Biofuels – climate protectors cultivated in Germany

On land, on water and in the air: Biofuels can be used to drive combustion engines in cars, trucks, ships or airplanes. Apart from renewable electro-mobility, biofuels are indispensable for energy-efficient transport structures of the future – because even the most economic engine has to be fuelled. For cost and climate reasons, neither use of hydrogen nor a return to oil is realistic in the medium term.

In 2011, biofuels covered around 5.4 percent of German fuel consumption. With an annual consumption of 2.4 mio tonnes, in 2011 biodiesel accounted for the largest share of the German biofuel market, while 1.2 mio tonnes of bioethanol and only 19.000 tonnes of pure vegetable oil were sold. The production volume of biodiesel and pure vegetable oil has dropped over the last few years due to a change in the German renewable energy policy. Those biofuels are no longer exempt from the petroleum tax. The tax rate has gradually risen and will equal the fossil fuel level by January 2013. Biogas is suitable for unrestricted use as a fuel in natural gas cars. Synthetic biofuels (biomass to liquid, BtL), the so-called "second generation", are still in the research or pilot phase and are not yet freely available on the market. Biofuels offer different potential depending on their origin, cultivation and production methods.

Biofuel production in Germany 2011

	Production facilities	Production capacity	Consumption in Germany	Filling station network
Biodiesel	approx 49 refineries (50 % stopped production)	4.8 mln t	2.4 mln t	approx 1,900 for pure biodiesel (B100)
Vegetable oil	approx 274 decentralised oil mills		19.000 t	approx 250
Bioethanol	8 refineries	2007: 0.8 mln t	1.2 t	approx 250 for pure bioethanol (B85)

Source: UFOP/VDB (Association of German Biofuel Industry)