Abengoa has been selected by the Ministry of Energy of the Chilean Government and Corfo (Corporacion de Fomento de la Produccion) to develop a 110 MW solar plant using tower technology with 17.5 hours of thermal energy storage using molten salts. The project will be located in the Atacama Desert, the region, believed to have the highest solar radiation concentrations …
Grocer Greens Up Greens Delivery with Biodiesel
The veggies might have a nice, healthy green tone, but sometimes the fuel to deliver them… well, not so much. But this story from the Nelson Star in British Columbia says a Canadian organic grocery supply is working biodiesel into its delivery trucks to make those greens truly green. Kootenay foodies and entrepreneurs Paul and Clare Kelly of Winlaw are …
Lignol Ups Ownership of Territory Biofuels to 100%
Canada-based Lignol Energy Corp. is taking 100 percent control of Australia’s largest biodiesel producer, Territory Biofuels Ltd. (TBF). This article from Biodiesel Magazine says Lignol already had a controlling stake (55 percent) in the 37-million-gallon refinery. TBF owns a large-scale biorefining facility located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, which includes a Lurgi-designed biodiesel plant and the largest glycerin refinery in …
Biodiesel Maker Expands Beyond Mideast & McD’s
A biodiesel maker in Dubai in the oil-rich Middle East is looking to expand out of its region and expand out of its primary feedstock supplier: McDonald’s. This article from the Wall Street Journal says for the last couple of years, Neutral Fuels has been turning used french fry cooking oil into the green fuel, while expanding from the United …
Simadan Investing $88.6 Mil in Dutch Biodiesel Plant
About $88.6 million is going into a Dutch biodiesel plant. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says Simadan Holding is putting the money into its subsidiary’s Biodiesel Amsterdam’s 45 million gallon a year refinery. The new plant is part of the largest ecological industrial complex in Europe, according to Simadan Holding. The 12-acre complex now includes a biodiesel plant, a storage …
Biodiesel Feedstock Palm Oil to Rebound in 2014
The past year was a pretty tough one for biodiesel feedstock palm oil, but traders are expecting it to rebound in 2014. This story from the Malaysia Star says overproduction and anti-palm oil campaigns in some countries took their tolls, but there are some real positives on the horizon for palm oil and, consequently, biodiesel. The Indonesian government recently set …
Neste’s Palm Oil Certified Sustainable 2 Years Early
Finnish renewable diesel producer Neste Oil has certified 100 percent of the palm oil used as the feedstock in its green fuel production process as sustainably produced. This company news release says the company was able to achieve that goal two years earlier than expected. “We are very satisfied that our systematic work to ensure the sustainability of palm oil …
Argentina Files Complaint on EU Biodiesel Tariffs
Argentina is not sitting still for what it terms as “illegal tariffs” against its biodiesel going to the European Union. This story from the Wall Street Journal says, for the third time, the South American country has complained to the World Trade Organization about the EU’s block on the imported biodiesel. Last month, the EU slapped steep import taxes on …
EU Guidelines Undermine Renewable Energy
The European Commission proposes putting an end to differentiated support for renewable technologies such as onshore and offshore wind in its consultation of draft State aid guidelines for energy and the environment published this week according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). This would effectively stop Member States from determining their own energy mix – a fundamental principle of …
Toyota Racing Biodiesel SUV in Dakar Rally
Toyota will race a biodiesel-powered SUV in the 2014 Dakar Rally. This story in the Japan Times says Toyota Auto Body Co. team will run a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 in the roughly 5,500-km off-road race through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile next month. The Land Cruiser will run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, emitting 60 percent less carbon …