Joule, a company focused on developing direct CO2-to-fuels solar conversion technology, has announced changes in its executive leadership. After four years of leading Joule’s early development as CEO, William J. Sims will step out of his management role but will remain a member of the company’s board. Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and Chairman, is assuming the role of interim-CEO while Paul …
Farmers Cooperative To Offer E15
Farmers Cooperative Company has announced it will be offering E15 beginning this fall at its Creston, Iowa station. “The customer is of the utmost importance at Farmers Cooperative,” said Farmers Cooperative Creston Branch Manager Darin Schlapia. “With that in mind, we strive to offer the highest-quality products at an affordable price. Bringing E15 to our product line-up will give our …
Vestas Delivers First V110-2.0 Wind Turbines to U.S.
Vestas is now manufacturing its first V110-2.0 MW wind turbines that will be delivered to EDP Renováveis (EDPR) for several wind energy projects in the United States. The turbines are part of a supply agreement to deliver 1,500 MW to wind power plants in the Americas and Europe. EDPR said it selected the V110-2.0 MW because of its competitive cost …
Abengoa Completes Khi Solar One Tower
Abengoa together with project partners Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Khi Community Trust, recently welcomed representatives from the government of South Africa to celebrate the completion of the construction of the Khi Solar One tower. According to the company, this achievement marks an important milestone in the execution of this project, a significant development for CSP tower technology itself, …
Ethanol is You
During the opening session of the 26th Annual Ethanol Conference, hosted by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Executive Vice President Brian Jennings gave an update on what was happening in Washington, D.C. One huge issue the ethanol industry is dealing with is the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Jennings noted that the success of the industry hinges …
Fungus & Bacteria Join Forces for Better Biofuels
Several University of Michigan researchers have joined together a fungus and E. coli bacteria to turn tough, waste plant material into isobutanol – a product that can be converted into biochemicals and biofuels. A paper based on this research, “Design and characterization of synthetic fungal-bacterial consortia for direct production of isobutanol from cellulosic biomass,” was published in The Proceedings of …
SolarShield Offsets Cloudy Days
Potential commercial solar project investors have growing concerns about what happens with the sun doesn’t shine. In response to this issue, Walsh Carter & Associates Insurance Services has created SolarShield, a true performance warranty that will guarantee the minimum revenue generated by solar photovoltaic (PV systems) in the event of production shortfalls. “We are proud to offer the only true …
BioEnergy Bytes
ReneSola has announced the completion of a 2MW solar PV facility using ReneSola panels in Jamestown, California by San Francisco-based solar developer EcoPlexus Inc. The project’s energy is contracted to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) under a 20-year power purchase agreement under the Schedule E-SRG tariff. GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA is donating renewable energy certificates (RECs) to the United …
Dakota Bioprocessing Consortium Established
Four universities in North Dakota and South Dakota have been awarded a $6 million grant to establish the Dakota Bioprocessing Consortium (DakotaBioCon) to conduct collaborative research. The award is funded by the National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The consortium includes North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, South Dakota State University and the South …
ACE Unite & Ignite Conference Kicks off with a Bang
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the ethanol industry that gets me jazzed up about biofuels and my latest spark: the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 26th Annual Ethanol Conference that kicked off tonight in Des Moines, Iowa. The opening reception was abuzz with the latest news and contagious optimism about the industry, despite Big Oil’s …