Municipal Solar Project Underway in Brea, CA

Joanna Schroeder

The City of of Brea is soon to be the home of what is believed to be the largest municipal solar power project in Orange County, California. The solar project is under construction at the city’s Community Center, Civic and Cultural Center and Reservoir City Pump Yard. Once complete, this year, there will be 7,854 Sharp NU-235F1 solar modules providing …

Electricity, Solar

NBB Invests in Next Generation Biofuel Scientists

Joanna Schroeder

The 2011 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo kicks off today in Phoenix and there will be some new faces on hand – some biofuel scientists of tomorrow. This year, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) helped to bring around 10 of these budding researchers to the conference. A full-ride scholarship was awarded to Evan Le, a senior studying mechanical engineering at …

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

Why Reducing Middle Eastern Oil is Good US Foreign Policy

Joanna Schroeder

The renewable fuels industry is taking the opportunity to let the country know the value of domestically produced fuels. Last week, oil prices spiked to $100 per barrel amid fears that there may be oil flow disruptions due to political unrest in Egypt and surrounding regions. There is now speculation that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could relinquish power over the …

Ethanol, International, Natural Gas, Opinion

Update on DDCE Cellulosic Ethanol Projects

Joanna Schroeder

Two and a half years ago DuPont partnered with Danisco (whom DuPont is now acquiring) to create DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE). In just a short amount of time, the venture has come a long way in bringing cellulosic fuels closer to commercial scale. During the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s (IRFA) annual conference, Kyle Althoff, DDCE’s Director of feedstock development …

Audio, biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol

KiOR Lands DOE Loan Guarantee Promise

Joanna Schroeder

KiOR, Inc. has a $1 billion biofuels project in the works that will convert wood biomass into drop-in biofuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. Today the company announced that it has received a term sheet for a DOE loan guarantee to help financially support the project. KiOR’s project under the DOE loan guarantee program will consist of four biorefineries …

biofuels, biomass, Cellulosic, Ethanol

Online Biodiesel Equipment Auction Set to Begin Feb. 7

Joanna Schroeder

Maas Companies of Rochester, Minn. is coordinating an online auction of the sale of Sustainable Energy’s brand new 600 tons/day Hexane Extraction Equipment. The timed, online auction will take place on Monday, February 7, 2011 and end on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Maas specializes in the selling of ethanol and biodiesel plants and related equipment. This …

Biodiesel, biofuels

Sunoco Green E15 Ready to Race

Joanna Schroeder

The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 is around the corner, February 20, to be exact, and when this event takes place, it will mark the beginning of a new era – the era of NASCAR running on Sunoco Green E15. This 2011 season, all three national NASCAR series will be running on this American made, American produced fuel and …

American Ethanol, Audio, corn, Education, Ethanol, NASCAR, NCGA

Energy Secretary Chu Tours Sharp Solar Facility

Joanna Schroeder

Energy Secretary Steven Chu toured Sharp Electronics Corporation’s solar manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee last week. According to an article on the Energy.gov blog following his visit, the plant has produced more than 2 million solar panels since 2002. Also, due to the positive response for more solar power from both the public and private American sectors, Sharp has increased …

Electricity, Solar

NEC Student Scholarship Winners Announced

Joanna Schroeder

The scholarship students who will attend the 16th Annual National Ethanol Conference: Building Bridges to a More Sustainable Future, have been selected by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFS) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF). The six students will receive free conference registration, allowing them the opportunity to meet and connect with renewable fuels industry professional leaders, policymakers and experts. The …

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Biomass Bales Being Delivered to Project Liberty

Joanna Schroeder

Last fall farmers in and near Emmetsburg, Iowa were harvesting biomass. Currently, they are in the process of delivering these biomass bales to POET’s 22-acre storage site situated next to Project LIBERTY, the future 25 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol plant. Area farmers have harvested nearly 56,000 tons of corn cobs, leaves, husks and some stalk but had to …

Cellulosic, Ethanol, POET