Renewable Fuels Standard - Frequently Asked Questions
What are renewable fuels?
What is a renewable fuels standard?
What are the environmental benefits of a renewable fuels standard?
Will adoption of the RFS reduce Alberta’s GHG emissions?
What environmental regulatory requirements are included in the RFS?
Why does Alberta need a renewable fuels standard?
What type of renewable fuel production will Alberta be supporting?
Do the other provinces have a renewable fuels standard? What about the United States?
Does the production of renewable fuels in Alberta affect global food prices?
How will a renewable fuels standard affect feed for livestock?
When does the RFS come into force?
Bioenergy Frequently Asked Questions
Bioenergy Program Amendment Frequently Asked Questions
Renewable fuels are made from biological sources, like grains, canola, corn, cellulose from plant fibres, switch grass and straw, and forestry and agriculture biomass (waste). Ethanol and biodiesel are two renewable fuels used in Alberta.
What is a renewable fuels standard?
This is a government requirement to blend either ethanol or biodiesel into commercial fuels (i.e. those fuels sold to customers).
In Alberta, the RFS will apply to transportation fuels. Alberta’s RFS will require five per cent ethanol content in gasoline and two per cent renewable content in diesel.
What are the environmental benefits of a renewable fuels standard?
Renewable fuels have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as water and net energy use.
A renewable fuels standard could reduce carbon dioxide and monoxide emissions and smog-creating compounds. In fact, the use of renewable fuels in Alberta has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about one million tonnes each year. That is equivalent to taking 260,000 vehicles off Alberta’s roads each year.
Renewable fuels are also biodegradable and non-toxic.
When produced from forestry or agriculture biomass, a renewable fuels standard also has the potential to improve waste utilization. Alberta currently produces 20 million tonnes of waste each year (forestry and agricultural as well as municipal). Emerging technologies have the potential to convert this waste to bioenergy products, including renewable fuels.
Will adoption of the RFS reduce Alberta’s GHG emissions?
Yes. Alberta’s RFS has the potential to reduce GHG emissions by about one million tonnes each year—that is about 10 per cent of the province’s 2010 climate change target.
New and higher-efficiency technologies will further reduce GHG emissions.
What environmental regulatory requirements are included in the RFS?
Alberta’s RFS will include environmental benchmarks. These will be established from a baseline level of emissions or an environmental impact assessment of petroleum products. These environmental requirements will help the province meet its climate change targets.
Why does Alberta need a renewable fuels standard?
Along with helping the province meets its climate change targets, the RFS will support Alberta’s renewable fuels sector by encouraging renewable energy development and the development of a market for the consumption of renewable fuels.
The RFS will also support research and development of technologies, such as ethanol production from forestry biomass and waste-to-energy initiatives.
What type of renewable fuel production will Alberta be supporting?
Alberta will support traditional renewable fuel production as well emerging technologies, such as biogas systems and gasification that converts waste from the beverage, food, livestock and forestry industries to high-value energy products.
Do the other provinces have a renewable fuels standard? What about the United States?
In Canada, four other provinces, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, have or have started implementing renewable fuels standards. The Government of Canada is also in the process of implementing a federal renewable fuels standard. The federal standard is five per cent renewable content in gasoline by 2010 and two per cent renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012.
In British Columbia the standard is five per cent renewable content in gasoline and diesel by 2010.
Saskatchewan has mandated a renewable fuels standard of 7.5 per cent ethanol content in gasoline since 2005. Renewable fuel content in diesel is being considered.
Manitoba has mandated 8.5 per cent ethanol content in gasoline since 2007. Five per cent renewable content in diesel has been proposed.
Ontario has mandated five per cent ethanol content in gasoline since 2007. That province is proposing to expand this requirement to 10 per cent in 2009.
In addition, Quebec has proposed five per cent ethanol content in gasoline by 2012. No legislation has been introduced.
New Brunswick has five per cent renewable content in both gasoline and diesel with no time commitment.
In 2007 the United States raised its standard from six per cent (mandated for 2008) to 10 per cent by 2012.
Does the production of renewable fuels in Alberta affect global food prices?
In Alberta, 1.2 per cent of locally produced grains and oilseeds (such as canola) are used to make renewable fuels. During the past five years (2003-2008), Alberta has produced over 25 million tonnes of crops each year. Less than 200,000 tonnes of that is used each year for bioenergy products, such as renewable fuels.
The majority of bioenergy products in Alberta are made from either waste or forestry biomass.
While there have been grain shortages in other parts of the world, there are many factors that impact food prices and availability including:
- Energy prices;
- Costs to process, package, market and transport food;
- Agricultural costs (for fertilizer, fuel and pesticides);
- Increased demand in countries like China and India; and
- Climate and growing issues, for example droughts and major pest invasions.
How will a renewable fuels standard affect feed for livestock?
Alberta typically imports feed grains from Saskatchewan. By producing ethanol in Alberta, a byproduct called distiller’s grain is produced. Distiller’s grain is a good source of feed and can be included readily in various livestock diets.
When does the RFS come into force?
Regulations will be required for the RFS. The expected implementation date is set for July of 2010.
