Iowa Senator and renewable fuel advocate Tom Harkin has announced over the weekend that he will retire after his current term. Leading up to the 2014 elections, Harkin will have served five terms. He said in a statement he will spend more time with his family. In response to the news, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today thanked Senator …
Battery Storage Project at Texas Wind Farm Completed
Duke Energy Renewables has completed a 36-megawatt (MW) energy storage and power management system at its 153 MW Notrees Windpower Project in West Texas. Development of the storage system began in 2009 with a $22 million grant matching from the Department of Energy and in December the project became fully operational. “Battery storage is an important innovation to address the …
Great Model – UK-Ireland Wind Power Project
The Dublin Energy Minister of Ireland and the UK Secretary of State for Energy have paved the way for the export of Ireland’s wind energy to Britain. The hope is that this project will be a model for other countries as the development of a pan-European electricity grid continues. “With greater grid integration the UK and Ireland can expect more …
Advanced Biofuels Gets Court Win
Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the advanced biofuels requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Biodiesel is classified in the RFS as an advanced biofuels, and last year more than 1 billion gallons were produced by U.S. biodiesel producers. In response, the National Biodiesel Board’s Anne Steckel, vice president of federal …
POET Biorefining-Macon Suspends Production Due to Drought
POET Biorefining – Macon is temporarily suspending plant operations effective Feb. 1 due primarily to a lack of available local corn caused in part by last summer’s drought. All of the plant’s 44 team members will remain employed at their current hours. Many will assist in installation of the approximately $14.5 million in upgrades to the plant that will occur …
Photovoltaics Versus Biofuels in Energy Conversion
How does energy produced by the sun (solar) compete with ethanol in terms of land use, life-cycle emissions and cost? These questions are being asked by University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Professor Roland Geyer. He wants to know what makes more sense, growing fuel crops to supply alternative-fuel vehicles with ethanol or …
Mixed Messages for Advanced Biofuels
There are some mixed messages coming from the D.C. Circuit today as they ruled to vacate the 2012 cellulosic biofuel standard, yet affirmed the 2012 advanced biofuel standard as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The biofuels industry reacted to the decisions and noted that although the court vacated the cellulosic standard, it also rejected API’s argument that EPA …
Bioenergy Bytes
MASS companies is holding an online biodiesel auction with online bidding ending on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 5:00 pm CST. Equipment for sale includes biodiesel process and lab equipment, with some items brand new and others used. You can take an online tour here. Ryan Walsh has been named the Director of Sales and Marketing for American Ethanol, a …
VW Chattanooga Powers Up Largest TN Solar Park
Volkswagen (VW) has “powered up” the largest solar installation at an automotive manufacturing facility in the U.S. and the biggest solar installation in the state of Tennessee. The Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park is now part of the the company’s green auto plant and was the first in the world to receive the top LEED certification.The Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park occupies 33 …
Chicken Wing Shortage for Super Bowl?
Despite the win going to the renewable energy industry for the Renewable Fuel Standard to remain in play with no penalties, the National Chicken Council is still attempting to blame the RFS and biofuels for the reduced number of chicken wings this coming Super Bowl. In response to the rough play, Growth Energy called several penalties: “Roughing the facts” – …