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Bradshaw and Biomass
Richard DouthwaiteFeasta, Foundation for the Economics of
Sustainability
Teagasc2030
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1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Number of seconds of work required to earn the money to buy a unit of electricity
Ways of making the journey
Crush or grind Ferment using yeast Break down using enzymes Digest using bacteria Hydrolyse Pyrolyse Catalyse Distil Reconstruct using algae
One possible journey
1. Grind up the grass 2. Extract the protein 3. Put residue in digester to get methane
along with sewage sludge and animal slurries, food waste etc
4. Treat the cellulose left, along with waste paper and wood waste, to turn it
into platform chemicals using the Biofine process
5. Grow algae on the remaining liquor 6. Recover nutrients using char 7. Return nutrients to the land
The drivers forcing changes in land use
* The prices of agricultural products will reflect their energy content.
* People will have to work much longer to earn enough to pay for their food.
* The higher prices relative to labour will allow more people to work the land or in agri-industries
* Crops will be grown to maximise energy gain. Energy Return on Energy Invested. (EROEI)
Land use patterns we can expect by 2030 – 1
* Perennials will have scored over annuals. Low-till and no-till will have displaced most traditional tillage.
* A lot of pasture land will have been converted to energy-plus crops because of the energy cost of producing meat. Plant protein will be eaten directly or via better converters like chickens
Land use patterns we can expect by 2030 – 2
* Farmers will receive tradable carbon permits for any increases in the amount of carbon they have sequestered in their land.
* Equally, if they fail to maintain the carbon content, they will have to buy emissions permits at the current rate.