One potential hurdle to the commercialization of algal fuels are how to harvest the algae. But one company believes that they already have this challenge figured out. Kent Bioenergy has been harvesting algae for years, as part of their aquaculture business that dates back the the 1970s. The original company needed to learn how to clean the water used for …
ACE President Wins Excellence in Ag Award
Lars Herseth, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Board President, has won the “Excellence in Agriculture Award” from the South Dakota Corn Growers Association & Corn Utilization Council. The award honors an outstanding leader who exemplifies excellence through significant contributions to the agriculture industry. “On behalf of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s grassroots members across the country, I’d like to …
Marquis Energy Chooses GreenShift
Marquis Energy has signed an agreement with GreenShift Corporation to use their patented corn oil extraction technologies in their 50 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Necedah, Wisconsin. This is GreenShift’s second license with Marquis Energy, the first for their 110 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Hennepin, Illinois. Tom Marquis, Marquis Energy’s Vice President & Marketing Manager …
Sugarcane Promising Source for Energy in California
California Ethanol & Power (CE&P) has commissioned a study to better understand the role sugarcane and sweet sorghum may play in producing ethanol and electricity for the state of California. The Economic Impact Analysis report was conducted by Solution Mountain, Inc., and sponsored in part by the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation along with the California Association for Local Economic …
Finding Fuel in Agricultural Waste
The commercialization of cellulosic biofuels is closer than you think. During the DC Auto Show this week, Novozymes and POET are showcasing their successes in bringing cellulosic ethanol to the commercial market. With recent breakthroughs in enzyme technology and advancements in corn stover and cob collection processes this fuel is closer to reality than people realize. In a regulatory impact …
SG Biofuels Opens Operations In Brazil
SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company focusing on Jatropha for biofuels, has officially opened operations in Brazil and has named Brazilian entrepreneur and genomics innovator Fernando Reinach as its senior advisor for the market. Reinach will provide strategic planning, business development and executive management support for SG Biofuels Brasil, LTD, the subsidiary that will be based in Sao Paulo. “We …
RAND Says Alt Fuels Out, Coal & Biomass In, for Military
RAND National Defense Research Institute has released a study today amidst a firestorm of criticism with many claiming that the report sounds like an advertisement for the coal industry. The study, commissioned by the Department of Defense, was to conduct an examination of alternative fuels for military applications. For the past several years, the military has been testing alternative fuels, …
Sen. Harkin Introduces “Biofuels Market Expansion Act”
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced a new piece of legislation today, called the “Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2011.” The bill, if passed, would ensure an increasing number of automobiles in the U.S. be flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), expands the number of blender pumps and make renewable fuel pipelines eligible for the federal loan guarantee pipeline program. The bill …
Enervation Advisors Aquires Tri-City Energy Biodiesel
Enervation Advisors, an Axis Group Company, has acquired Tri-City Energy biodiesel and glycerin facilities in Keokuk, Iowa. The company is currently staffing the biodiesel plant, that has been shut down, and has already begun a retrofit. Enervation anticipates that the plant will begin producing glycerin by March of this year. This is the first acquisition into the renewables market for …
Cimarron Solar Facility Begins Commercial Operation
The Cimarron Solar Facility is online in New Mexico and is now powering nearly 9,000 homes with solar energy. The project is a partnership between Southern Company and Ted Turner (Turner Renewable Energy) and the power is being supplied through a 25-year power purchase agreement to member electric cooperatives of Denver-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. First Solar developed and …