Interesting things are happening in the francophone world. Last week I reported that the Quebec government had decided to stop supporting any new ethanol plants based on corn as a feedstock. Now the French government, perhaps flowing out of its broad social dialogue on the environment (known as "Le Grenelle français de l'environnement"), is reported to be thinking of slashing subsidies benefiting the production of ethanol in the country.
Ooh la la, what in the world is going on?
This news first appeared in an article published in Britain's Guardian newspaper. It has since been picked up both by Biopact (who, naturally, sees it as a great opportunity for increased imports of ethanol from developing countries) and the Competitive Enterprise Institute's "Facts About Ethanol" web site. (Ethanol makes for strange bedfellows.)
To quote from the original article:
The French ethanol sector is heavily reliant on subsidies in the form of a lower TIPP [Taxe Intérieure de consommation sur les Produits Pétroliers] fuel tax, which makes the fuel competitive with gasoline at fuel pumps.
"The talks (on upping the TIPP tax) are well advanced in the framework of inter-ministerial discussions and are causing great concern," said Alain Jeanroy, co-ordinator of the ethanol industry group.
No one from the relevant ministries was immediately available to comment.
...
Ethanol currently benefits from a 0.33 euro per litre discount when sold at petrol pumps, but that amount could soon be halved, said other industry sources.
"When taking into account commitments taken with industrial investments of close to 1 billion euros and the recent start-up of production units, we would not understand (such a move)," Jeanroy said.
France produced 235,000 tonnes of ethanol and 631,000 tonnes of biodiesel in 2006, the French farm ministry said.
France decided to go beyond the EU target and incorporate 5.75 percent of alternative fuels by end-2008, seven percent by end-2010 and 10 percent by end-2015.
Not entirely unrelated, there is another alternative to gasoline in France that is attracting increasing attention: compressed air. According to an article in the International Herald Tribune published on October 24, Guy Nègre, a Frenchman who founded Moteur Developpment International (now MDI Enterprises), in Carros, France, has recently signed a 20-million-euro (about $28 million) agreement with Tata Motors, India's largest automaker, to deliver vehicles that run on compressed air in hopes of putting them on the market in India by 2009.
The compressed air that drives MDI's cars is stored in carbon-fibre tanks located under the chassis. (A video featuring its cars can be seen here.) Other air-powered cars are under development using different systems, and the Scuderi Group, of West Springfield, Mass., is working on a hybrid engine design that compresses air and burns petroleum fuel in separate cylinders and uses some compressed air to extend the petroleum engine.
MDI's cars are still prototypes, and look like they would not survive even a parking-lot accident with a Hummer. (I have yet to be able to determine whether they will be outfitted with airbags.) And it will be years before Americans see such vehicles on the streets. But lets hope that, in the meantime, governments outside La francophonie stop acting as if ethanol is the only possible answer to future transport needs and start applying more broad-based policies, like a carbon tax, to encourage alternatives to petroleum fuels.
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Comments
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Biodiversivist Posted 11:18 am
20 Nov 2007
Another of my predictions is coming true
The infrastructure built by the subsidies (which has grown large and powerful as a result of them) will resist all efforts to wean it off the government teat. Government subsidies have created monsters that may prove impossible to kill.
Biopact blows off the concept that small farmers will be crushed by large farming corporations. Why? Because ineffective corrupt governments will magically become effective and not corrupt and will protect the small farmers from competition from giant corporate farm industries in other countries with more magic. Not to mention profit seekers are already plowing up the last carbon sinks to plant biofuels in Africa, which turn out to produce more greenhouse gas than fossil fuels anyway... so why are we doing this again?
As for that air car. You never know.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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WWAGD?! Posted 12:02 pm
20 Nov 2007
In Their Own Interest
Suncor is one of the world's largest suppliers of shale oil. Their Alberta plant employs thousands, producing crude from the tar sands.
Yes, French protectionism spans the Atlantic.
My Log
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Ron Steenblik Posted 5:10 pm
20 Nov 2007
John, care to elaborate?
When you say, "French protectionism spans the Atlantic", are you referring to U.S., Canadian or French trade policies or popular sentiments?
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amazingdrx Posted 2:10 am
21 Nov 2007
Nuclear refining
Just hope that France, the nuclear power leader, does not realize that refining ethanol with waste heat from nuclear power plants vastly improves the energy equation.
Especially using cellulosic ethanol. With plenty of waste heat, cellulose can be broken down into sugar without bacterial action. That eliminates a costly step in cellulosic ethanol production.
And tar sand, coal, and shale to liquid fuel operations could go nuclear too.
We are looking at a nuked up, gas guzzling future if politicians and lobbyists follow true to form. If it happens anywhere, it will be nuclear powered France first. Although movement is starting on a plan to refine Canadian tar sands with nukes right now.
Fairly hopeless battle as usual, but that's nothing new. When even Gristmill presents articles misinforming readers on plugin hybrids, as happened here recently, it does not bode well for a green future.
Because plugin hybrids are the best fix for gas guzzling available.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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WWAGD?! Posted 2:48 am
21 Nov 2007
O, Canada
Canada as a country has an interest in promoting shale oil.
Cutting biofuel is an economic tactic, not a moral one.
The fact that it's Quebec is meaningless -- they are still part of, and benefit from, a Canadian policy that favors Alberta's shale conversion operations.
My Log
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Tasermons Partner Posted 3:21 am
21 Nov 2007
Air car is a good start but....
The concept of a car powered by compressed air is a good start (and the idea has been around for awhile), but it needs to go further before it's ready for mass production. The ones listed in the article still need to be plugged in for recharges (just like electrict plug ins), stiull run off some type of gasoline (though they get much better mileage), and can only travel for a certain distance or up to certain speeds for short amounts of time before they need to be recharged or switch over to full-gasoline modes.
Those problems will haveta be solved before it's accepted among mass consumers.
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amazingdrx Posted 4:51 am
21 Nov 2007
Heat storage
A heat storage medium, like wax for instance, melted by the heat of compression from pressurizing the storage tank on the air powered car. Then stored in the molten state in an insulated tank on the vehicle and used to heat the compressed air storage tank as it's pressure drops from supplying the engine, might just extend the range and efficiency of this design.
Brake heat could be recycled this way too. that's the big efficiency problem with compressed air storage, the waste heat from compression.
If this were switched to a hybrid concept, waste heat from the internal combustion engine could also be fed into the air power system.
I think a hybrid like this would be best as an add on rear axle power unit for a front wheel drive car, as in the audi design.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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GreyFlcn Posted 4:29 pm
21 Nov 2007
Uhm
I'd be a bit more skeptical about the "Air Car"
Thermodynamic Analysis of Compressed Air Vehicle Propulsion
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Ron Steenblik Posted 11:49 pm
21 Nov 2007
Um, GreyFlcn
This is what the paper you link to (date?) concludes:
"[S]uch efficiencies [40% or less] may still be attractive in a sustainable energy future when renewable energy is harvested as electricity and transportation needs must be satisfied from available energy sources. With respect to overall efficiency, battery-electric vehicles may be better than air cars, but hydrogen fuel cell systems may be worse. However, with respect to system and operating costs, air cars may offer many advantages such as simplicity, cost, independence, zero pollution and environmental friendliness of all system components.
"All in all, the compressed air car seems to be a viable option for clean and efficient short range transportation. Further analyses, additional research and development are most welcome to fully identify the potentials of this unconventional source of transportation energy."
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