Biofuels Policy and Future in Jordan
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Abstract
Jordan is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has very limited resources of fossil fuel such as natural gas and crude oil. The country is fast growing with a population growth rate of 1.8%. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Jordan reached USD 40.4 billion in 2015 with a population exceeding 9.96 million. Food and energy demands are increasing every year. Energy security and maintaining energy flow to meet the yearly demands are the biggest economic challenges facing Jordan. Renewable energies are the most vital solutions that provide energy security and accelerate economic growth. There are numerous studies and projects that focused on solar and wind power systems as an energy mix strategy. However, biomass to energy is not deeply explored in Jordan. Biofuel production from renewable biomass has a big potential for biogas and bioethanol production. The biofuels in Jordan can play significant roles in reducing dependency on imported oil and gas, and significantly reduce Jordan’s energy bill. The bioethanol utilization as a source of fuel can reduce the oil import bill by mixing it with classical gasoline. From a mechanical point of view, a normal car engine can handle up to 10% bioethanol blend without engine modifications. The bioethanol blend can save up to 200 kt of imported oil which will have a direct impact on the Jordanian economy. Jordan has a big biogas production potential despite the very humble projects for biogas production from renewable resources. The available resources for direct biogas production can replace about 5% of the total gas consumption for power generation. In this paper, we will discuss the right policy and mechanism to implement biofuel mix and blend which aims at reducing the energy bill.