The purchase of seven VeraSun plants by Valero Energy has caused quite a buzz in financial circles and within the biofuels industry. This sale marked the most significant entrance into the ethanol market by an oil company. So what does this mean and who will this benefit? These questions and others will be answered during the interactive webinar: Who Will …
Valero Finalizes Ethanol Plant Deal
The largest petroleum refiner in North America is now officially in the ethanol business. The sale of five ethanol plants and a development site from bankrupt VeraSun to Valero Renewable Fuels officially closed at 12:01 a.m. CDT today. The facilities are located in Aurora, S.D.; Fort Dodge, Charles City, and Hartley, Iowa; and Welcome, Minn., and the development site is …
Biodiesel, Ethanol, Wind & Solar Set Records in 2008
Alternative energy, including biodiesel, ethanol, wind and solar power, set a record in 2008. This column posted on RenewableEnergyWorld.com from Ron Pernick, the co-founder and managing director of clean-tech research and publishing firm Clean Edge, Inc., which is publishing the newly-released Clean Energy Trends 2009 report, points out that the three major clean-energy sectors grew more than 50 percent from …
Engineering, Consulting Company NEAtech Launched
There is a contingency of people who are concerned about the future of the renewable energy industry, but new company, NEAtech is not. NEAtech was launched in tandem with the swearing in of President Obama, and is offering engineering and consulting services to companies developing new energy alternatives. NEAtech is comprised of several former experts from BBI International’s Engineering and …
Advanced Biofuels Industry Calls for More Funding
A major federal investment in the entire value chain of advanced biofuels and biobased products commercialization is needed to move advanced biofuels and emerging biobased materials to market, according to the executives of companies who are working to make that happen. During a teleconference today hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), representatives from cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels …
Ethanol Half The Price Of Gas In Brazil
I think Joel Velasco, Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association, had the quote of the day here at the Farm Foundation Transition To A Bio Economy Conference. He said that carbon is the new agricultural commodity and that our incentive is to produce less of it and get paid for it. So, grow a crop, sell it and maybe earn some carbon …
Ethanol Reducing OPEC’s Price Grip
We know that OPEC has had a monopoly control over the price of oil on the world market and we hope that the increase of more environmentally friendly biofuels will force that to change. However, David Zilberman, University of California, Berkeley, has created a model to measure how much impact we’re having. I spoke to David here at the Farm …
Biodiesel, Ethanol Make Saudis Nervous
Renewable energy, including biodiesel and ethanol are making the big oil producing countries nervous… and that’s got to be a good thing. This story in the New York Times quotes Saudi oil minister Ali Al-Naimi as trying to dismiss alternative energy, while praising non-renewable petroleum as “an enabler of progress and prosperity.” He cautioned that the current economic crisis — …
Ethanol Production Affects Meat Trading Patterns
Biofuels production in Canada will impact meat trading patterns according to research by Al Mussell, George Morris Centre, University of Guelph. He says that the increase in biofuels production will turn the country into an importer of grains instead of an exporter. Al was one of the speakers at the Transition To A Bio Economy Conference. He says that as …
Friends at Biodiesel, Ethanol Producer & BIOMASS Magazines Keep Heads Above Flood Waters
Keep our friends at BBI International… publishers of Ethanol Producer Magazine, Biodiesel Magazine and BIOMASS Magazine… in your prayers, as they’ve had to temporarily halt operations at their Fargo, North Dakota offices and reduced selected non-essential functions at their Grand Forks office to deal with the record flooding in both cities. Company officials are promising that production and delivery of …