Gevo has announced that it has brought its second million liter fermenter and GIFT system online at its Luverne, Minnesota isobutanol facility. “We have been successful in operating full-scale fermentations using our GIFT(R) system — which separates the isobutanol from the fermentation broth — on a second million-liter fermenter and GIFT system,” said Patrick Gruber, Gevo’s chief executive officer. “This …
DOE Heralds Cellulosic Benchmark
The Department of Energy (DOE) is thrilled with the announcement that INEOS Bio’s Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida is producing cellulosic ethanol at commercial scale. Often hailed as the “phantom fuel,” the success of the plant is demonstrating that advanced biofuels are “no longer around the corner” and here today. The company’s technology was originally developed with …
Now This Is Interesting…
Now this I find interesting. Yesterday I brought you the story about how Xcel Energy is taking aim at net metering, one of the most important tools to increase solar power adoption on homes. Yet the company is the top wind energy provider and has announced plans to expand its wind power production to “reduce customer costs, protect against rising …
S.D. AAA Promotes TV Ad Supporting Ethanol
With Triple A (AAA) defending itself against comments made by a current Big Oil campaign that they don’t support ethanol, the organization is fighting back. South Dakota AAA has launched its own TV ad in support of ethanol. The South Dakota AAA office says a new campaign by the American Petroleum Institute (API) misrepresents AAA’s position on E15 and ethanol. …
BioEnergy Bytes
The National Biodiesel Board has hired Scott Fenwick as the new Technical Director. Fenwick is the current Chairman of the BQ9000 Commission and is an officer of the ASTM Committee D02 that presides over the current biodiesel specifications and test methods. As Technical Director Fenwick takes on the day-to-day management responsibilities of running the technical program and expanding NBB’s technical …
1st Offshore Wind Lease Sale in U.S.
Today the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held its first-ever offshore wind lease sale, leasing 164,750 acres off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The area was divided into two leases, the North Lease Area, which consists of about 97,500 acres, and the South Lease Area, covering approximately 67,250 acres. Oceana, an international advocacy group protecting …
Xcel Takes Aim at Rooftop Solar in Colorado
Renewable energy advocates, businesses and environmental groups have joined together to urge the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to reject a new proposal from Xcel Energy that would discourage rooftop solar growth in its territory. Issued last week as part of Xcel’s 2014 Renewable Energy Standard compliance plan, the proposal takes aim at net metering, one of the state’s most important …
Commercial Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Is Real
INEOS Bio’s biorefinery, Indian River BioEnergy Center, is now producing cellulosic ethanol at commercial scale. The first ethanol shipments will be released in August. According to the company, this is the first commercial-scale production in the world using their gasification and fermentation technology for conversion of biomass waste into bioethanol and renewable power. “We are delighted with the progress made …
We’re Sticking With E15
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has released the results of a survey of Iowa’s E15 retailers showing there were zero complaints, zero lawsuits and zero engine problems in regards to fueling with E15. Big Oil has been engaged in an active campaign against E15 and is using scare tactics in an attempt to ward people off using the ethanol …
ACE Hails “ACE” Project
ACE hailed “ACE” yesterday in Galva, Iowa during an event where Quad County Corn Processors broke ground on its Adding Cellulosic Ethanol “ACE” project a bolt-on technology innovation that will specialize in converting corn fiber into cellulosic ethanol. On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony was American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Executive Vice President Brian Jennings who noted that the cellulosic …