Other News

A Philippine-based institute has called for increased research into genomics to help improve the variety and yield of the country’s sugarcane, particularly by increasing its resistance to common diseases. To sustain the industry’s growth, new and superior varieties of sugarcane should be developed, Dr. Liwayway M. Engle of the Philippine Sugar Research Institute (PhilSURIN) told…
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Martin McGuinness has stepped down as Northern Ireland's deputy first minister in protest against the handling of the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme that could cost taxpayers £490m, accoridng to media reports.  The Sinn Féin MLA's resignation took effect from 5pm GMT Monday, according to the BBC. He cited the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) conduct over the RHI…
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Japanese brewer Sapporo Holding has licensed Thailand-based fuel retailer PTG Energy to manufacture cassava-based bioethanol. The Nikkei Asian Review quoted Sapporo, when it said that “this will mark the world's first attempt at commercial production of ethanol from the pulp of the cassava, a plentiful Thai crop whose tuberous root is used to make tapioca”. Innotech will use…
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The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the publication of a report, titled Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet and Gaseous Waste Streams: Challenges and Opportunities. According to the US department, the report is the first comprehensive assessment of the resource potential and technology opportunities provided by feedstocks, including…
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The European Commission’s (EC) proposed phase-out of conventional biofuels by 2030 threatens to remove one of the EU’s best options for reducing greenhouse gases and decarbonising transport, energy experts told MEPs. As the European Parliament gets ready to consider the controversial Renewable Energy Directive II proposal to phase out conventional biofuels by 2030, lawmakers and…
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Renewable fuels will play a critical role in decarbonising the transport sector, and will complement the role of electric vehicles, Transport Minister John Hayes has said The UK’s Department for Transport will spend £20 million on supporting twenty innovative low-carbon projects. Speaking at a road transport conference in London, Transport Minister John Hayes said that renewable fuels…
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Global clean energy investment fell by 18% to $287.5 billion (€269.7bn) in 2016, dragged down by sharp falls in equipment prices and slowdown in key Asian markets. According to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), Chinese investment totalled at $87.8 billion, down 26% from the 2015 record high of $119.1 billion, while Japan invested a meagre $22.8 billion, marking a 43%…
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US President Barack Obama has urged the US to take bolder action in tackling climate change in his last presidential speech. In his farewell address, delivered on 10 January in Chicago, Obama  said: “We’ve  led the world to an agreement that has the promise to save this planet.  But without bolder action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued new analysis on the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn-based ethanol. The analysis, conducted by ICF, found that typical corn-based ethanol achieves a 43 percent greenhouse gas reduction when compared to 2005-era gasoline, and by 2022, corn-based ethanol is projected to increase to a 50 percent greenhouse gas reduction over the life of…
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Five palm oil mills at Cargill’s PT Hindoli and PT Harapan Sawit Lestari oil palm plantations in Indonesia were recently recognised for achievements in environmental management by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and Ministry of Industry. Cargill’s Tanjung Dalam mill and Paku Juang and River View mills received Blue awards, while its Sungai Lilin mill and Manis Mata…
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The ‘climate protection rate’ in Germany is set to rise this year from 3.5 to 4% and biofuels is set to benefit from this, according to Germany’s biofuels trade association Verband der Deutschen Biofuelindustrie (VDB). According to this rise, oil companies will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their fuels by 4% from this year, for example, by adding biodiesel or…
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China will invest 2.5 trillion yuan ($361 billion) into renewable power generation by 2020, as it moves away from coal to renewable energy.  The investment will create more than 13 million jobs in the sector, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said in a document that lays out its plan to develop the nation's energy sector during the five-year 2016 to 2020 period. The NEA said installed…
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Crude oil prices ended the 2016 year above $50 per barrel, according to figures from the US Energy Information Administration. Although the annual average West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price in 2016 was $43/b—down $5/b from 2015—the WTI price ended 2016 at $53/b, $16/b higher than at the end of 2015. Similarly, Brent ended the year up $17 from the end of 2015, at $54/b, but…
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