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then there is the additional possibility of a biofuel contribution from dependent
sources; that is, crops that are grown for other purposes. Two examples are straw
(as mentioned above) or crop trimmings, such as from field vegetables. This last is
currently on land covering over eight times the size of set-aside land. Indeed, much
of the above-ground biomass that is not harvested for food or export (the waste
biomass) from these species could be used for biofuel production. Finally, there
are the biofuels available from forestry and woodland, such as from short-rotation
coppicing.
In 2002 the Institute of Biology ran a biofuels workshop in London as part of an
energy series run also by the Institute of Physics and Royal Society of Chemistry,
which was sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry. Workshop parti-
cipants, all associated with either the biofuel industry or biofuel research, were asked
in advance as to the potential for biofuels to offset UK oil demand. The modal answer
was around 20
±
5% of UK oil demand or about 7% of total UK primary energy
consumption. If this estimate is realistic then it represents some 16 million t of UK
domestic annual oil consumption and a roughly £1.3 billion gain to the UK's domestic
economic output at the point of refinement/production (not point of sale) in terms of
crude-oil savings. This 7% figure of UK primary energy goes a long way towards
meeting the government's medium-term renewable targets, although the UK will
require greater displacement of fossil fuel than that if it is to meet its Kyoto targets.
Even so, it is difficult to see any fossil fuel-reducing strategy in the medium-to-long
term in the UK that does not include biofuels (Cowie, 2003).
The estimate for a practical biofuel contribution to the UK of some 15-25% of
current oil consumption, or 7% of UK primary energy, is not at all unrealistic. True,
while a greater proportion may well be feasible, equally it might perhaps incur sig-
nificant opportunity costs (probably either to strategic food production and/or the
environment). The importance of biofuels to the UK would be best appreciated if
undertaken as part of a coherent energy strategy, along with improved energy effi-
ciency and changes of behaviour favouring lower energy consumption. The question
is whether a UK government would consider a firm drive for biofuels to be a worthy
goal in economic, environmental and strategic terms. It is also a question other gov-
ernments will need to face. The concerns raised by the workshop that the UK was
not coherently exploring biofuel options were subsequently echoed by a House of
Commons Select Committee report (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select
Committee, 2003; see also the UK policy case study in section 8.3.3).
Finally, the 2002 Institute of Biology biofuels workshop looked at costs. The range
of figures presented did result in an end biofuel cost per barrel that was of the same
order of magnitude as that for crude oil (which still has refining costs to bear).
Unfortunately the current vagaries of small-scale production, lack of distribution
and other factors made a firm costing difficult. Nonetheless, biofuels remain a useful
option as part of a suite of measures to counter fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide.
Globally, aside from non-commercial local use of biofuels (see section 8.2.3) a
little over 1% of commercially traded energy currently comes from biomass. Of all
countries, Brazil arguably leads in biofuel production and consumption with biofuels
contributing some 20% of its primary energy supply. (However, questions need to be
asked as to how much of this comes from biologically sustainable sources that do not
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