Global Wind Day is around the corner on June 15, 2011. Organized by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the groups hope to use the day to educate people about the benefits of wind energy through fun activities. Last year there were 220 events in 29 countries that took place from Austria to …
New Oxfam Report: Growing a Better Future
A new report, “Growing a Better Future,” has the ethanol industry up in arms over its accusation that U.S. biofuel policy is leading to world hunger. The report kicked off a new worldwide GROW campaign spearheaded by the organization. The report covers the symptoms of today’s broken food system: growing hunger, flat-lining yields, a scramble for fertile land and water, …
Students In India Study Water Hyacinth for Ethanol
Students around the world are in search of new alternatives to fossil fuels. Several biotech students in Surat, Gujarat are studying the water hyacinth as a feedstock to produce ethanol. The students are looking for ways to reduce fuel costs – earlier this month the Central government announced that the price of fuel would increase five rupees across the country. …
GRFA- Diversification of Global Fuel Supply Needed
The G8 Summit and the OECD’s annual International Transport Forum has kicked off today in Leipzig, Germany to discuss the future of transportation on a global scale. During the event, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is calling on them to immediately adopt the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Technology Roadmap: Biofuels for Transport. This roadmap suggests that biofuels could account …
BIOfuel From Algae Technologies Project Launched
A new international project is kicking off to produce biofuels from algae. The BIOfuel From Algae Technologies (BIOFAT) project is supported by nine partners based in seven countries and the goal is to show that ethanol, biodiesel and bioproducts call all be produced at large scale from algae. Algae supporters believe algal biofuels can be produced in an efficient, economic …
FAO Studies Pros & Cons of Bioenergy
FAO has released a new report that contains methodology designed to aid policymakers assess the pros and cons of investing in the bioenergy industry. The “Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Analytical Framework” was written to help governments evaluate the potential of bioenergy as well as assess its possible food security impacts. The framework was developed over a three-year time frame …
50% of India’s Fuel Needs Could Be Met By Biofuels
One million jobs could be created in India over the next decade through the transformation of agricultural waste into biofuel. Should this occur, biofuels could meet 59 percent of the demand for liquid transportation fuels by 2020. This according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance study, “Next-generation Ethanol: What’s in it for India,” commissioned by Novozymes. Already, the Indian government …
Algae Waste Water, Ag Runoff Projects Underway in Europe
OriginOil, Inc. and its French partner Ennesys have confirmed they are working with various institutions to develop two separate large-scale algae projects. Global 500 Multinational Bouygues Construction has engaged Ennesys to study the integration of waste water algae production in two building projects in the Greater Paris region both at the scale of a million square feet (80,000 m2 and …
Canada Fears Rising Gas Prices
I just returned from Toronto, Canada after attending the 2011 BIO World Congress (great stuff and check back as I post a series of audio interviews from the conference) and the country is feeling the impacts of rising gas prices. Consumers in Central Canada have seen gas prices rise nearly 30 cents almost overnight despite the drop in oil prices …
GreenField Ethanol Launches G2 BioChem
The World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing (BIO World Congress) kicked off this morning in Toronto, Canada with a bang. GreenField Ethanol, the largest producer of ethanol in Canada, announced the launch of G2 BioChem, a collaborative partnership that will validate and bring to commercialization GreenField’s innovative patented process technology. The partnership includes companies such as Novozymes and Andritz …