The world’s leading producer of camelina… a non-food oilseed… is teaming up with the University of North Dakota to produce biodiesel jet fuel from the grain. Great Plains – The Camelina Company and the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at UND have agreed to allow the EERC to use Great Plains’ proprietary technology to produce advanced fuels: Great Plains …
Bently Biofuels Opens Green Station
Not only is the fuel they sell green, but a new biodiesel and ethanol station near Lake Tahoe, Nevada will be good for the environment as well. The new Bently Biofuels retail pump in Minden, Nevada is now selling B99, B20 and B5 biodiesel, as well as E10 and E85 ethanol. In addition, the building that houses the store and …
USDA: Corn, Soybean Stockpiles Up
Rains and flooding kept farmers in the Midwest corn and soybean belts out of their fields for a long time this spring. But according to a new report from the USDA, the actual stockpiles of the main feedstocks for ethanol and biodiesel are higher than expected. This story in Forbes says the U.S. has a 30-day stockpile of soybeans… a …
Wind, Biodiesel Tax Credits Could Be in Trouble
As lawmakers wrestle over a bailout for Wall Street, some renewable energy producers on Main Street are wondering if they’ll at least get an extension of some valuable tax credits. This story from Agriculture Online quotes Senator Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, as saying that if Congress adjourns without passing a tax relief bill, it …
Algae Biodiesel From Catfish Farms
Algae has traditionally been a nuisance to catfish farmers, but it could end up being a new source of income for them and a new source of energy for the southeast. Ron Putt, an associate research professor at Auburn University, has been studying the feasibility of using algae from catfish farms for biodiesel production. “Currently I have a small project …
On-Farm Biodiesel
Farmers on the panhandle of Florida can now make their own biodiesel on the farm with the help of the Three Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) in Milton through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The council recently invested in a portable biodiesel extruder that can be taken out to local farms to make biodiesel from plants and used …
Terminator Says Hasta La Vista to Biodiesel Fees
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is reducing the fees his state slaps on people who collect some of the raw materials to make biodiesel for their own personal use. This story on the Best Syndication web site says The Gubernator signed a bill by Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia) to cut those fees: “By reducing fees to use biodiesel fuels, more Californians …
During Gas Shortage, Some Discover Biodiesel
A gas crisis is striking the area of Georgia around Atlanta. With the recent spate of hurricanes and storms knocking out the Gulf Coast’s and Southeast U.S.’s refining of non-renewable petroleum, drivers are finding a shortage of fuel in the region. But this story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says some enterprising Atlantans and other people from across the country are …
Damage at Houston Biodiesel Refinery Revealed
Twelve feet of water can do a lot of damage… just ask the folks at GreenHunter Energy. Their biodiesel refinery in Houston had just opened this summer has been knocked out of commission when the eye of Hurricane Ike passed nearly directly over the facility. GreenHunter officials are providing an update (along with pictures of the damage) that caused a …
Debate Thin On Renewable Energy Talk
The first presidential debate between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama just wrapped up, and I have to say I was a little disappointed in how little renewable energy was part of the conversation. I know that it was a debate on foreign policy, but what could be bigger on our foreign policy than reducing our dependence …