Our government, lead like donkeys, have followed a one horse race for electric power and heating. However there is another horse in town and I think it will be coming up on the outside soon whilst the government’s horse falls at the first gate. And let’s be clear it is the EU that is leading this field. First a few facts. Peak oil has not passed contrary to what some say but is slated for 2030 but in the way of things as the dates have moved forward driven by new technology for deeper drilling, better extraction and new areas in seas which have until now been uneconomical we are likely not to reach peak oil for decades to come. The problem is as population expands and nominally third world countries become wealthier the demand for petro chemicals increases. But what about this new kid in town, the horse coming up on the outside. For that we must ask is diesel dead. Well not yet as HVO, hydrogenated vegetable oils, made from rapeseed, used cooking oils from chips shops and factories, wood pulp and other bi products is a drop in fuel for both diesel engines and heating oil. Last year Ollie Harrison drove a Class Combine Harvester from John ‘O Groats to Lands End on HVO and did so without any issues and raised a lot of money for charity. But yet again the UK is lagging behind as Rotterdam, Finland, Spain and Italy are leading the charge and we have to import all our HVO fuel. Now taking into account that modern diesel engines are cleaner and more efficient than petrol and have the required energy density the future for the combustion engine looks sound. What better way than to supplement our petro chemical industry with a fuel derivative of a percentage of waste products and a cropping element which is sustainable. Presently HVO which is nominally more expensive is taxed as fossil fuels. Why not bite the bullet and reduce fuel tax to bring the cost of HVO in line with petro chemicals. You know it makes sense. After all electric energy for cars is virtually tax free and contributes nothing to the cost of road maintenance. Also the love affair with electric cars is waning fast as cost, residuals, range anxiety and fires concern buyers of both new and second hand EVs. Where is the level playing field or has the electricity industry got the government by the short and curlies to the exclusion of common sense. What of hydrogen I hear you say. Beloved of the renewables industry as it needs large amounts of electric power to manufacture and therefor big profits for electricity. It is difficult to transport and expensive to store operating at high pressure and low temperatures. Unless costs can be reduced it will have a limited market. Unlike HVO which can simply be transported and stored using existing infrastructure, hydrogen would need a completely new and expensive storage and transport facilities. Doable but at what cost.
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