The U.S. is importing biodiesel at a record rate for the year so far. This article from Platts cites U.S. Census Bureau data that shows imports reached a 2014 year-to-date record in July of 69,474 metric tonnes, more that twice the previous record set in March. Low palm oil prices seem to be the big driver, although biodiesel imports are …
Cambi Group Inks Waste-to-Energy Deal
Cambi Group has inked a deal with Beijing Drainage Group (BDG) and Beijing Drainage Construction Company (BDC) to convert Chinese sludge treatment into renewable energy and byproducts. BDG and BDC are exemplifying the direction to meet China’s five goals for sewage sludge treatment: increased biogas production, sludge volume reduction, pathogen kill for safe land application, energy recovery, and recycling of …
Kyocera’s Largest Floating Solar Farm Underway
Kyocera Corporation, Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation and Ciel et Terre International will begin construction this month on what they say is the world’s largest floating solar installation. Kyocera TCL Solar will develop and operate utility-scale floating solar power plants utilizing Ciel et Terre’s Hydrelio floating solar platforms in two installations, totaling 2.9 megawatts (MW) at Nishihira Pond and Higashihira Pond …
Texas A&M Students Help African Villages with Solar
Three senior Mechanical Engineering students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Bryan Hunt, Cody Collins, and Andrew Schippers recently returned from Hanga, Tanzania where they brainstormed ideas for several renewable resource projects including the use of solar energy for refrigeration, lighting, Internet and improving hydroelectric power. Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering Michael Cornachione is assisting the students with their projects. “The …
Masdar Completes First Samoan Wind Farm
Somoa has its operational first wind farm. The ‘cyclone proof’ project is located on the Samoan island of Upolu. Home to nearly 75 percent of the population the wind farm will supply 1,500 MWh of power per year, delivering U.S. $475,000 in annual fuel cost savings. The pioneering project in Samoa includes two 55 meters high turbines that can pivot …
Arrayan Wind Farmed Commissioned in Santiago
The 115 MW El Arrayan Wind farm located 400 km north of Santiago on the coast of Chile has officially been commissioned. El Arrayan Wind connects to the Sistema Interconectado Central’s 220kVm transmission system and is located on approximately 15,320 acres of coastal land on a long-term lease with a single landowner. The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, together with …
Non-Binding Renewable Target Questioned by IEA
Europe has released it non-binding target for renewable energy at 27 percent by 2030 and in response the International Energy Agency (IEA) has raised the alarm and is asking for a clear and stable framework. According to the IEA’s Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report, the absence of a binding target raises questions about how effective the overall target can be. …
Wastes-for-Biodiesel Firm Gets Sustainability Certification
A company that turns waste materials into feedstocks for several products, including biodiesel, has earned an important sustainability certification. Switzerland-based MBP Trading SA earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) sustainability certification for their waste material collection, trading and distribution activities. “MBP Group was built on a sustainable background, adding as much value as possible to industrial by-products. Sustainability was …
Renovagen Uses Crowdcube to Raise Funds
UK company Renovagen has used the crowd funding website Crowdcube to raise £263,000 with the support of 160 investors. The fundraising campaign was 76 per cent oversubscribed and coincides with the successful completion of a 6kW prototype version of Renovagen’s patented “Roll-Array” transportable solar power system that enables large rollable solar arrays to be conveniently and quickly deployed from small …
Canada Handing Out New Grants for Biomass Research
Researchers looking to turn biomass into energy will get some help from one of the Canadian provinces. Manitoba has doubled the Biomass Energy Support Program funding to $1 million, with the additional $500,000 of new funding targeted to applied research projects that will support the growth of the biomass industry. “Manitoba’s green economy creates new opportunities for biofuel manufacturers and …