At last week’s Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 2008, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that USDA will accept almost $221 million in loan and grant applications within USDA’s Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. “As demand for energy rises, these renewable energy loans and grants help farms and rural small businesses increase their investment in renewable energy …
25 x ’25 Energy Summit This Week
Coming up this week in Omaha is the National 25x’25 Renewable Energy Summit. The conference will feature leading renewable energy experts from across the nation. More than two dozen pre-eminent authorities on biofuels, biomass, wind, solar and other land-based renewable energy sources will address the summit. Presenters will include Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and director of the Lawrence Berkeley …
Texas Ethanol Plant Grand Opening
The first large-scale ethanol plant in Texas will hold its grand opening this weekend near Hereford. Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen says the opening of plants like White Energy outside of the traditional ethanol producing area of the country is critical to the continued growth of this industry. “No longer are Midwesterners the only Americans to realize the benefits …
Volvo Debuts Biofuel-friendly Trucks
Automaker Volvo has unveiled seven trucks that the company sees as the future for long-haul transportation in the country. This story in Land Line Magazine says Volvo officials debuted the trucks at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference in Washington, DC: The trucks, powered by everything from biodiesel and ethanol to biogas and hydrogen, are touted by the company as …
Recycling Beverage Waste into Fuel
A Minnesota company has developed a process to convert waste beverages into fuel. Diversified Ethanol, a subsidiary of Greenbelt Resources Corporation, is focused on producing valuable renewable energy from waste substances that are produced by breweries and soft drink manufacturers. According to a company release, Diversified Ethanol designs and builds small scale, modular ethanol plants that utilize existing waste as …
Bush Urges US to “Get Off Oil”
As crude oil jumped to new record highs on the New York mercantile exchange due to falling oil inventories, trading over $104 a barrel, President Bush renewed his support for ethanol as a means toward energy independence. Speaking at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC) Wednesday, Bush said, “America has got to change its habits. We’ve got to …
E20 Passes Minnesota Testing
A new study by the State of Minnesota finds that increasing the amount of renewable ethanol blended into gasoline from 10 percent to 20 percent will work in current vehicles and fuel dispensing equipment and provides similar power and performance. Using 40 pairs of vehicles commonly found on American roads, a year-long research effort found that increasing ethanol blends from …
Bentley Maps Future with Ethanol
Legendary British carmaker Bentley says it is it will look to ethanol, lighter construction and more efficient gasoline engines… instead of diesel and hybrid motors… to meet the green demands of the future: This story in AutoWeek says the changes will help the company reduce carbon emissions in its vehicles by 15 percent: “We don’t think our customers, particularly in …
Sustaining the Faith
A group is trying to combine their faith with its desire to live a life that will allow everyone to enjoy the Earth before they have to head off to Heaven. FUSE… Faiths United for Sustainable Energy… is a collection of scientists, religious leaders, government officials, and more which wants to become a catalyst to rid our society of its …
Corn Genome Map Opens New World
Mapping of the corn genome opens up a new world of possibilities for producing more food, feed and fuel from maize. The announcement was made last week that scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have completed the first ever mapping of the corn genome, only the second crop after rice to have its genome sequenced. The genetic data is …