A pioneer in the biodiesel industry in Hawaii will talk about energy at a lecture in Kona next week. This article from BigIslandNow.com says Kelly King, vice president and co-founder of Pacific Biodiesel Technologies, will speak next Wednesday, March 19 at the NELHA Gateway Visitor Center in Keahole. King, the company’s director of marketing and communications, has helped develop 13 …
GE Space Frame Revolutionizing Wind Tower Tech
A new wind turbine tower is changing the game in tower technology. This article from Clean Technica says GE’s Space Frame Tower is helping along a rapidly growing wind energy sector. From the outside, the Space Frame Tower looks like a regular tube-shaped turbine tower with a bit of an Eiffel Tower splay to the bottom, and there’s your clue …
Analysis: Export Market a Bright Spot for US Ethanol
Ethanol producers might be fretting about the government’s proposal to lower the amount of the green fuel to be mixed into the Nation’s fuel supply. But this analysis from the University of Illinois points out that those Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) numbers don’t matter when it comes to ethanol going over the border and to foreign shores, a bright spot …
Biodiesel, Ethanol Educator Wins Ag Teaching Award
A high school chemistry teacher is honored, in part, for his work to teach his students about biodiesel. This article from The Grower says Gustavo Junco, an advanced-placement chemistry teacher at West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines in south Florida, taught his class how to power a go-kart with biodiesel made from corn and sunflower seed oil and picked …
Iowa AG: EPA Proposal on Ethanol Violates Law
The proposed lowering of the amount of ethanol to be blended into the country’s fuel supply raises the possibility the U.S. government could face a lawsuit for breaking the law. In this article from Ethanol Producer Magazine, comments from Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller indicates the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) to lower the Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for ethanol violate …
Genscape Brings Integrity to Biodiesel RINs
Confidence in the identification numbers for the government’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is key to the growth in biodiesel. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says the National Biodiesel Board-backed Genscape RIN (Renewable Identification Number) Integrity Network is helping keep up the confidence that those record-breaking biodiesel production numbers are legit. Genscape provides U.S. EPA preregistered [quality assurance plans] QAP services …
Solar Investment Paying Better than Subsidies
Despite critics who have harped on solar energy as not being efficient and economical enough to stand on its own without government subsidies and being too pricey for regular folks, the sun’s power is proving stronger than the shadows of myths being cast about the clean energy source. This blog post from the New York Times says solar is more …
Offshore Wind Farms Could Cut Hurricane Winds
Not only do they generate lots of clean energy, but offshore wind farms could help lessen the winds of hurricanes. A new study from Stanford University researcher Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the school, says the data could give shore-based communities another reason to put in the turbines. The researchers simulated three hurricanes: Sandy …
Low Profile Biodiesel or Natural Gas Semi to Hit Road
It’s a pretty cool looking design (although I’m not sure how my friends in the trucking industry would take to being inches from the roadway). And what makes it even cooler is the fact that a new concept semi from Walmart would be able to run on alternative fuels, including biodiesel or natural gas. This blog post from the company …
Fuel Made from Shopping Bags Fits with Biodiesel
Fuel made from plastic shopping bags could cut down on the amount of waste going into landfills and be a good fit to mix with biodiesel. This story from the University of Illinois says researchers at the school have found a way to turn the abundant litter into fuel. The conversion produces significantly more energy than it requires and results …