Characteristics of alternative fuel supply

For the calculation of WTW energy requirements and GHG emissions we have made the simplification that the fuel consumption of a vehicle fuelled with ethanol (e.g., E85) is the same as that of a vehicle fuelled with pure gasoline. Methanol is used in fuel cell vehicles with on-board fuel processors. Table 7.2 shows the properties of different transportation fuels. 

In the case of biomass-derived fuels, the C02 emitted by carbon-containing fuels is absorbed from the atmosphere during the growth of the plants. As a result, the combustion of biomass-derived fuels is assumed to be C02 neutral at a global scale. 

The use of oil sands and tars to produce liquid fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) is part of today s non-conventional oil business and, hence, has not been considered here as a fuel alternative for a future mostly renewable-based energy system (for details see Chapter 3). 

The alternative fuels discussed in the following are benchmarked against gasoline and diesel from conventional crude oil. The energy requirement and GHG emissions for the supply of gasoline and diesel include the extraction of crude oil, transport to a refinery in the EU and distribution of the final fuels. The energy requirement for crude oil extraction is assumed with 1.025 MJ/MJ crude oil, and for related C02 emissions with 3.3 g/MJ. 

The gasoline and diesel are transported to a depot via ship, train and pipeline. From the depot, the gasoline and diesel are transported to the filling station via truck. 

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