News and information about Biodiesel & alternative fuels.

2005/11/26

Biofuel and Rainforests

New Scientist reports that an unfortunate side-effect of the rush to ramp up biofuel production is rainforest deforestation:
"The rush to make energy from vegetable oils is being driven in part by European Union laws requiring conventional fuels to be blended with biofuels, and by subsidies equivalent to 20 pence a litre. Last week, the British government announced a target for biofuels to make up 5 per cent of transport fuels by 2010. The aim is to help meet Kyoto protocol targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions."
More commentary over at 37Signals.

[Via SvN]

2005/11/20

Biodiesel Not Just for Cars Anymore

Wired reports on biodiesel-as-heating-oil for home use:
"Biodiesel previously was overlooked as a heating fuel because heating oil was cheaper. But prices for conventional heating oil have doubled since 2001...

... the National Biodiesel Board's website now lists 19 companies that supply biodiesel-blended heating oil, known as BioHeat, to residential customers, and the list is growing. Most companies provide BioHeat blends that contain 5 percent, 10 percent or 20 percent of biodiesel (known as B5, B10 or B20, respectively) mixed with conventional heating oil, all of which can be used in existing oil-burning furnaces."

2005/11/08

NOLS SVO

The National Outdoor Leadership School's Educational RV is cruising around the country, and it's powered by straight veggie oil:
"Powered by recycled vegetable oil (RVO), solar power, and sponsored by Silk™, the makers of organic soymilk, this educational program on wheels provides an active, environmentally conscious way to learn about the outdoors and celebrate leadership in your community."
They've got a blog, too: http://nols.blogs.com/