20 January, Brussels – A new report from ECOFYS has called for greater support to advanced biofuels, warning that they will continue to cost significantly more than conventional biofuels without policy intervention.
Traditional biofuels have been accused of diverting food resources into fuel production, and of harmful impacts through land use change. Advanced biofuels mitigate these impacts by using different biomass resources for production. At present, advanced biofuels make up around 1% of the EU’s fuel mix, and companies have had difficulty securing funding for research and innovation as a result of uncertain policy frameworks.
ECOFYS found that whilst the cost of production is likely to decrease in the near future, there are large variations in costs between different advanced biofuels, with cellulosic ethanol the most likely to become cost competitive with current fuels.
To support the emergence of advanced biofuels, ECOFYS have recommended mandates for their use, as well as investment support, fitted within a stable energy framework of carbon savings and renewables targets.
Click to read the ECOFYS report, ‘How to Advance Cellulosic Ethanol’