Getting the maximum volume of renewable content into conventional liquid fuels is entirely compatible with a transition to electrification, and the combination of action on both vehicle and fuel gives the most rapid results and lower overall costs.
Of all the sectors of the economy, transport must change the most, and by a significant margin. Much of this will be achieved by the electrification of surface transport, but renewable fuels will have an important role to play during the transition.
We agree with the CCC’s analysis that increasing amounts of bioenergy will be required and that investment is needed in for the construction of “new biojet, biodiesel, heating bioliquids, biomethane and biohydrogen conversion facilities”.
The Committee’s call for policy to be scaled up across every sector is spot-on. However, it could have gone further regarding the potential for replacing fossil fuels in road transport during the transition period.
The Committee anticipates bioethanol blended into petrol will double in 2021, with the introduction of E10, but assumes it then remains at only 10% of road petrol use (by volume). But higher blends are possible. For example, France has incentivised E85 (85% bioethanol) to the extent that it now accounts for more bioethanol consumption than does E10.
Likewise, the Committee assumes conventional biodiesel (made from waste fats/oils in existing facilities) continues to supply 3% of road diesel, with an additional 2% coming on stream from the mid 2020’s from the conversion of gasified biomass. Again, higher blends are possible. Normal retail diesel is 7% biodiesel, whereas it could move to 10%, and truck and bus fleets can use blends of 20, 30 and even 100% biodiesel. Many of them do, but still more fleets could convert.
There is no mention of the 100% renewable “drop in” versions of either of these fuels (i.e. HVO or biopetrol). Use of these requires no change to existing vehicles.
Getting the maximum volume of renewable content into conventional liquid fuels is entirely compatible with a transition to electrification, and the combination of action on both vehicle and fuel gives the most rapid results and lower overall costs.
Investment in these fuels will not be stranded, as aviation and maritime demand will soak up all the supplies (and more).
When it comes to the long-term solution for heavy road vehicles, the jury is out. The CCC suggests trials are necessary to determine whether the answer lies in hydrogen, electrification or a combination of the two. Fortunately, biomethane-fuelled trucks provide an interim solution here, achieving savings of up to 85% of carbon emissions, or even negative emissions if manure is used as the feedstock.
The Government should heed the Committee’s recommendations, but should go further when it comes to renewable fuels. The review of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation provides an opportunity to do this, and the RTFA has commissioned a study on the availability of sustainable biomass fuels and feedstocks to inform the forthcoming consultation.
