W4B Renewable Energy

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W4B Renewable Energy states that it is

a project management company specialising in renewable energy. It has spent three years researching the renewable energy market, working with both established groups and start up companies to develop business plans and raise funds to build bio fuel refineries and green electricity generators. W4B is now developing its own renewable energy business model that will invest in related projects involving bio fuel and green electricity production, feedstock sourcing, and waste to energy conversion.[1]

"Waste to energy conversion" refers to waste incineration. While some energy can be obtained from the process, waste incineration is a highly controversial process because of its history of pollution.

Application for biofuel power station in Dorset

Biofuelwatch reports that W4B Renewable Energy's original application for a biofuel power station in Portland, Dorset was rejected by Weymouth & Portland Council in September 2009, amidst concerns about the impact of biofuels in general and palm oil in particular on the climate, ecosystems, and communities in the global South, as well as concerns over air pollution and public health in nearby areas.

Biofuelwatch says that as of November 2009 W4B re-submitted plans for the Portland biofuel power station. It has not made material changes to the way the power station will operate. The re-submission simply presented more information to try to justify their original proposals.

According to Biofuelwatch, W4B still intends to use palm oil as a fuel. Biofuelwatch states:

More than 10,000 hectares of oil palm plantations would be required to supply this one power station, and even more land if other feedstock was used. W4B have mentioned jatropha as well as palm oil, yet jatropha is not yet commercially available, many plantings are failing, yet thousands of people have already lost their land and livelihood for jatropha plantations to feed Europe’s biofuel market. Peat expert Professor [Florian] Siegert of Munich University has said about palm oil power stations in Germany: “We were able to prove that the making of these plantations and the burning of the rainforests and peat areas emits many thousands of times as much CO2 as we then are able to prevent by using palm oil. And that is a disastrous balance for the climate.”[2]

Contact

Address: THE OLD BAKERY, HIGH STREET, PITTON, SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE SP5 1DQ
Phone:
Email:
Website:

Resources

Notes

  1. The Renewable Energy Market, W4B Renewable Energy website, accessed 9 Nov 2009
  2. Please object to a large biofuel power station in Portland, Dorset, Biofuelwatch website, accessed 9 Nov 2009