DCU Conference calls for a major investment in Alternative Fuel
Thursday 7 September 2006

Checking the operation of an ultrafiltration column used in the processing of cheese whey for bioethanol production

DCU scientist, Dr Abdul Olabi, called on the Government to commit to a major investment in alternative fuel and inform the public on sustainable alternatives to petrol and diesel.

Dr Olabi was speaking at a conference on Alternative Fuels in Dublin City University today. The conference will be addressed by International and Irish scientists over two days and will discuss alternative fuels.

A Japanese scientist will discuss the merits of how ethanol, produced from sugar beet and sugar cane, can reduce the smoke and emissions from cars run on bio-diesel.

DCU is already actively engaged in a wide variety of research in biofuels, wind and wave electricity generation, and it considers the efficient use of energy as important as the generation of energy.

Dr Mike Hopkins, who is leading and co-ordinating the development of sustainable energy in DCU, pointed out that the Government has set ambitious targets in the roll out of wind energy. However, greater attention needs to be paid to the energy consumption of SUVs and other high-powered vehicles.

“If one out of ten people buy a SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) rather than a standard 1800cc car then the extra oil required to run them is more than wind-power and hydro-electricity together can save, ”he said.

“All the government departments must work together to develop a coherent and well planned reduction in our oil dependency.”

Dublin City University is committed to developing technology that will produce a range of sustainable energy systems that are specific to the Irish location and climate.

Dr Hopkins said “the impending release of the Green paper from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources must reflect the importance of research and the role of Universities in changing our dangerous habit of burning fossil fuels.”