A long-term study in the Midwest shows that switchgrass is a better feedstock for ethanol than previously thought. This AFP story says the trial showed that native North American prairie grass could produce a whopping 540 percent more renewable energy than what it takes to produce the ethanol: Previous estimates, based on small scale research plots, suggested the grass would …
State Grant Helping Move Biodiesel Plant to PA
Binghamton, NY-based Alternative Fuels, Inc. is looking at putting a biodiesel plant in Northeast Pennsylvania after the state has come up a $1 million grant to help the refiner make biodiesel out of algae. This story in the Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times Leader says the company has several options where it could relocate, and company officials seem pretty serious about the …
NY Grocer Goes Green on Delivery
New York City area online grocery delivery service FreshDirect is switching its delivery trucks to biodiesel. The gourmet food deliverer says it will get its fuel from locally-based Tri-State Biodiesel. According to this press release from Tri-State, FreshDirect is starting to convert its 150 delivery trucks this month to run on B5 biodiesel: Starting in the fall, FreshDirect began donating …
Turning Waste to Energy
Two more landfill gas-to-energy facilities are slated for development in Virginia by Allied Waste. The second-largest non-hazardous solid waste services company already operates more than 50 landfill gas-to-energy products. The Brunswick County Landfill in Lawrenceville, Virginia is an 8-megawatt generating facility that has been developed with Richmond, Virginia-based Ingenco, which builds, owns and operates distributed generation facilities. The Brunswick County …
Panda Puts Ethanol in Texas
Texans in Sherman County can expect a new ethanol refinery. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has given Panda Ethanol the okay for an air permit for the company’s plans to build a 115 million gallon-per-year ethanol refinery. Panda says the refinery will be fueled by biomass. The facility will be designed to annually refine an estimated 38 million bushels …
SolarCity Establishes 100th Solar Learning Station
SolarCity says it is committed to educating youth about solar energy. That commitment seems to stand as the company plans to install its 100th solar learning station in California. Leading solar service provider SolarCity today announced at the Green California Schools Summit that the company plans to connect 100 solar learning station installations through the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s …
Three out of Four Kansans Want Wind Energy
A new poll shows that three-quarters of Kansans who were surveyed prefer the expanded use of wind energy, as opposed to more conventional coal-fired power plants. The Kansas City Star reports the survey comes on the heels of a decision not to allow two coal-fired power plants to be built in Western Kansas. Participants by a two-to-one margin also said …
Missouri Governor Unveils Incentives for E-85 Pumps
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has unveiled a plan to provide $2 million in tax incentives to fuel retailers who install E-85 ethanol pumps. According to a press release from the governor’s office, there are only 92 gas stations capable of pumping E-85 out of the more than 4,300 stations in the state. These tax credits would help offset the cost …
Biodiesel, Algae Makers Merge
Utah biodiesel maker Better Biodiesel has announced it will buy GeoAlgae Technologies (GAT). The Arizona-based GAT makes inexpensive feedstock for the production of biodiesel. This story on C|Net News’ Green Tech Blog says it will give the biodiesel producer a chance to recover from a devastating fire this summer: The buyout is Better Biodiesel’s first public news since announcing this …
Butter Sculpture To Become Biodiesel
The centerpiece of the Pennsylvania Farm Show will be turned into green energy. This story in the Centre Daily Times (State College, PA) says the show starts tomorrow (Saturday), and a 900-pound butter sculpture of a cow and a school bus with three children boarding the bus made for the eight-day show will be recycled into biodiesel: The sculpture will …