Energywise

Your Travel - when it comes to the costs of running their vehicle, most people just shrug their shoulders and keep on paying.

Biofuels – make the switch

Most transport currently relies on non-renewable energy from fossil fuels like oil and gas. As we use up more oil and gas, it gets more expensive and with the increasing price of petrol and diesel at the pump we are all looking for ways to save on our fuel use.

Renewable energy is just that – energy from sources that restore themselves, such as water (hydro or marine), the sun (solar), geothermal heat, wind and plants (biomass).

New developments in technology mean that we can start using renewable energy to power our transport. In New Zealand biofuels are now available in certain areas and plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric cars are well down the development track.

What are biofuels?

Biofuels are fuels that can be produced from renewable materials such as from plants.

Sustainable biofuels have many benefits over conventional fossil fuels, most importantly they are renewable with lower net carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global climate change.

Types of biofuels

The two most common biofuels are biodiesel and bioethanol. These come in the form of:

• biodiesel/diesel blends (like B5 which is a blend of up to 5% biodiesel in ordinary diesel)
• bioethanol/petrol blends (like E10 which is blend of up to 10% bioethanol in ordinary petrol.)

Where are biofuels used?

Biofuels have been in use worldwide for over 20 years now. South America, the United States, Canada, parts of Europe, Asia and Australia all use biofuel blends.

A good alternative to petrol

As biofuels are produced from biological material, they are to varying degrees ‘carbon neutral’.

This means that the carbon dioxide released by the use of one year’s worth of a biofuel is absorbed by growing the biomass needed for the next year’s worth of fuel.

Biofuels sustainability

By using biofuels, you can be part of New Zealand’s move to be a world leader in sustainable, renewable fuels. This is New Zealand’s chance to show the world that biofuels can be used sustainably, without affecting the environment.

Biofuels around the world vary in they way they are produced with differing impacts on climate change, the environment and people. New Zealand is working towards ensuring we only produce and access sustainable biofuels both today and in the future.

In New Zealand biofuels that are currently available come from two sustainable sources, to produce bioethanol blended petrol:

• From whey, a natural by-product of the dairy industry.
• From Brazilian sugarcane, grown in the south of Brazil. Brazilian sugarcane bioethanol is one of the most sustainable biofuels available.

The government is developing sustainability requirements for biofuels to ensure that biofuels available in New Zealand are sustainably produced.

Availability of biofuels in New Zealand

Biofuel blends are commercially available in some parts of New Zealand. To see where you can buy biofuels, go to Biofuel retailers on the EECA website.

Availability of biofuels to motorists

The New Zealand government has announced a biofuels sales obligation that requires oil companies to start selling biofuels from 2008. The obligation will start on 1 October 2008 if the legislation is completed in sufficient time.

Bioethanol-blended petrol is commercially available in some parts of New Zealand. To see where you can buy biofuels, go to Biofuel participants. [EECA website.]

Quality assurance of biofuels

You can be confident about the quality of any biofuel blends for sale in New Zealand as they must meet the fuel specifications regulated by the Government.