The Boy Scouts of America’s Capitol Area Council, located in Austin, Texas, has gone solar. The 74.15 kW solar arrays sits atop a 31,400 foot Frank Fickett South Training and Service Center. The solar system is made up of 299 solar modules and can be partially seen from Interstate 35. The project was over seen by Meridan Solar and is …
12 U.S. States Dominate Wind Power
According to Today in Energy, 12 states dominated the U.S. wind energy market in 2013. These states accounted for 80 percent of wind-generated electricity according to preliminary data released in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) March Electric Power Monthly. Once again, Texas took the honors of top wind power state with nearly 36 million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity produced annually. …
BioEnergy Bytes
Jim Adams, president of U.S. Operations for Natural Power, has been selected to chair one of the sessions during the upcoming American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) annual conference. The event will take place May 5-8, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. On May 8th, Adams will chair the morning session in the Wind Resource and Planning track, titled ‘Advancements in Resource …
Brazilian Ethanol Sales Break Record
Domestic ethanol sales in Brazil have reached an all-time high according to data compiled through the end of March for the 2013/2014 harvest. The total sales volume reached 23.07 billion liters, as compared to 18.68 liters in the same 2012/2013 harvest period. In Brazil, the majority of the ethanol is hydrous ethanol, which saw a 16.27 percent growth to 13.70 …
U.S. Clean Energy Struggling from Policy Uncertainty
According to research from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the U.S. clean energy sector continues to be buffeted by policy uncertainty with 2013 investment down 9 percent from 2012 to $36.7 billion. The annual report, “Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race? 2013,” found that steep declines in the installation of wind overshadowed a record annual deployment of 4.4 gigawatts of solar. …
Stanford Scientists Convert Carbon Monoxide to Ethanol
Stanford University scientists have discovered a new way to produce liquid ethanol from carbon monoxide gas. The researchers believe the discovery could provide an “green” alternative to conventional ethanol production from corn and other crops. The results were published in the April issue of Nature. “We have discovered the first metal catalyst that can produce appreciable amounts of ethanol from …
ILUC Modeling Still Unverifiable
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released their 2014 Climate Change Mitigation Report. According to the Global Renewable Fuels Association (GRFA), the report confirms that biofuels production is economically beneficial and that Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) modelling is unverifiable. The report, says GRFA spokesperson Bliss Baker, is further proof that biofuels contribute to local economies …
Iowa Gov. Branstad Expands “Fueling Our Future”
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s “Fueling Our Future” program has recognized two retailers for their innovative plans to increase accessibility to higher ethanol and biodiesel blends. Farmers Cooperative based in Mount Ayr, Iowa and Oak Street station based in Inwood, Iowa both received $125,000 to offset the cost of adding renewable fuel infrastructure for biodiesel and ethanol. In addition, he has …
BioEnergy Bytes
Stellar Solar is hosting their annual “Celebration of Solar” Dinner & Open House at their showroom at 4730 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in San Diego. The event will feature the latest electric cars, trucks and motorcycles from Electric Car Insider Magazine, Kearny Pearson Ford and San Diego BMW Motorcycles. SunEdison will also be on-hand with the latest in solar technology and …
NASA to Study Renewable Fuels in Space
Renewable Fuels are getting one stop closer to heading out to space. NASA has signed agreements with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to conduct a series of joint flight tests to study the atmospheric effects of emissions from jet engines burning alternative fuels. The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions …