U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today an additional $100 million round of funding opportunities for transformational energy research projects that will be made available through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). This announcement was made along side Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in advance of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. In a statement, Chu said, “I am pleased to announce ARPA-E’s …
Solayme Awarded $21.8 Million for Algal Fuel Project
Solazyme, Inc., which was just named the ‘Top 50 Hottest Company in Bioenegy‘ by Biofuels Digest, announced that it has received a $21.8 million federal grant to build its first integrated biorefinery in rural Riverside, Pennsylvania. The funding was announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and marks the next step in producing algal based fuel. Research conducted by …
Fiberight to Produce Cellulosic Ethanol in Iowa
Several ethanol plants have been changing hands and one of the more recent was the purchase of Xethanol LLC, based in Blairstown, Iowa, by Fiberight LLC, based in Virgina. Fiberight purchased the plant with the intent of converting it into a cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant. The fuel will be produced through the conversion of municipal sold waste (MSW) to ethanol. …
Government Awards $600 Million in Advanced Biorefinery Projects
Joining Secretary Chu, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack noted that USDA Rural Development has selected San Diego, California based Sapphire Energy to receive a loan guarantee for up to $54.5 million through the Biorefinery Assistance Program to demonstrate an integrated algal biorefinery process that will cultivate algae in ponds, and will use dewatering and oil extraction technology to produce an intermediate that …
Solazyme: Biofuels Digest’s Top Bioenergy Company
Biofuels Digest has announced its “Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy” for 2009/2010. The top of the list? Solazyme, a company specializing in developing renewable oils. The list is determined by a combination of a 75-member panel of international selectors and votes from Biofuels Digest subscribers, and is one of the most coveted by bioenergy companies. Last year, Solayme was ranked …
SC to Convert Buses to Biodiesel, Ethanol & More
The University of South Carolina has launched an ambitious program that will convert all of its campus vehicles to biodiesel, ethanol and more green fuels. This press release from the school says the “Genesis 2015 Initiative” will reduce the campus fleet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent within five years: The plan puts Carolina among the nation’s first campuses committed …
ACE Confident EPA Will Approve E15 by Mid-2010
The ethanol industry continues to let the EPA know its thoughts on the postponement of the decision regarding the E15 Waiver request, but like many other organization, is confident that the EPA will approve up to E15 blends by mid-2010. Brian Jennings, the Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and one of the ethanol groups to …
EPA Rules to Not Rule on E15 Waiver Petition
The deadline was met yesterday on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ruling on the E15 waiver, or was it? The EPA, in a letter to Growth Energy, the organization that filed the E15 Waiver, also known as the Green Jobs Waiver, has ruled to not rule. According to the letter the EPA wrote, “we want to make sure we have …