Biomass is our oldest source of energy (after the sun) but has largely been replaced by fossil fuels. In recent decades there has been a revival of the use of biomass, with the aim of replacing fossil fuels with sources with lower net CO2 emissions. A bio boiler emits CO2 and yet a bio boiler is considered…
Scientists at the US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed an innovative flow cell reactor that can refine sewage into valuable chemicals while simultaneously generating hydrogen that can be used to power vehicles or generate heat. This refinement process is potentially CO2 neutral and could ultimately even be CO2 negative. Led by Juan A.…
Ethanol is usually produced by the fermentation of sugars from starchy raw materials such as corn, or from lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood or straw. It is a fuel that can make the transport sector CO2-free. In collaboration with the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland, researchers from the Straubing Campus for Biotechnology and Sustainability of…
The province of Overijssel wants to invest money again in biomass that involves burning wood. According to the provincial government, biomass is 'necessary for the energy transition and to realize the climate challenge'. The financial tap of the Overijssel Energy Fund must therefore be turned on again for certain applications of biomass. This mainly concerns heating applications, such as the heating of monumental buildings…
A lot of plastic waste such as agricultural foil or crisp bags cannot now be recycled because it is too dirty or consists of multiple layers. The PyroCHEM project aims to make the chemical industry more sustainable by optimizing and scaling up the chemical recycling of plastic waste and the pyrolysis of other (biomass) residual flows. The ambition: annually from 2030…
More than 10.000 more connections to the Ede heating network and fewer CO2 and nitrogen emissions. With the Cleaner than Fossil project, Bio-energie de Vallei wants to become one of the cleanest bio-energy installations in the world. The province of Gelderland and the municipality of Ede contribute financially to this project. “With this subsidy we contribute to…
The Sustainable Energy Production and Climate Transition Incentive Scheme (SDE++) will be open for this year from 28 June. Due to the high CO2 price and the extra budget announced by the previous cabinet on Budget Day, an opening budget of € 13 billion is available. The scheme will be opened to a number of new categories, including hydrogen linked to a wind or…
Due to high energy prices, many producers of sustainable electricity and biogas are no longer dependent on government subsidies. This will result in a significant windfall for the government, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate expects. The producers themselves also benefit. “Wind and sun do not need a euro of subsidy at the moment,” says Olof van der Gaag,…
In its aim to make the sport more sustainable, Formula 1 will switch from E5 petrol to E10 this season. That is, petrol that now contains twice as much bioethanol instead of 5 percent. Bioethanol is an alcohol that is sustainably produced from biomass, such as corn, wheat, sugar beet and rye. Its combustion emits an average of more than 60...
In the south of Germany, growers are looking for alternatives to natural gas. The recent war in Ukraine only makes the importance of that search clearer. The regional broadcaster for German Bavaria, BR24, focuses on the energy crisis in greenhouse horticulture and gives the floor to fruit vegetable grower Peter Höfler and tomato grower Rudolf Dworschak from Nuremberg. …
The Urgenda target was not achieved last year: greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased. Dutch greenhouse gas emissions increased by more than 2 percent last year compared to 2020. The so-called 'Urgenda target', of at least a 25 percent reduction compared to 1990, was therefore not achieved, according to provisional figures from the Central Bureau for the…
Four biomass power stations in Overijssel are facing closure, and the same danger threatens more than three thousand livestock farms and other companies. This threatens to turn the legal nitrogen crisis into a nightmare for countless entrepreneurs. The province of Overijssel states that it has no other choice and is forced by the judge to take enforcement action.…
Coal-fired power stations in the Netherlands must be opened further in the short term to make our country less dependent on polluted Russian natural gas. Several energy experts argued for this in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, now that the Netherlands has been plunged into a gigantic energy crisis. Andre Faaij, scientific director of TNO, told MPs on Wednesday that the use of our modern…
Innovative projects that lead to lower CO2 emissions are desperately needed to achieve the energy transition (transition to sustainable energy). Entrepreneurs sometimes encounter high start-up costs. The Renewable Energy Transition (HER+) subsidy can make the difference in allowing local projects to continue in that phase. The HER+ subsidy scheme is open until March 31...
Electricity production in 2021 fell by 2,2 billion kWh to 117,9 billion kWh compared to a year earlier. Electricity production from renewable sources, such as biomass, solar and wind energy, increased by 22 percent, while electricity production from fossil sources fell by 11 percent. In 2021, 33 percent of total electricity production came from…
The ongoing energy price crisis has had a negative impact on the well-being of EU citizens and businesses, as well as on the macroeconomic stability of Member States, contributing to higher inflation rates and a slowdown in economic growth. Wholesale gas prices have soared to a 400% increase in…
The possible savings within four years are 10 billion cubic meters. The Netherlands can consume much less natural gas in the short term through a combination of rapid energy savings and accelerated sustainable generation. The coming 'winter peak' in demand for natural gas may therefore be lower: savings of almost five billion cubic meters are possible within a year. Within about…
Author: Sible Schöne The focus on a sustainable energy supply hinders the effective approach to the climate problem, believes Sible Schöne. “We are preparing the Netherlands for the future – climate neutral, fossil-free and circular – with a clean energy supply and green industrial policy.” This is the opening sentence of the climate paragraph of the coalition agreement. The sentence illustrates that there are broad…
Among the many problems with plastic, it's manufactured from a fossil resource. The BBI JU-funded EUCALIVA project has developed a sustainable alternative that grows on trees. Lignin is a natural polymer present in most plants. Since one of its main functions is stiffening, rigid plants such as trees generally contain large amounts. Humans have not traditionally valued…
