History was made this week with the signing of the Paris Agreement climate accord by 130 countries at the UN Headquarters in New York. The governments now have one year to ratify the accord. The Paris Agreement will enter into force on the 30th day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total …
Iowa Extends State Biodiesel Incentives
Iowa lawmakers have spent some time this week voting on renewable energy programs in the state. Earlier this week a resolution was passed in support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) staying on track and now the Iowa House passed legislation that extends tax credits to biodiesel producers. One enables biodiesel facilities to remain competitive on a national scale and …
Novozymes, Royal DSM Join DIVA Ventures
Novozymes and Royal DSM have joined DIVA Ventures L3L, a coalition that co-develops and co-invests in opportunities that have high potential to deliver positive societal impact in a sustainable way. The two organizations are joining as co-founders along with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and counsel partner Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. DIVA is a member of the …
Clariant’s Sugarcane Bagasse Can Achieve Price Parity
Clariant has completed testing on more than 40 containers of sugarcane bagasse asnd tops and leaves from Brazil at its pilot facility in Germany on the feedstock conversion to cellulosic ethanol. The tests using the company’s sunliquid technology proved the cost per liter when including feedstock, conversion and depreciation produce a price competitive biofuel. “The process integrated on-site enzyme production …
Iowa Senate Passes RFS Resolution
The Iowa Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution in support of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) through 2022. The resolution calls on Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), President Obama, and the next president to support the policy as passed by Congress in 2005. Senate Resolution 118 names the RFS as one of the single most successful energy policies …
Producing Biodiesel Using Cooking Oil & Microwave
Researchers have discovered a way to produce biodiesel using used cooking oil and a microwave. Scientists have developed a process of using a microwave and catalyst-coasted beads to produce the renewable fuel. The research, with funding from the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, was recently published in ACS’ journal Energy & Fuels. One of the challenges of biodiesel …
Maryland Clean Energy Center Council Adds Ivancic
Joanne Ivancic, executive director Advanced Biofuels USA as been added to the Maryland Clean Energy Center’s (MCEC) Advisory Council for the 2016-2017 term. Advanced Biofuels USA is a non-profit organization based in the state that advocates for the use of advanced biofuels. “I’m eager to contribute to the understanding, development and use of biofuels in Maryland,” said Ivancic. “And MCEC …
US Wind Jobs Hit Record
The U.S. wind industry continues to shatter records. In 2015, wind energy supported 88,000 jobs, an increase of 20 percent over 2014. The data was released as part of the U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report, Year Ending 2015 from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The strong job growth coincided with wind energy hitting the number one spot as …
BioEnergy Bytes
BIRD Energy has made a call for proposals in its seventh funding cycle for U.S.-Israel joint Project Proposals with a focus on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Proposals must include R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university/research institution (one from the U.S. and one from Israel). The proposal should have significant commercial potential and …
Flights Fueled by Neste’s Biojet Fuel
Neste Corporation has announced that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will be using its renewable jet fuel in a series of flights between Oslo to Amsterdam. Over the next few weeks, KLM will use Neste Renewable Jet Fuel in about 80 flights with the EMBRAER 190 from Oslo to Amsterdam. Embraer will be conducting measurements during these flights to gauge the …