The vast majority of city government vehicles in Boulder, Colorado will run on biodiesel or ethanol within the next few years, if city planners have their way. This story from the Boulder Daily Camera says that the city hopes to raise last year’s goal of 60 percent of new vehicles purchased running on alternatives to 90 percent this year: Given …
Biodiesel Not to Blame for MN Bus Problems
Officials in Minnesota say that biodiesel is not to blame for stalling school buses in the bitter, bitter cold of Minneapolis. After temperatures… without the wind chill… dropped to -20 to -30 degrees F, the Bloomington School District had to cancel classes, in part, because a dozen buses wouldn’t start. The bus company was quick to blame biodiesel, required by …
Biodiesel Leads ASA’s Priorities to Obama
Less than a week before the inauguration, the American Soybean Association (ASA) has given President-elect Barack Obama a list of its 2009 policy priorities… and biodiesel tops that list. This press release from the soybean advocacy group has details: “ASA looks forward to working closely with the Obama Administration to achieve these policy priorities, which not only make sense for …
Iowa Firm Wins Biodiesel Marketing Award
A Des Moines, Iowa-based distributor of biodiesel has won that state’s Secretary of Agriculture award for biodiesel marketing. This press release from Secretary Bill Northey says Keck Energy is the biodiesel winner of 2009 of the Secretary’s Biodiesel and Ethanol Marketing Awards (see Michelle’s post for the ethanol winner): Mark Meyer of Keck Energy of Des Moines is the 2009 …
PA Biodiesel Mandate Kicks In
Pennsylvania has produced enough biodiesel so that each gallon of diesel sold in the state will have to have a mix of the green fuel. According to this National Biodiesel Board press release, Gov. Ed Rendell made the announcement at the Pennsylvania Farm Show that the 2 percent biodiesel mandate will kick in a year from now. “The major challenge …
Virginia Gov Proposes Incentives for Renewable Energy
Virginia’s governor is proposing a series of grants and tax credits to help renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind energy, grow in his state… and grow the green jobs that come with those sources. This story from Virginia Business says Gov. Timothy M. Kaine sees the green jobs and renewable energy as a way out of …
Tyson/Syntroleum Biodiesel Plant Under Construction
The nation’s largest meat processor and a renewable fuel company have started construction on a biodiesel plant in Louisiana that will be the nation’s first renewable synthetic fuels plant. This press release from Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp. says the Dynamic Fuels plant in Geismar, Louisiana will produce 75 million gallons of biodiesel a year when it goes to full …
Biodiesel: It IS Rocket Science
Carlsbad, California-based Flometrics, Inc., an engineering service for the aerospace, medical device and consumer products industries, has tested B100 biodiesel on a RocketDyne LR-101 rocket engine. This story from Space-Travel.com says it performed very well: The B-100 fuel was found to have performance within 4% of the RP-1 fuel which the engine was originally designed for. BioDiesel is a renewable, …
NREL: Biodiesel Keeps Getting Better
The overall quality of biodiesel keeps getting better. The National Renewable Energy Lab says that quality is key to the growing industry: NREL Principal Engineer on Fuel Performance Robert McCormick says biodiesel quality is improving rapidly in the United States, with large producers consistently meeting specifications. However, some small producers still have trouble meeting national standards. McCormick and Senior Engineer …
Donors Build Alt Energy Institute at Stanford
One hundred million dollars has been donated to Stanford University for a new energy institute to find environmentally friendly energy sources. This article from Reuters says half of the money is coming from an oil executive… interesting, since the intent of the institute is to make renewable energy cheaper than petroleum: The new Precourt Institute for Energy is named after …