As the UK strives to meet its EU target of 15% renewable energy consumption by 2020, the government has taken several steps to reduce the country’s carbon emissions by 34% and 80% by 2020 and 2050, respectively, compared with 1990 levels, according to a report by research and consulting firm GlobalData. Europe Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2014 states that the …
DOE Allocates $4B in Loan Guarantees
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a loan guarantee solicitation making as much as $4 billion in loan guarantees available for innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects located in the U.S. that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gases. “As the President emphasized in his Climate Action Plan, it is critical that we take an all-of-the above approach to …
BioEnergy Bytes
The Maryland Energy Administration is accepting applications for its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program (EVIP). EVIP funds will facilitate the installation of Direct-Current (DC) Fast Charging Networks in Maryland. DC fast charging stations allow for speedy charging of electric cars, adding sixty to eighty miles of electric driving range in nearly twenty minutes. The program is intended to promote energy …
Georgia State Fleet Looking to Ramp Up With Ethanol
The Georgia Alternative Fuel Road Rally has ended after two weeks of crisscrossing the state to promote alternative fuels. According to the FlexFuel Awareness Campaign, the success of the rally could increase the use of ethanol in FFVs. Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board and a board member of the FlexFuel Awareness Campaign, spoke with government officials and …
Solutions to Threat Oil Poses for Armed Forces
A new video offers solutions to the threat oil poses for America’s armed forces and the nation’s security. The video was developed by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Truman National Security Project. The new video details the growing danger of oil use to the country’s national security. The U.S. Department of Defense is the world’s largest institutional …
BioEnergy Bytes
POET Biorefining – Coon Rapids hosted Jeb Burton, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, to highlight the benefits of ethanol for drivers. General Manager Bill Howell took Burton on a tour of the plant and also hosted a meet and greet with area producers. Howell discussed the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol for consumers, local businesses and rural …
Heliae Partners with Sincere for Algae Project
Algae production technology company Heliae is partnering with Japan-based Sincere Corporation, a waste management and recycling company, to form a joint venture to develop a commercial scale algae production facility in Saga City Japan called Alvita Corporation. The partnership will combine Sincere Corporation’s operational skill, distribution networks and knowledge of the Japanese market with Heliia’s proprietary algae production technology to …
RES America’s Border Winds Project Blows Ahead
The Border Winds Project is blowing ahead in Roulette County, North Dakota. Renewable Energy Systems Americas has received notice to proceed on construction. The company is the developer and engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project. RES purchased the partially completed project from Sequoia Energy in August 2013. However, when completed, ownership and operation will be transferred to Xcel …
BioEnergy Bytes
Consumers Energy has chosen 22 new projects offered by businesses and homeowners across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to produce solar energy. Five non-residential projects in four counties were selected. The projects will provide 546 kilowatts of electric capacity, and they range in size from 21 to 150 kilowatts. Seventeen residential customer projects in 13 counties – Bay, Barry, Clinton, Eaton, Gladwin, …
Nebraska Ethanol Sector Leads Manufacturing Wages
According to Nebraska Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program, over the last decade, Nebraska’s ethanol production sector outpaced all other manufacturing groups in the state in terms of wages earned. For example, in 2013 the average annual wage in the ethanol sector was $59,541 while the average for all other manufacturing sectors was $39,966. “Nebraska’s ethanol …