KSU Coach Bill Snyder Plays for Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

Kansas State University head coach Bill Snyder is playing for ethanol. He has become a spokesperson for a radio campaign to promote the benefits of ethanol sponsored by the Kansas Association of Ethanol Producers (KAEP). The radio ads are part of a season-long ethanol promotion and will be aired on KSU’s 33-station network during all regular season football games and Bill Snyder Show radio call-in shows. The first program airs on August 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm CDT.

The ethanol industry will also serve as the official game sponsor of the K-State vs. North Texas football game on September 15, hosting a tailgate party for their fuel retailer customers and providing the game’s halftime interview.

“KAEP is thrilled to be partnering with Kansas State Football and our agricultural friends on this exciting opportunity to share the message of ethanol’s benefits to the economy and environment,” said Mike Chisam, general manager of Kansas Ethanol, LLC and KAEP Board Chairman. “We hope that all football fans will learn more about how they can join us in advancing Kansas’ home grown fuel.”

The Kansas Corn Commission, Kansas Sorghum Commission and Growth Energy are also participating with KAEP in the promotion.

biofuels, Ethanol

Kelly Davis Joins RFA

Joanna Schroeder

Kelly Davis is joining the Renewable Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) as Director of Regulatory Affairs. She is an ethanol veteran and before joining RFA full time, Davis chaired the RFA Technical Committee while working for Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company located in Benson, Minnesota. Davis will start with RFA on September 4, 2012 and be based out of the St. Louis, Missouri office.

“Kelly will add immediate value to the members of the RFA, helping them to navigate the myriad of regulatory issues that come down from the federal government,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen.

“Kelly’s expertise will add greater depth to the RFA’s already deep knowledge of the regulatory and technical issues that can be the difference between profit and not for many RFA members. In particular, Kelly has tremendous expertise in ethanol exports, the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED), and carbon accounting here and abroad. With her recent experience working with an ethanol marketing firm, she will also be a great asset to the RFA’s E15 regulatory team. We are thrilled to welcome Kelly to the RFA and are proud that she will continue to serve this industry as a member of our staff,” concluded Dinneen.

Company Announcement, RFA

Poll Says Increased Feed Costs, Food Prices

Melissa Sandfort

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”Beyond commodity prices, what will this year’s drought have a greater impact on?”

Our poll results: Thirty-eight percent said feed costs; thirteen percent said food prices; eleven percent said fuel costs and crop insurance, respectively; nine percent said crop inputs; eight percent said land costs; and five percent said tillage practices and other, respectively.

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, ” How will the drought affect farm equipment sales?” For growers looking to update their fleet, or invest in new equipment and technologies, will they think twice when factoring in drought affects or will their pocketbooks still allow them that purchase – what do you think?

ZimmPoll is sponsored by Rhea+Kaiser, a full-service advertising/public relations agency.

ZimmPoll

DOE Invests $10M for 2 Solar Projects

Joanna Schroeder

The Department of Energy has awarded $10 million over five years for two university-led projects to advance the technological development of concentrating solar power (CSP). The award is part of two programs: SunShot Initiative, a federally funded program whose goal is to help solar energy become cost competitive with other energy sources by 2020; and the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, which brings together university teams from different scientific disciplines to focus on innovation.

The grant awardees are:

  • University of California – Los Angeles ($5 million over five years) is leading a team with researchers from Yale University and the University of California – Berkeley to investigate liquid metals as potential heat transfer fluids with the ability to withstand higher temperatures.
  • University of Arizona ($5 million over five years) is teaming with researchers from Arizona State University and Georgia Tech to develop and demonstrate new, molten salt-based, fluids as possible alternatives to traditional heat transfer fluids.

CSP technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat that can be used to produce electricity. Therefore, heat transfer fluids are a key component of CSP systems the the grants were awarded to universities that are focused on improving heat transfer fluids. This advancement will increase efficiency and lower costs of CSP systems.

“Advanced concentrating solar power systems represent a promising pathway for utilities to provide reliable, affordable solar electricity to American families and businesses,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chu. “The investments made today as part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy will help accelerate commercialization of new, lower cost renewable energy technologies and diversify our nation’s energy portfolio.”

Electricity, Energy, Research, Solar, Video

IKEA Plugs-In Largest Solar PV System in Minnesota

Joanna Schroeder

I must confess to you readers that I have furniture by IKEA in my home and in fact, drove to Minneapolis/St. Paul for a weekend just to go shopping. Now, this same store officially plugged-in its new solar panels installed in its Twin Cities store in Bloomington, Minnesota. The 128,000 square-foot PV array consists of 1,014 kW system built with 4,316 panels. It is now the largest photovoltaic array in the state and is estimated to produce approximately 1,161,328 kWh of clean electricity annually.

The rooftop solar energy system is the 31st completed project for the company with eight projects still under construction. Design, development and installation was overseen by SoCore Energy.

“We at IKEA believe in the never-ending job of improving the sustainability of our day-to-day business,” said James Organ, IKEA store manager.  “The Twin Cities coworkers are excited to contribute to this goal with our newly operational solar panels.  We appreciate the support of the City of Bloomington, Xcel Energy and SoCore Energy, our partners in this project.”

Today, 89% of IKEA stores in the U.S. are powered with solar with a total generation of 38 MW. IKEA owns and operates each solar PV system and globally has allocated €590 million to invest in renewable energy, focusing on solar and wind during the coming three years.

Electricity, Energy, Solar

NPS Turbines Surpass 2M Hours of Operation

Joanna Schroeder

The wind is definitely blowing these days and this is one of the reasons that wind energy is a great alternative energy source. Today Northern Power Systems is celebrating a milestone: its NPS 100 permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) wind turbine fleet has surpassed two million hours of operation. The company’s 100 kW fleet began operating in 2008 at nearly 98% demonstrating high energy production and little downtime. Currently, more than 175 NPS 100 wind turbines are installed and operating in the 25 U.S. states as well as in the Bahamas, Canada, Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

“We are very proud to have achieved the two million hour milestone while maintaining high fleet availability,” said Troy Patton, President and CEO at Northern Power Systems. “Northern Power’s PM/DD technology delivers the performance and reliability that are fundamental to the long term success of distributed power generation around the world.”

With hurricane season upon us, wind turbines can help detect wind speeds. Last year when Hurricane Irene, a Class III hurricane, hit the Bahamas directly, the turbines detected high winds of up to 107.1 miles per hour (mph) and automatically entered safe mode. The next morning, the winds died down and the NPS 100 turbines began operating normally with no need for any maintenance or repair. NPS turbines are designed to stand up to winds up to 133 mph (59.5 m/s).

A little wind fact: if wind speeds are to high, usually during major storms, wind turbines are shut down for safety.

“Our NPS 100 customers get clean, cost effective renewable energy from turbines that fit perfectly in remote locations as well as industrial areas and communities. The turbine’s reliable, safe and simple operation gives owners peace of mind and delivers the highest energy output in its class for the best return on their investment,” said Reinout Oussoren, Vice President of Global Sales at Northern Power Systems.

With the proof in the wind of the success of NPS 100 wind turbines, Northern Power Systems is expanding its turbine portfolio citing several key benefits of the turbines including the the need for only minimal infrastructure, provide easy installation and maintenance, and eliminate the need for transmission lines for grid connectivity.

Electricity, Energy, Wind

Tell Governors No to RFS Waiver

Joanna Schroeder

As the political frenzy heats up leading into the Democratic and Republican Conventions, the ethanol industry’s campaign to stop a waiver to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) is heating up as well. This week, several ethanol organizations have sent out letters to key legislatures including governors explaining why there is no need for a waiver. The governors who are advocating for a waiver include Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and New Mexico.

The letter from Growth Energy supports statements made by others in the industry including an explanation of the inherent flexibility built into the RFS and how obligated parties can easily meet the volume requirements this year. The letter also debunks the fallacy of the total corn crop that is actually used in ethanol production. In addition, the letter explains that waiving the RFS would not have any significant impact on corn prices; rather, commodity prices are affected by speculation and Mother Nature.

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis dropped by the Farm Progress Show Tuesday just before heading to Tampa for the Republican convention and Cindy Zimmerman was able to speak with him in more detail about why a waiver for the RFS would not help, but hurt farmers, the ethanol industry and most important consumers.

You can listen to the full interview with Tom Buis here: Tell Governors No to RFS Waiver

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen said in his organization’s letter, “The rash of governors rushing to appease the pleas of the livestock and food processing industries are ignoring the damage a waiver would do to consumers at the pump. Removing ethanol from our fuel mix would drive oil and gasoline prices higher, adding pain at the pump and increased cost at the checkout counter due to higher energy costs for farmers, food processors, and food transporters. These increases in gas prices would far outpace any negligible relief to food prices from a waiver. The alleged economic harm cited by these governors does not rise to the kind of economic harm EPA determined necessary to waive the RFS. The facts cited in support of their case also fail to pass muster.”

Audio, biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Farm Progress Show, Growth Energy, RFA

Gas Prices Rise with Isaac’s Arrival

Joanna Schroeder

Gas prices are beginning to rise in anticipation of hurricane Isaac, directly headed to New Orleans nearly seven years after hurricane Katrina. While evacuation plans were underway in the city, President Obama was in Ames, Iowa and Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association brought a letter for the president asking him to take emergency action to suspend the federal petroleum mandate for the next four to six week so retailers could use higher blends of ethanol. This would help make up for any lost petroleum production if any refineries should take a hit during the storm.

The letter reads, “With the busy Labor Day weekend right around the corner, the last thing American consumers need is higher gasoline prices – but that is just what they’ll get.  Nearly 80 percent of the daily oil production in the Gulf region has been halted due to Tropical Storm Isaac.  The storm has also shut down the refining operations in the area – 40 percent of America’s entire refining capacity.  According to the National Journal, these operations are expected to be off-line at least two weeks.

Therefore, IRFA is asking you to take emergency action to suspend the federal petroleum mandate for the next four to six weeks. Currently federal law requires that a minimum of 85 percent of every gallon of gas sold in America be from petroleum sources. If retailers sell or consumers buy a fuel blended with less petroleum (i.e. more ethanol) they are subject to a $37,500 per day fine by the federal government.

Due to the current petroleum challenges, if gasoline prices increase by only a modest 20 cents per gallon for four weeks, that equates to a “mandate tax” of over $300 million dollars – more than a quarter of a billion dollars!

According to the Energy Information Administration, there are over 775 million gallons of ethanol in storage today. If provided the regulatory flexibility to do so, retailers could use this ethanol to make up for the lost petroleum production over the next few weeks during this emergency situation.  Not only would ethanol add supply to the market, but ethanol is already less expensive than gasoline.”

biofuels, Ethanol, Iowa RFA

Getting More Products From Soybeans

Joanna Schroeder

During the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society a new integrated soybean biorefinery was revealed. The technology is designed to create a wider portfolio of products from soybeans.

“Mention soybeans to most people, and they immediately think of the oil,” said Ramani Narayan, Michigan State (MSU) University Distinguished Professor, who reported on the new biorefinery technology. “Soybean oil is the world’s most widely used edible oil. It’s in some margarines, shortenings, mayonnaise, salad dressings, frozen foods, baked goods and many other items. But soybeans are about more than oil. Soybeans are nuggets of green gold that can be a treasure trove of ingredients for other products, and our new biorefinery provides a glimpse of that potential.”

The biorefinery is a fairly new product, often times it is associated with second generation feedstocks such as corn stover, algae and agricultural waste that can produce biofuels, biomaterials and biochemicals. Until now, the mention of soybeans in this emerging environment was rare.

Narayan aid that soybeans pack similar potential as corn as a feedstock but until now, soybean processing facilities have typically focused on producing oils and meal for livestock feed. Switching to the biorefinery concept, the soybean can be transformed into a much wider array of valuable materials. For example, components of a soybean could be turned into polyurethanes, including rigid foam insulation, flexible foams for packaging, as well as coatings, adhesives and elastomers.

The soybean meal could be further processed to yield components used in polyester plastics for fabrics, ropes, car tires, plastic bottles, and LCD screens as well as used in Nylon and Kevlar for bulletproof vests and fire-resistant Nomex. Not enough? Soybeans could also be broken down and built back up as as an ingredient is formaldehyde, a toxic chemical used in a range of products from paint to clothing to children’s toys. And the list goes on.

“The biorefinery can utilize essentially every component of the soybean in the production of bio-based ingredients for high-value products,” Narayan added. “It makes sense from a sustainability standpoint, in which we strive to reduce our dependence on petroleum as a feedstock. It also benefits the soybean farmers and raises the value of the local economy.”

Agribusiness, biochemicals, Biodiesel, biofuels, biomaterials, bioplastics, Soybeans

Railroad Transportation Company Turns to Propane

Joanna Schroeder

Trains may not run on alternative fuels just yet, but one of the companies that provides railroad crew transportation solutions does. Rezenberger recently unveiled ten 2012 ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas fueled Ford E-350 shuttle vans for its California fleet.

The unveiling took place during an event called “Less Traffic, Lower Emissions — Crew Transportation Company Rides Clean with Propane Autogas,” held at the BNSF San Bernardino Intermodal Facility. During the event key members of the Rezenberger and ROUSH CleanTech team showcased the benefits of propane. Attendees were able to experience the performance of propane by test-driving the vehicles.

“Choosing propane autogas to fuel our fleet vehicles has allowed Renzenberger to reduce the carbon footprint of our company and lower fuel costs, while providing a safe, sustainable and reliable transportation solution to transport California employees,” said Karen Seitter, president of Renzenberger. “This area is known for congestion, and we are reducing both traffic and emissions.”

When considering the switch, Renzenberger estimated they will save nearly $14,500 per vehicle in fuel costs each year. This is important because the company logs more than 60 million miles each year transporting railroad, oil and gas and its employees to and from work sites across the country. The company has a private on-site station at its San Bernardino, California location and also takes advantage of public propane autogras stations across Southern California.

Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH added, “We are excited to help Renzenberger achieve their safety and sustainability goals with this clean-burning alternative to gasoline. Renzenberger plays an important role in safely transporting railway crew from job site to job site. They’re now able to do this cleaner, safer and less expensively using propane autogas.”

Propane