According to a new report, The Way Forward for Renewable Energy in Central America, authored by the Worldwatch Institute, Central America is far from harvesting its enormous renewable energy resources to their fullest potential. The region is a worldwide leader in hydropower and geothermal and is developing wind energy, yet has room to expand. “Central America is at a crossroads,” …
City of Santa Clara Adds Solar to Energy Mix
The City of Santa Clara is aiming to become more sustainable and has set a goal of installing 30 megawatts of customer-installed solar power by 2017. With a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) several projects included solar power including a new solar project at Henry Schmidt Park. Vista Solar, who managed the project, selected SunPower solar …
BioEnergy Bytes
Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. has announced the formation of its strategic advisory board and the appointment of Pascal Mahvi to the board. Mahvi will be assisting in the formation and execution of international Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances. IKEA has announced plans to increase the solar array atop its Denver-area store located in Centennial, CO. Once complete, the project will …
Biodiesel Keeps U.S. Tallow at Home
The world is seeing less of American tallow as biodiesel makers turn more of the animal grease into the green fuel. This article from Bloomberg says U.S. tallow exports are expected to fall nearly 4 percent because the biodiesel market is squeezing the supply and keeping the price up: Tallow shipments from the U.S. may decline to 680,000 metric tons …
Former EPA Official Joins Biodiesel Board DC Office
A new face will oversee the National Biodiesel Board’s regulatory affairs in Washington, D.C. The NBB has hired Lindsay Fitzgerald, who comes from the EPA, where she served as a specialist in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality working on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): “We are excited to hire someone of Lindsay’s skills and experience and to be …
A New Twist to an Old Story
The ethanol industry is no stranger to controversy. As Bob Dinneen, CEO and president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) pointed out during a recent panel discussion on policy issues at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), the industry has been in a battle for decades. In a recent conversation I had with Dinneen, he noted that a lot of issues …
Gevo Resumes Isobutanol Production
Gevo has resumed Isobutanol production at its plant in Luverne, Minnesota with the shipment of a single train mode. The fuel was successfully produced using the its Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT). “I am pleased to report that we have been successful in operating our full-scale fermentation and our GIFT® separation system that separates the isobutanol from the fermentation broth. …
EPA Set for Action
During the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), Executive Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Brian Jennings sat on a panel with other ethanol industry leaders to discuss key policy issues in Washington, D.C. However, in a follow-up to the discussion, Jennings said the real action is taking place on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue with the Environmental …
Motorcycles & E15
The American Motorcycle Association (AMA) is hosting an event for motorcycle riders to come to Washington, D.C. and lobby on Capitol Hill. They want to stop E15 from being sold until testing has been done on motorcycles to see if harm or damage will occur. In response, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) held a press call to discuss motorcycles and …
New Mexico Students Learn with Solar
Thousands of students in Rio Rancho, New Mexico will now be learning with solar power. Conergy is currently installing two solar power plants on the campuses of V. Sue Cleveland and Rio Rancho High Schools. The solar installations will total 1.2 megawatts (MW). The public schools will be using the power produced by the sun, via a 20-year Power Purchase …