BEST Project final conference at the European Parliament

The aim of the four-year BioEthanol for Sustainable Transport (BEST) Project is to address the use of clean vehicles and fuels, focusing on bioethanol because of its good properties for wider use. BEST studied the use of bioethanol from economic, technical, social, environmental and sustainability perspectives. The project received significant praise from the European Commission for its work on bioethanol as a vehicle fuel and the wider use of flexible fuel vehicles and ethanol cars on the market. The BEST policy report illustrates the importance of high blends to achieve the target of 10% biofuels use in transport by 2020.

The final project BEST Conference was held at the European Parliament on 27 January, with Ian Bright from Somerset County Council participating in the conference in Brussels on this occasion. The Conference discussed 1) the role of Bioethanol in a future transport system, 2) if ethanol vehicles are realistic, sustainable and energy efficient alternatives, 3) the potential for sustainable production and 4) the political steps to be taken for example, incentives, custom tariffs and energy tax directives. BEST have found that bioethanol can substitute a significant part of the transport fuels, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% and be sustainably produced in Europe and many other countries. Cars, buses and pumps are already available and ethanol cars are more energy efficient with the potential to improve them further.

For more info, please contact Ian Bright.

(Graham Watson MEP, Ian Bright, Somerset County Council Renewable Energy Officer and Maruxa Cardama, SWUKBO Acting Director)