The Hawaiian Electric Company, also known as HECO, is proposing to run a 110 megawatt power plant entirely on renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. According to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the commitment to power the plant completely on biofuels was finalized last week and made public Monday. Robbie Alm, HECO’s senior vice president for public affairs, said the …
A Day Without Ethanol is Like a Day Without Sunshine
Xethanol Corporation is planning to build a biomass-based pilot production facility in Florida, utilizing waste citrus peels as raw material for making ethanol. According to a company release, the venture is located in Bartow, Florida, the heart of the state’s citrus industry. The venture is expected to establish a pilot plant to produce up to 50,000 gallons of ethanol this …
New Ag Committee Chairs Disagree About Ethanol Tariffs
According to a report from Truth About Trade & Technology, soon-to-be Agriculture Committee chairmen Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Collin Peterson are in disagreement over the lifting of tariffs on imported ethanol.
Fungus and Termites May Hold Keys to Cellulosic Future
A prolific fungus found in eastern Russia and termites from Costa Rica are just two of the avenues being explored to get ethanol on the cellulosic superhighway. A Business Week online article reports on some of the bio-breakthroughs that are promising more efficient ways to make ethanol. Scientists are scouring China for strains of tall grasses and tinkering with plants’ …
Ethanol Boom to Continue in 2007
Business Week reports that the ethanol industry appears poised for another big year in 2007, as companies scramble to take advantage of continuing government subsidies and a growing political desire to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil. But Wall Street investors who went pedal-to-the-metal during ethanol’s midyear IPO frenzy seem to be easing off the accelerator upon warnings of …
USDA Raises Crop Price Forecast
The latest global supply/demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture increases the forecast for corn and soybean prices this year due in part to stronger demand for ethanol and biodiesel.
Oil From Algae
Solix Biofuels Inc., a startup company based in Boulder, is working with Colorado State University engineers to commercialize technology that can cheaply mass produce oil derived from algae and turn it into biodiesel. Algae are the fastest growing organisms on the planet, and can produce 100 times more oil per acre than conventional soil-tilled crops that are now being grown …