Kelly Davis is joining the Renewable Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) as Director of Regulatory Affairs. She is an ethanol veteran and before joining RFA full time, Davis chaired the RFA Technical Committee while working for Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company located in Benson, Minnesota. Davis will start with RFA on September 4, 2012 and be based out of the St. Louis, …
DOE Invests $10M for 2 Solar Projects
The Department of Energy has awarded $10 million over five years for two university-led projects to advance the technological development of concentrating solar power (CSP). The award is part of two programs: SunShot Initiative, a federally funded program whose goal is to help solar energy become cost competitive with other energy sources by 2020; and the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, which …
IKEA Plugs-In Largest Solar PV System in Minnesota
I must confess to you readers that I have furniture by IKEA in my home and in fact, drove to Minneapolis/St. Paul for a weekend just to go shopping. Now, this same store officially plugged-in its new solar panels installed in its Twin Cities store in Bloomington, Minnesota. The 128,000 square-foot PV array consists of 1,014 kW system built with …
NPS Turbines Surpass 2M Hours of Operation
The wind is definitely blowing these days and this is one of the reasons that wind energy is a great alternative energy source. Today Northern Power Systems is celebrating a milestone: its NPS 100 permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) wind turbine fleet has surpassed two million hours of operation. The company’s 100 kW fleet began operating in 2008 at nearly 98% demonstrating …
Tell Governors No to RFS Waiver
As the political frenzy heats up leading into the Democratic and Republican Conventions, the ethanol industry’s campaign to stop a waiver to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) is heating up as well. This week, several ethanol organizations have sent out letters to key legislatures including governors explaining why there is no need for a waiver. The governors who are advocating for a …
Gas Prices Rise with Isaac’s Arrival
Gas prices are beginning to rise in anticipation of hurricane Isaac, directly headed to New Orleans nearly seven years after hurricane Katrina. While evacuation plans were underway in the city, President Obama was in Ames, Iowa and Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association brought a letter for the president asking him to take emergency action …
Getting More Products From Soybeans
During the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society a new integrated soybean biorefinery was revealed. The technology is designed to create a wider portfolio of products from soybeans. “Mention soybeans to most people, and they immediately think of the oil,” said Ramani Narayan, Michigan State (MSU) University Distinguished Professor, who reported on the new biorefinery technology. “Soybean …
Railroad Transportation Company Turns to Propane
Trains may not run on alternative fuels just yet, but one of the companies that provides railroad crew transportation solutions does. Rezenberger recently unveiled ten 2012 ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas fueled Ford E-350 shuttle vans for its California fleet. The unveiling took place during an event called “Less Traffic, Lower Emissions — Crew Transportation Company Rides Clean with Propane Autogas,” …
Ethanol Industry Seeks Obama’s Support
The newly formed Biofuels Producers Coordinating Council sent a letter this week to President Obama in an effort to stress the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Many organizations have been calling for a waiver of the RFS due to severe drought conditions this summer but the ethanol industry says that the RFS was developed to allow flexibility for …
Organic Produce Company Harnesses Solar
Food producers and manufacturers continue to harness the sun. Watsonville Coast Produce, based in Watsonville, California, has just gone online with a 739.2 kW solar power system to generate all the electricity needed to power its agricultural distribution facility. The 44,000 square foot warehouse has nearly 450,000 cubic feet of refrigerated space to house its organic produce before being shipped …