remove land from food production, and how much does that raise food costs or create shortages?
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.
Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The key to the environmental turmoil sweeping the globe lies in deciding what form of energy will replace fossil fuels or diminish their emissions. For the grid, the leading contenders are pretty clear: wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and geothermal.
But for transportation, the options are fuzzier. Batteries have yet to match liquid fuels for power concentration (which determines distance traveled per fill), convenience or the speed of refilling/recharging. So, the race is on to find an environmentally friendly/renewable replacement that doesn't also compete with humans for food. There are many fuels whose champions are clamoring for attention amid certainty that they are at least one of the viable options.
This is the first in a series that will investigate the possibilities, sorting through the extremes, to find balance and truth as best as can be determined. One of the keys will be to realize that there are many facets to the question. It is not just about what a fuel sends out through the tailpipe, although that is certainly toward the top of the list.
For example, one current debate pertains to diesel fuel replacement options. The older biodiesel is clinging to a diminishing lead against renewable diesel, according to the projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Renewable diesel is more like petroleum diesel, so it can be used unmixed with its petroleum cousin. And renewable's emissions are cleaner than that of either competitor.
But it costs more to produce, and some have measured its processing emissions to be higher than those of biodiesel. Both are issues in the bigger picture.
This series will address these issues based on criteria such as:
- Exhaust content
- Cost/availability of feedstock--is there enough supply to make a meaningful contribution?
- Emissions involved in growing/collecting feedstock
- Emissions during manufacturing
- Energy use for growing/collecting and manufacturing
- Effect on engines
- Compatibility with current engines/cost of conversion
- How it competes with food for available cropland
- Cost/emissions for distribution infrastructure
- Energy density compared to relative fossil fuels--which figures into the true cost per mile
Viable options vary across sectors and regions globally, so there may not be a single shoe that fits every foot. This kind of research and open discussion is part of Industrial Info's service, bringing the best information to readers and clients, in order to make those informed decisions.
For the last century or so we've been spoiled on the supply of fossil fuels. Need more? Drill more, there are billions of barrels down there. This is not true at all for any form of renewable energy yet tapped, because even wind and solar depend on a supply of surface land. No one drills deeper to find more wind or sunshine.
This pushes the biofuel decision beyond just gauging tailpipe emissions. Any fuel with "bio" in the name relies on either purpose-grown feedstock or some kind of waste such as wood chips, restaurant grease or corn stubble. So, there is a limit to how much can be created--there is only so much stubble, and only so much agriculture land. For purpose-grown feedstocks, at what point do they remove land from food production, and how much does that raise food costs or create shortages?
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.
