Alternative Outlook

Money may not grow on trees, but for a time it appeared to grow on bushes—specifically, a tropical shrub called jatropha curcas. Over the past decade, jatropha was planted on millions of acres across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa after research showed that oil from its crushed seeds makes an excellent biofuel. Because jatropha can tolerate dry, rocky soil unsuited to agriculture, boosters said, subsistence farmers could grow it as a cash crop without denting food production. And with governments worldwide pushing renewable fuels, invest…

Biofuels is on the rise… again. The first time some painful lessons were learned for fast-in investors. This time the focus is on second generation biofuels and Central America.

First generation:

Why so bad? Some of it´s obvious and has been covered before: using petroleum-based fertilizer to grow corn, which is sprayed with petroleum-based pesticides and then shipped using fossil-fuel based transport (before and after it´s turned into ethanol), doesn´t make a lot of sense. This is also a problem with sugarcane ethanol exporte…

The latest global outlook from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has reiterated the growing importance, and growing influence, of fast-growing countries like China and India. Published last week, its message was crystal clear: “The dynamics of energy markets are determined more and more by emerging economies.”

On the IEA’s projections, China will consume “nearly 70 per cent more energy than the United States” by 2035. “The rates of growth in energy consumption in India, Indonesia, Brazil and the Middle East are even faster than in Chin…

British firms have acquired more land in Africa for controversial biofuel plantations than companies from any other country, a Guardian investigation has revealed.

Half of the 3.2m hectares (ha) of biofuel land identified – in countries from Mozambique to Senegal – is linked to 11 British companies, more than any other country.

Liquid fuels made from plants – such as bioethanol – are hailed by some as environmentally-friendly replacements for fossil fuels. Because they compete for land with crop plants, biofuels have also been …

A divisive debate over the green credentials of biofuels has stalled investment and threatens the future of some producers, but could also create lucrative opportunities, according to European companies.

Background
‘Indirect land-use change’ means that if you take a field of grain and switch the crop to biofuel, somebody somewhere will go hungry unless those missing tonnes of grain are grown elsewhere.

Economics often dictates that the crops to make up the shortfall come from tropical zones, and so encourage farmers to carve out new…

India ranks 6 th in the world in terms of energy demand. However, a large part of India’s population, living mostly in rural areas and including the poorest people, does not have access to fossil fuel, oil-dependent sources of energy.

The increasing gap between demand and domestically produced petroleum is a matter of serious concern. It is estimated that the import of crude oil will increase from 85 mmtpa to 151 mmtpa by the end of 2006- 2007, correspondingly increas…

Introduction to Green Oil

Very simply, green oil is the oil derived from the seeds of crops such as Jatropha, Oil Palm, Millettia and Silverleaf. The basic process involves planting fast growing trees that will be productive within two or three years.

At this point the seeds can be harvested and crushed to produce green oil which can be used to generate electricity, as a Bio-Fuel, as Animal Stockfeed and as Organic Fertilizer.

The key uses that earn the highest revenues are to generate electricity and as Bio-Fuel.

It’s ac…

Governments around the globe have begun focusing on support for the development of alternative renewable energy sources to meet future energy needs, a high level conference on jatropha heard yesterday.

The disclosure was made by Eastern Africa US Department of Agriculture (USD) counsellor Stephen Hammond at the 2011 Tanzania National Jatropha Conference being held here.

He said change in the global focus towards jatropha plants had been due to the fact that there is a growing concern about non-renewable petroleum reserves, which wil…

This week, the European parliament voted for new rules that require lower emissions from commercial vehicles. With governments globally continuing to set stiff targets for the use of “clean” energy, Biofuels Asia – a Singapore-based clean-energy company – is betting on Jatropha, a hardy plant that is a source of biodiesel.

One of the reasons Jatropha is gaining ground as a biodiesel alternative is that it can grow on tougher soil conditions.

Biofuels Asia said it expects demand for biofuels to increase between 20 and 30 per cent …

Jatropha has been championed as a major environmental opportunity for developing countries with a semi-arid climate and marginal soil. Scientist Karl Hilding Thunes of the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute has been investigating whether this small, hardy and relatively pest-free tree lives up to its billing.

Biofuel of the future

Jatropha is a top candidate for future large-scale biodiesel production, according to investment bank Goldman Sachs. TIME Magazine reported that jatropha could yield 6 tonnes of biodiesel per acre (…