NEVC Testimony

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) testified this week at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on renewable fuels infrastructure, specifically looking at how to change the existing fuel distribution system to account for the anticipated larger volumes of ethanol and other biofuels.

NEVC”The 1,251 E85 fueling stations operating today in 41 states across the nation pale in comparison to the number of sites needed to satisfy the demands of the motoring public and the nation’s automakers,” said Phil Lampert, NEVC Executive Director.

The Senate approved a bill last month that provides a federal loan guarantee of up to $250 million for renewable fuel facilities, grants for creation of renewable fuel corridors and grants for transport of biomass to refiners. The House version is expected to provide grants for the installation of E85 fuel pumps and the production of flex-fuel vehicles, as well as authorize $1 billion in grants for cellulosic ethanol development.

E85, Ethanol, News

North Dakota Gets “e” for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

A North Dakota law labeling ethanol at the fuel pump with the “e” logo officially went into effect this week.

EPICFargo hosted the state’s official labeling kick-off event on Thursday at the Cenex Convenience Store. North Dakota Governor John Hoeven; Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) executive director Tom Slunecka; state legislators and North Dakota corn growers were all on hand to speak about the North Dakota label switch and North Dakota’s commitment to biofuels.

ND EPIC“We’re increasing production of ethanol at a strong pace, and it’s important to increase public awareness of its benefits through our marketing efforts as well,” Hoeven, said. “Enhanced ethanol production is a win for our farmers and rural areas, and a win for our economy.”

The “e” logo was developed by EPIC, which will make the new labels available, free of charge, to retailers throughout the state. The labels are part of an effort to create a common label for ethanol pumps throughout the nation. Through increased use of the labels, consumers will easily be able to identify ethanol pumps everywhere that fuel is sold.

EPIC, Ethanol, News

Ethanol-diesel Car

John Davis

Terra Fuel logoAustralia-based Terra Fuel Technologies has come up with what I think is truly a revolutionary device. It’s a box that you add to a diesel engine that allows it to run on ethanol as well.

This story on C|NetNews.com says the box allows ethanol to be fuel-injected into the motor:

Who in their right mind would want this? Adding ethanol to a diesel engine actually improves performance of the vehicle by about 10 percent while reducing emissions, said Alexander Daniel, vice president of Business Strategies International, which is trying to help Terra Fuel get traction in the States.

Terra Fuel officials say you need a second tank to hold the ethanol.

Seems to me that using this in conjunction with biodiesel would be a near-perfect green engine… although those promoting the device say it’s better used in areas where it’s harder to either get or make biodiesel than ethanol.

Ethanol, News

Udall Bus Tour Wrapping Up

John Davis

Udall Bus
The Udall Legacy Biodiesel Bus Tour is wrapping up its 54-day, 8,606-mile, 26-cities, six-national-parks, six-Native-American-communities, cross-country tour. As you might remember from my posts in June, the biodiesel-fueled journey promotes environmental and Native American issues.

This story in the Tuscon (Arizona) Citizen says the trip wraps up Saturday in Southern Arizona, the home of the congressman for which the tour is named, Morris K. Udall:

For almost two months, 13 young people have put into action the words of the late congressman from Tucson.
In a tribute to Udall’s environmental legacy, they have traveled across the country in a green-certified biodiesel bus looking at a variety of environmental projects that have been successful.

The 13 who have made the long trek say they will take back with them many stories on how to treat the environment better… and you can bet at least one of the chapters will include biodiesel.

Biodiesel

Black Cabs Turn Green

John Davis

Radio Taxis LimitedSome of London’s famous black cabs will be going green. About 3,000 of the Radio Taxis Limited cabs will be running on a 30 percent blend of biodiesel.

This story on Biofuel Review says the biodiesel will reduce CO2 by 7 percent, significantly reduce oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide, and drop particulates by 4.7 percent. It does all this and delivers a nearly 10 percent improvement in mileage. It all adds up to a fleet-wide reduction of CO2 by nearly 3,000 tonnes:

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: “London already has the best taxi service in the world, and I am working with the taxi trade to make it the cleanest. New regulations introduced this year, mean that the capital’s 20,000 black cabs must now meet strict emissions standards, making vehicles less polluting to help improve London’s air quality.

Biodiesel

Wind Farms Bigger in Texas

John Davis

Shell logoA wind farm four times bigger than what’s currently in operation is slated for construction in Texas.

According to this article on TechnologyNewsDaily.com, Shell WindEnergy and Luminant have announced they will build a 3,000 megawatt facility in the Texas Panhandle:

The proposed wind facility would be located in Briscoe County to take advantage of excellent wind resources and a relatively low cost of transmitting the wind power to wholesale markets. The two companies will also explore using compressed air energy storage, which uses electric fans to force air into underground caverns, compressing it, and usually involves employing the compressed air as an oxygen source for a gas turbine. The companies did not announce a timeline for either project. Luminant was formerly called TXU Power and is a subsidiary of TXU Corporation.

The current world’s largest wind farm is also in Texas… the 735-megawatt Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, completed by FPL Energy, Inc. in late 2006.

Wind

Green Korn

John Davis

Korn logoThe heavy metal band Korn will be running its tour on biodiesel this summer. Members Jonathan Davis, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, and guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer made the announcement that the band’s eight buses and eight cargo trucks will run on biodiesel during a press conference today covered by MTV in New York’s Times Square:

Surrounded by a crush of photographers, fans and curious onlookers, Korn revealed that on the band’s Family Values Tour this summer, they’ll be traveling in vehicles that operate on domestically produced biodiesel fuels.

The conversion of the group’s eight buses and eight cargo trucks will help reduce by almost 50 tons the amount of carbon-dioxide emissions the tour produces, Davis said, and added that they’ll be asking the rest of the bands on the festival’s bill to follow suit. The band hopes the move will inspire others to make the switch, too.

“We all have children, and I just worry about my kids’ kids,” Davis, the proud owner of a Toyota Prius, said during the press conference. “[I worry about whether] they will have a place to live [and I hope] that they won’t have to live underground. I think it’s time we really did start trying to do something about getting rid of oil in general. We have the means to fuel cars in different ways. We have the technology to do it. We’re doing our part to set the wheels in motion.”

The band also announced it would start its own formula of biodiesel called Korntastic… although it’s still in development.

Biodiesel

Popping the Popcorn Propaganda

Cindy Zimmerman

The The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today held a joint press conference and photo-op to dispel claims that ethanol and higher field corn prices result in higher popcorn prices for moviegoers. The “Popping the Popcorn Propaganda” event dramatically illustrated this point by displaying what $5 will buy you at a movie theater versus $5 from a farmer.

“The ‘blame ethanol’ game has gotten completely out of control,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “From a consumer standpoint, for $5 you can buy 1 tub of popcorn at a movie theater or 38.5 pounds of popcorn from a farmer, which, when popped fills nearly a dozen 33-gallon trash bags.

IA Popcorn“From a farm standpoint, in 2006 the farmer received about 1.4 cents for the corn in that $5 tub at the movie theater. In 2007, that same farmer will receive about 2 cents to fill that tub. How can an increase of 0.6 cents to the farmer justify a price hike to movie goers or crazy headlines in the news media?”

To illustrate the point, IRFA intern Paul Brees spent 6 hours popping 38.5 pounds of popcorn – the amount you could buy from a farmer for $5. During the press conference, the 12 bags of popcorn stood in stark contrast to the one small bag of popcorn from the movie theater.

“We had a very visual example today of what actually goes to the farmer. You can use this same example when you talk about other products made with corn. For example, a six-pack of soda includes just 6 cents of corn sweetener, or only 1 penny per can. If your soda at the store is going up more than 1 cent per can, then you have to wonder where the rest of that increase is going,” said Craig Floss, CEO for Iowa Corn. “We know that it is not making it to our corn growers, so to blame them for the increase in prices at the grocery story is simply not right.”

Ethanol, News

Florida Ready for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

EPICDespite a very limited availability in the Sunshine State, Florida consumers appear receptive to purchasing ethanol-enriched fuel at the pumps.

A national survey released by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) found that while Florida has a slightly lower familiarity with ethanol than the national average, more than 70 percent of respondents in the state said they were likely to purchase the renewable fuel after being provided with relevant information on the topic.

“Our research is proof that Floridians are open to ethanol and there is a consensus among several state leaders that the production and use of ethanol in Florida will be a major benefit to its citizens. We look forward to a resolution on any remaining regulatory hurdles,” said Tom Slunecka, executive director for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). “More than half the states in America, including California, have recognized the benefits of ethanol and we’re confident that Florida will join the movement yet this year.”

With one of the nation’s fastest growing populations, Florida depends almost exclusively on other states and nations for supplies of oil and gasoline.

EPIC, Ethanol, News

Presentations and Photos From Farm to Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

Farm to FuelPresentations from the 2007 Farm to Fuel Summit in Florida are now available on-line at floridafarmtofuel.com.

All of the power point presentations from panels on Renewable Fuels Status Reports, Advancing the Science of Bioenergy, Business of Bioenergy, Biomass Resources/Feedstocks in Florida, and Renewable Energy Technology Grants Program are available, as well as the presentation on “25x’25 – America’s Energy Future” and more.

Domestic Fuel photos taken the summit are also now available on-line.
Click here to see a Flickr Photo Album of pictures from the summit.

Also, a nice summary of the summit from “a Californian’s view” can be found on Scott Miller’s BIOstock Blog.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, EPIC, Ethanol, News, RFA