The 2014 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo taking place October 13-14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minn., has announced its agenda. With two comprehensive program tracks titled Cellulosic & Advanced Ethanol and Biodiesel & Other Biomass-based Diesels, this year’s event will feature nearly 70 advanced biofuels presentations on technology scale-up, bolt-on considerations, emerging feedstock opportunities, project development, policy, RIN markets and more—with a core focus on opportunities for America’s existing fleet of biofuels plants to produce advanced biofuels in the near term.- Headwinds in several key markets, including the United States and Spain slowed growth in the global wind power market dramatically in 2013. Still, windpower now supplies nearly 3 percent of the world’s electricity, and is expected to grow strongly over the next several years. According to the BTM Wind Report from Navigant Research, wind power will deliver 7.3 percent of the electricity consumed worldwide by 2018.
- ZeoGas LLC, a developer of natural gas-to-gasoline projects, has entered into a license agreement to use ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company’s methanol-to-gasoline technology in the development of a natural gas-to-gasoline plant on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Coupled with the 5,000 tons-per-day of planned methanol production, ZeoGas will produce more than 16,000 barrels per day of ASTM-spec, 87 Octane gasoline with zero sulfur and about 50 percent less benzene than allowable standards.
- NRG Energy, Inc. has announced the acquisition of the 4 MW Spanish Town Estate Solar project on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Toshiba International Corporation. Once completed, the power will be sold to the U.S. Virgin Island Water and Power Authority under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The project also is expected to help the U.S. Virgin Islands achieve their renewable energy goals to reduce its fossil fuel based energy consumption by 60 percent over the next 10 years.
