f3 researches on SVT Agenda

In less than 15 years, Swedish transports shall be independent from fossil fuels, but will we reach that goal? In SVTAgenda, f3 associated researchers Åsa Kastensson and Elisabeth Wetterlund at Luleå University of Technology, talks about the transition to non-fossil fuels.

The reporter visits SunPine, a factory making biodiesel from tall oil, and it appears that high production costs, abolished tax-exemptions and changes in political trends are some obstacles on the way.

– Long-term policies are very important for creating confidence in which rules of the game that are valid, says Åsa Kastensson in the TV programme. In an f3 project, she is investigating the barriers for increased use of biofuels in the Swedish vehicle fleet.

– We pay quite a lot of money for imported oil and could instead use our own resources, domestic production and perhaps, eventually, export to countries that do not have the same forest resources. Some political courage is needed if we are to achieve this, says Elisabeth Wetterlund, investigating the barriers and drivers for the implementation of new large-scale biofuel production in f3 project BeWhere – Stake-holder analysis of biofuel production in Sweden.

Also SSNC (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation) Secretary-General Svante Axelsson doubts that the transition to non-fossil fuels goes fast enough.

– Not if you do not introduce a lot of economic policy instruments. Now we are going in the wrong direction. We have a diesel boom right now, and earlier we had a small boom in biogas and ethanol. So right now we go backwards into the future, he says in Agenda.

Watch SVT Agenda: Green fuel from the forest (in Swedish)

Photo: Ted Karlsson