The role biofuels can play in the UK’s energy mix is an open question in many areas, not least transport.
On the one hand, governments here and around the world have set themselves firmly on the path to decarbonisation, although the most prominent element of this has involved the growth of electric vehicles as a mode of road transport.
However, that doesn’t mean decarbonisation will always be about installing EV chargers rather than tank fitting. The biofuels sector may still have a significant role to play, although exactly what is uncertain, not least in the UK where, as we noted in July, the new Labour government’s manifesto had much to say about renewable energy but not biofuels.
Transport Engineer has argued that biofuels may have a particular role to play in powering HGVs, not least as this sector has yet to adopt electrification in the way the car industry is rapidly doing.
However, it is not the only alternative to petrol and diesel, as hydrogen is another contender and experts noted that some engines are not suited to using different fuels, so at some point, the fleet transport sector may opt to pick a winner, with no guarantee what that will be.
On the other hand, there is one part of the transport sector where a huge amount of environmental gain can be made by successful decarbonisation, which it is yet to achieve: aviation.
As Carbon Pulse reports, a German climate think tank has suggested the EU could meet its 2050 zero carbon targets if it diverts biofuels from a focus on road transport to the airline industry.
Were such an approach to be taken across the 27-nation bloc, it could greatly influence the design and engineering of aircraft, with successful technological innovations being adopted globally. It could also encourage other countries such as the UK to follow suit.
It seems that while it is unclear just how biofuels will play a part in the shift away from fossil fuels in transport, there will certainly be some sort of role for it.
