Sleeping Biofuels Giant

Cindy Zimmerman

NAFAThe National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance recently conducted its first Renewable Fuels Summit, “Bioenergy Systems: Alfalfa the Sleeping Giant,” in Washington D.C.

The August 8 event, which had more than 80 registered attendees, included presentations on cellulosic ethanol, alfalfa as a green biomass alternative, the role of corn-alfalfa rotation in bioenergy systems, and more. Speakers also focused on United States Department of Agriculture research and development, as well as legislative updates.

NKNK Seeds, a business unit of Syngenta Seeds, Inc., was one of the event’s sponsors. Joe Waldo, NK alfalfa product manager with Syngenta Seeds said, “While many do not think of alfalfa as a potential source of fuel, the summit explored the role alfalfa can play in the biofuels industry, which is why we were proud to be an event sponsor.”

Summit proceedings can be ordered from the NAFA website. There is also a good article on the topic in this month’s Ethanol Producer Magazine.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Ethanol Demand Hits Record in June

Cindy Zimmerman

RFAAccording to the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol demand moved higher in June, to a new all-time record of 443,000 barrels per day (b/d). For the first six months of the year, ethanol demand is averaging 420,000 b/d.

Ethanol production also edged higher in June, though continuing to trail the ethanol demand. U.S. ethanol producers added 418,000 b/d of ethanol supply to the tight U.S. gasoline market, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the first six months of the year, ethanol production has averaged 393,000 b/d, producing just under three billion gallons of ethanol.

Ethanol, News, RFA

Senator Tours POET Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

POETThe Associated Press has a feature on South Dakota ethanol producer POET this week, focusing on the company’s ethanol research that “should allow it to squeeze 27 percent more fuel from each acre of the crop.”

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who toured the company’s headquarters and research lab last week, said there is only so much ethanol that can be made from corn starch.

“It’s just a way of moving on to have further independence from foreign sources of energy,” he said. “It’s a way of doing more to clean up the environment, and it’s obviously going to put money in farmers’ pockets.”

With the help of a Department of Energy grant, Poet plans to convert its Emmetsburg, Iowa plant into one of the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plants, using corn stover as well as corn kernels, which would produce more ethanol per acre of corn.

Ethanol, News, Research

Biofuels Forum in Vegas

Cindy Zimmerman

AFViThe Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute’s “Biofuels Drive Economic Solutions Forum” in Las Vegas this month will feature an automotive journalist and an energy expert as keynote speakers.

According to an AFVi news release, Michael Caudill, automotive journalist for KTLA in Los Angeles, and expert on the vehicle marketplace kicks off the morning with his insightful automotive forecast. Nationally recognized energy icon, David Freeman is the keynote lunch speaker.

The Forum focus is on biodiesel and E85 and is designed as part of AFVi’s Learning Marketplace to introduce fleets and other decision-makers to a wide range of information on the fuels, the vehicles, and available incentives. Supporting sponsors for the event are the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

The Forum runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 20 at The Orleans in Las Vegas. Registration is $199 and available on-line here.

Biodiesel, conferences, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Flying Electric Generators Could One Day Fill Skies

John Davis

A U.S. company might have found a way to optimize wind energy harvests. Officials with Sky WindPower Corporation believe that by elevating their wind generators to high altitudes, they can harvest the energy of the much stronger high-altitude winds.

FEGThis story from CNN.com says the picture on the right is an artist’s rendering of what such a generator would look like:

And the madcap gadget that might just provide a solution? A helicopter that doubles as a wind turbine. Or, to give it its technical name, a FEG (Flying Electric Generator).

The brainchild of Australian engineering specialist Professor Bryan Roberts, the FEG is being developed by San Diego-based company SkyWindPower.

The guiding principle of the FEG is that wind speed and constancy are far greater at high altitude than they are on the ground, especially in the two major jet streams – the Sub-Tropical Jet and the Polar Front Jet – that exist in each hemisphere (at around 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude respectively).

A turbine at great height, so the theory goes, can generate far more power than a similar turbine at or near ground level. It has been estimated that capturing just one percent of the available energy of these high altitude winds would meet the electricity needs of the entire planet.

Company officials believe the high-flying generators could produce 20 megawatts of electricity… compared to just five megawatts for the average for more land-based wind turbines now.

Wind

Bike-friendly, Pet-friendly Bus Line Getting More Earth-friendly

John Davis

Shared Ride BusIn an effort to get back on the road, Shared Route… a colorful, biodiesel bus that runs between Portland, Oregon and Olympia and Seattle, Washington… will run on vegetable oil.

This blog post in the Seattle (WA) Post-Intelligencer says the bus service known for its welcoming arms to bikes and pets… as well as the human passengers… has been suspended for a while until this latest idea to run it more efficiently came up:

Shared Route logoCompany director Jacob Rosenblum has decided to cut costs by a third. He’ll do it by converting the bus to run on vegetable oil.

A vegetable oil tank with related equipment and insurance, totaling $5,000, are needed to keep Shared Route on the road, according to the company’s media release.

Shared Route says its friendly atmosphere has won it dozens of devotees, who are hoping the bus will get its wheels back on I-5 very soon.

Biodiesel

Navistar Wins Blue Sky Award

John Davis

Navistar Blue Sky AwardIllinois-based Navistar International Corporation, the maker of diesel hybrid school buses and trucks, has won the prestigious 2007 Blue Sky Award from WestStart-CALSTART, the nation’s leading advanced transportation technologies consortium. Navistar was recognized for its contributions to commercial hybrid-diesel technology.

This press release from the company says Navistar officials will be on hand for the award presentation and will provide a display of its Green Diesel Hybrid school bus and a diesel-hybrid truck including a hands-on tour of the powertrain, and explain its benefits at the awards ceremonies this coming Thursday, Sept. 6th at the Athenaeum on the campus of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena:

Diesel hybrids offer the most advanced alternative for progressive school districts looking to modernize their fleet. By combining a certified clean diesel engine with an electric system that recovers energy during braking, hybrid school buses deliver up to 70%-100% better fuel economy and 30%-60% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional buses. They provide policymakers and business owners an attractive option for meeting the state’s energy efficiency, clean air and climate change goals.

So while you might not be able to make your kids breathe easier about going to school, it looks like some companies are at least trying to let them breathe easier for the ride there.

Biodiesel

Virginia Ethanol Plant Fights Opposition

Cindy Zimmerman

The developers of a proposed 216 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Chesapeake have mounted a major campaign to educate the community about ethanol.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that developer International Bio Energy Virginia LLC has hired a public relations professional and is taking out full-page ads in local newspapers to try and address community concerns about the plant.

Chesapeake project“I understand it’s an uphill battle, and I’m going to stay in the fight,” said ITAC Engineers & Constructors Senior Vice President Rick Starnes, a key player in the project who spent more than 20 hours last week walking Brentwood to discuss the plant with residents. “I wouldn’t work this hard if I didn’t think this was the right project for this area.”

Over the past two weeks, the developer has taken six planning commissioners on walking tours of the site and been knocking on doors in Chesapeake’s Brentwood neighborhood near the proposed site.

Company President Sidney Harrison said they are out to give the facts about the alternative fuel.

“We only have a short amount of time to educate the people because they’ve been fed so much junk,” Harrison said. “This is about jobs. This is about tax base. This is about energy security. This is a very serious project.”

Photo credit of proposed plant site: STEVE EARLEY, THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Ethanol, Facilities, News

Ethanol with SC Accent

Cindy Zimmerman

FMU ResearchSC Now has an article on ethanol research being done at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC.

Dr. Gregory Pryor, assistant professor of biology at Francis Marion University, and one of his students, Kirsten “Kitty” Hiortdhal, have begun researching new ways to create ethanol with crops grown locally in the Pee Dee.

FMUAccording to Wikipedia, the Pee Dee region of South Carolina is the northeastern corner of the state. It is the area of the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, named after the Pee Dee Native American tribe.

The main crop they are researching is sugar cane, which they say could grow on land that “typically isn’t usable for any other crop in South Carolina.” The FMU research program is trying to encourage the idea of growing, distilling and selling ethanol locally — a prospect that potentially could bring thousands of jobs to the Pee Dee.

Ethanol, News, Research

Ethanol “God Father”

Cindy Zimmerman

BlumeThe exective director of the International Institute for Ecological Agriculture has proclaimed himself the “God-Father” of ethanol as a biofuels expert.

According to a news release, “David Blume has been asked to appear on radio, TV and as a lead speaker for a number of renewable energy symposiums in the coming two months. Blume is globally acknowledged as the “god-father” of ethanol and is a leading advocate and expert on renewable solutions to the global need for inexpensive, non-polluting, and sustainable energy and food sources.”

GasBlume, who sounds like one pretty interesting character, is the author of a soon-to-be-released book called “Alcohol Can Be A Gas,” subtitled Fueling an Ethanol Revolution for the 21st Century. According to the IIEA website, it is “the first comprehensive book on small to farm scale alcohol production and use written in over 90 years.” The description of the book says it began as a PBS television series in 1983 on San Francisco affiiate KQED, but “Big Oil got wind of the project and convinced KQED to halt the printing and cancel the release the series to the rest of PBS.”

Blume and IIEA also have a community called “Alcoholics Unanimous” which offers membership under several categories, including Fuel Farmer, Moonshiner, Rumrunner and Brewmaster.

Ethanol, News