This paper assesses biofuels technology readiness and provides foresight to biofuels development in Southern Africa. Efficient conversion pathways, coupled with biomass from waste or high-yielding energy crops, reduces both the costs of biofuels production and the environmental impacts.
This report considers the potential availability of land and crops for biofuel expansion in Southern Africa. It is based on a regional-level review of data and is designed to highlight regional-level opportunities and constraints.
About half of the global gas and particle emissions to the atmosphere resulting from the burning of biomass originate from sub-Saharan Africa. There are four principal pathways: wildfires, the use of biomass fuels for energy, burning associated with deforestation and the burning of agricultural residues.
Re-Impact "Rural Energy Production from Bioenergy Projects" is a project funded by the European Union Aid Cooperation office which is promoting a sustainabilty assessment framework for bionergy project focussed on rural development in developing countries. The project has case studies in China, India, Uganda and South Africa.
Focusing on the situation relating to bioenergy in India, this paper provides an analysis of the currently available methodologies for assessing the varied impacts, both positive and negative, of bioenergy production.
The Indian Biofuels Program began over 60 years ago but has gained significant momentum only in the past decade and especially in the past 5 years. While until early 2000 the major focus was on ethanol as a blending additive to gasoline, in 2003 the National Biodiesel Mission was established by the Planning
