Numbers from the government show ethanol production is down slightly during the first six months of the year, but consumption of the green fuel was up during the same period. Ethanol Producer Magazine reports U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) figures show production at 6.419 billion gallons of ethanol, slightly off from the 6.893 billion gallons for the same period a …
Minnesota Ready for B10 Biodiesel Mandate
Minnesota’s Department of Agriculture says the state is ready for the 10 percent biodiesel mandate for each gallon of diesel sold. This posting from Biodiesel Magazine says the news was welcomed by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. “Biodiesel has been shown to be great for the environment and the economy,” said George Goblish, MSGA president. “It’s common sense to keep …
Wind Production Tax Credit Part of House Hearing
As lawmakers battle over the budget and Obamacare, the wind production tax credit could also come under fire. This blog posting from the political paper, The Hill, says House Republicans today are taking aim at the credits at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. “With the federal government currently at a standstill over budget negotiations, it is imperative …
West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Site Evaluated
The federal government is considering leasing an area off the shore of Oregon for a floating wind energy project. This story from North American Windpower says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will determine the competitive interest in leasing the area for the proposed Principle Power Inc. project. According to BOEM, Principle Power’s proposed WindFloat Pacific Project, which would …
Boston Wind Company to Start Solar Project
A Boston-based wind company is breaking ground on a series of solar projects in Massachusetts. First Wind announced the beginning of the 17-megawatt total projects in Warren and Millbury, the first renewable energy projects in its home state and its first solar development. “It is exciting that we are able to develop and build our very first solar projects in …
Wisconsin Wind Farm Gets Commission Green Light
A Wisconsin wind farm gets the approval to move forward after the developer convinces regulators it can reduce noise levels. This article from reNews.com says the 44-turbine, 102.5MW Highland Wind Farm in St. Croix, being developed by Emerging Energies, got a 2-to-1 vote in its favor from the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The Hubertus-based developer fine-tuned operating plans to comply …
Research to Look into Food Waste-to-Ethanol
Researchers are going to be looking into the feasibility of fermenting food waste and sweet potato into ethanol. Greenbelt Resources Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Diversified Ethanol Corp. will have California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo look into the fermentation testing at a commercial level. The study seeks to optimize three factors in biomass-based ethanol production that are …
Iowa, Nebraska Phase Out Non-Ethanol Regular Gas
When you fill up with the lowest cost unleaded gasoline in Iowa and Nebraska, rest assured you’ll be using ethanol. The Omaha World Herald reports both of the states are replacing 87 octane fuel without ethanol with an ethanol blend. Rose White of AAA Nebraska said most consumers already use ethanol fuel blends and won’t be affected by the change. …
Surplus US Sugar Sold to Ethanol Makers
In an effort to get rid of surplus sugar and produce green fuel, the US Department of Agriculture has sold a large block of the sweetener to ethanol makers. This article from Ethanol Producer Magazine says the government sold the sugar rather than just forfeiting it under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers. The program requires the USDA to …
Biodiesel Industry Biggest Victim of RIN Fraud
While taxpayers and investors are often talked about as the victims of the recent Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN) fraud cases, this opinion piece from Biodiesel Magazine writer Ron Kotrba makes the case that the biodiesel industry and those who play by the rules are the biggest victim of this crime. It is those fine people, you, who make up a …