Ethanol Safety Class Heads to Texas

Joanna Schroeder

Two FREE Ethanol Safety Seminars are heading to Texas and targeted to first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers and local emergency planning committees. Hosted by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the first seminar will be located in Houston, TX on May 2nd in partnership with the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities Coalition. The second seminar will be hosted on May 3rd in Beaumont, TX in partnership with the South East Texas Clean Cities Coalition. In an effort to accommodate the large number of people who have responded, each location will host two sessions: one from 9:00 am-2:00 pm CST and another from 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm CST. The public is also welcome to attend.

“First responders need to feel secure in ethanol emergency situations so the public can feel secure. Let’s be prepared to respond to any incident efficiently and effectively by providing ethanol fire safety training information to our communities. Ethanol is a safe and environmentally friendly fuel alternative to foreign petroleum,” said Kelli Angelone of the Houston-Galveston Clean Cities.

Safety has been and continues to be a top priority for the ethanol industry. Therefore, to ensure those responsible for safety in their communities, the seminars are designed to help them be prepared and trained for responding to any ethanol related emergency. A majority of this training is based on the Complete Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response, a training package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) that has been distributed throughout the U.S. and to several countries worldwide. Following the completion of the Ethanol Safety Seminar, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Certificates will be distributed for training hours.

The Ethanol Safety Seminars focus on numerous important areas of ethanol safety including an introduction to ethanol and ethanol blended fuels, chemical and physical characteristics of ethanol and hydrocarbon fuels, transportation of ethanol blended fuels, storage and dispensing locations, firefighting foam principles and ethanol, ethanol blended fuel emergencies, and incidents at tank farm, and bulk storage locations.

“Ethanol use continues to increase in production and transportation year after year,” said Robert White, RFA Market Development Director. “First responders need to be familiar with the fuel and know how to effectively respond to an ethanol related incident. This program details the response information that is essential to these emergency situations. We are happy to provide this type of information to those that dedicate their lives to protect their communities.”

For more information and to register, visit www.rfa.traincaster.com.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

PA Awards $1.3M Grant for Coal-Biomass-to-Liquids Plant

Joanna Schroeder

The state of Pennsylvania has awarded a $1.3 million grant to Accelergy Corporation to enable construction on their integrated coal-biomass-to-liquids (CBTL) facility to move forward. The CBTL plant is located at Intertek PARC, located at the U-PARC facility in Pittsburgh. Prior to this award, the company received a $175,000 grant for a feasibility study that included recommended site locations. Once completed, the pilot plant will prove out Accelergy’s coal to liquids technology and provide the base needed to move to commercial scale technologies.

“This grant is a strong endorsement of Accelergy and its partners’ technology, and shows the commitment of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the development of advanced technologies that leverage the state’s abundant natural resources and will bring jobs to the state,” said Tim Vail, CEO of Accelergy. “We are laying the foundation for the commercialization of the domestically sourced fuels that will power U.S. fleets and help the United States achieve its energy security goals.”

During the pilot phase of the project, Accelergy will produce and test various types of non-petroleum fuel including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. In addition, CO2 will be utilized by algae – another source of liquid fuels. The company is also looking into the feasibility of turning the algae into a bio-fertilizer. Energy Strategy Environment LLC (ESE), a systems integration provider, will oversee the marriage of the technologies and business partners for the algae based carbon capture and recycle components of the project. Accelergy has agreements in place with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering (TARDEC) Center to test and certify the resulting fuels for various applications.

“Recycling industrial CO2 emission into valuable carbon feedstocks for production of additional liquid fuels creates a sustainable pathway for CBTL,” said ESE founder Mark Allen, P.E. “Algal biomass from the project will be adapted for use as a natural bio-fertilizer with the potential to reduce the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and to sequester carbon in agricultural soils and reclaimed mine site soils, further benefitting the environment.”

algae, biomass

REG Insights on Biodiesel State of the Industry

Joanna Schroeder

All eyes are on the biodiesel industry including those of the USDA and EPA. Last week, USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack along with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, stopped by REG’s Newton, Iowa biodiesel plant for a little learning and a hands-on biodiesel tour. During the event, the big question: will the biodiesel industry be able to meet RFS2 goals this year? The resounding answer is yes.

To learn more about the state of the biodiesel industry, I spoke with REG’s Gary Haer, the company’s VP of sales and marketing. “Right now all the biodiesel producers in the U.S. are getting back on their feet,” said Haer. “Two thousand and ten was a very disruptive year for us because we had the lapse in the blenders tax credit. There was some question about the RFS2 being enforced and implemented and there was a legal challenge from the petroleum industry but that’s been resolved.”

“And so for 2011, we have the blender’s tax credit back in place. We have the renewable fuels standard in force and we’re starting to see the petroleum industry respond to that,” continued Haer. “We’re seeing an increase in demand and that’s very good for our industry. It took a little while for us to see the demand in the Renewable Fuels Standard for biodiesel, but now we’re starting to see that demand and the industry is responding by ramping up and production is going well.”

Listen to my full interview with Gary Haer: REG Insights on Biodiesel State of the Industry

Exactly how much biodiesel does the industry need to produce and the obligated parties (Renewable Volume Obligation or RVO) need to blend for 2011? According to the EPA, 800 million gallons. Haer noted that the industry is not currently adding pace at a monthly production level where the industry can achieve the RFs goal, but he assured the USDA and EPA that the industry will respond. In fact, back in 2008 the industry nearly produced 800 million gallons so the capabilities are there.

Since fuel prices are on everyone’s minds, I asked Haer about the economic benefits of biodiesel. He answered, “Biodiesel does provide some economic benefits to blenders. So because of the energy increase in fuel prices, gasoline and diesel prices, we’re seeing some economic advantages to biodiesel blends. That enables the blending of biodiesel to take place widespread across the country. We’re also seeing people and fleets that are searching for alternatives to recognize the value of biodiesel and what the opportunities are there as well. It’s really been nice to see our industry respond in a way we can produce more gallons, as well at times, provide an economic benefit through cheaper fuel to customers across the country.”

Click here to see photos from the USDA/EPA REG biodiesel plant briefing and tour.

Audio, Biodiesel, REG

Social Media And Farmers

Chuck Zimmerman

We know a portion of the Domestic Fuel community is made up of farmers so after seeing the results of our latest ZimmPoll all we can say is, “Get with it farmers!” Actually we know many of you are very involved in the use of social media. Sometimes you may not even realize it. So here’s what the results were.

A whopping majority of 61% chose Less than average in answer to the question, “How do farmers compare in social media use?” That’s followed by 27% who chose Same as general public and 12% who chose More than average. This really surprises me. Is this because of the average age of a farmer do you think? This response opens the door for a lot more questions. I’ll bet you have some. Please add a coment.

Our next ZimmPoll is now live and as planting season gets underway (in some places) we thought we’d pose one about the technology going into the crops of tomorrow. So the question is, “What should the next seed traits focus on?” Let us know what you think and thank you for participating.

And if you have any questions you want to suggest for future ZimmPolls please let us know.

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

ZimmPoll

Developing Partnerships for Biodiesel Feedstocks

Joanna Schroeder

The Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference held in Washington, D.C. last week was a meeting of the minds. During one of the sessions on hot technologies, Jeffrey Stroburg, Chairman and CEO of REG, gave a presentation on advanced partnership strategies for development and commercialization. REG has been the driver in helping to commercialize corn oil extracted from the back end of a corn ethanol plant. I was able to sit down with him for a few minutes after his presentation to get more information about the process to commercialize emerging feedstocks.

Stroburg said that the biodiesel industry in the United States started off with the idea to use soybean oil. At the time, the industry felt like soybean prices were stable enough and that it would create a good feedstock.

“Little did we know that we’d go into such volatility not just in soybean oil, but in all commodities,” said Stroburg. “Which led us to believe that we needed to have a wider suite of products that we could go to so that if one was not economic, we would have another we could go to. And the cheaper the feedstock, it seems like, the harder it is to convert. We then had to increase our capabilities and improve our technology so that we could convert some pretty junky stuff. That has given us the opportunity to go into a number of different markets to try to source feedstocks.”

Listen to my full interview with Jeffrey Stroburg: Developing Partnerships for Biodiesel Feedstocks

One of the emerging feedstocks is inedible corn oil but Stroburg said it is difficult to convert.Read More

Audio, Biodiesel, conferences, REG

City of Tucson Doubles Solar Power

Joanna Schroeder

The City of Tucson, Arizona has doubled its solar power capacity through a completed project in partnership with the Tucson Water Department, Trico Electric and SunPower Corp. The 1-megawatt, ground-mounted solar power system was designed and built by SunPower and located on former agricultural land located within Tuscon Water Department’s underground water storage and recovery facility. In addition to the solar panels located on the 10-acre site, a SunPower Tracker system was installed that allows the solar panels to follow the sun movement during the day increasing sunlight capture up to 25 percent.

“With these systems, Tucson is reinforcing its commitment to energy conservation, waste reduction and environmental protection. SunPower’s technology will ensure that the system delivers energy in a cost effective manner that benefits the community,” stated Interim Director of Tucson Water Andrew Quigley.

The project was financed through a power purchase agreement with SunPowe and Wells Fargo owns the system. Additional funding came from Trico Electric’s SunWatts renewable energy incentive program. The city is buying the electricity produced by the solar system and Trico Electric Cooperative will purchase the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with the system.

“This system will reliably produce clean energy for years to come,” said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group. “Tucson is leading the way in Arizona by seizing this opportunity to help meet the state’s growing energy demand and renewable energy goals.”

The project site is part of the city’s Central Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (CAVSARP), a short and long-term water storage and recovery operation, utilizing water from the Central Arizona Project aqueduct and providing city residents with a renewable source of potable water.

Electricity, Energy, Solar, water

Cornoil – A Growing Feedstock for REG

Joanna Schroeder

The synergies between the biodiesel, ethanol and advanced biofuels industries are growing. One of the things that’s been happening over the past few years is the ethanol industry creating a new feedstock for the biodiesel industry – inedible corn oil.

Inedible corn oil was one of the feedstocks that REG highlighted during USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s biodiesel plant tour in Newton, IA. To learn more, I spoke with David Elsenbast, vice president of supply chain management for REG.

“Our industry is always looking for new, commercialized feedstocks to meet our growing Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) requirements for biodiesel. We are trying to produce nearly 800 million gallons of biodiesel this year,” said Elsenbast. “We typically use the traditional feedstocks, animal fats, waste cooking oil, and of course soybean oil. We’ve been working for several years now with the ethanol industry to create a market, and a market that has good value for the ethanol producer, to provide them a reason to separate the oil out of the DDGs and sell that to the biodiesel industry.”

Listen to my full interview with David Elsenbast: Cornoil - A Growing Feedstock for REG

As demand for biodiesel feedstocks continue to grow, the market for inedible corn oil continues to grow. Today, about one-third of the corn ethanol industry has corn oil extraction technology. The amount of inedible corn oil in the market will grow significantly now that POET has announced its corn oil extraction technology, VOILA. The company intends to install the technology in all 27 plants this year.

Yet despite its growing availability, not all biodiesel facilities have the technology to convert corn oil into biodiesel. Elsenbast explained that it’s harder to convert. Read More

Audio, Biodiesel, corn, feedstocks, REG

Book Review – World On The Edge

Joanna Schroeder

I spent Earth Day 30,000 feet up and I must admit that there was a tiny part of me that felt guilty. So to make myself feel better, I read “World On The Edge,” by Lester Brown.  The book focuses on how to prevent environmental and economic collapse and operates on the assumption that it’s not “if” global warming will change business as usual, but when. It should be noted that Brown is the founder and president of Earth Policy Institute and has been advocating for change relating to environmental concerns such as climate change for more than 30 years.

In the first part of the book, Brown lays out the problems at hand including falling water tables and shrinking harvests, eroding soils and expanding deserts and finishes with a discussion about the effect of rising temperatures including the melting of ice and glaciers and food security. He notes that several researchers conducted a study whereby they aggregated the use of earth’s natural resources including CO2 and discovered that we first surpassed the earth’s regenerative capacity around 1980. In 1999, global demands on the earth’s natural systems exceeded sustainable yields by 20 percent and today it would take 1.5 Earths to sustain our current consumption.

Next Brown begins a discussion of the consequences as a result of our foundation in peril. He discusses rising food prices and food scarcity, environmental refugees (think Hurricane Katrina where more than 300,000 people were displaced and many never went back) and failed states such as Somalia and Iraq. During the first part of the book, the big link, or the big disaster, is failed agriculture. He notes that many archeologists have determined that many civilizations that disappeared did so because of food shortages and he believes this is the weak link for today’s civilization.

He uses the 2008-2009 “food bubble” as an example. This was when energy prices hit record highs and food prices also hit record highs. He explained that with countries producing fuel from food crops, such as the U.S. producing ethanol from corn, energy prices/fuel prices are now directly tied to food prices.

“The question is not whether the food bubble will burst but when,” says Brown. Read More

biofuels, book reviews, corn, Electric Vehicles, Environment, Ethanol, Geothermal, global warming, Solar, Wind

Students in Mojave Desert Learn with Green Power

Joanna Schroeder

Students in the Mojave Desert, located 110 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, are learning with the help of a little green power – solar power. The Muroc Unified School District is the home of three solar installations, totaling 1,700 Coenergy solar modules. One solar system is located on the grounds of the school district office, another at West Boron Elementary school and the third at the Boron Senior High school. Combined, the solar systems will generate nearly 400 kilowatts, enough to meet 80 percent of the district’s energy needs. This should reduce the district’s utility bill by 95 percent.

“The three Conergy installations produce a total of around 705 megawatt-hours of clean solar energy per year; avoiding the emission of more than 500,000 lbs of harmful CO2 greenhouse gases,” said Byron Johnson, Muroc Unified School District Assistant-Superintendent. “This is as much electricity as one hundred Californian households consume annually. By creating our own energy, students and staff become more aware of their energy use and are inspired to use energy wisely. This helps us to encourage ‘green learning’, by producing clean energy and using less energy whenever possible.”

Over the life of the solar system, which is expected to be at least 30 years, total energy savings should be nearly $3 million. The school district was able to complete the project with no out of pocket or up front expenses; rather, the project costs were financed by Enfinity through a Power Purchase Agreement.

“We are glad to have the opportunity to install solar power on Muroc’s school grounds,” said David Vincent, Project Development Manager for Coenergy. “Being exposed to solar energy, the students get a feel for the effectiveness and accessibility of sustainable energy while increasing their environmental awareness. In sunny California in general, and Muroc in particular, the clean energy future is becoming a reality.”

Electricity, Energy, Solar

‘Groupon’ Model for Solar Power

Joanna Schroeder

A new report released during the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities Annual Meeting shows that governments and businesses that join together to purchase solar power can lower costs between 10-15 percent. “Purchasing Power: Best Practices Guide for Collaborative Solar Procurement,” was issued by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network (Joint Venture) and the two organizations are calling the power of group buying the ‘Groupon‘ model for commercial solar power. The “Purchasing Power” guide also shows that group buying can save 75 percent in administrative time and fees and help participants better negotiate contract terms.

“This is the ‘Groupon’ model of solar purchasing,” said Jenna Goodward, Associate, WRI, and co-author of the report. “It provides the tools small businesses and local governments need to save time and money by flexing their collective purchasing power. Our goal is to make it easier to buy solar power, help interested groups save money, and promote greater adoption of renewable energy nationwide.”

The 2011 Solar America Cities Annual Meeting underway is focusing on two themes this year. First, how to reduce key barriers to solar market penetration and second how to remove administrative costs and hurdles. Both issues are addressed in the guide and a 12-step strategy walks private and public sector users through the entire process of buying solar energy, soup to nuts.

“It is crucial to break down barriers that keep small businesses and local governments from gaining access to renewable energy,” said Rachel Massaro, Associate Director of Climate Initiatives for Joint Venture and co-author of the report. “The new ‘Purchasing Power’ guide offers an easy-to-follow, 12-step process that can lead to much broader market penetration for solar power.”

WRI and Joint Venture developed the guide after piloting the first collaborative solar procurement projects in California. In Santa Clara County, the Silicon Valley Collaborative Renewable Energy Procurement Project represented nine local government agencies and 70 solar installations across more than 40 locations, totaling more than 14 MW of power at peak capacity.

Electricity, Energy, Solar