Seminar: The Future of Norwegian Biofuel

The Bergen Energy Lab committee arranged the first half-day seminar on February 8th 2017 at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL). Speakers from different fields were invited to discuss perspectives and opportunities for Norwegian biofuel.

Professor Gunnar S. Eskeland from NHH presented biofuel from an economical point of view. He made a point that the huge fuel demand for road transport could not be met by biofuel alone, but suggested biofuel to be a good alternative for other transportation sectors like air traffic.

Lars M. Nerheim from HVL represented the technical side by telling the interesting history of spark plugs in combustion engines. With technical arguments concerning efficiency and emissions, Nerheim argued fuels in the form of gas to be superior to liquid fuels in combustion engines.

From the commercial side, Geir H. Ingeborgrud from Eco-1 Bioenergi AS gave a talk about working as a Norwegian biofuel distributor. He emphasized the importance of certifying biofuel producers to ensure quality and environmentally friendly products.

A lot of research is being done on biofuel. Tanja Barth from the Department of Chemistry at UiB gave an overview of different types of biofuel, and presented some of her research using residue products from pulp production to produce fuel. She recognized several promising technologies, and that some of these ideas were hard to realize due to lack of funding. Tor Ivar Eikaas from The Research Council of Norway gave a presentation on how such funding is being distributed through European goals and projects.

The airport director at Bergen Airport, Aslak Sverdrup, finished the seminar with his talk on opportunities for biofuel in the aviation industry. Goals of 30 % biofuel in all Norwegian airplanes by 2030 are already set, and existing projects are fueling airplanes with a blend of up to 50 % biofuel.