Challenges and possibilities for renewable fuels in Västra Götaland

Renewable energy use in the transportation sector will consist of a combination of renewable electricity and biofuels. Hence, biofuels can be expected to play an increasingly important role in the future energy supply for transportation. The potential for sustainable biofuels, based on available feedstock, can increase substantially compared to today, both in Sweden and globally, but is still limited compared to the amount of fossil gasoline and diesel currently used. Availability of sustainable biomass feedstock will therefore be crucial for a sustainable transportation sector.

Ingrid Nyström and Stefan Heyne conclude this in the f3 report “Förnybara drivmedel i Västra Götaland – utmaningar och möjligheter”, based on a study made at request of the secretariat for Environment and Development within Region Västra Götaland, as part of their strategic planning aiming at long-term development of a regional, sustainable transport system.

Central questions for the region’s strategic work are:

What is the potential for production and use of the various types of biofuels for transportation in Västra Götaland, and if/how do they differ from the nation as a whole. Which factors and necessary conditions impact the development of various systems? How can a transition from the current system to a long-term sustainable system take place, how can it be promoted, and what would the role of the region be in such a development?

The report contributes with part of the input needed to answer these and similar questions, by presenting an overview of facts related to the conditions for renewable fuels and by analyzing and discussing these conditions from the perspectives of different controlling factors and time perspectives. The focus of the report is on describing necessary conditions and measures to achieve practically possible goals rather than to point out a theoretically feasible development. Breaking down general prerequisites to a regional level is difficult and is done within the scope of this report on a qualitative level rather than on a quantitative one. The report focuses on the potential for development of different types of final renewable fuels for vehicles.

The report is available here at the f3 web site in Swedish, but with an extensive English summary.