Sopogy, Inc. has partnered with Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida to showcase its SopoNova solar panels. The project, developed by STG International, has been designed to be a model for cost-effective, stand alone solar power solutions for health clinics in Africa. According to the company, the MicroCSP system generates solar energy by reflecting the sun’s energy from mirrors into …
Geothermal Energy Grows 26% in 2009
According to a new report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), geothermal energy showed 26 percent growth in new projects under development in 2009 in the US. According to the new report, “2010 US Geothermal Power Production and Development Update,” 188 projects are underway in 15 states which could eventually produce as much as 7,875 MW of new electric power …
Grilling with Ethanol
Grilling enthusiasts will find a new product that uses ethanol as an alternative to charcoal or propane on the shelves of many grocery and hardware stores this summer. The FlameDisk® actually utilizes proprietary solidified ethanol and is the first ethanol product to be used exclusively for outdoor grilling, according to manufacturer Sologear, the Wisconsin-based company that invented the product. They …
Colorado’s First Blender Pump Opening a Success
Dan Slinger, general manager of Stratton Equity Co-op, is excited to have the first blender pump in Burlington. Many of the co-op’s members grow corn. “We’re marketing about three million bushels of our members’ corn that’s going into ethanol production,” said Slinger. Steve Scott of the Colorado Corn Growers Association said ethanol has energized the corn business by raising prices …
Ethanol Ads Debut in California
A battleground for corn ethanol was one of ten locations where Growth Energy held viewing parties Monday to debut a new national television campaign. The Growth Energy “ad watch party” event was held in California’s state capitol of Sacramento to unveil the six new commercials that will be airing over the next six months as part of a $2.5 million …
Corn Growers Say Concerns Not About Ethanol
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is concerned about the company the meat industry is keeping in an “unholy” anti-ethanol alliance with some environmental groups that also have an anti-meat agenda. The alliance, which kicked off a major campaign last week opposing the proposed increase in the allowable level of ethanol in gasoline to 15 percent, includes the American Meat …
Ethanol Advertising Blitz
Expect to see ethanol advertising saturating the airwaves over the next few months. Growth Energy and POET both announced major television advertising campaigns this morning that will air on major cable television networks, including Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN. The POET campaign includes three ads, each representing a different aspect of ethanol production with a farmer, a scientist and …
USDA Experts Say Ethanol Blend Wall is Close
Ethanol is getting very close to hitting the blend wall, according to economists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With four months in a row of record ethanol production and stagnant gasoline demand, ethanol stocks are increasing. “Margins have weakened a lot over the last few weeks,” says USDA chief economist Joe Glauber, and indicators are that the blend wall …
Economist Defends Ethanol Jobs Numbers
In a commentary on the Natural Resources Defense Council blog, the organization’s Director of Renewable Energy Policy Nathanael Greene criticizes the ethanol industry for what he calls a “highly inflated jobs study” released earlier this week. Greene claims the industry’s jobs numbers are “way off” because they use both inflated jobs multipliers and inflated economic impact, creating what he calls …
Growth Energy to Unveil Ethanol TV Campaign
Growth Energy is set to unveil an aggressive new television advertising campaign on Monday and is planning “watch parties” and press conferences at different locations around the country to kickoff the new commercials, as well as a live webcast. The $2.5 million national TV advertising campaign is being called a first for the ethanol industry. Growth Energy leadership, including co-chairman …