More French Ski Resorts Switch To Bio-Fuelled Groomers
More French Ski Resorts Switch To Bio-Fuelled Groomers
Published : 23-Sep-2024 04:48
More French ski areas will switch their piste bashers to operate on biofuel this winter.
Peyragudes in the Pyrenees is one of those announcing the switch to further reduce its carbon footprint with SEMVAL, the company operating the Valmeinier ski area in the French Alps making the same announcement.
The resorts will move all their piste grooming vehicles and snow-clearing machines to operate on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biofuel instead of the GNR (off-road fuel) used until now.
Made from sustainable vegetable oils or reprocessed waste (grease, cooking oil, etc.), HVO, derived from renewable raw materials, greatly reduces the impact on the environment. In addition, emissions of polluting particles such as nitrogen oxides and fine particles are reduced by 30%.
By switching all piste grooming vehicles and snow-clearing machines to HVO, Peyragudes will reduce the carbon impact of each day's skiing by 62%.
The resorts joins Europe's largest ski area operator, the Compagnie des Alpes, which, after a successful trial run in Les Arcs and La Plagne, extended the use of biofuel to their entire fleet of piste grooming vehicles from the 2022-2023 season.
Grooming machinery is one of the greatest contributes to CO2 emissions at ski areas and more difficult to migrate away from than a green electricity switch for lifts and snowmaking equipment.
All-electric and hybrid grooming tractors have been launched by a number of manufacturers but so far do not have the kind of operating hours required for a full night shift due to limited battery life.
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