NEC 2027

Two Dot Wind Farm Moving Forward

Joanna Schroeder

The Two Dot community wind farm located about 90 miles Northwest of Billings, Montana has taken another step forward in the development of its wind energy project. NorthWestern Energy and OwnEnergy, a developer of community wind projects, announced the signing of a 25-year Qualifying Facility Agreement for the 9.7 megawatt Two Dot Wind Farm.

OwnEnergy will sell the wind energy to NorthWestern Energy and the two organizations negotiated a long-term rate well below the current rate of $69.21. As a result, OwnEnergy obtained curtailment provisions that are more favorable than ones traditionally found in a Qualifying Facility Agreement.

“Thanks to this agreement, our customers will benefit from the addition of a renewable energy source at a rate more beneficial to ratepayers,” said John Hines, Vice President – Supply for OwnEnergy. “With our other recent wind QF purchases, we are nearing the limit of installed wind capacity that we are allowed to purchase through this tariff.”

The Montana Public Service Commission set a rate for NorthWestern Energy to purchase up to 50MW of wind generation. When the company reaches the cap, the MPSC will reexamine the wind QF tariff and related policies.

The Two Dot Wind project is owned by Dave Healow and Dana Dogetrom and exemplifies community wind projects. The wind farm will not only create renewable electricity, but also provide jobs for members of the community.  It is expected to be completed and in production by the spring of 2012.

Jacob Susman, founder and CEO of OwnEnergy, added, “This is an exciting milestone for OwnEnergy, Two Dot Wind, LLC and the local Montana community. NorthWestern has once again shown true leadership, demonstrating that power generation can be environmentally friendly at the same time as being cost-effective.”

Electricity, Energy, Wind

GROWMARK Supplies Domestic Fuel for Farm Progress Show

Cindy Zimmerman

farm progress show 2011When the cars, trucks, tractors, combines and other equipment at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois needed fueling up, GROWMARK FS was there on-site to serve up home-grown fuel.

Mark Dehner, GROWMARK marketing manager for refined and renewable fuels, says they have been the official Farm Progress Show fuel supplier for many years. “It takes a lot of fuel. The demonstrations for tillage, for harvest, the main fuel is diesel fuel for the heavy equipment. That’s our Dieselex Gold proprietary diesel fuel with a biodiesel blend,” Dehner says. “We also have a ten percent ethanol blend gasoline for the gasoline-powered units.”

Dehner says the GROWMARK FS system started marketing ethanol back in the late 70s and they started field trials with biodiesel in the 90s and started selling it in the year 2000. “So biodiesel and ethanol have been a part of our Farm Progress Show for some time,” he said.

They have a fuel truck that stays out on the demo fields throughout the show to provide free fuel for all the equipment whenever necessary.

Listen to or download Chuck Zimmerman’s interview with Mark Dehner at FPS here: GROWMARK's Mark Dehner at Farm Progress Show

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farm Progress Show, GROWMARK

RFA CEO Visits Farm Progress Show

Cindy Zimmerman

farm progress show 2011The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen visited with farmers, friends and the farm media at the 2011 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois this week.

Dinneen has been traveling around the Midwest this month and says he is always amazed by the ability of the nation’s farmers to do their job, no matter what Mother Nature throws at them. “The fact of the matter is, the American farmer is the most productive and efficient in the world,” Bob says. “We will get through this and there will be enough supply to meet the needs for grain that exist.”

Ethanol Report PodcastOn the other hand, Dinneen is frustrated with the inability of Congress to do its job. “It’s got everything to do with a dysfunctional Congress that couldn’t agree on whether or not Mother’s Day was a good thing,” he said, adding that in terms of energy policy, nothing is happening right now. “They’re focused right now on this super committee which is a recipe for more gridlock. There’s no way those 12 members are going to be able to come up with a plan to address the country’s needs in terms of the budget and taxes.”

In this Ethanol Report interview with Dinneen from Farm Progress Show, he also talks about the Republican presidential candidates and what is happening with the 15% ethanol waiver.

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: RFA CEO Bob Dinneen at the 2011 Farm Progress Show

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Farm Progress Show, Farming, RFA

POET To Sell Antibiotic-Free DDGS

Joanna Schroeder

POET had announced that they are now selling antibiotic-free dried distillers grains (DDGS) with solubles. Today, they sell more than 4 million tons of Dakota Gold DDGS to a variety of feed markets. On occasion, fermentation can be disrupted due to things such as a bacterial infections, and an antimicrobial agent can be used to control the contamination.

Over the last few years, POET has developed and tested a new process that eliminates the need for antibiotics to control fermentation disruptions. The testing was done with participation of egg-farming customers and support from the United Egg Producers (UEP).

“POET partnered with UEP in a recently completed study showing that adding DDGS to layer diets can dramatically reduce ammonia emissions from the farm,” said Chad Gregory, Senior Vice President at United Egg Producers. “Their antibiotic-free process is another example that demonstrates POET’s commitment to animal agriculture.”

Mark Giesemann, Ph.D., Director of Technical Services at POET Nutrition added, “Since it was introduced more than 15 years ago, Dakota Gold has built a reputation for consistency and quality. “We had to ensure that any adjustments in our process didn’t compromise that reputation. After a few years of testing and development, we’ve found that the DDGS from the antibiotic-free process are of the highest quality.”

Company Announcement, Distillers Grains, Ethanol

REG Adds Bioheat & Biodiesel Sales Manager

Joanna Schroeder

Paul Predaris has joined Renewable Energy Group (REG) as the company’s new Biodiesel Sales Manager. In his role, he will oversee the company’s Bioheat development of the biodiesel market in the Northeastern United States. This part of the country is rapidly adopting Bioheat for home heating and Predaris will closely work with home heating oil and petroleum distributors as well as terminal owners to expand the market.

“Bioheat and biodiesel demand in the Northeast is rapidly expanding due to progressive state and local energy policy and the Renewable Fuels Standard. As America’s largest biodiesel producer, we are committed to focusing our nationwide distribution and logistics resources in this region and the addition of Predaris to our team is evidence of that commitment,” said REG Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gary Haer.

“Predaris’s extensive experience in the region and knowledge of the biodiesel industry allow him to effectively partner with down-stream supply chain partners in making Bioheat and biodiesel more widely available,” he added.

Prior to joining REG, Predaris spent nearly 15 years with Sprague Energy Corporation in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He has also served on the board of directors for several state oil and heat councils and associations.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Company Announcement

New E85 Station Opens in St. Paul, Nebraska

Joanna Schroeder

It’s no coincidence that we’re seeing a few new E85 stations opening this week. We’re heading into Labor Day weekend and many us will be driving to visit friends and family. For those flex-fuel vehicle drivers, you have a new E85 station that just may be on your travel route. Aurora Cooperative at 614 2nd Street in St. Paul, Nebraska is the home of the state’s newest E85 pump. While you can fill up now, the station will be having a grand opening celebration on Thursday, September 8, 2011 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

During the E85 event, the station will offer an 85 cent discount on E85 for a fill-up of up to 30 gallons. Also available is E10 and regular gasoline. This is Nebraska’s 68th E85 pump and today, there are more than 100,000 Nebraskan motorists who own a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV). Not sure if your car is an FFV? You can check by visiting the Nebraska Ethanol Board website at www.ne-ethanol.org/ffv.

“E85 and other ethanol fuels burn cleaner than gasoline and the ethanol is produced here in Nebraska. As manufacturers produce more Flex Fuel Vehicles each year, there is an opportunity to expand the use of high level ethanol blends,” said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board Administrator.

Kim Clark, Ag Program Manager with the Nebraska Corn Board added, “We are pleased that ethanol, grown and produced right here in Nebraska by our corn farmers, can be offered locally.”

E85, Ethanol

E85 Sales Hit New Record in Iowa

Joanna Schroeder

Second quarter E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) sales in Iowa have hit an all-time record increasing 40 percent during the second quarter. According to the Iowa Department of Revenue, sales of E85 by Iowa retailers reached 3,697,199 gallons from April to June of this year, setting a new record.

“Iowans continue to have more E85 fueling options – and they are taking advantage of them in record fashion,” said Iowa Renewable Fuel Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. “E85 remains a good bargain – for our pocketbook, our economy, our national security, and our environment.”

There are currently 144 retail stations selling E85. A list can be found here. Retailers wishing to offer E85 may be eligible for a state grant to offset some of the equipment and installation costs. The Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Board is taking applications now. For an application, contact Harold Hommes, Iowa Department of Agriculture, at 515-242-6237 or harold.hommes@iowaagriculture.gov.

Source: Iowa RFA

E85, Ethanol

UOP Breaks Ground on Hawaii Cellulose Plant

Joanna Schroeder

UOP, a honeywell company, has broken ground on a biofuels demonstration plant in Hawaii that will convert forest waste, algae and other cellulosic biomass to fuel. The project is being helped along by a $25 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. The project will help meet federal biofuel mandates as well as help Hawaii reach its clean energy goals of producing 70 percent of its energy from “clean” sources by 2030.

The Integrated Biorefinery will be located at the Tesora Corp. refinery in Kapolei. The goal of the plant is to prove out the viability of the technology, test the fuels produced and evaluate the environmental footprint of the fuel. The first phase of production is expected to be begin in 2012 with the plant fully operational by 2014.

“Biomass is abundantly available today, and it is an important opportunity to consider as we seek alternatives that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and improve our environmental footprint,” said Jim Rekoske, vice president and general manager of Renewable Energy and Chemicals for Honeywell’s UOP.

“Our Integrated Biorefinery will illustrate these benefits as well the potential that biorefineries have to enhance the local economy and provide new green jobs. Our island home is far too dependent on imported fossil fuels, and I am very pleased that this alternative energy initiative has the support of the federal government,” he added.

According to Rekoske, once the technology is proven out, it could produce up to 50 million gallons of drop-in fuels. The Integrated Biorefinery is testing the RTP, rapid thermal processing technology to convert the biomass to biofuels.

Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye said of the project, “Hawaii will play a critical role in helping the domestic biofuel industry thrive and this project will create much needed jobs in Kapolei. I am also pleased that Honeywell’s UOP is partnering with a number of local stakeholders including Hawaii BioEnergy, Group 70, Kai Hawaii, University of Hawaii and Leeward Community College. I will do all I can to ensure that Hawaii continues to serve as the laboratory for renewable energy initiatives in the Pacific.”

advanced biofuels, algae, biofuels, biomass

Energy Helps Fuel GROWMARK Business

Cindy Zimmerman

growmark annual meeting 2011At their annual meeting last week in Chicago, the GROWMARK system reported record sales of $8.5 billion for 2010-2011, with the 2nd highest net income ever at $182 million..

Chairman of the board Dan Kelley, an Illinois grain farmer, says it has been a very good year for GROWMARK and agriculture in general. “Agriculture has been one of the stellar industries in this economic downturn over the last 2-3 years,” he said. “We have now recorded our best seven years in the history of the GROWMARK system, which is 84 years.”

Kelley says they have a long term commitment to homegrown fuels, like ethanol. “We were one of the pioneers in ethanol, probably over 30 years now since we pumped the first gallons of ethanol,” said Kelley, noting that they market rather than produce the fuel.

Listen to my interview with Dan Kelley here. GROWMARK President Dan Kelley

growmark annual meeting 2011Renewable Fuels Association board member Ray Defenbaugh of Big River Resources West Burlington was at the annual meeting last week, as a director on the Riverland FS board in Illinois.

Defenbaugh says GROWMARK really demonstrates how well the cooperative system works. “A lot of our ethanol plants are cooperatives, GROWMARK’s a cooperative and we work well together. They recognize the importance of (ethanol) to agriculture,” he said, adding that ethanol helps support grain prices allowing farmers to afford the rising costs of fertilizer, equipment and other inputs.

Listen to or download the my interview with Ray here. Ray Defenbaugh, Big River Resources

2011 GROWMARK Annual Meeting Photos

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, GROWMARK, RFA

Sporting Event Sponsorships Okay

Chuck Zimmerman

Last week we asked the question, “What is your opinion on ag-related sponsorships of sporting events?” 46% of you said Great way to reach certain audiences. 34% said Some are good, some not. 19% said Waste of money. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below. There are ag related sponsorships in just about every kind of sporting event that sells them. Which do you think are best? Which are the worst?

Our new ZimmPoll is now live. We’re asking the question, “How many years before cellulosic ethanol matches corn ethanol production?” Your input and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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

ZimmPoll