2008 could be an even better year than 2007 for the ethanol industry. That’s the outlook of Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen. In the first “Ethanol Report” podcast for 2008, Dinneen gazes into his crystal ball and sees blue skies and big challenges for the ethanol industry this year. “I think we will continue to see dramatic growth in …
Ethanol Pioneer Dies
One of the original ethanol visionaries has passed away, but the plant he helped to build in 1984 continues to operate. The Washington Post today published the obituary of Donald Evans, a Washington area lawyer and “70s ethanol pioneer,” as the headline reads. In 1980, he and other partners formed New Energy Inc. of Indiana to build a $185 million …
POET Opens First Ohio Plant
POET hosted a grand opening ceremony Thursday for their 22nd ethanol production facility and the first in the state of Ohio. Some 3,000 people attended the opening of POET Biorefining – Leipsic, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio Congressman Bob Latta and Mike Wagner, Executive Director for the Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association. “The State of Ohio is excited to partner …
Detroit Auto Show Featuring Green-Fueled Vehicles
The 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit will feature vehicles using a variety of green fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen, and fuel cells. This story from The Auto Channel says when the public comes in to the annual gathering on January 19th-27th, 2008, they’ll see more clean fuels more than ever before: Going green is no longer a …
McCain’s & Clinton’s Alternative Energy Stands
Last week after Sen. Barack Obama and former Arkansas Mike Huckabee posted wins in the Iowa caucuses, I posted their renewable energy stances from their web sites. Now, as it looks like Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain have posted wins in their respective Democratic and Republican primaries in New Hampshire, I wanted to give you their stands on alternative …
Good News Network
Not all the news out there about ethanol is negative, even though it sometimes seems that way. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council has started a new e-newsletter to spread the good press that ethanol is getting. The “Ethanol Good News Network” communication is sent out twice weekly on Monday and Friday afternoons. EPIC members are automatically subscribed.
Ethanol Production Moves Full Steam Ahead
The latest technology for producing ethanol is getting steamy. Literally. A new patent means more environmentally-friendly production of ethanol. Interstate Power and Light Company, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation, and AE&E – Von Roll, Inc., a technology provider of steam generating systems using renewable, waste and conventional fuels, have together patented(*) a technology application that helps ethanol plants run …
Study: Switchgrass Better Ethanol Producer than Expected
A long-term study in the Midwest shows that switchgrass is a better feedstock for ethanol than previously thought. This AFP story says the trial showed that native North American prairie grass could produce a whopping 540 percent more renewable energy than what it takes to produce the ethanol: Previous estimates, based on small scale research plots, suggested the grass would …
E States Number 28
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) state branding program has added another three states to the list of those that have approved the “e” label for ethanol at the pump. Maine, Mississippi and Wisconsin are the latest to approve the pump label, a project EPIC has been working on for just about a year now. The map shows all …
Melon Fuel Still in Development
The National Watermelon Association is still working on making fuel from melons. Executive Director Bob Morrissey says they still believe there is a future in the idea, which we first reported on here in September 2006. “We still have to do some homework on the logistics portion and the economics portion,” he said. “Our initial idea is to get a …