Lighting up EURO 2016 with cooking oil

lighting-up-euro

Cooking oil is set to illuminate the Euro 2016 via the Irish startup Greentech Biofuels, which has partnered with Ondaine Agri and the city of Saint-Étienne to illuminate the Stade Geoffroy Guichard, the football stadium in St Etienne.

The principle is very simple: a biofuel is produced from cooking oil which is collected from restaurants and area businesses by Ondaine Agro. This biofuel is then used to produce electricity and light the stadium!

Greentech Biofuels recycles cooking oil through a process called esterification, which uses little energy and does not consume water, therefore avoiding the necessity of carrying out wastewater treatment. Greentech estimate that they can produce approximately 1500 litres of B100 biofuel in 8 hours.

B100 signifies that the resulting mixture is 100% composed of biofuel. Conversely, a B20 biofuel comprises 20% biofuel and 80% diesel.

And in a curious, and welcome, case of circular logic, the existing system can be powered by a generator … powered by the biofuel in question! This has the added bonus of meaning that the system is totally self-sufficient.

The four matches of the Euro 2016 taking place at the Geoffroy Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne (on the 14th, 17th, 20th and 25th of June) will therefore be lit using this device, which accounts for 30% of the energy mix.

biofuel-cooking-oil

Antoine Gianina, who represents the company in France, described the installation process for the device, saying:

“This project will be very exciting for all those involved: Euro 2016 is broadcast around the world, and this is an excellent opportunity for Greentech and for the city of Saint-Étienne to show that biofuel is a viable alternative to traditional energies.

We are also proud to demonstrate that collaboration between Irish and French companies may be interesting for both parties, and productive for everyone involved.”

The company Greentech Biofuels has benefited from financial helped from Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency responsible for helping Irish start-ups to export and grow internationally. The company hopes that the success of the Euro 2016 project will soon lead to the creation of jobs in Ireland and in France.

Photo Copyright: Saint-Etienne Métropole / Hubert Genouilhac / PhotUpDesign

Author: greentechjournal

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