What are Renewable Fuels?

Learn more about renewable fuels

For many people, renewable fuels have become more synonymous with moves made towards a more sustainable and low carbon future. These types of fuels significantly lower environmental impact compared to traditional fossil fuels, as they are made from natural and renewable resources. Although this website largely covers information about HVO fuel, we feel it’s also useful for people to understand and learn about all of the other natural and renewable fuels that exist and how they are being used to replace conventional sources of energy.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel much like HVO, that is made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. This fuel can also be used in the majority of diesel engine vehicles without the need for any modifications, making it a popular alternative to traditional diesel.

Unlike standard fossil diesel, biodiesel has a lower carbon footprint, and it produces fewer emissions. Also unlike regular diesel, it’s fully biodegradable and non-toxic, making it safer to handle and transport. In the UK and other countries, moves have been made to lower the emissions of standard fossil diesel available at the pump by blending it with biodiesel in the form of percentages ranging from 5% up to 20%. In the UK, we add up to 7% biodiesel to fossil diesel which is noticeable by the B7 label on fuel pumps.

Ethanol

Ethanol is a renewable fuel that is instead made from crops such as corn, sugarcane, and switchgrass. This type of renewable fuel isn’t used in diesel engine vehicles, instead it’s used as a fuel additive in petrol (also known as gasoline), and it can also be used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) that have an internal combustion engine and are capable of operating on petrol and any blend of petrol and ethanol up to 83%. E85 (or flex-fuel) is a petrol-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on location and season.

However, in the UK at the petrol pumps the blend of petrol and ethanol is far lower at up to 10% which is labelled as E10 on the pumps, but also up to 5% which is labelled as E5 for older and performance vehicles that are unable to run on these higher fuel blends. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than petrol, which can often lead to a better engine performance. It’s also a cleaner-burning fuel, emitting fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) and pollutants than regular petrol alone.

HVO fuel

HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) is renewable fuel that like biodiesel is also made from vegetable oils and animal fats. It is produced through a process called hydrotreating, which removes impurities and produces a type of fuel that is chemically identical to fossil diesel. Allowing the majority of diesel engine vehicles to use it as a drop-in replacement, often without modification to the engine.

HVO fuel has a higher cetane number than conventional fossil diesel, meaning the time between the fuel being injected into the combustion chamber and the fuel igniting is minimised. This then leads to better engine performance and reduced emissions. It also has a significantly lower carbon footprint, when comparing it to fossil diesel, making it a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to fossil diesel.

HVO fuel can be produced from a wide range of feedstocks, including waste oils and animal fats, which reduces waste. As more governments, organisations and companies around the World commit to reducing their carbon emissions, HVO fuel is expected to play a more increasingly important role in the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a renewable fuel that is produced through the process of electrolysis, which separates water into hydrogen and oxygen. It is currently used in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) which are powered by hydrogen, which produces electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike other renewable fuels, hydrogen fuel cells emit only water and heat as by-products, making them a zero-emission technology.

When many people find this out, they often compare hydrogen-powered vehicles with electric-powered vehicles. In fact, the main benefit of hydrogen-powered vehicles is to do with their range which can be as much as 300 miles. This is compared to electric vehicles which often have ranges of around 200 miles, although some may exceed these on luxury electric vehicles which may also increase their range as far as 300 miles. However, cold weather can impact the batteries on electric vehicles, lowering their total range, something that isn’t the case with hydrogen which isn’t impacted by the weather.

When compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles are more efficient and produce no tailpipe emissions, since they only emit water vapour and warm air. However, the popularity of hydrogen fuel is fully reliant on both the availability and production of hydrogen and the vehicles capable of using it.

In the UK, the government’s hydrogen strategy requires production to reach 10GW by 2030. At least half of this is expected to come from low-carbon hydrogen production, with at least half of this coming from electrolytic hydrogen. By using renewable power to make hydrogen, will reduce electricity system costs but it has been reported that this could take up to around 50 per cent of the UK’s planned offshore wind capacity, according to projections.

Methane

Methane is a renewable fuel that is produced from organic waste, such as food scraps and animal manure, through a process called anaerobic digestion. It can be used as a fuel for vehicles and is predominantly used in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles when stored in vehicles tank in a gaseous form, or in liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles when stored in a vehicles tank in a liquid form. It can also be burned in the production of electricity.

One benefit methane has over fossil fuels is that it has a lower carbon footprint, which helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by capturing methane that would otherwise have been released straight into the atmosphere.

Natural gas vehicles that run on methane, whether it be CNG or LNG, should not be confused with autogas vehicles, which are instead powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is mainly made up of propane.

Other renewable energy sources

Beyond the renewable fuels which can be used in vehicles, there are a couple of notable renewable energy sources to mention which are expected to be used in order to help with the production of the renewable fuels that are being promoted for use as replacements for fossil fuels. Whether it be the manufacturing of HVO fuel or any of the other fuels here. Or even electricity for electric vehicles (EVs), the only way for governments to meet their climate targets will be to increase the electricity generation from renewable sources such as solar energy and wind energy.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can be used to generate clean electricity. Solar panels are used to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity through a process called photovoltaics. Solar energy is a clean, renewable source of energy that can be used to everything that uses electricity, from homes, businesses, and even entire communities.

However, in the UK and other northern European countries solar power is less useful due to the limited sunlight we’re exposed to on a daily basis. But for southern European countries and others that are less overcast will benefit from and utilise solar energy. 

For those old enough to remember, Casio calculators also utilised small solar panels to generate electricity to keep them powered.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is a renewable energy source that can also be used generate electricity through wind turbines which have become common place in locations across the UK. Wind turbines capture the energy from the wind and then convert this into electricity. Wind energy like solar energy, is another clean, renewable source of energy that can be used to power homes, businesses, and even entire communities.

Long before wind energy was used to generate electricity, wind power has been used to directly power machines and even ground wheat into flour, using windmills.

Conclusion

In conclusion, renewable fuels are an essential part of the move towards a sustainable future. They offer many benefits over traditional fossil fuels, including lower emissions, a lower carbon footprint, and a reduced environmental impact. The different types of renewable fuels offer a wide range of options for energy production, from biodiesel to wind energy. By embracing renewable fuels, we can help to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and create a cleaner, healthier world for future generations.