Talking Energy Talk
Renewable Fuels Standard
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A renewable fuels standard (RFS) is a government requirement to blend renewable fuels such as ethanol or biodiesel into fuels that are sold to customers, like gasoline and diesel.
Beginning in April, Alberta’s RFS will require five per cent ethanol content in gasoline sold in the province and two per cent renewable content in diesel.
Renewable fuels used to meet the RFS must demonstrate at least 25 per cent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the equivalent petroleum fuel.
The RFS is expected to reduce GHG emissions by about one million tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking 260,000 vehicles off Alberta’s roads each year.
The government says the use of advanced chemical and biological processes to create biofuels will lead to further reductions in GHG emissions, due to processes that improve efficiency and yield.
All gasoline vehicles made since the early 1980s can use gasoline that contains ethanol. All major vehicle manufacturers approve the use of up to 10 per cent ethanol in their warranties.
Alberta’s RFS comes on the heels of one enacted by the federal government last year. Ottawa’s RFS of five per cent ethanol content in gasoline came into effect on Dec. 15. This adds nearly two billion litres of renewable fuels into the country’s gasoline pool each year. A start date for the two per cent renewable content in diesel has not yet been set by the federal government, although it has committed to implementing it in 2011.
