America’s growers are ready and willing to produce biomass for advanced biofuels and biopower and have the land to do so according to a survey released by Ceres, Inc. The survey of U.S. growers showed that 71 percent of respondents were very interested or interested in growing dedicated energy crops. In addition, 77 percent of the respondents said they had …
Will The Lame Duck Session Create Mad Ducks?
DomesticFuel reporter Chuck Zimmerman recently had the opportunity to sit down with Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis and get an update on the state of the industry. This week, the lame duck session kicked off and this is a very important session for the biofuels industry as they are facing the expiration of several important tax provisions. “We’re hoping the …
OPEC Slams International Biomass Programs
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) slammed global biomass programs in its most recent oil report while at the same time raising oil demand forecasts for 2011. The organization was highly critical of global incentives designed to aid companies who are focused on developing biofuels from biomass and reducing the use of fossil-fuel based energy. In the report, …
Pennsylvania Awards $8M For Energy Projects
The federal government may be dragging its heels on passing energy tax incentives but at least several states are not. Earlier this week Iowa announced several awards for energy projects and now Pennsylvania is doing the same. Governor Edward Rendell, through the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant Program, has awarded 21 projects funds for a total just shy of $8 million. …
Sweet Sorghum for Ethanol Collaboration Announced
Two major organizations have announced that they will collaborate on key issues moving forward. The National Sorghum Producers (NSP) and the Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Association (SSEA) will begin working together to develop and expand the sweet sorghum industry. Sweet sorghum is currently a feedstock of interest for many researchers and companies in the quest to develop new feedstocks for biofuel …
Ethanol Industry Watches Closely As Lame Duck Session Kicks Off in DC
The lame duck session has kicked off in Washington and the ethanol industry continues to point out to legislators who are reviewing the ethanol and biodiesel tax credits, that the failure to renew these credits will cause thousands of biofuels workers to lose their jobs. The ethanol industry is scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday along with several …
Iowa Power Fund Awards Three Energy Projects
The Iowa Power Fund has awarded three energy projects in the state more than $4.2 million. The decisions were made yesterday during the board meeting which took place at Grand View University. When combined, the three projects will generate an additional $21 million in leveraged funds. To date, the Iowa Power Fund has awarded more than $47 million to 37 …
Duke Discovers Breakthough Gene for Grasses to Biofuels
Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) believes that it has altered a gene in perennial grasses to help them develop more robust roots speeding up the timeline for creating biofuels. According to Philip Benfey, the director of the IGSP Center for Systems Biology, says that perennial grasses for biofuels are advantageous because they can be harvested repeatedly. However, …
Oil to Run Dry Before Biofuels Run Freely
According to a new report by researchers at the University of California, Davis, at the current pace of research and development, global oil supplies will run out 90 years before replacement technologies are ready. The study was based on stock market expectations and was published in the journal of Environmental Science & Technology. The paper, “Future Sustainability Forecasting by Exchange …
What’s Next for Alternative Energy?
Many reports in the past year have come out and determined that alternative energy such as wind and solar will have a major impact by 2030. However, in a new report released today, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) says that the impact could happen sooner than others predict. “What’s Next for Alternative Energy?” examines seven influential and promising alternative energy …