The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference held in Washington, D.C. last week was a meeting of the minds. During one of the sessions on hot technologies, Jeffrey Stroburg, Chairman and CEO of REG, gave a presentation on advanced partnership strategies for development and commercialization. REG has been the driver in helping to commercialize corn oil extracted from the back end of …
City of Tucson Doubles Solar Power
The City of Tucson, Arizona has doubled its solar power capacity through a completed project in partnership with the Tucson Water Department, Trico Electric and SunPower Corp. The 1-megawatt, ground-mounted solar power system was designed and built by SunPower and located on former agricultural land located within Tuscon Water Department’s underground water storage and recovery facility. In addition to the …
Cornoil – A Growing Feedstock for REG
The synergies between the biodiesel, ethanol and advanced biofuels industries are growing. One of the things that’s been happening over the past few years is the ethanol industry creating a new feedstock for the biodiesel industry – inedible corn oil. Inedible corn oil was one of the feedstocks that REG highlighted during USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator …
Book Review – World On The Edge
I spent Earth Day 30,000 feet up and I must admit that there was a tiny part of me that felt guilty. So to make myself feel better, I read “World On The Edge,” by Lester Brown. The book focuses on how to prevent environmental and economic collapse and operates on the assumption that it’s not “if” global warming will …
Students in Mojave Desert Learn with Green Power
Students in the Mojave Desert, located 110 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, are learning with the help of a little green power – solar power. The Muroc Unified School District is the home of three solar installations, totaling 1,700 Coenergy solar modules. One solar system is located on the grounds of the school district office, another at West Boron …
‘Groupon’ Model for Solar Power
A new report released during the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities Annual Meeting shows that governments and businesses that join together to purchase solar power can lower costs between 10-15 percent. “Purchasing Power: Best Practices Guide for Collaborative Solar Procurement,” was issued by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network (Joint Venture) and the …
New Bioplastics Logo Unveiled
Biomass is not just for energy. Crops like potatoes, corn, wheat, tapioca, sugar, and algae can also be used to produce plastics, or “bioplastics”, a more sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Bioplastics are biodegradable and compostable and for those consumers looking to make a “greener” choice, Cereplast has unveiled a new bioplastics logo. The winner was announced on Earth Day …
United Sport Unveils Solar & Hydro Projects
United Sports, a multi-sport facility located in the Northeast, has announced they are partnering with Mercury Solar Systems, Sage Energy and Exelon Corporation to install an expansive solar energy and hydro power project. On hand for the project unveiling was Congress Jim Gerlach (PA 6th District) along with executives and employees from United Sports. The 207kW solar energy system consists …
Recovering Waste Can Improve Plant Profits
According to POET, the largest producer of ethanol in the U.S., recovering waste heat can improve a plant’s bottom line. The company has been testing a new waste heat recovery system at POET Biorefining – Caro and the results have been good: significant natural gas and water savings. The plant produces 53 million gallons per year of ethanol. The plant’s …
How to Decrease Algae Culture “Crashes”
Arizona State University through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is studying the factors involved in algal crop failure known as culture “crashes.” Grazing zooplankton are considered predators to algae and can cause loss of productivity. According to scientist Qiang Hu and his research team, except for a few algal strains that can tolerate extreme …