I’d like to introduce you to Laura McNamara. She’s the newest contributing editor to Domestic Fuel and other ZimmComm New Media news blogs. Laura is with me here in Indianapolis this week helping with our coverage of the Indy 500 and all events related to ethanol. Laura spent the last nine months covering Missouri state poltics for a statewide radio …
Indiana Solar Project Opens
Indiana’s first privately-owned building with an integrated commercial solar tile project will soon open, helped by a grant from the state’s energy program. According to this story posted on Sys-con.com, the building is in Connersville: The project, a state of the art dental center located in the city of Connersville, Indiana — The Christie Family Dentistry — featuring some of …
Biodiesel Beats Lamborghini
Recently, I told you about an upcoming episode of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” where a 1965 Chevy Impala is souped up with a biodiesel engine and blows away a Lamborghini in the quarter mile. Now, I’ve had a chance to talk to the man behind that Impala, Johnathan Goodwin, co-partner of SAE Energy… a company that specializes in converting gas-guzzlers …
New Hybrid Racecar Competition
Students at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering have invited students at other colleges to design, build, and then race their vehicles with gas-electric hybrid drive trains. According to a Dartmouth news release, the inaugural Formula Hybrid Competition will be held May 1-3, 2007, at New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, NH. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University of Daytona Beach, FL, Illinois Institute …
Happy April Fools’ Day!
Couple of ethanol-related April Fool stories on-line: Rutabagas for biofuels Research by the biofuels industry has turned up a feedstock that does not compete with the food supply: rutabagas. “Nobody likes rutabagas,” says Toby Marston, CEO of biofuels startup Rutaba-Gas LLC. “American farmers grow tons of rutabagas, but nobody really eats them. They’re perfect for making fuel.” Marston says people …
Oilseed Summit to Focus on Food and Fuel
The rise in popularity in biodiesel has caused some concerns that foodstuffs might be syphoned off to produce energy sources. To talk about those concerns, Soyatech… publisher of the Soya & Oilseed Bluebook… is sponsoring a summit November 11-13th in Chicago to discuss how to balance the needs for food and fuel with available oilseeds. From the Soyatech web site: …
Oil Giant Looks to the Sun for Energy
Officials with the government of Abu Dhabi say they will build a $350 million solar power plant… a first for the oil-producing region. ArabianBusiness.com reports the 500 megawatt plant is expected to be up and running by 2009 in an attempt by the United Arab Emirate member to cut its own dependence on, ironically enough, oil: “We … do not …
Minnesota Company Harvesting Power from the Sea
Officials with Independent Natural Resources, Inc., a company based in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, say they have successfuly tested a wave-powered pumping system that will move ocean water to a hydroelectric plant and desalination facility. The Star Tribune reports the company has been working on the project for five years and has tested in off the coast of …
E85 Promo Items
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has a number of great promo items to show your support for domestically-produced ethanol, including five brand new additions. Among them are two bumper stickers with the statements “This vehicle is CornFed, E85” and “Ethanol Guzzler,” available in small and large sizes. The round “I Drive E85, the future of Clean Air” magent is big …
Freezing to Report on Global Warming
Being a Floridian at heart, if not by birth, I can honestly say I have never been in weather as cold as last weekend in Ely, Minnesota when I had the opportunity to attend Ely’s Winter Festival and visit with the community’s favorite son, arctic exporer Will Steger. Fortunately I did dress for the part, but I still had to …