The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has extended its deadline to apply for grants to help the state’s biodiesel industry. This press release from the department says the new deadline is Friday, December 12, 2008: A total of $300,000 in funds is available to the owners of facilities that supply petroleum products to customers who sell, use, or transport fuel in …
State & Federal Money Help MO Biodiesel Startups
The construction industry might be struggling a bit these days, but biodiesel plants are still being built… with some help from federal and state programs that are backing the capital to get these startups going. As an example, a Missouri-based biodiesel maker has received some help to get their proposed biodiesel plant and soybean crushing facility off the ground. This …
Lower Oil Prices Make Biodiesel Producers Struggle
Rising oil prices were a boon to biodiesel producers this summer, as near-$150/barrel prices for crude oil made it more and more profitable to produce biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks. However, with that same barrel of oil now costing less than $50, margins have tightened up for makers of the green fuel. This story in the Tampa (FL) Tribune …
Solar, Biodiesel RV a Teaching Tool
You might remember my story from October 8th, 2007 about Ty Adams and his biodiesel-powered RV, the bioTrekker, Adams is a man who likes to travel the country, preaching the gospel of alternative fuels. Now, he’s rolling on the roads in the SolTrekker, which also runs on biodiesel but, in addition, is outfitted with solar panels and made even more …
USDA Researching Pennycress’ Biodiesel Potential
Many people know pennycress as nothing more than a weed, but some folks with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are looking at its potential to become a biodiesel feedstock. This article from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service says scientists at the ARS’ Peoria, Illinois office are trying to make the farmers’ pest into their cash crop: There, a team of …
Farm Foundation to Release Report on Feeding and Fueling the World
Our friends at Farm Foundation are set to release a report next week on the challenges agriculture and the food system face in providing food, fiber and energy to a growing world over the next 30 years. The report will come out next Thursday, Dec. 4th as part of Farm Foundation’s Food and Agriculture Policy Summit, Dec. 2-4th at the …
On Turkey Day, Biodiesel Board Gives Food (vs. Fuel) for Thought
On the day that you sit down and have probably the biggest meal of the year, some of you might be thinking about how much higher your grocery bill is this year. While you really need to focus on the family and friends around you and how thankful you are for the blessings you enjoy, the National Biodiesel Board is …
Biodiesel Refinery Idled by Ike Back On Line
Back in early September, Hurricane Ike roared ashore on the Texas Gulf Coast as the third most destructive hurricane ever to strike the U.S. A biodiesel refinery in the Houston area that was part of the destruction (see my post from Sep. 29, 2008) has finally recovered and is back on line. GreenHunter Biofuels has announced in this press release …
Biofuels to Provide Houston Green Power
A Texas-based renewable energy company is taking over an abandoned electrical plant with plans to run the generators on green energy sources. This press release posted on MarketWatch.com says Biofuels Power Corporation will purchase the site, infrastructure and equipment of the decommissioned H.O. Clarke Electric Generating Station in central Houston: The operational infrastructure on the H.O. Clarke site includes 65,000 …
KU* EcoHawks Aim for 500 MPG Car
Some University of Kansas* engineering students are working on a car they hope will get 500 miles per gallon… and ethanol and biodiesel look to figure in as some of the fuels it would run on. This story from the KU* School of Engineering web site says the students are working on a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle to turn it …