Reuters News Service held a Global Biofuels Summit this week featuring industry leaders addressing a number of topics.

Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla told Reuters that he predicts “a rapid rise in cellulosic ethanol production and utility-grade solar power.”

Khosla says cellulosic technology is getting closer and closer to the market. “Remember, last year (cellulosic ethanol) was six to 10 years (away). Now people talk about four to six years. And my bet is (that) by the end of this year, they will talk about two to three years,” Khosla said. “So we are maybe making two years of progress every year.”
He also predicts that tariffs on ethanol imports “will be on their way out.”

Another Reuters report addressed the need to improve ethanol transportation.

Monte Shaw, president of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, told the summit that the “United States will need to make big improvements in shipping ethanol from the U.S. heartland — perhaps even building pipelines from the Midwest to the coasts — to transport the fuel to markets.”