2011 was a pivotal year for the Domestic Fuel industry. The renewal of the biodiesel tax incentive at the end of 2010 led to record production this year and a renewed optimism for the industry. Meanwhile, the ethanol industry saw the approval of E15 in newer vehicles at the beginning of the year, although it has yet to make it …
Iowa Biodiesel Production Sets Record in 2011
2010 was a tough year for Iowa’s biodiesel producers, but the industry roared back to life in 2011 and set a new production record. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), ten of Iowa’s 13 biodiesel plants operated during 2011 and produced a combined 169 million gallons. With plants restarting throughout the year, the rate of biodiesel production in …
ESA Renewables Enters Four Solar O&M Agreements
ESA Renewables, (ESA), a leading turnkey solar solutions provider, has entered into separate multi-year operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts with four solar farms in North Carolina. The four O&M agreements are with: -The Murphy Solar Farm, which is approximately eight acres in size and consists of 4,298 ground-mounted solar panels. The solar installation is located on the grounds of the …
Federal Judge Finds California LCFS Unconstitutional
A Federal District Court judge in Fresno, California has sided with America’s ethanol industry in ruling that the State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and is therefore unconstitutional. In a joint statement, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis said: “The state of …
Record Biodiesel Production Continues
Nearly 108 million gallons of biomass-based diesel were sold during the month of November, continuing a record year of production, according to figures released by the EPA. Biodiesel makes up the vast majority of the EPA’s biomass-based diesel category under the Renewable Fuel Standard program, representing about 95 percent of the volume this year. In a news release from the …
GROWMARK Streamlines Energy Delivery
GROWMARK and FS Energy have given a whole new meaning to energy efficiency with the wireless Energy Business System (wEBS) which has streamlined their fuel delivery system. GROWMARK Information Management Solutions director Keith Milburn says wEBS was developed as a fuel billing solution that makes the record keeping process easier by providing instantaneous information such as fuel type, tank sizes, …
EPA Lowers Cellulosic Ethanol Target
Cellulosic ethanol continues to be out of reach for commercial use, according to the latest Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency for 2012. “EPA has essentially reduced the mandate for cellulosic, recognizing the fact that there aren’t supplies out there to meet it,” said USDA chief economist Joe Glauber. Back in 2007, Congress set a …
What Do You Think Is Biggest Ag Story Of 2011
It looks like beef wins in our latest ZimmPoll. We asked the question, “What is your Christmas/Holiday dinner entree?” Beef got 34% of the vote followed by Pork – Ham/Other cut at 27%, then Turkey at 24%, then Lobster and Wild game each got 7% and Fish at 1%. I guess you normally only have one at a time but …
New Research Could Lead to Cheaper Fuel Cells
Fuel cells can create electricity that produces very little or even no pollution. In the future, fuel cells are expected to power electric vehicles and replace batteries, among other things. However, fuel cells are expensive. Now researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed a new and significantly cheaper method of manufacturing fuel cells. Using atomic layer deposition (ALD), the …
Iowa Ethanol Production Up in 2011
Iowa’s ethanol production increased slightly this year; however, the rate of annual growth slowed as the domestic E10 market became saturated, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Iowa has 41 ethanol refineries that produced 3.7 billion gallons in 2011, up from 3.5 billion gallons in 2010. This represents 27 percent of the estimated 13.8 billion gallons of nationwide ethanol …