Here is unique use of solar. Carlisle Energy Services (CES) has completed its Sepctro PowerCap Exposed Geomembrane Solar Cover system in Madison County, New York. This technology will “cover” the landfill for up to 30 years. The eight-acre demonstration system feature’s the GeoTPO Geomembrane with a south-facing 40kWp DC integrated solar photovoltaic array powered by Uni-Solar. The system is expected …
Youth in South Africa to Attend Solar Training
Local youth in Durban, South Africa will be participating in a two-week solar training course compliments of Greenpeace. The 30 youth will learn about solar photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy technologies in addition to completing course modules covering social entrepreneurship and Greenpeace’s Energy (R)evolution report. The PV panels were donated by the SunPower Foundation and will be installed as …
How to Properly Handle Chemicals in a Biorefinery
I’ve spent the last few weeks speaking with people in the biorefining industry in an effort to learn more about safety issues and best practices. The result is a series on Biorefinery Plant Safety and part one focuses on chemical safety. Chemicals are a necessary component of producing ethanol or biodiesel. On the ethanol side, some plants use chlorine dioxide …
How To Accelerate Wind Energy Development
Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing sectors of energy in the U.S. Last year wind energy was only second to natural gas in terms of providing new electric generation. Bill White with David Gardiner & Associates told me during an interview that it won’t be long before wind energy surpasses all other forms of energy for new electric …
Embraer & GE Test BioJet Fuel
It seems like it won’t be long before aircraft flying with biofuels is an everyday occurrence. The latest test flights were conducted by Embraer and GE flying a EMBRAER 170 jet from the Company’s Gavião Peixoto facilities. The purpose of the tests were to benchmark the operational characteristics of the airplane and its GE CF34-8 engines when flying with a …
Algae Industry Gets Sneak Peak of OriginOil Technology
The biofuel industry was invited to tour OriginOil’s algae technology during the recent Algae World Australia conference. The end-to-end algae production project is located in North Queensland, Australia. Riggs Eckelberry, company CEO, spoke during the conference and joined the visitors touring the facility, which is operated by their partner MBD Energy on the James Cook University campus (JCU) in Townsville. …
Arizona State Leads Way in Use of Solar
The U.S.-based University that uses the most solar energy in its mix is Arizona State University (ASU), which exceeds 10 megawatts (MW) of solar-energy capacity. The solar energy produced is enough to power 2,500 average sized homes. This is according to Ameresco Southwest, Inc. “Surpassing 10 megawatts of solar energy capacity is a tremendous accomplishment for ASU and our partners,” …
Blue Angels Perform With Biofuels
The Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, performed over the Labor Day weekend using a biofuel blend at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River Air Expo. All six F/A-18 legacy Hornets were powered with a 50-50 blend of conventional JP-5 jet fuel and a camelina-based biofuel. “Changing the kinds of fuels we use and the way we …
Students Launch Facebook Campaign to Raise Cash for Biodiesel Program
Rockwood Summit High School located in Fenton, Missouri is on the hunt for dollars to help expand their biodiesel project. But they are not selling candy bars or giving car washes on a Saturday afternoon. They have taken to Facebook to promote their fundraising campaign. The fundraising campaign is not limited to Rockwood Summit High School. Famous Footwear and Converse …
ACE Announces Winner of Merle Anderson Award
The winner of this year’s Merle Anderson Award goes to USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager for his support of the ethanol industry. The honor was given by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) following their ethanol conference. Tonsager, who said he was pleased to win the award, was honored for his lifetime commitment to the promotion of …