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This is something that has been on my mind a while but I have been too scared to ask about in case there is something obvious I have missed and I get my head bitten off. I’m sure there is a lot of things I am not taking into account and the answers I get will probably make me feel stupid but here goes anyway.
There seems to be a drive to increase the awareness of Bio Diesel (and SVO to an extent) and make it a more popular and widely known entity as an alternative fuel. At the moment, bio seems to be the realm of the DIY informed and environmentally conscious who are the ones putting in the hard yards developing this “technology” as it were.
I have read in numerous places that the amount of Vegetable oil and fats available would only satisfy a fraction of the overall demands for diesel fuel both here and around the world. I also read the mainstream fuel suppliers are requiring massive qty’s to add to their diesel products as lubricants and there are a number of new large scale Bio producers being set up to help fill the demand from a number of clients.
My question (that I may regret) : Is promoting Bio diesel and getting more people involved something that is going to come back and bite those involved now on the bum?
I’m thinking that the WVO that really makes bio a worthwhile thing may very easily become in short supply due to an increase in demand. I see a few potential problems:
If the fuel companies increase demand for bio beyond what the collection companies can supply raw material for from their present sources, the commercial collectors may start looking to a greater number of smaller suppliers that they don’t bother with now. That would make it harder for Joe Public to find oil for their use.
As competition between the companies for WVO increases, they may even start paying for the oil and it could become a commodity of value rather than something they are prepared to give away as a waste product as they do now. Rather than Joe Public being able to obtain oil for free as we do now, every restaurant etc will want to sell it and you can bet they will only be selling what is too low quality for the commercial collectors.
With this in mind, I’m wondering if trying to promote the use of bio to the greater public is such a great idea and what level of “ enthusiast’s ” the WVO supply can sustain along with the commercial collectors? With the constant warnings of the effects of peak oil, is Bio technology something that is going to be dominated by big business and another fuel source the public is going to be held to ransom over by the oil companies?
The other thing I’m wondering about increasing the level of Bio awareness is how wise is it in relation to the govt. wanting it’s cut. Already as a fledgling technology, the Tax dept. has its hand out and wants its pound of flesh. I’m wondering how far it will step in to spoil the fun if Bio goes much past being seen as something of the realm of greenies and backyard scientists. It seems now that there isn’t much being done to enforce the rules that are in place but that could easily change as could the availability and regulation of raw materials like Methanol.
I am not oblivious to the fact that an increase of bio use is a great thing for the planet but to be frank, having discovered a way to be independent from paying through the nose for fuel, I would be mighty upset to have big brother make it too difficult to be involved with like they have with a couple of other past interests.
In the long term, is bio something that we should be trying to promote to the mainstream or would in reality would the best option be to keep it under our hats so we can enjoy the benefits for a lot longer?
There seems to be a drive to increase the awareness of Bio Diesel (and SVO to an extent) and make it a more popular and widely known entity as an alternative fuel. At the moment, bio seems to be the realm of the DIY informed and environmentally conscious who are the ones putting in the hard yards developing this “technology” as it were.
I have read in numerous places that the amount of Vegetable oil and fats available would only satisfy a fraction of the overall demands for diesel fuel both here and around the world. I also read the mainstream fuel suppliers are requiring massive qty’s to add to their diesel products as lubricants and there are a number of new large scale Bio producers being set up to help fill the demand from a number of clients.
My question (that I may regret) : Is promoting Bio diesel and getting more people involved something that is going to come back and bite those involved now on the bum?
I’m thinking that the WVO that really makes bio a worthwhile thing may very easily become in short supply due to an increase in demand. I see a few potential problems:
If the fuel companies increase demand for bio beyond what the collection companies can supply raw material for from their present sources, the commercial collectors may start looking to a greater number of smaller suppliers that they don’t bother with now. That would make it harder for Joe Public to find oil for their use.
As competition between the companies for WVO increases, they may even start paying for the oil and it could become a commodity of value rather than something they are prepared to give away as a waste product as they do now. Rather than Joe Public being able to obtain oil for free as we do now, every restaurant etc will want to sell it and you can bet they will only be selling what is too low quality for the commercial collectors.
With this in mind, I’m wondering if trying to promote the use of bio to the greater public is such a great idea and what level of “ enthusiast’s ” the WVO supply can sustain along with the commercial collectors? With the constant warnings of the effects of peak oil, is Bio technology something that is going to be dominated by big business and another fuel source the public is going to be held to ransom over by the oil companies?
The other thing I’m wondering about increasing the level of Bio awareness is how wise is it in relation to the govt. wanting it’s cut. Already as a fledgling technology, the Tax dept. has its hand out and wants its pound of flesh. I’m wondering how far it will step in to spoil the fun if Bio goes much past being seen as something of the realm of greenies and backyard scientists. It seems now that there isn’t much being done to enforce the rules that are in place but that could easily change as could the availability and regulation of raw materials like Methanol.
I am not oblivious to the fact that an increase of bio use is a great thing for the planet but to be frank, having discovered a way to be independent from paying through the nose for fuel, I would be mighty upset to have big brother make it too difficult to be involved with like they have with a couple of other past interests.
In the long term, is bio something that we should be trying to promote to the mainstream or would in reality would the best option be to keep it under our hats so we can enjoy the benefits for a lot longer?
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