Key Points
- Biofuels can take the form of bioethanol or biodiesel and can be made from a number of feedstocks including a range of arable crop plants. Major crops internationally are tropical plants, particularly sugarcane.
- Without government support, currently there are limited options for growers to produce crops dedicated for biofuels. Some by-products may provide viable options if new extraction technologies are developed.
- Crops such as oilseed rape will compete with vegetable seed production as a land use. Other crops such as maize have a low (1-2) energy ratio and thus high production costs.
- Options may exist for micro-scale production of biodiesel but may not meet EECA (Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority) biofuels standards and could invalidate vehicle warranties.
- At fuel prices of $65bbl, only production from whey and tallow are currently viable in New Zealand. Fuel prices of $120bbl are needed for most biofuel production options to be viable.