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n Africa: Although biofuel production levels in Africa remained
comparatively very low, the continent saw substantial growth
in ethanol production in 2015.
Biofuels saw continued advances in new markets and applications
during 2015. In Egypt, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands and the
United States, there were announcements of aviation biofuel
supply agreements or plans to integrate aviation biofuel into
future flights. 230 United Airlines became the first US airline
to move beyond demonstration to regular operations using
biofuels. 231 In addition, 2015 brought announcements of several
feedstock-related innovations for aviation fuels, including drop-in
fuels produced with woody biomass and efforts to convert
municipal solid waste (MSW) into jet fuel. 232 There also were
announcements of fully renewable transatlantic flights based on
a combination of algae-based biomass and solar energy, as well
as an around-the-world flight powered solely by solar PV. 233
Developments associated with gaseous fuels and electricity
continued to create pathways for integrating renewables into
transportation. The number of compressed natural gas (CNG)
vehicles and fuelling stations continued to expand in 2015 – with
notable development in the United States (which had reached
more than 900 CNG stations in early 2016), India, Iran and the
Netherlands – creating parallel opportunities for gaseous biofuels
such as biomethane. 234 Although biomethane production is
concentrated primarily in Europe, early steps were taken to
introduce the fuel in Latin America in 2015. For example, Brazil
set new specifications for the production and sale of biomethane
and launched its first biomethane-powered city bus. 235
Electrification of the transport sector expanded during the year,
enabling greater integration of renewable energy in the form of
electricity for trains, light rail, trams as well as two- and fourwheeled
electric vehicles.
The number of electric passenger vehicles (EVs) on the road
increased again in 2015; key markets are in China, Northern
Europe and the United States. Manufacturers announced several
new models of light-duty EVs with longer ranges (300 kilometres)
that are expected to be available at more-affordable prices in the
coming years. 236 The year 2015 also saw substantial developments
in R&D for electrification of heavy-duty vehicles, broadening the
scope beyond a focus almost exclusively on light-duty vehicles. 237
Exploration of methods to integrate renewable energy into
charging stations for electric cars expanded in 2015, although
many projects are pilot or demonstration and integration remains
relatively small-scale. Some companies also worked to expand
charging networks worldwide, including stations powered by solar
PV. 238 China launched its largest solar PV charging station in 2015
(capable of charging 80 EVs per day) and launched a pilot project
in Shanghai to test the ability of EVs to support the integration of
renewable energy into the electric grid. 239 Japan also announced
implementation of solar-powered recharging stations in 2015. 240
In the United States, innovators began demonstration of off-grid
100% solar carports for charging EVs – mobile charging stations
that fit in standard parking spaces. 241 For more-traditional, gridtied
charging stations, utilities in southern California began to
explore innovative incentives to encourage customers to charge
their vehicles when renewable energy is plentiful. 242
The year 2015 also brought progress towards integrating
renewable energy into EV charging infrastructure where markets
are smaller or nascent. In the Middle East, for example, Jordanian
officials signed letters of commitment to build 3,000 solarpowered
electric charging stations over the next decade. 243 In
the Pacific, plans were announced to test the concept of solarpowered
charging stations for a small fleet of electric cars in the
Marshall Islands. 244
In the shipping sector, integration of renewable energy stagnated
in 2015, inhibited by low oil prices, a lack of supportive policies
(very few national policies exist for renewables in shipping – the
Marshall Islands is one noteworthy exception) and international
regulation, and lock-in of shipping fleets. 245 Despite the lack of
progress in renewable energy deployment, R&D continued in
2015, with Korean innovation in wind energy-supported ships;
German developments of a 60-metre renewable-powered
research freighter; and several pilot projects of biomethane
application in ships that operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG). 246
In addition, developments in battery-powered ferries in Northern
Europe may enable further integration of renewable energy in the
form of electricity. 247
Several concrete strides were taken in the rail sector towards
achieving existing goals to supply increasing shares of
electricity demand with renewable energy, and new goals were
announced during the year. In the Netherlands, to build on its
goals established in 2014, the Dutch rail network completed a
contract to source wind energy to meet up to 100% of the power
needed to propel its trains by 2018; nearly half of the power for
the network was supplied by wind power in 2015. 248 In Australia,
Canberra announced a new light rail project that requires an
initial minimum of 10% renewables use, with a target to increase
the share to 90% by 2020 and New South Wales announced a
tender to supply the Sydney metro with renewable energy. 249
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