Biomass as a source of energy for Shetland.

[Guest Anonymous]

I would be interested to hear the views of Shetlinkers on this:

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_04_2009/Sandwick%20biomass%20plot%20under%20scrutiny.htm'

 

I personally think that development of biofuel can only be a good thing for the isles, compared with the horrible alternative of wind farms as a renewable resource.

Your thoughts please..

[ArabiaTerra]

It's the same as any other biofuel. As long as it's being grown on land useless for growing food it's a good thing, otherwise it's not so good. We need all the farmland we can get given the rising population.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Then why is the EU compelling farmers nationwide to leave a minimum % of their arable uncultivated annually, under pain of being penalised.

 

Why is the market value of the vast majority of cash crops so low that Shetland's higher production costs makes it unviable to grow them, and utlilising arable for stock feed is only a realistic economic proposition in Shetland when the economies of scale come in to play and one enterprise has the equivalent of what was a century ago 10+ crofts, preferably the most of which have a greater % of arable than the average croft.

 

Why does the EU have in place stringent rules and regulations to discourage improvements to land and increase production in the Highlands & Islands, which effectively mean supporting wildlife is considered more important than human food production?

 

If we need all the farmland we can get, someone better tell the EU, as everything they've done in the last 20 years concerning the Highlands & Islands has been to discourage cropping and reduce stocking densities.

[ArabiaTerra]

I agree, GR. The CAP is a mess which urgently needs reformed but I was referring more to the fact that it was the rush to change land to growing biofuels in the last few years that led to the rise in food prices world wide which in turn led to food shortages in the 3rd world. It was a badly thought out policy from the start.

 

The new types of biofuels which use agricultural waste rather than food crops to make the fuel seem much more likely to do some good in the world.

[Ghostrider]

^^ We agree!

 

Much of the problem, like many others, is un-necessarily manufactured by politicians. 30 years ago while butter and beef etc mountains grew, they kept on paying production subsidies. It took them 10+ years to figure out that they were creating the problem, and another 10+ to figure out how to stop doing it and act on it.

 

They've been regulating and discouraging production now for 10-15+ years, so maybe, based on previous performance, they'll get it changed and up and running in about another 10+ years or so......

 

There's a large former arable acreage in Shetland, and more elsewhere in the country, that at current market values cannot be considered viable for cropping. Common sense of course soon tells most of us that all thats needed is action by politicians to one way or another to put in place incentives/penalties that ensure only arable which has fallen out of production is utilised for bio-mass. The EU already has the full record keeping/monitoring infrastructure in place to achieve it, ever last square metre of land in the UK which formed a part of an agricultural enterprise in the last 10 years or so is reorded, with full details of its utilisation. The same system which ensures an enterprise leaves a minimum % of their arable fallow each year, could very quickly be amended to enforce cropping patterns for bio-mass be ring fenced within areas that do not have a recent arable production history.

 

Of course, having common sense surgically amputated is a pre-requisite of promotion for all politicians, so there's damn little hope of anything sensible and workable happening quickly, unfortunately.

[PJ of Hildisvik]

It's not proven that Bio-fuels reduce carbon emmissions.

 

The goverment states that 3.3% of petrol sold here must come from Bio fuels, trouble is the Bio fuels are grown on land previously used for food production, so the people go and cut down forest to create land for growing food crops, completly defeating the object of saving emmissions!

 

For every Hectare of forest cut down, a further 1000 tons of carbon is released

 

You can't grow crops on top of the hills in Shetland, so you will have to use land currently grazed by Sheep, a Human food source.

 

The most fertile places being the Tingwall valley and Weisdale most suitable for large scale Bio fuels, i would think.

 

Unfortunatly there are other plans for Weisdale by people with their own vested interests

[Guest Anonymous]

For every Hectare of forest cut down, a further 1000 tons of carbon is released

Ahhh! I hoped somebody would raise that point.

That is one fact which makes Shetland absolutely ideal for growing biofuel. No trees will have to be sacrificed.

 

You can't grow crops on top of the hills in Shetland, so you will have to use land currently grazed by Sheep, a Human food source.

Maybe not on the tops of the hills, but there are plenty of areas in Shetland which would appear to be suitable for this crop, but are currently only grazed by hill sheep. And as the hill sheep aren't a particularly important food source, or a particularly lucrative business for the crofters, perhaps those areas could be used.

 

The most fertile places being the Tingwall valley and Weisdale most suitable for large scale Bio fuels, i would think.

Reed Canary Grass would appear to be a crop which can thrive very well on land which isn't exactly 'top quality'.

 

One point about this crop, not touched on yet, and which I have to admit is my only real concern, is that:

It is an aggressively invasive species which damages/destroys natural ecosystems.

[euripides]

I don't think the biomass ideas for Shetland have much to do with producing fuel for cars. Shetland Amenity Trust are looking into growing biomass from something called short rotation coppice to be used in domestic and industrial boilers to heat houses, schools, offices etc.

the burning process is very slow, and the boilers only have to be fed once a week. Much more environmentally friendly than using heating oil.

 

This is usually done with fast-growing willows that can be cut to the ground every two or three years. A large block of willows is planted, and a third of it is cut each year. The wood is chipped and fed into boilers. It's a very efficient and carbon-neutral way to provide heating, because the willows regrow and keep regrowing, and absorb carbon dioxide. I think it's also used for powerstations in some countries to produce green energy.

[MuckleJoannie]

How about this for an idea

 

Swedes divided over bunny biofuel

 

Residents in Stockholm are divided over reports that rabbits are being used to make biofuel.

 

The bodies of thousands of rabbits are fuelling a heating plant in central Sweden, local newspapers say.

 

The city of Stockholm has an annual cull of thousands of rabbits to protect the capital's parks and green spaces.

 

 

Ther certainly appear to be plenty rabbits about just now.