Biofuel - why not grow your own?
Discussion
A hypothetical question to ponder:
Assuming I could get some land to grow stuff on (e.g. big allotment), could I realistically grow and process my own biofuel cheaper than forecourt prices?
I was thinking something like oilseed rape would be a good candidate (anyone know of a better one?) which would then need harvesting and processing to a point it would be suitable for a clanky old diesel.
How much land would I need to grow about 2000L worth a year in the north of England? How much processing would it need and can this be done 'in the shed'?
It would neatly sidestep fluctuating oil prices, taxation (tax free for first 2500L a year iirc), and be true zero net emission motoring (if you like that kind of thing).
As an afterthought are their any oil crops that have useful 'waste' products that could be sold on to make it more viable?
Assuming I could get some land to grow stuff on (e.g. big allotment), could I realistically grow and process my own biofuel cheaper than forecourt prices?
I was thinking something like oilseed rape would be a good candidate (anyone know of a better one?) which would then need harvesting and processing to a point it would be suitable for a clanky old diesel.
How much land would I need to grow about 2000L worth a year in the north of England? How much processing would it need and can this be done 'in the shed'?
It would neatly sidestep fluctuating oil prices, taxation (tax free for first 2500L a year iirc), and be true zero net emission motoring (if you like that kind of thing).
As an afterthought are their any oil crops that have useful 'waste' products that could be sold on to make it more viable?
You'd need a lot of land roughly 600 US gallons per acre from the very quick google i did, of course one answer would be for the gov to make farmers who leave land dormant and claim EU grants to leave it that way to grow the stuff that way it would affect the food supply as mutch but that's too complicated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunc...
This covers the tax change to make it free which as far as I can tell hasn't been revoked.
It's amazing the difference in googling 370-700 litres or 600 US gallons per acre
Wikipedia seems to suggest 102 US Gal / Acre for rapeseed but then in that article it also says 150 US gal / acre.
Assuming 4 acres is what is needed = 16,000 sqm = 126m x 126m. Hmm that's a BIG allotment.
Land price appears to be the killer. Nearish to me (Merseyside) it seems to be about 10K for 400sqm = £400K for 4 acres! That seems a bit steep. I suspect I don't need planning permission or certainly not in the same way as someone wanting to build houses. Might be able to get it a lot cheaper in that case.
A bit more reading suggests land not traditionally considered arable can be used for certain biofuel crops but their yield is lower. Might not be a problem if the land is considerably cheaper.
Whatever happened to the top gear fuel crop anyway?
This covers the tax change to make it free which as far as I can tell hasn't been revoked.
It's amazing the difference in googling 370-700 litres or 600 US gallons per acre
Wikipedia seems to suggest 102 US Gal / Acre for rapeseed but then in that article it also says 150 US gal / acre.
Assuming 4 acres is what is needed = 16,000 sqm = 126m x 126m. Hmm that's a BIG allotment.
Land price appears to be the killer. Nearish to me (Merseyside) it seems to be about 10K for 400sqm = £400K for 4 acres! That seems a bit steep. I suspect I don't need planning permission or certainly not in the same way as someone wanting to build houses. Might be able to get it a lot cheaper in that case.
A bit more reading suggests land not traditionally considered arable can be used for certain biofuel crops but their yield is lower. Might not be a problem if the land is considerably cheaper.
Whatever happened to the top gear fuel crop anyway?
cheadle hulme said:
You'd be better off growing food and using the money you save to buy petrol.
Bit more enjoyable too I imagine.
Already doing that in a limited capacity - anything that grows unsupported in the garden without dying I consider suitable for its environment and should be encouraged. So far only the rhubarb has taken Bit more enjoyable too I imagine.
Although delicious for a more balanced meal I need the sugar cane and custard plant worked out.
Additionally the OH is campaigning me for a chicken pen (an Egloo if anyone has heard of them) to rescue battery hens, which apparently start laying again if given reasonable treatment.
Lefty said:
That land price quoted above surely isn't for agricultutal land?
Up here it's £3k-5k per acre.
No its not. I couldn't find prices for agricultural land.Up here it's £3k-5k per acre.
£20K for my own indefinite fuel supply does sound more in the realms of sensible.
The more I think about it the more I need to convince the OH we need to buy a farm. Loads of space for her chickens or whatever animal needs rescuing at that point in time (cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, sheep etc), loads of space for growing fuel and
loads of space to store cars 
NHK244V said:
You'd need a lot of land roughly 600 US gallons per acre from the very quick google i did, of course one answer would be for the gov to make farmers who leave land dormant and claim EU grants to leave it that way to grow the stuff that way it would affect the food supply as mutch but that's too complicated.
You can't grow crops on land all the time, it has to rest every few years, that's why land is left dormant. And that's before you get into biodiversity etc.
Lefty said:
And agri land lets you get a holding certificate which lets you buy red diesel, build workshops (garages) etc without planning permission etc.
And you can have a dirt track going round the outside of your fields for a farm racer.
DO IT!
this arguement sounds rather convincing tbh.... DOOOOOOOO ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTAnd you can have a dirt track going round the outside of your fields for a farm racer.
DO IT!
Something to do with quality for arable use.
Do you need 18 acres? That's a reasonable sized field, 72,000m2 (270m x 270m)
I don't know how agri land price varies by region tbh, up here 5k/acre is top-dollar. My mate just bought 5 acres of rough grassland, suitable for grazing, for less than £10k.
Do you need 18 acres? That's a reasonable sized field, 72,000m2 (270m x 270m)
I don't know how agri land price varies by region tbh, up here 5k/acre is top-dollar. My mate just bought 5 acres of rough grassland, suitable for grazing, for less than £10k.
Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff