There has been speculation as to when some of the funds dedicated to developing renewable energy will come to fruition. It looks like this is finally happening. Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind …
Freightliner Introduces 1st Natural Gas-Powered Truck
Natural gas is not just for cars and buses. Today, Freightliner Trucks introduced its first natural gas-powered truck tabbed the Freightliner Business Class® M2 112 NG. The truck was designed for use in port operations, natural gas utilities, and municipalities. The truck is powered by the Cummins Westport ISL G. With the price of gas a continual challenge to profitability …
Is There a Link Between Climate Change and Poverty?
Oxfam International released an interesting report yesterday called, “Suffering the Science: Climate Change, People and Poverty”. The crutch of the report is to demonstrate how the effects of climate change are impacting people in poor communities much harder then in developed regions. Issues that are linked to poverty and development include access to food and water as well as health …
Register Now for Alcohol School
Don’t miss out on the 29th annual Alcohol School, being held in Montreal, Quebec September 13-18, 2009. The course is designed to educate students on proven technology and advances in fuel ethanol and distilled beverage production. Students have the opportunity to attend either Fuel or Distilled Beverage lectures taught by leading industry scientists and academics, as well as Ethanol Technology …
Book Review: Blackout
Coal. Under the surface we seem to have a lot of it. It’s fairly inexpensive but this is changing as demand rises to meet increased energy needs especially in countries like China. So we have a lot, its cheap, let’s use it, what’s the problem? Right? Wrong! Author Richard Heinberg writes in Blackout: Coal, Climate and the Last Energy Crisis, …
Upcoming Event: Next Generation Biofuels Conference
Update your passport and book your ticket for Green Power’s 5th Next Generation Biofuels conference being held September 28-30, 2009 in Amsterdam. This event will bring together key players from around the world who are pioneering the development of advanced biofuels. The conference will address the latest developments in creating cost competitive, industrial scale production of next generation biofuels technologies. …
World Bank Issued an “F”
The World Bank received a failing grade this week for its lack of support to developing countries trying to implement biofuels project. The “F” comes from the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) representing over 65 percent of the world’s biofuels production from 44 countries. In a letter to Robert Zoellick, President of World Bank, from Bliss Baker, President of the …
5 Reasons Why the Climate Bill Will Ruin Your Life
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42 percent of Americans oppose the climate bill that passed the House last week because respondents believe the bill will hurt the economy. Well, the more I dig into the nuances of the proposed climate bill, the more I realize that this bill will do more damage than good. Here are …
Free Webinar: Maximizing Ethanol Plant Yield
Miss the Fuel Ethanol Workshop this year? Well don’t fret. You can still tap into all the information that was discussed during the conference. Novozymes is hosting a FREE webinar called, “The quest for maximizing ethanol plant yield” featuring Mitchell Marine, Associate Scientist with Novozymes. The webinar will discuss: – What is yield? – Carbon balance model – Practical model …
New RAND Study: Energy Security Benefit Overblown
As we approach America’s independence day, the “energy security” benefit many organizations and government officials tout may be overblown, according to a new study conducted by RAND Corporation. The study, “Does Imported Oil Threaten National Security?” evaluated the risks to national security associated with U.S. imports of oil and assessed the costs and benefits of policies to address these risks. …