Hawaii is addressing its lack of fossil fuels by converting its energy to renewables. The state imports nearly all of its energy, including the petroleum that fuels more than 70 percent electricity generation. This effort is the subject of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Today in Energy report. Another reason the state is attempting to diversify its electricity …
LA Rooftop Solar Program Shining Bright
According to a report from J.R. DeShazo, director of UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, Los Angeles’ new rooftop solar energy program is delivering on its goal of cost-effective, clean power to thousands of electricity customers. The report also finds that the program should be expanded. Under the feed-in-tariff (FiT) program, electric power generated by solar rooftop installations on office and …
Ethanol Report on New Economic Study
At the 19th annual National Ethanol Conference in Orlando, the Renewable Fuels Association unveiled a new study by ABF Economics entitled “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States.” The author of that study was John Urbanchuk, who is the go-to economist for the biofuels industry – but he was unable to be at the conference …
BioEnergy Bytes
Renewable Energy Group (REG) has hired Todd Robinson as Director, Investor Relations. Robinson has spent more than 20 years in banking, investment, finance and treasury operations at companies including Wells Fargo, Deloitte & Touche, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Pella Corporation, and HSBC Securities (USA), Inc. He will work with REG senior management and with the company’s investor relations firm, ICR, to …
RFA Ethanol Industry Outlook and Pocket Guide
Every registration packet at the National Ethanol Conference included two new publications from the Renewable Fuels Association – the annual 2014 Ethanol Industry Outlook and 2014 Pocket Guide to Ethanol. The publications offer both a comprehensive look at the ethanol industry today and a succinct industry overview in a pocket-sized package. They include information about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), …
West Coast Offshore Wind Project Moves Ahead
The first offshore wind project proposed for federal waters off the West Coast has just taken a big step forward. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell joined by Governor John Kitzhaber and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau, announced that BOEM has given the green light for Principle Power, Inc. to submit a formal plan to …
Analysis: RINs Price Drop Indicate EPA Reversal
A drop in prices for biodiesel and ethanol Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) could indicate that the government’s proposal to cut the amount of the green fuels to be blended into America’s fuel supply will be reversed. In an analysis by University of Illinois agricultural marketing expert Scott Irwin, lower RINs suggest the market believes odds are the Environmental Protection Agency …
19th National Ethanol Conference is a Wrap
The 19th annual National Ethanol Conference was one of the best ever, with strong attendance and a program that rocked. Personally, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen thought the Led Zeppelin 2 concert for the networking reception was the highlight of the conference, but there were lots of other great acts. “It was a substantive agenda and …
Iowa E85 Sales Set Record in 2013
Iowans have purchased a record number of gallons of E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gas) in 2013. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), total E85 sales in 2013 reached 10,854,117 gallons, up nearly 20 percent from 2012 and an increase of more than 130,000 gallons from the previous record in 2011. The sales figures were reported by …
BioEnergy Bytes
According to the Latin America Wind Market Assessment, from Navigant Research, cumulative installed wind power capacity in Brazil will reach 20.1 GW by 2022, more than all the other nations of Latin American combined. The report finds that Latin America has become one of the hottest growth markets for the wind energy industry. Wind power development in Brazil, in particular, …