Are Olives the Answer to Climate Change?

As we blogged yesterday some environmentalists are questioning the ecological impact of biofuels. Now it seems they are also questioning the latest “alternative energy” source in Spain: Olive pips.

Some 300 buildings in Madrid are now being powered by the embers of burning olive stones. One of the companies involved in the scheme, Calordom is very enthusiastic. Its boss, Juan Cabello argues: “The energy is 100 percent non-polluting, a kilo (2.2 pounds) of burnt olive cores, in reality wood compressed in a natural fashion, emits the same quantity of carbon gas as they would if you just left them to rot.”

Not everyone is impressed though. Sara Pizzinato from Greenpeace says that “the carbon gas emitted to produce this energy must not be greater than that which it is then going to emit and that the energy generated by this combustible (product) must be superior to the energy utilised in creating this combustible.”

I’m sure this debate about the ecological impact of alternative fuels will run and run.