Solar Powered EV Charging Station Debuts

Joanna Schroeder

Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA along with Mitsubishi Motors of North America (MMNA) has debuted an electric vehicle (EV) solar-powered charging station at its MMNA headquarters in Cypress, California. This is the city’s first of its kind EV charging station and the debut signals the company’s commitment to developing and launching its first plug-in electric vehicle, the Mitsubishi i in all 50 states. The EV will be available this November. The charging station is powered by 96, 175W photovoltaic modules produced by Mitsubishi Electric. The solar panels are made with 100 percent lead-free solder, and according to the company, have one of the higher sunlight-to-energy conversion ratios in the industry.

The EV charger is able to charge up to four PHEV’s simultaneously and features three types of chargers with different voltages: standard level 1 (110v) will fully charge an EV in 22 hours; level 2 (220v) that can fully charge an PHEV in six hours; and level 3 CHAdeMO Quick Charger that can charge the battery up to 80 percent in 25 minutes.

“This project will build awareness of solar power’s versatility and efficiency,” said Katsuya Takamiya, president and chief executive officer, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA. “As electric vehicles’ popularity grows, we expect to see more charging stations at large employers, automobile dealerships, shopping centers and schools, where cars can charge while people work, shop or study.”

The DC Quick Charger used for the Cypress charging station is manufactured by Eaton Corporation, and is the first-of-its-kind CHAdeMO Quick Charger certified for U.S. sale and public utility. Mitsubishi hopes that consumers who purchase the Mitsubishi i will use the charging station as gateway charging pad when commuting between Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Mitsubishi Motors North America President Yoichi Yokozawa added, “We hope that our dealers, learning institutions, and municipalities will look to this technology with a keen eye towards the future, and bear in mind that the gradual acceptance of the pure-EV transportation will be aided by increasing the number of facilities like this one.”

Electric Vehicles, Solar

Spain’s First Wave Power Plant Goes Online

Joanna Schroeder

Spain’s first wave power plant has gone into production in the Basque seaport of Mutriku, located between Bilbao and San Sebastian. The Mutriku wave power plant, consisting of 16 units, will generate an estimated 300 kilowatts in power, enough electricity to supply 250 homes. Utility Ente Vasco de la Energia (EVE) inaugurated the wave power plant today in a special event.

“The rising global demand for green energy proves to be a strong catalyst for the implementations of innovative forms of renewable energy,” said Dr. Roland Muench, Chief Executive Officer of Voith Hydro Holding who provided the equipment for the wave power plant. “The Mutriku project shows: Our wave power technology is commercially viable and ready for wide deployment on the global markets. To further this development, adequate feed-in-tariffs for wave power, as they already exist for a number of renewables, can now set the right legal framework.”

According to Voith Hydro, its wave power technology can be deployed in both new and existing breakwater as well as in purpose-built structures. The company says its oscillating water column (OWC) technology is the only one that has been successfully proven with regard to commercial utilization. The company has been operating the Limpet wave power plant on the Scottish island of Islay for more than a decade and the plant has been running for more than 65,000 grid-connected hours.

It is estimated that worldwide potential of ocean energies is 1.8 terawatts and today still remains largely untapped.

Electricity, Energy, Hydro

Salt Loving Microbe May Aid Biofuel Production

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) at DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are trying to discover salt-loving organisms that may be more efficient in treating biomass and improve sugar yield for biofuel production. The class of solvents known as ionic liquids, are liquid forms of salt that will inactivate enzymes by interfering with the folding of polypeptides—the building-blocks of proteins. These solvents are useful for breaking down biomass; however, they can also hinder the ability of cellulases used to produce sugars after pretreatment.

To break this code, the researchers are turning to those found in the complete genome sequences of halophilic (salt-tolerant) organisms. As a test of this bioenergy-related application of DNA sequencing and enzyme discovery, researchers led by the Director of the DOE JGI, Eddy Rubin, and the Vice-President of the JBEI Deconstruction Division, Blake Simmons, employed a cellulose-degrading enzyme from a salt-tolerant microbe that was isolated from the Great Salt Lake.

The microbe in question, Halorhabdus utahensis, is from the branch of the tree of life known as Archaea. It was isolated from the natural environment at the Great Salt Lake and sequenced as part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea (GEBA) project. The researchers believe that salt -tolerant enzymes may offer significant advantages over conventional enzymes. They can tolerate high temperatures and are resistant to ionic liquids.

“This is one of the only reports of salt-tolerant cellulases, and the only one that represents a true ‘genome-to-function’ relevant to ionic liquids from a halophilic environment,” said Simmons. “This strategy enhances the possibility of identifying true obligatory halophilic enzymes. This project has established a very important link between genomic science and the realization of enzymes that can handle very demanding chemical environments, such as those present in a biorefinery,” said Simmons.

Results of the study were published June 30, 2011 in Green Chemistry. The next step is for the research team to expand this research to develop a full complement of enzymes that are tailored for the ionic liquid process technology. Their ultimate goal is to demonstrate a complete biomass-to-sugar process, one they hope can enable the commercial viability of advanced biofuels.

advanced biofuels, biofuels, biomass, Research

Kelp Studied as Possible Biofuels Feedstock

Joanna Schroeder

Researchers at Aberystwyth University are looking at seaweed, more specifically kelp (Laminaria digitata), as a potential feedstock for biofuels. Lead Researcher, Dr. Jessica Adams, says that seaweed may be a viable feedstock, especially if harvested in the summer as suitability of its chemical composition varies by season. The research found that July is the best time to harvest kelp as its carbohydrate levels are at their highest ensuring optimal sugar release for biofuel production. Metal content is also at its lowest.

“The storage carbohydrate and soluble sugars get converted into ethanol in the fermentation process, so we need as much as possible,” said Adams. “Metals can inhibit the yeast too so we also want these to be as low as possible.”

Welsh coast researchers collected monthly samples of kelp and then used chemical analysis to assess the seasonal variability. The results of the study were presented during the Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow on July 4th.

The research team noted that kelp can be converted to biofuel in various ways including fermentation or anaerobic digestion that produces ethanol or through methane or pyrolysis that produces bio-oil. The chemical composition of the seaweed is important in both of these processes. Researchers believe that marine ecosystems are an untapped resource and are capable of producing more biomass per square metre than fast growing terrestrial plants such as sugarcane.

“Seaweed biofuel could be very important in future energy production,” said Adams. “What biofuels provide that other renewables such as wind power cannot is a storable energy source that we can use when the wind drops.”

The next focus of the research will be to work to improve the viability of the process by identifying and extracting high value substances, such as pigments and phenols, before the rest of the seaweed is used to produce biofuel.

biofuels, feedstocks, Research

Ethanol Report on Senate Compromise

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Report PodcastAn agreement was announced Thursday by U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would end the existing 45 cent per gallon Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit and associated import tariff at the end of this month, reducing the nation’s deficit by $1.3 billion while still providing $668 million for renewable fuel incentives such as blender pumps.

In this “Ethanol Report” interview, Matt Hartwig with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) explains what the compromise includes, why the industry supports it, concerns the industry has, and how and when it might become law.

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: Ethanol Report on Senate Compromise

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA

Electric Vehicles Will Soon Be Charged Wirelessly

Joanna Schroeder

Today consumers who support electric vehicles (EV) are pushing for plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs). But in the not too distant future, EV owners will be able to charge their cars wirelessly. Utah State University Research Foundation’s Energy Dynamics Laboratory, located in North Logan, Utah, has successfully operated the first high-power, high-efficiency wireless power transfer system. This system is able to transfer enough energy to rapidly charge an EV, demonstrating 90 percent electrical transfer technology of five kilowatts over an air gap of 10 inches.

“This demonstration is an extraordinary and historic step in providing technologies to electric vehicle owners who will be able to pull their cars into garages at home and charge without having to plug in with cords,” said Jeff Muhs, director of the Energy Dynamics Laboratory. “Our scientists and engineers have proven that enough power can be transferred over large distances to safely and efficiently charge electric car batteries from a pad under the ground to a receiver attached to the undercarriage of a vehicle – and this is just the beginning.”

As a base, EDL expanded on the theory that enables consumers to wirelessly charge toothbrushes and cell phones. According to the company, their wireless power transfer system is tolerant within six inches in any direction if the user accidentally misaligns the car with the receiver. They also say the power level and efficiency specifications are firsts in the U.S. for a system of this kind and that there is no other similar system in the world.

Muhs added, “In the not-so-distant future, we will see vehicles go from being charged by plugging into the electric grid, to wirelessly charging in garages, shopping centers and dedicated refueling stations, to mass transit vehicles that are charged as they are in motion and eventually wireless electric roadways where cars will travel at 75 miles per hour while being charged.”

“Future versions of the system architecture developed at EDL have the unique potential to be embedded under pavement and transfer power wirelessly to vehicles at speeds of 75 mph or more and provide enough power to completely eliminate the range anxiety of electric vehicles. Wireless power transfer represents the disruptive technology that will eventually enable the safe and efficient electrification of highways, end our dependence on foreign oil, and enable a new era of enhanced mobility,” Muhs concluded.

Electric Vehicles

Duke Acquires Kansas Wind Farm Project

Joanna Schroeder

Two hundred miles west of Wichita will be the home of the newest wind farm in Kansas. Duke Energy Renewables has announced they have purchased the 131-megawatt Cimarron II Windpower Project in Gray County. Construction will begin this fall and the project is expected to be generating wind power by June of 2012. The wind farm will be cited on 16,000 acres of leased farmland and Duke estimates that the wind farm will generate enough energy to power 40,000 homes each year.

Duke purchased the project from CPV Renewable Energy who will maintain ownership of the first phase – Cimarron I. Kansas City Power & Light will purchase all generated power as well as the associated renewable energy credits for 28 years.

“Duke Energy Renewables is pleased to acquire this high-quality wind power project from CPV Renewable Energy and looks forward to helping Kansas City Power & Light deliver zero-emission electricity to its customers,” said Duke Energy Renewables Senior Vice President Tony Dorazio.

In the past month, Duke Energy has announced plans to add three wind farms to its portfolio. Once the projects are complete, the company’s wind-generated capacity will be nearly 1,300 megawatts or enough to power approximately 400,000 homes.

Sean Finnerty, senior vice president with CPV Renewable Energy Company added, “CPV Renewable Energy Company has teamed up with Duke Energy Renewables to ensure Cimarron II meets the needs of Kansas City Power & Light’s customers. The project will bring significant benefits locally and to the citizens of Kansas.”

Electricity, Energy, Wind

Senate Compromise Reached on Ethanol Tax Credit

Cindy Zimmerman

A deal has been reached in the Senate that would eliminate the ethanol blenders tax credit but still provide incentives for infrastructure development.

U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced the agreement “that allows for a transition to a more sustainable model of incentives for domestic renewable fuel production while reducing the nation’s deficit by $1.3 billion.” The agreement, based on Thune and Klobuchar’s bipartisan Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act, would end the existing 45 cent per gallon Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit at the end of this month, five months earlier than its current expiration date of December 31, 2011. According to the announcement from Sen. Thune’s office, “The bipartisan agreement would dedicate two-thirds of the savings from existing money—$1.3 billion—to debt reduction and the remaining $668 million in savings to renewable fuel incentives, helping provide consumers with lower gas prices.”

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Chairman Chuck Woodside, CEO of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Nebraska says the compromise is not perfect, but the industry is willing to do its part to help the budget deficit. “While it is clear this agreement does not encompass everything proposed by Senators Klobuchar and Thune in their bill (the Ethanol Tax Reform and Deficit Reduction Act), their tireless effort to find a path forward is a testament to their commitment to American ethanol production and is greatly appreciated by advocates of renewable fuels,” Woodside said in a statement from RFA.

Something the ethanol industry would like to still see addressed is limitations placed on the cellulosic biofuel incentives, which American Coalition for Ethanol Executive Vice President Brian Jennings says needs “to be fixed in order to meaningfully help spur the commercialization of these promising fuels.” The agreement includes a modification and extension of the existing $1.01 per gallon tax credit for cellulosic biofuels through 2015 that would otherwise expire on December 31, 2012. It would be changed from a yearly credit to a gallon-based, capped credit, according to Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC), something that “adds artificial and unnecessary layers of uncertainty and risk for the financing community.”

National Corn Growers Association President Bart Schott says the “compromise reflects both the importance of the ethanol industry to achieve energy independence and the need for fiscal responsibility” but they would still like to see a more level playing field for energy policy. “Unlike the oil and gas industries, ethanol has been proactively working to reform tax policy affecting the industry and secure a safety net while reducing the overall cost to the federal government,” said Schott.

Sens. Thune and Klobuchar say that the agreement is consistent with recent votes in the Senate that have sought to end the current Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit while still continuing to fund blender pumps. The compromise can now be considered by the full Senate.

ACE, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

Industry Questions Ethanol Hearing Witness List

Cindy Zimmerman

The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today on “examining the science” of 15% ethanol in fuel, but the corn ethanol industry is questioning the list of witnesses, which appears to be somewhat lopsided.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has been thorough in its work on the E15 waiver request and several outside researchers have been evaluating and analyzing E15 and other blends for a number of years,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Bart Schott. “While EPA will have someone there to testify, the remainder of those on the list of witnesses testifying have a long-standing history of being critical of corn-based ethanol at any level. This is an extremely unbalanced panel and it is easy to see why some consider this hearing to be a sham.”

Those set to testify at the hearing this afternoon include representatives from the American Petroleum Institute, Environmental Working Group, Evinrude Outboard Motors, National Chicken Council, and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. Only one witness, Steven Burke with the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, will be representing the ethanol industry.

“This hearing pretends to look at the science behind E15,” Schott said. “We have a hard time understanding what makes the National Chicken Council or the Environmental Working Group scientific experts on the safety and efficiency of automotive fuels in modern internal combustion engines.”

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is also questioning the witness list for today’s hearing. “This is little more than a congressionally-sanctioned witch hunt for those with an axe to grind against farmers and ethanol producers,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. The RFA sent a letter to committee leadership to provide the ethanol industry’s point of view as it is not represented on the panel.

The hearing will be held at 2 pm Eastern time.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, NCGA, RFA

Loan Guarentee Offered for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

The government is paving the way for the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Iowa.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today of a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET and located in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

“This project will help decrease our dependence on oil, create jobs and aid our transition to clean, renewable energy that is produced here at home,” said Secretary Chu. “The innovations used in this project are another example of how we are seizing the opportunity to create new economic opportunities to win the clean energy future.”

“Projects like the one we are announcing today show that our investments in next generation biofuels are paying off,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Project LIBERTY will produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol per year, create over 200 jobs, and generate millions of dollars in revenue for the local economy. This project is an important step in the Obama Administration’s effort to break our nation’s unsustainable dependence on foreign oil and move toward a clean energy economy.”

According to POET officials, the plant will ultimately produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol per year, generate approximately 200 jobs during construction and 40 permanent jobs at the plant, and bring approximately $14 million in new revenue to area farmers.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, POET