Confidence in biofuel and wood firing misplaced

Tuesday says the House of Representatives on the Energy Agreement. That agreement are principles support that does not seem tenable scientifically. This is evident from the vision document ‘Biofuel and wood as energy sources’ that the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW) has published today.

The vision document can be read as a summary of the findings of the most renowned independent experts at home and abroad. The document some questionable assumptions that underlie the policies of both the Dutch government and the European Commission, has been revisited. Thus, it is doubtful whether the climate benefits from biofuels or co-firing of wood coal plants. That doubt proposes subsidizing these supposed alternatives to fossil fuels in a different light. The Academy concludes that biomass – which includes cooking oil and agricultural waste are included – should not be considered as a fuel but as a feedstock.

The conclusion: the burning of wood in power stations and bio-ethanol and biodiesel in cars seems hardly contribute to saving CO₂ emissions. They are therefore not suitable as a means for the transition to a sustainable energy supply.