ACE Conference 2026

Illinois Biomass Working Group Formed

Joanna Schroeder

The state of Illinois has formed the Illinois Biomass Working Group (IBWG) to study near-term uses for biomass in Illinois. The team is comprised of academics, government, industry and the private sector. Ted Funk, an Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois is one of the founding members and saw the need for the group because “everyone is talking about liquid biofuels.”

“Can we grow biomass on the farm and put it in your car tank? Yes, we know it’s possible, and we’re getting closer to that day, but we’re still sometime away from it,” said Funk. “My fear is that we’ll have a bio-refinery system built, based on what we’re learning about turning cellulosic materials into liquid product, but we won’t know how to get huge quantities of biomass to those refineries.

Funk said he felt there was a need to pull people together to discuss opportunities, what markets are available today that could accept large quantities of biomass and how to put together supply chains.

To answer those questions, Funk and others, including Hans Blaschek and Natalie Bosecker from the Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research at Illinois, and Fred Iutzi from the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, organized a conference to analyze three markets they felt were currently open to the use of biomass for heat and power. One market is pellets to replace liquid propane, a second market is biomass to replace some of the coal used in industrial boilers and the third market is gasification.

“The IBWG has been an excellent way to get the right people in the room and start talking about possibilities,” added Funk. “We feel that the main function of the IBWG is to identify supply chains and put things together,” he concluded, “so that when the bio-refinery system is here, the supply chains will be here as well.”

biomass, Electricity, Research

Wind & Transmission Leadership Summit Announced

Joanna Schroeder

While wind energy is growing exponentially, renewable energy in the U.S. makes up less than 4 percent of total energy use. To increase energy created from wind power, several issues need to be address including transmission infrastructure and advanced energy storage. These very opportunities will be discussed and more during the first Wind & Transmission Leadership summit in Big Sky Montana from September 25-28, 2011.

The C-level summit will focus on seeking solutions to energy policy and wind development and will bring together leaders from the wind, energy storage and transmission industries as well as people from state and federal governments, finance and investment firms, academia, associations, environmental groups, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

“This conference is well positioned to bring together the leaders in industry and government that are working to solve our greatest challenges to establishing a renewable energy standard for the U.S. and to address the continued risk to our economy and environment,” said Randy Stratton, Conference Co-Chairman. “We can solve these challenges with the private sector working with the government to fund research and development in wind, energy storage, transmission technology and electric vehicles. We must move forward now before we fall further behind the rest of the world.”

Several break-out sessions will occur during the three-day summit and focus on a key segments of the market. Sessions include: community wind development, transmission solutions, state and federal policies and incentives, opening electricity markets in the West, siting issues, large wind technology, public lands and transmission infrastructure, wildlife concerns, national and regional energy programs, eminent domain, smart grid advancements, finance/investment and risk/liability issues.

Tom Kaiserski, Director of Energy Promotions for the State of Montana added, “This summit is designed to bring together the players with the vision and resources capable of building a 21st century clean and renewable power and transmission system that will result in thousands of new jobs, billions of investment, millions in new tax revenues that will help secure our energy future.”

Click here to learn more about the conference and for online registration.

conferences, Electricity, Energy, Wind

RFA Offers Free 15% Ethanol Pump Labels

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association is offering EPA-approved labels to gasoline marketers free of charge.

The labels comply with the language and design rules finalized by EPA in June to implement the use of E15 for cars, pickups, and SUVs made in model year 2001 and newer. The labels will be required on every pump offering E15 once EPA has certified E15 for commercial sale as required by Section 211(b) of the Clean Air Act.

“Making sure consumers are aware of the availability and proper use of E15 ethanol blends is a critical component of expanding the market for ethanol,” said RFA Director of Market Development Robert White. “Proper use of these labels will ensure gas stations and other fuel retailers choosing to offer E15 are complying with EPA labeling guidelines. These labels are yet another element of the RFA’s commitment to expanding the marketplace for ethanol-blended fuels by expanding ethanol fueling infrastructure and informing drivers of the benefits of ethanol use.”

The labels were approved for use by EPA today and will be available to ship in 14 business days. The RFA will be reaching out to National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers (SIGMA), the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA), the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), and other fuel retailing organizations to make sure gas pumps offering E15 blends are properly labeled.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Ethanol Compromise Not in Debt Deal

Cindy Zimmerman

The deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and make spending cuts agreed upon by President Obama and congressional leaders includes no mention of the compromise to reform ethanol policy worked out last month in the Senate and ethanol industry leaders are disappointed.

“As this deal calls for a commission and a future budget framework, the possibility still exists for a more comprehensive dialogue about energy tax policy, including how to assure the continued evolution of the ethanol industry to new feedstocks and technologies, how to assure needed investments in vehicles and infrastructure to accommodate higher ethanol blends, and how to end the billions in subsidies and tax preferences still enjoyed by very mature and profitable petroleum fuels,” said Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen in a statement. “With the debt ceiling crisis looking as though it has been averted for now, we hope Congress and the Administration are now prepared to address the nation’s worsening energy crisis, as oil and gasoline prices continue to rise and the nation’s investment in home grown renewable fuels languishes.”

Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol, calls it a missed opportunity. “By disregarding reform of the ethanol tax credit as part of this deal, consumers and the American biofuels industry have been shortchanged. It remains frustrating that some elected officials are continuing to protect billions in subsidies for the oil industry, while dismissing efforts to improve consumer choice at the pump.”

House of Representatives passed the compromise bill today by a vote of 269-161. The Senate is expected to pass the bill Tuesday and President Obama has said he will sign it.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

New Catalyst For Biomass Production

Joanna Schroeder

A new catalyst for biomass production has been developed by researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University (WSU). These catalysts could turn ethanol into other products by converting it into a chemical called isobutene. This feat can be accomplished in one step, and the process can use water-diluted ethanol rather than purifying it first, saving time and money. The results of the research were published in the July 21, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“Isobutene is a versatile chemical that could expand the applications for sustainably produced bio-ethanol,” said chemical engineer Yong Wang, who leads research at both PNNL in Richland, Washington and at WSU in Pullman.

The catalyst plays an important role to unlocking renewables to replace fossil fuel in products. For example, the catalytic converter in a car speeds up chemical reactions that break down polluting gases, cleaning up a vehicle’s exhaust. In the process of trying to improve on current catalysts, the team was actually trying to make hydrogen but discovered a significant amount of isobutene, which is better.

Isobutene can be used to make rubber or in cleaning products. In addition, it can be easily converted into jet fuel or octane boosting additives.

The researchers said no one had ever seen a catalyst create isobutene from ethanol in a one-step chemical reaction before, and realized such a catalyst could be important in reducing the cost of biofuels and renewable chemicals. When using a 1:10 ratio of zinc and zirconium, the mixed oxide catalyst could turn more than 83 percent of the ethanol into isobutene.

The research is just beginning and future study will look into optimization to further improve the yield and catalyst life. Wang and his colleagues are also curious to know if they can combine the isobutene catalyst with others to produce different chemicals in one-pot reactions.

biochemicals, biofuels, biojet fuel, Ethanol, Research

Coal-to-Liquids Plant Goes Online in China

Joanna Schroeder

A new coal to liquids plant has gone online in China that is expected to produce the equivalent of 80 barrels of oil per day. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, one of the largest crude oil and petrochemical companies in China and Asia, along with Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Syntroleum Corporation celebrated the grand opening of the Sinopec/Syntroleum Demonstration Facility (SDF) today in Zhenhai, China. The process uses the Syntroleum-Sinopec Fischer Tropsch technology and is able to convert coal, asphalt and petroleum coke to synthetic petrochemical products.

The two companies entered into a technology transfer agreement in 2009 and as part of the deal, Sinopec relocated its natural gas fed Catoosa Demonstration Facility to the Zhenhai Refining and Petrochemical Complex. Upon success at demonstration scale, Sinopec plans to build a commercial scale plant.

“We are pleased to be working with Sinopec on the SDF,” said Gary Roth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Syntroleum. “This facility will make a significant contribution to the global endeavor to pursue alternative feedstocks for growing economies.”

Natural Gas

Big Green Bus Rolls Across the U.S.

Joanna Schroeder

The Big Green Bus rolled into Dallas last week and subliminally, the people in its wake couldn’t help but think about french fries. Okay, so I’m exaggerating a bit but 13 students from Darmouth College converted a Greyhound bus that runs on biodiesel and vegetable oil derived from used cooking grease.

According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the students have discovered that although the cooking oil must be filtered four times to get rid of any water before it’s used as a fuel, running on the oil is 90 to 95 percent as efficient as biodiesel.

“We really don’t notice a difference,” said David Garczynski, who will be a senior at Dartmouth in the fall. Coincidentally, Dartmouth is the home of Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel co-founder, Lucas Ellis.

The students are spending their summer traveling across the U.S. to spread the word about sustainability. Not only does the bus run on renewable biofuels, but it is equipped with solar panels to power the equipment inside.

During his interview, Garczynski called living on the bus with 12 others “a lesson in social dynamics” but that he couldn’t resist the opportunity to travel the country and spread the word about something he is passionate about.

The theme of the trip for consumers is that “every little thing is valid.”

You can follow the Big Green Bus Tour here.

Biodiesel, biofuels

Vermont Home to Largest Solar Farm in U.S.

Joanna Schroeder

Want to move the angle of your solar panels? Got an app for that. At the touch of an iPhone, 382 solar trackers were brought into position perpendicular with the sun marking the completion of the largest solar installation in Vermont and according to AllEarth Renewables, the largest solar installation of its kind in North America.

The 382 AllSun Trackers use GPS and wireless technology to follow the sun’s path throughout the day producing more than 40 percent more energy than fixed solar according to AllEarth Renewables. The company manufactured the technology just four miles from the site of the 2.2 megawatt solar farm.

“This project not only produces renewable energy from the sun, it creates a lot of local clean energy jobs,” said David Blittersdorf, CEO and founder of AllEarth Renewables. “We’ve innovated and refined our AllSun Tracker so it can be affordably used to power homes or businesses, and at the same time make up a utility-sized farm like this project in South Burlington.”

The solar farm will sell an estimated 2.91 million kWh of power each year to Vermont’s Sustainably Priced Energy Development (SPEED) program. This is part of the state’s Standard Offer program that was established as part of the Vermont Energy Act of 2009. Attending the ribbon cutting event was Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Speaker of the House Shap Smith. They joined nearly 75 others on hand to commemorate the solar farm.

Electricity, Energy, Solar

CAFE Standards Hiked to 54.5 MPG

Joanna Schroeder

The U.S. government may not be able to figure out how to save our country from it’s multi-trillion dollar debt, but for the second time during his administration, President Obama has increased CAFE standards or the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. The goal for all new cars and light duty trucks manufactured in 2025 and beyond must be at least 54.5 miles per gallon (54.5 MPG) up from the increase to 35.5 mpg goal set for 2016 that was announced in 2009. This marks the largest mandatory increase in fuel economy in the history of the country; however it is short of the original goal of 62 mpg.

During a press announcement, President Obama cited this action would save consumers money at the pump – $1.7 trillion dollars in real fuel costs over the life of the vehicle and save families an estimated $8,200 in fuel savings over the lifetime of the vehicle, relative to the Model Year 2010 standard.

The movement to better fuel economy has been caused by many factors but concerns about prices at the pump, a dwindling supply of oil and climate change have all played major roles in causing auto manufacturers to finally spend some R&D in producing cars with better fuel mileage. The leading sector in improved mileage has been electric vehicles and hybrids, a combination of an electric vehicle with a gasoline engine (and some are flex-fuel vehicles meaning they can use up to 85 percent ethanol).

So what do consumers think about this move and who do they think will get their first? In a recent poll commissioned by LeaseTrader.com, 63.6 percent of respondents believe Hyundai is best positioned to meet these standards, even before 2025. During the week of July 18-22, 1,138 drivers from across the U.S. responded. Seventy two point four percent of the respondents are in favor of the higher fuel standards, but only 34.5 percent remain supportive if it means vehicle prices will rise more than $2,000.

Other results show that 63.3 percent of those polled believe the automakers already have the technology to significantly improve fuel standard technology and 47.2 percent believe domestic carmakers can be profitable under these fuel standards.

biofuels, Car Makers, Electric Vehicles

Corn Growers Have Chance to Win NASCAR Tickets

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and Pioneer HI-Bred are offering corn growers a chance to win a NASCAR dream day to the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn., on Saturday, Aug. 27.

The package includes two tickets to the race, as well as a personal visit with racing legend Jeff Gordon. Only members of NCGA who sign up for NASCAR-NCGA’s Fuel for Members Program before 12 p.m. central time this Friday, Aug. 5 will be entered for the drawing to win.

NCGA is part of the American Ethanol partnership with NASCAR, which began racing on 15% ethanol this season.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NASCAR, NCGA