NEC 2027

Grassley Hopes to Avoid Vote on Ethanol Tax Credit

Cindy Zimmerman

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is hoping to avoid a vote in the Senate on the amendment introduced last week by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would repeal the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC).

Grassley said today during his weekly agricultural media conference call that there are two ways the vote can be avoided. “Either talking him out of it, or denying unanimous consent to bring it up, and I think we can do the latter,” he said. Grassley say he is trying to “reason with” Coburn and urge him to take up the issue within the context of energy legislation so to “have ethanol be viewed as part of an overall energy program” instead of having it be part of the spending bill debate.

According to Grassley, Coburn says he has 55 votes. “He probably needs 60 votes. I think we can probably keep him from getting 60 votes. But, quite frankly, I don’t want anybody on record, if we can avoid it, on the ethanol issue until we get down to discussing it as part of the energy debate.”

Listen to Grassley’s comments in answer to a question by Dan Looker of Successful Farming. Sen. Grassley

Meanwhile, as the future of the VEETC remains unsure in Congress, ethanol interests are reportedly in negotiations on a proposal for moving beyond the VEETC. According to DTN/The Progressive Farmer, representatives from the American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association and Renewable Fuels Association have been working on a compromise proposal this week, getting input from lawmakers in Washington.

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Geothermal, Growth Energy, NCGA, politics, RFA

3rd Party Certification For Sustainable Biofuels

Joanna Schroeder

Led in part by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) has launched the first global third-party certification system for sustainable biofuels. To be certified “sustainable” the fuel must meet a set of environmental, social and economic principles and criteria set forth by the group. The certification process takes place online and there are online tools available to assist in the process.

“It’s one thing to say your product is sustainable and another to prove it,” said Barbara Bramble, Senior Advisor for the International Climate and Energy Program at the National Wildlife Federation. “This new system makes it easy to differentiate between biofuels that are environmentally destructive and biofuels that deliver on the promise of sustainability.”

Many groups and organizations have lobbied global concerns over the development of biofuels including indirect land use, food versus fuel, biogenic emissions and land grabbing. The certification system covers all of these major issues and more including their contribution to climate change mitigation and rural development; their protection of land and labor rights; and their impacts on biodiversity, soil and water pollution, water availability and food security.

“All biofuels are not created equal,” said Bramble. “Bringing accountability, consistency and transparency to the global biofuels market is a giant first step toward stopping those practices that result in tropical deforestation, habitat destruction and increased pollution. The RSB is all about enabling biofuels markets to reward those producers who protect natural resources and avoid negative impacts on local communities.”

The certification system will be operated by RSB Services, which is the “business arm” of the RSB, providing access to the certification process, licensing, and auditors’ training among other activities. During the meetings to approve the certification, more than 120 organizations that included farmers, refiners, retailers, and NGOs came to an agreement. Now the group is asking the marketplace to recognize the industry leaders who are producing sustainable biofuels.

biofuels, Environment, International

Dyadic Introduces Advanced Biofuels Enzyme

Cindy Zimmerman

DyadicBiotech firm Dyadic International has introduced a new advanced biofuels enzyme at this week the World Biofuels Markets exhibition in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

According to the company, AlternaFuel® CMAX™ has proven to be effective in converting multiple forms of biomass into fermentable sugars which is the critical step in the production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels and biochemicals from non-food feedstocks.

The World Biofuels Markets is Europe’s largest biofuels congress and exhibition, supporting the world’s development and search for alternative energy sources. Dyadic’s President and CEO, Mark Emalfarb, will also be presenting the most recent data regarding the performance of AlternaFuel® CMAX™ at the World Biofuels Markets on Wednesday, March 23rd at the Biobased Chemicals session and on Thursday, March 24th at the Advanced Biofuels session.

advanced biofuels, biochemicals, biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

One Block Off The Grid Helps Neighborhoods Go Solar

Joanna Schroeder

Gas prices aren’t the only thing on the rise. Utility prices are also going up, up and away. Pennsylvania largest power utility is getting ready to raise rates. As a result, One Block Off the Grid, a clean energy group, has announced the launch of two 90-day group deals on home solar systems. One in Philadelphia and one in Long Island. Using group purchasing power, One Block Off the Grid is offering a 15 percent discount on both solar panels and installation on behalf of Philly and Long Islanders in partnership with panel manufacturer Canadian Solar and installer Mercury Solar Systems.

“With the utility rate hike in Philadelphia and no more cap to prevent further increases, now is definitely the time to go solar,” said Dave Llorens, CEO and founder of One Block Off the Grid. “Our group deal allows homeowners to get panels on the roof much less expensively than they could on their own, but it only lasts 90 days, so we’re urging Philadelphia homeowners who’ve been considering solar to move forward now.”

The way One Block Off the Grid works is around the country, they organize group deals in markets where there are strong incentives and programs in place supporting solar energy. For example, in Philly, homeowners can couple the One Block Off the Grid discount with the state’s Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program. The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has a program where a homeowner can have $17,500 of his or her solar installation costs covered. And the federal tax credit is still available for homeowners to receive 30 percent of the cost for going solar.

“We are pleased to assist One Block Off the Grid in the drive to make solar available to homes and businesses,” said Alan King, vice president of Canadian Solar USA. “This opportunity provides the community a cost-saving advantage to install clean, renewable solar power.”

Jared Haines, president of Mercury Solar Systems added, “We have partnered with One Block Off The Grid in several markets, including Philadelphia last year. We believe our success is driven by our ability to offer local homeowners the best product on the market: a top-of-the-line solar system at great price, installed by one of the most experienced companies.”

The Philadelphia and Long Island group discount on solar kicks off on March 21, 2011 and is available until June 21, 2011. To participate and get a free evaluation for solar over the phone, homeowners should sign up on the One Block Off the Grid website.

Electricity, Energy, Solar

Companies to Produce Edible Ethanol Co-Product

Cindy Zimmerman

Two Illinois companies are working together to produce an ethanol co-product that has a variety of food, industrial and chemical product applications.

Prairie Gold (PGI) of Bloomington, and GTL Resources USA of Itasca, Illinois have agreed to collaborate on the construction of a zein protein production plant. Zein is a high valued co-product that can be produced from the corn ethanol process. Zein is a natural food-based polymer that can be used to make coatings for candies, gum, and pills, as well as confectioners glaze, flexible films, and biodegradable plastics and fibers. Zein is edible and in its pure form is colorless and odorless which makes it ideal for many applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical industries. It has already been used for many years in the pharmaceutical industry and as a textile fiber substitute, but interest in the product is growing because it is a natural substitute for existing fossil fuel based alternatives. However, until now zein has been too expensive to enter into high volume applications.

PGI, a technology development company, has been testing their propriatary Corn Oil and Protein Extraction (COPE) process at GTL’s 110 million gallon ethanol plant located near Rochelle, IL. GTL, in concert with their ethanol subsidiary Illinois River Energy, provides the space, utilities, and feedstock to extract zein protein from corn. In 2009 GTL and PGI constructed a 2400 sq. ft. pilot plant on GTL’s ethanol plant site. The objective of the pilot plant project was to demonstrate the efficient extraction and purification of soluble zein protein from the corn kernel, prior to fermentation. The pilot trials have also provided zein samples for market development activities with customers.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Isuzu Debuts Biodiesel-Compatible Van

John Davis

Japan-based auto maker Isuzu has debuted a utility van that will be more compatible with higher blends of biodiesel.

This company press release says the new Reach will not only be green, but it will last a long time, too:

Powering the Reach is Isuzu’s state-of-the-art, biodiesel fuel compatible 4JJ1-TC 3.0-liter turbocharged engine generating 150 horsepower, mated to a Aisin medium-duty six-speed automatic transmission with double overdrive, lock-up torque converter and power take-off (PTO) function. In independent testing, this powertrain achieved a whopping 35 percent better mileage than traditional commercial vans. This impressive fuel economy does not come at the expense of long-term durability; the engine has class-leading B10 durability ratings of 310,000 miles, meaning that 90% will reach that mileage before requiring an overhaul…

Combining efficiency, performance and durability with clean-diesel technology, the Reach offers both low cost of ownership and environmental friendliness—the ideal combination for our times.

You can get the Reach in 10-, 12- and 14-foot versions.

Biodiesel, Car Makers

UConn Researchers Find Better Way to Brew Biodiesel

John Davis

Researchers from the University of Connecticut have come up with a better way to brew up biodiesel.

This article from PHYSORG.com says Professor Richard Parnas, who you might remember from my story last October also is finding a way to use hemp as a biodiesel feedstock, has developed a patented biodiesel reactor that uses gravity, heat, and natural chemical reactions to make the biodiesel and separate the glycerol in one step:

As the chemical reactions take place inside the giant tube, temperatures reach more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The glycerol starts to coagulate in opaque swirls inside the tube. Because the glycerol droplets are heavier than the biodiesel fuel, they gradually sink to the bottom, where they are siphoned off. At the same time, the biodiesel fuel floats to the top of the tube and is pumped into a holding tank, where it undergoes refinement before being mixed with petroleum-based diesel fuel and used in the University’s bus fleet.

“What is unique about our reactor and why we have a patent on it, is that it gives a much better performance for the separation of the glycerol, and we don’t need a special separate step as is used in most other processes,” says Parnas, who also serves as chairman of UConn’s biodiesel consortium research group.

“That motion and those swirls you are seeing when you look at the reactor are the result of both a chemical reaction and phase separation in real time,” Parnas says. “Phase separation is like what happens when you have an oil and vinegar salad dressing … In other biodiesel processes out there, the reactants are very highly mixed and come out of the reactor together.”

While Parnas’ refinery is producing only about 2,000 gallons of biodiesel a year right now, he hopes a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Energy will help them move that production up to commercial quantities soon.

Biodiesel, Research

Air Force Successfully Flies Raptor on Biofuels Blend

Joanna Schroeder

The 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base successfully flew an F-22 Raptor at supercruise on March 18 on a 50/50 blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biodiesel produced from camelina. The flight was the capstone in a series of ground and flight test events where ultimately the Air Force selected the F-22 weapon system to be the biofuel blend flight test pathfinder aircraft.

The purpose of the test was to evaluate whether the biofuel blend was suitable for use in the F-22 weapon system. According to the Air Force, testing consisted of air starts, operability, and performance at different speeds and altitude throughout the flight envelope. In addition, the F-22 Raptor performed several maneuvers including a supercruise at 40,000 ft. reaching speeds of 1.5 Mach. Supercruise is supersonic flight without using the engine’s afterburner.

“The F-22 flew on Friday, March 18 and performed flawlessly on the biofuel blend citing no noticeable differences from traditional JP-8,” said Jeff Braun, director of the Alternative Fuels Certification Division, part of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

The Air Force has deemed the flight a success and determined that another milestone has been completed. The Alternative Fuels Certification Division is supporting the Air Force’s 2016 acquisition goal to cost-competitively acquire 50 percent of the domestic aviation fuel requirement via alternative fuel blends.

The camelina blend that was used during this test flight falls within the parameters of this goal. More specifically, it falls into a class of hydro-processed blended biofuels known as hydrotreated renewable jet fuels, or “HRJs.” The HRJ fuel can be derived from a variety of plant oil and animal fat feedstocks. In February of 2011, Air Force officials certified the entire C-17 Globemaster III fleet for unrestricted flight operations using the HRJ biofuel blend.

Biodiesel, biofuels, biojet fuel, Government

Energy Highlights of Obama Visit to Brazil

Cindy Zimmerman

Energy was part of the agenda when President Obama visited Brazil over the weekend.

During his visit, Obama and Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff agreed to launch a Strategic Energy Dialogue, to focus on both oil and biofuels. “Now even as we focus on oil in the near term, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the only long-term solution to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels is clean energy technology,” Obama said in his address at the at CEO Business Summit in Brasilia, Brazil. “And that’s why the United States and Brazil are deepening our cooperation on biofuels and why we’re launching a U.S.-Brazil Green Economy Partnership, because we know that the development of clean energy is one of the best ways to create new jobs and industries in both our nations.”

The two presidents noted the progress achieved under the Memorandum of Understanding to Advance the Cooperation on Biofuels and stressed “the importance of mobilizing public and private research institutions in the two countries to intensify cooperation in developing innovative technologies to produce advanced biofuels, and committed to enhance the bilateral and multilateral dialogue on sustainable production and use of bioenergy.” They also expanded the existing MoU to include the Partnership for the Development of Biofuels for Aviation, with the goal of developing sustainable aviation biofuels.

President and CEO of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), Marcos Jank, was able to witness some of the Obama visit to Brazil firsthand and noted that several companies are developing aviation fuels based on sugarcane, including a three-way partnership between Brazilian regional jet manufacturer Embraer, engine manufacturer General Electric and California biotech company Amyris. In 2012, the trio intends to stage the first-ever flight using jet fuel produced from sugarcane, using an Embraer aircraft equipped with GE engines and owned by Brazil’s Azul Airlines.

“These developments add to the signs of growing awareness we’ve been witnessing in the United States in recent months about the need to develop clean energy solutions cooperatively and reduce barriers to its trade and development. Even avid supporters of heavy subsidies and steep tariffs that prevent Brazilian ethanol from entering the U.S. market competitively are now openly discussing what happens next, both in terms of technologies and policy. Without admitting it, they’re in fact recognizing that the current situation can’t last much longer because it works against everyone’s best interests. U.S. consumers are being denied access to clean, renewable Brazilian sugarcane ethanol, which could be contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions and save Americans money at the pump,” said Jank.

biofuels, biojet fuel, Brazil, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government

Suntech to Develop Solar on Roof of the World

Joanna Schroeder

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is going to develop a 10MW solar installation that when complete will be one of the highest on earth around 4,000 meters above sea level. Being dubbed the “roof of the world,” the solar system will be located in Chek Kang village in the Sangri County Shannan Prefecture, Tibet. The solar system should be completed by the middle of 2011 and when finished, will generate around 20,000 MWh of renewable electricity per year. The energy will be used to help facilitate economic development in Tibet.

According the Suntech, for the most part, the mountainous region has relied heavily on hydroelectric resources for much of its baseload power production. However, a shift in weather patterns has caused droughts to become more frequent and water volumes to drop in hydroelectric reservoirs leading to shortages of electricity. This has caused the region’s economic growth to be stunted. The hope is that the new solar power plant will alleviate peak power shortages and that a consistent and reliable energy load will bring growth.

“With intense sunlight and cool temperatures, Tibet is extremely well-suited for the utilization of advanced photovoltaic technology,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech’s Founder, Chairman and CEO. “We’re proud to invest in preserving the region’s fragile ecosystem by providing an economically-viable and sustainable solution for electricity generation. From the desert sands of Arizona to the peaks of the Himalayas, anyone can look up and harness nature’s cleanest and most abundant energy resource.”

This is not the first solar project in Tibet for Suntech. During the past few years, Suntech has donated more than 50 independent solar systems for schools, community centers, and houses throughout the region. In 2008, Suntech installed a solar system at Mt. Everest base camp to provide trekkers with clean and reliable access to power. In gratitude, a team of mountaineers carried a Suntech flag to the very peak of the world.

Dr. Shi concluded, “As we approach grid parity, we’re seeing a groundswell of appetite for multi-megawatt projects in Asia and emerging markets around the world. I’m confident that China will really turn some heads this year and perhaps even become a gigawatt market. In this exciting transitional period, we will continue to diversify our global footprint to drive solar industry growth everywhere under the sun.”

Electricity, Energy, Solar