Increase on Biodiesel road fuel duty!

07/12/2006

 

As from midnight December 7th road fuel duty on Biodiesel went up by 1.25p per litre!

As a goodwill gesture to our loyal customers, we will not be passing on this increase - another case of small enterprises taking it on the chin for the government's short sightedness and lack of support for positive action to reduce carbon emissions.

This year alone Sundance has contributed to approx 90tonnes of carbon emissions savings from biodiesel production.  We have been practically self-financing with the only outside support coming from Environment Wales.  Faced with the need to expand our production in order to meet growing demand and to help us achieve financial sustainability - we approached Carbon Trust for a loan, but were turned down (Carbon Trust receives over £103million each year from public funds).

It Aint Easy Being Green.........

 

 

Materials Network Wales - Autumn 2006

Master Recycling Technology - Reaps Rewards for Welsh Companies

October 2006

 

Materials Network Wales explores the role played by the Materials Research Centre at Swansea University in recognising the important challenge presented by sustainability.

 

The article celebrates the success of several students who studied the Masters of Research (MRes) in Recycling Technology.  Jan Cliff, director of Sundance Renewables, is highlighted as one of these commended students:

 

Biodiesel from Recycled Oil

 

"Jan Cliff joined the M.Res course as a student in 2001, the first year of the scheme. Her project thesis entitled 'Feasibility of Small Scale Biodiesel Production from Used Vegetable Oil in Carmarthenshire, South Wales' led to the setting up of Sundance Renewables (Sustainable Energy Cooperative) Ltd, supported by an initial loan from Spin Out Wales. Further research and development work, including some collaborative MRes projects, culminated in October 2004 with the launch by Sundance of its biodiesel operation, which was the first community based biodiesel production plant in the UK. Since then it has been manufacturing biodiesel non-stop and has delivered over 200 tonnes of CO2 savings from approximately a million road miles and now supplies over 250 regular customers."

To view the article in full please click here.

 

 

Wales Council for Voluntary Action Case Study Sundance Projects

October 2006

The Wales Council for Voluntary Action have featured the following Sundance projects on their website:

• Windpower workshops - a pilot project run by Sundance to enthuse and educate young people about the wonders of wind power.  The course involved electrical, metalwork and carpentry skills, making moulds and awareness raising about sustainable development and renewable energy.

The WCVA report can be seen by clicking on the following link WCVA Case Studies and downloading case studies 11-17.

• Biodiesel - a community enterprise that recycles used vegetable oil from schools, businesses and councils and turns it into renewable bio diesel that can be used as a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.

The WCVA report can be seen by clicking on the following link WCVA Case Studies and downloading case studies 39-48.

 

 

Corus Helps Sundance

21/07/06

 

Corus has helped Sundance Renewables extend its commitment to recycling by providing equipment to recycle its steel drums more efficiently. Sundance Renewables, located in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, operates the first community-based biodiesel production plant in the UK. The company uses locally-sourced used vegetable oil from pubs, restaurants, chip shops and takeaways, to manufacture biodiesel which is used in as an alternative for normal diesel.

Committed to increasing renewable energy systems in Wales, Sundance Renewables was keen to also take an environmental approach to recycling the steel drums used to transport the vegetable oil to the plant. The company approached Corus Steel Packaging Recycling – the centre of expertise on steel can recycling – for advice on how it could recycle the 200 steel drums which arrive every week more efficiently.

Corus was able to supply Sundance Renewables with a small drum crusher and a 40 cubic yard container to store the crushed drums before being delivered to the Corus CanRoute centre at SimsMetal UK at Skewen which then transports the steel drums to the Corus steelplant in Port Talbot to be recycled.

Garvin Freeman, Corus Recycling Development Manager comments: “It was vitally important to Sundance Renewables that it was able recycle the steel drums. Due to the large quantity of steel drums the company uses, we suggested that it would be most effective if they were crushed on site and stored in a large container. By crushing the drums, the container can hold a greater number of steel drums, which reduces transport movements – which is good in terms of both costs and the environment.”

Source: www.corusgroup.com

 

 

Sundance Helps Set Up Local Biodiesel Filling Station for St. David's Eco-City Project

06/04/2006