Increase on Biodiesel road fuel duty!

07/12/2006

 

As from midnight December 7th road fuel duty on Biodiesel went up by 1.25p per litre!

As a goodwill gesture to our loyal customers, we will not be passing on this increase - another case of small enterprises taking it on the chin for the government's short sightedness and lack of support for positive action to reduce carbon emissions.

This year alone Sundance has contributed to approx 90tonnes of carbon emissions savings from biodiesel production.  We have been practically self-financing with the only outside support coming from Environment Wales.  Faced with the need to expand our production in order to meet growing demand and to help us achieve financial sustainability - we approached Carbon Trust for a loan, but were turned down (Carbon Trust receives over £103million each year from public funds).

It Aint Easy Being Green.........

 

 

Materials Network Wales - Autumn 2006

Master Recycling Technology - Reaps Rewards for Welsh Companies

October 2006

 

Materials Network Wales explores the role played by the Materials Research Centre at Swansea University in recognising the important challenge presented by sustainability.

 

The article celebrates the success of several students who studied the Masters of Research (MRes) in Recycling Technology.  Jan Cliff, director of Sundance Renewables, is highlighted as one of these commended students:

 

Biodiesel from Recycled Oil

 

"Jan Cliff joined the M.Res course as a student in 2001, the first year of the scheme. Her project thesis entitled 'Feasibility of Small Scale Biodiesel Production from Used Vegetable Oil in Carmarthenshire, South Wales' led to the setting up of Sundance Renewables (Sustainable Energy Cooperative) Ltd, supported by an initial loan from Spin Out Wales. Further research and development work, including some collaborative MRes projects, culminated in October 2004 with the launch by Sundance of its biodiesel operation, which was the first community based biodiesel production plant in the UK. Since then it has been manufacturing biodiesel non-stop and has delivered over 200 tonnes of CO2 savings from approximately a million road miles and now supplies over 250 regular customers."

To view the article in full please click here.

 

 

Wales Council for Voluntary Action Case Study Sundance Projects

October 2006

The Wales Council for Voluntary Action have featured the following Sundance projects on their website:

• Windpower workshops - a pilot project run by Sundance to enthuse and educate young people about the wonders of wind power.  The course involved electrical, metalwork and carpentry skills, making moulds and awareness raising about sustainable development and renewable energy.

The WCVA report can be seen by clicking on the following link WCVA Case Studies and downloading case studies 11-17.

• Biodiesel - a community enterprise that recycles used vegetable oil from schools, businesses and councils and turns it into renewable bio diesel that can be used as a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.

The WCVA report can be seen by clicking on the following link WCVA Case Studies and downloading case studies 39-48.

 

 

Corus Helps Sundance

21/07/06

 

Corus has helped Sundance Renewables extend its commitment to recycling by providing equipment to recycle its steel drums more efficiently. Sundance Renewables, located in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, operates the first community-based biodiesel production plant in the UK. The company uses locally-sourced used vegetable oil from pubs, restaurants, chip shops and takeaways, to manufacture biodiesel which is used in as an alternative for normal diesel.

Committed to increasing renewable energy systems in Wales, Sundance Renewables was keen to also take an environmental approach to recycling the steel drums used to transport the vegetable oil to the plant. The company approached Corus Steel Packaging Recycling – the centre of expertise on steel can recycling – for advice on how it could recycle the 200 steel drums which arrive every week more efficiently.

Corus was able to supply Sundance Renewables with a small drum crusher and a 40 cubic yard container to store the crushed drums before being delivered to the Corus CanRoute centre at SimsMetal UK at Skewen which then transports the steel drums to the Corus steelplant in Port Talbot to be recycled.

Garvin Freeman, Corus Recycling Development Manager comments: “It was vitally important to Sundance Renewables that it was able recycle the steel drums. Due to the large quantity of steel drums the company uses, we suggested that it would be most effective if they were crushed on site and stored in a large container. By crushing the drums, the container can hold a greater number of steel drums, which reduces transport movements – which is good in terms of both costs and the environment.”

Source: www.corusgroup.com

 

 

Eco City Biodiesel Filling Station Arrives in St. David’s

06/04/2006

 

Disclaimer :  the fuel currently being sold from this pump is no longer Sundance Biodiesel and we bear no responsibility for any complaints regarding vehicle performance

 

Source: http://www.tyf.com/?c=read-press&id=29&year=2006

The St. David’s Eco City project has installed a new community biodiesel filling station at Trehenlliw in St. David’s, so that local people can start using eco-friendly biodiesel made from recycled vegetable cooking oil.

The biodiesel, which is now available to anyone who joins the Eco City Biodiesel Club, is supplied by Sundance Renewables of Ammanford - a not-for-profit workers’ cooperative. The fuel is as biodegradable as sugar, less toxic than salt and produces far less directly harmful pollution than normal ‘mineral’ diesel - like soot particles that can harm human health, and sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain.

Increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are causing damaging climate change - one of the greatest environmental threats facing the planet. When you run your vehicle on ordinary ‘mineral’ diesel, you increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because you are releasing carbon dioxide from carbon that was locked away, in oil, hundreds of millions of years ago.

However, when you use Sundance’s biodiesel you barely increase the overall amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and reduce your contribution to climate change. The crops grown to produce vegetable oil, used in the biodiesel, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is then soon released back into the atmosphere when you use the biodiesel.

“Switching to biodiesel will really help protect the planet and reduce the amount of climate-change-causing carbon dioxide being released. Climate change is probably the greatest environmental threat facing mankind, so we need to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions as much as we possibly can,” said Julian Orchard, project manager at St. David’s Eco City.

“Because it’s an environmentally friendly fuel, our biodiesel provides owners of diesel vehicles with the opportunity to switch from ordinary diesel - slashing their contribution to climate change,” said Jan Cliff, founder and Director of Sundance Renewables.

“And biodiesel prices are already competing with ordinary diesel prices - we expect that the average cost of biodiesel will soon fall below the average cost of ordinary mineral diesel,” she added.

Climate change is already causing droughts, rising sea levels and damage to wildlife habitats. Mankind’s main contribution to climate change is the carbon dioxide that is produced when fossil fuels such as oil (from which normal mineral diesel is made), coal and natural gas are burnt.

The St. David’s Eco City project, which is supported by The National Lottery, aims to help St. David’s reduce its carbon emissions and become the first carbon-neutral city in the world.

Making biodiesel available to the community is just one of the many initiatives being taken by the project, which is directed by several local people together with organisations such as The TYF Group Ltd., West Wales Eco Centre, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and CCW. It is hoped that other cities and communities will follow the example set by St. Davids.

For further information about biodiesel, or to find out about joining the Eco City Biodiesel Club, please e-mail [email protected]. Visit www.eco-city.co.uk to find out more about the St. David’s Eco City project.

ENDS

Please note that the St. David's Eco City project is not run by The TYF Group Ltd., though we do support it on an ongoing basis!



Notes For Editors:

Biodiesel Information from Sundance Renewables - www.sundancerenewables.org.uk
Sundance’s Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oil, derived from plants (bio), and suitable for use in diesel vehicles - hence the name biodiesel. It is a stable fuel, performs reliably in all diesel engines, cuts emissions, can be mixed with normal ‘mineral’ diesel, and is safe to handle. It is as biodegradable as sugar and less toxic than salt and will work with all diesel storage and pumping stations. Sundance’s biodiesel is essentially carbon-neutral and with lower emissions than normal diesel. But please always check with the vehicle manufacturer before using biodiesel.

The recycled vegetable cooking oil, which Sundance Renewables uses to make biodiesel, is mainly collected from pubs, clubs and chip shops.

Sundance Renewables is a not-for-profit social enterprise, organised as a workers cooperative and committed to increasing renewable energy systems in Wales. We help community regeneration through a sustainable approach and intend for any surplus profits to be used to support other community renewable
energy projects. Sundance Renewables set up the first community based biodiesel production plant in the UK

Due to the wide variety of vehicles/engines and operating conditions, Sundance Renewables cannot be held responsible for any issues raised by the use of any of the fuels provided by us. We provide 100% biodiesel in containers and it is the responsibility of our customers to determine what mix of Biodiesel: DERV to use.

We endeavour to provide fuels to the highest specifications, and undergo ongoing testing to the relevant standards. A copy of the Testing Data can be made available on request. As in common with all fuel suppliers such as filling stations etc, we cannot be held responsible for any problems of any nature or any liability whatsoever resulting from the use of our fuels.

Some History and Facts:

-Professor Rudolf Diesel who invented the diesel engine ran it on peanut oil. Biodiesel can now be made from used or new vegetable oil. Using the fuel has several environmental advantages over conventional diesel.
-Carbon dioxide produced in burning the fuel is to a large extent offset by that absorbed by the growing plant used to produce the oil. As the carbon is already in the system, Sundance’s biodiesel can be said to be largely carbon neutral. Unlike fossil fuels, it barely contributes to a net increase in greenhouse gas CO2 often blamed for global warming.
-Normal mineral diesel, by contrast, is highly toxic and does not readily degrade.
-Sundance’s biodiesel is produced locally - reducing distribution and transport costs and providing security of supply as well as retaining wealth in the local economy.
-Sundance’s biodiesel is far less dangerous to store and transport than ordinary mineral diesel because it is non toxic and readily biodegradable, and has a much higher flash point.

Further Biodiesel Information:

The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulphur oxides and sulphates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to ordinary diesel. The use of biodiesel results in a substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons. (from www.biodiesel.org - US Web site)

Biodiesel reduces nearly all forms of air pollution compared to normal mineral diesel. Most importantly, biodiesel reduces air toxics and cancer-causing compounds, and will also reduce the soot associated with diesel exhaust. (from www.breathablebus.org - US Web site)

St. David’s Eco City - from www.eco-city.co.uk
We aim to make St Davids the first carbon neutral city in the world and to demonstrate how we can all help reduce the environmental damage caused by climate change. Examples of renewable energy technology and biodiversity can be seen on the eco trail around the city.

What is St. David’s Eco City?
Like many of the best things that happen, the St. David’s Eco City project started out when a group of highly motivated local people decided do something that would make a difference in addressing the causes of global warming.

Although there are so many things that need action, the unique position of St. David’s as the spiritual and adventure capital of Wales and its status as Britain’s smallest city steered the group’s thinking, and we decided to focus our efforts on two main themes:
-Start the journey towards making St. David’s the world’s first carbon neutral® city, and in doing so, prove that it’s possible to be gentle on the planet without compromising community.
-Educate and motivate both local residents and as many of the city’s 500,000 visitors as possible to play their own role in reducing their carbon footprint through specific projects that address energy, local food, transport and -

To make these two things happen, the group decided that increasing awareness of the reason for change and potential solutions was critically important, and to make this happen, committed to creating a special Eco Trail that would link up specific sites around the community that demonstrated good use of environmental technology, or represented important habitats that needed preserving.

In addition, the Eco City Group has been busy over the last two years and has:

-Successfully applied for a £114,000 grant from the Big Lottery’s Transforming your Space fund to develop the Eco Trail
-Appointed a part time project manager to manage the different elements of developing the Eco Trail
-Commissioned a feasibility study into the supply of biodiesel for local and visiting motorists to reduce CO2 emissions from driving.
-Conducted a survey of energy use in local households, to be followed by work helping households reduce energy use installing things like low energy light bulbs and improved insulation.
-Been Working with the County Council, National Park and National Trust to install renewable technology equipment on local buildings such as solar water heating, solar electricity generation, rainwater harvesting and water conservation techniques.
-Supported Tidal Hydraulic Generator Ltd.’s efforts to attract grants to investigate the feasibility of installing a tidal turbine in Ramsey Sound that could provide St. David’s with 100% renewable electricity.

 

 

Sundance Helps Set Up Local Biodiesel Filling Station for St. David's Eco-City Project

06/04/2006