A bill pending before the Pennsylvania State Legislature could hurt the biodiesel industry in that state. Biodiesel Magazine reports an amendment to SB 901 would slap some new fuel taxes on places that sell biodiesel and could affect selling and blending biodiesel in surrounding states: The amended legislation establishes a total of four of these registration fees: – $5,000 for …
Largest Smart-Solar Array to Be Built in California
North America’s largest smart-solar array is being built in the San Francisco area. Sun Light & Power has announced it is constructing a 530 kilowatt (kW) array that leverages the Tigo Energy®MaximizerT Solution to optimize, control and monitor over 1,900 Suntech 270 Watt Power modules: “This is the first array of its kind that marks a new era of intelligent …
Company Gets $1.8 Mil to Put Biodiesel in More Trucks
A California company has received a $1.8 million grant from that state to get biodiesel into more trucks. This article from the San Diego Union Tribune says alternative energy company Pearson Fuels picked up the money from the California Energy Commission: “We are going into a diesel terminal where diesel is sold,” said Pearson General Manager Mike Lewis. “We are …
Biodiesel to Power Fuel Cells for Electric Vehicles
Biodiesel could be the fuel that charges fuel cells for electric vehicles. ScienceDaily reports Norwegian company Nordic Power Systems (NPS) has developed a silent generator that works with California-based SAFCell Inc.’s new fuel cell using a smart diesel reformer and a tolerant fuel cell and could contend for the market in generators in electric vehicles: This combination of two advanced …
Google Investing in Massive Wind Project off East Coast
Internet search engine giant Google is investing in a massive wind project off the U.S. East Coast that will end up connecting 1.9 million homes in the Mid-Atlantic region with clean wind power. According to the company’s blog, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone between New Jersey to Virginia will be connect 6,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind turbines. The …
Brown Researchers Green WVO-to-Biodiesel Conversion
Researchers at Brown University have found a more streamlined and greener way to turn waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. This school press release says Brown University chemist Jason Sello and postdoctoral researcher Aaron Socha have eliminated the corrosive chemicals usuallu used in the reactions… a process that is six times faster than previous methods, using less energy: “We wanted to …
Solar to Power California Rice Cooperative
A California rice cooperative is harnessing the power of the sun for its drying and storing operations. China-based ET Solar Group Corp has provided a 1.15 megawatt photovoltaic project for the Red Top Rice Grower Association, a non-profit cooperative organization for drying and storing rice for the farmers in the state. Granite Bay Energy developed and installed the system. At …
Study: More Fleets Using Ethanol & Biodiesel
A study from a group that represents fleet managers of sedans, public safety vehicles, trucks, and buses of all types and sizes, and a wide range of military and off-road equipment shows that more fleets are using alternative fuels, and ethanol and biodiesel are high on the list of the fuels of choice. The survey from the NAFA Fleet Management …
Iowa State Develops, Tests Biomass-based Asphalt
Researchers at Iowa State University have developed a biomass-based asphalt that will be tested this fall on a bicycle trail in Des Moines. This school press release says the bio-oil replacement for non-renewable petroleum is added to the mixture known as Bioasphalt: If the demonstration and other tests go well, “This would be great stuff for the state of Iowa,” …
Flint Company Offering New Onsite Biodiesel Maker
While Flint, Michigan might be best known for being the birthplace of General Motors … and, more recently, the poster child for the decline of the U.S. auto industry … one company there is hoping the city will soon be known for its contribution to the biodiesel industry. The Flint Journal reports that OnSite Energy LLC’s Genesee Biodiesel Processor is …