Gas prices aren’t the only thing on the rise. Utility prices are also going up, up and away. Pennsylvania largest power utility is getting ready to raise rates. As a result, One Block Off the Grid, a clean energy group, has announced the launch of two 90-day group deals on home solar systems. One in Philadelphia and one in Long …
Companies to Produce Edible Ethanol Co-Product
Two Illinois companies are working together to produce an ethanol co-product that has a variety of food, industrial and chemical product applications. Prairie Gold (PGI) of Bloomington, and GTL Resources USA of Itasca, Illinois have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a zein protein production plant. Zein is a high valued co-product that can be produced from the corn …
Isuzu Debuts Biodiesel-Compatible Van
Japan-based auto maker Isuzu has debuted a utility van that will be more compatible with higher blends of biodiesel. This company press release says the new Reach will not only be green, but it will last a long time, too: Powering the Reach is Isuzu’s state-of-the-art, biodiesel fuel compatible 4JJ1-TC 3.0-liter turbocharged engine generating 150 horsepower, mated to a Aisin …
UConn Researchers Find Better Way to Brew Biodiesel
Researchers from the University of Connecticut have come up with a better way to brew up biodiesel. This article from PHYSORG.com says Professor Richard Parnas, who you might remember from my story last October also is finding a way to use hemp as a biodiesel feedstock, has developed a patented biodiesel reactor that uses gravity, heat, and natural chemical reactions …
Air Force Successfully Flies Raptor on Biofuels Blend
The 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base successfully flew an F-22 Raptor at supercruise on March 18 on a 50/50 blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biodiesel produced from camelina. The flight was the capstone in a series of ground and flight test events where ultimately the Air Force selected the F-22 weapon system to be the …
Energy Highlights of Obama Visit to Brazil
Energy was part of the agenda when President Obama visited Brazil over the weekend. During his visit, Obama and Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff agreed to launch a Strategic Energy Dialogue, to focus on both oil and biofuels. “Now even as we focus on oil in the near term, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the only long-term solution …
Suntech to Develop Solar on Roof of the World
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is going to develop a 10MW solar installation that when complete will be one of the highest on earth around 4,000 meters above sea level. Being dubbed the “roof of the world,” the solar system will be located in Chek Kang village in the Sangri County Shannan Prefecture, Tibet. The solar system should be completed …
400 Low-Income Families in Cali to Recieve Solar Systems
Here is a feel good story for a Monday. Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited’s U.S. subsidiary Yingli Green Energy Americas, Inc. has formed a partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar installer, to provide solar modules for 400 low-income families during 2011. Yingli Americas is a photovoltaic manufacturer (PV), and GRID Alternatives provides renewable energy and energy efficiency services, …
Whole New World of Corn
Everything you ever wanted to know about corn is contained in the latest edition of the World of Corn from the National Corn Growers Association. This year’s publication, available online now, highlights the wide variety of roles that farmers must play, from environmentalist to technology geek, in order to ensure that both their farm and their industry as a whole …
Speculation, Not Ethanol, Driving Corn Prices
Erratic behavior on the futures market for corn over the past few weeks is evidence that paper bushels, not ethanol, are driving corn prices, according to Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen. “Corn futures prices have tumbled by $1/bushel just since March 3, as huge index and hedge funds and other large speculators are pulling out of the …