A South Dakota wind farm will receive U.S. Department of Agriculture loan guarantees that will help build 100 wind turbines providing 151.5 megawatts of electricity. This USDA press release says the money will help Basin Electric Power Cooperative build the PrairieWinds wind farm energy project in central South Dakota that will join the cooperative’s other electric generation projects to meet …
Biodiesel Conference Panel On Government Policy
During the second general session at the National Biodiesel Conference we heard about the role of government policy in advancing biodiesel from a panel of experts. Participating on the panel were moderator Shelby Neal – National Biodiesel Board; Eric Bowen – Renewable Energy Group Inc./California Biodiesel Alliance Chairman; Ed Hegland – Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council/NBB Past Chairman; Steven …
Loan Supports Separation-of-Oil-from-Algae Process
A $1.5 million loan will help an algae company buy the equipment to build its system of separating the water from the green microbes. And that could be key in the algae-to-biodiesel process. Biodiesel Magazine reports that Algaeventure Systems Inc. has picked up the money from the Ohio development department’s R&D investment loan fund to support the purchase of machinery …
Former Senator is Biofuels Convert
Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania was never a believer in ethanol, biodiesel and other forms of renewable energy until one devastating day in American history. “I looked at this issue differently, until 9/11,” the senator said during an address at the Iowa Renewable Fuels (IRFA) Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday. “To me, 9/11 changed the game as we …
President’s Energy Goals Sound Familiar
Representatives of the renewable fuels industry were pleased to hear President Obama talking about energy independence during his State of the Union address last night, saying that we need to “break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015” as well as mentioning wind and solar, …
Biodiesel, Ethanol on Sidelines in State of the Union
Just like a year ago, proponents of biodiesel and ethanol must be wondering if their green fuels were part of President Barack Obama’s “clean energy” comments in this year’s State of the Union address. Meanwhile, solar, nuclear and electric vehicle advocates have to be feeling pretty good about themselves as they received specific shout-outs during the hour-long speech. Appearing before …
Iowa Economy Powered by Renewable Fuels
Iowa is an undisputed leader in renewable fuels production and that is extremely good for the state’s economy At the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) released a new study detailing the positive benefits that provides for Iowa. According to the report, the renewable fuels industry, both ethanol and biodiesel, accounts …
Researchers Develop Self-Healing Bio Polymers
Researchers at Iowa State University are developing polymers made from vegetable oils that repair themselves. This press release from the school says Michael Kessler, an Iowa State University professor and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, is working on the technology: “If successful, the results of this research will provide biorenewable alternatives to petroleum-based resins,” says …
EPA Approves E15 for Vehicles 2001 and Up
The Environmental Protection Agency has officially announced approval of 15% ethanol blended fuel for vehicles as old as model year 2001. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today waived a limitation on selling gasoline that contains more than 10 percent ethanol for model year (MY) 2001 through 2006 passenger vehicles, including cars, SUVs, and light pickup trucks. The waiver applies …
Michigan Ethanol Delegation Hits the Hill
A delegation of representing Michigan ethanol producers hit Capitol Hill on Thursday for a series of meetings with members of Congress and their staff. The fly-in, organized by Growth Energy, was designed to educate lawmakers about the benefits of ethanol. The Michigan delegation includes David Gloer and Don Morse with POET Biorefining-Caro, Gary Lazarski of Carbon Green BioEnergy and Steve …