Army Highlights Biodiesel Use at Ft. Bragg

John Davis

Ft. Bragg might be the home of the U.S. Army’s Airborne soldiers (by the way, as a former Air Force guy, we land those planes … you don’t have to jump out!), but the North Carolina post soon could be known as the home to clean air, born of biodiesel!

The Fayetteville (NC) Observer reports that the Army recently highlighted biodiesel during Ft. Bragg’s recent Green Living & Design Tour:

Fort Bragg is now served by seven separate shuttle routes. The buses are powered by B-20 fuel, which is 20 percent biodiesel fuel and 80 percent petroleum diesel fuel, and are hybrid electric diesel buses. Emissions reduction is about 20 percent and may be as much as 70 percent with hybrid technology, according to the Fort Bragg green tour fact sheet…

Fort Bragg has the ability to transform used cooking oil into biodiesel.

Eric Torres, who works in Pollution Prevention with the Environmental Compliance Branch, travels to 24 dining facilities with a 55-gallon drum and picks up cooking oil from storage tanks.

A processor turns 50 gallons of oil into 45 gallons of biodiesel, which is used in some forklifts and other heavy machinery around post.

The Directorate of Public Works is using these batches of biodiesel in two forklifts and a skid steer.

A Special Forces unit also is testing the biodiesel in one of its skid steers…

The Directorate of Public Works hopes to use biodiesel in all of its vehicles, then spread it to all the directorates on Fort Bragg, Torres said.

The Army could have produced 12,000 gallons of biodiesel last year, if all of the used cooking oil would have been turned into the green fuel. Officials hope to acquire a newer, bigger processor soon.

Biodiesel, Government

Growth Energy Names New President

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy has announced former congressman Jim Nussle as new president and chief operating officer of the ethanol organization, starting today.

Jim Nussle (pictured left) is a former eight-term Congressman from Iowa and served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. He has served on the Board of Directors of Growth Energy since February 2009.

growth energy nussle buisGrowth Energy CEO Tom Buis says Nussle will provide immediate value to the organization. “Jim’s experience on Capitol Hill and his ability to manage large teams will be huge assets to Growth Energy,” Buis said. “As a former Iowa Congressman, he also possesses the knowledge of ethanol and agriculture that will allow him to hit the ground running and be a powerful advocate for America’s ethanol supporters.”

Nussle noted that he is looking forward to the opportunity to work full time on behalf of the ethanol industry. “While representing the 1st District of Iowa for 16 years, I witnessed the positive impact that ethanol production had on rural America,” Nussle said. “Over the past few years as a Director at Growth Energy, I’ve seen the benefits of ethanol to the entire country. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work full-time on behalf of America’s ethanol supporters, so that our nation can benefit even more from this clean, green, renewable fuel.”

As President and COO, Nussle will be responsible for Growth Energy’s day-to-day operations, including revenue growth, budget, expenses, communications, and other non-lobbying associated activity.

*POST UPDATE* Interview with Jim Nussle

I just talked with Jim Nussle about his new role in Growth Energy as President and COO. We discussed his background, the new job, what he sees as the challenges facing the ethanol industry, the Obama administration’s support of biofuels and what a new Congress will mean for ethanol. Listen to that interview here: Jim Nussle Interview

Audio, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Give Us Your Opinion – Get Chance to Win $250

Joanna Schroeder

Have you ever wished you could help mold the content of your favorite blog? Well, here is your chance. The bloggers of DomesticFuel want to learn more about its readers, so we can provide you with more informational and insightful information. All you have to do is take our quick 5 minute survey. Once completed, you can enter to win $250 in cash.

As with any contest, there are a few rules. Each month, one winner will be drawn from the entries received for all ZimmComm news website surveys. Non-winners from each month will roll over to the next month, so please only take the survey once. Ready to get started? Then click here to begin.

Speaking of molding content, here’s our poll question for this month. Do you think the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), also known as the blender’s credit, should be extended? Why or why not? You can sound off by posting a comment to this story, or sending your response to DFPollQuestion@hotmail.com. Select answers will be used in an upcoming story for the blog.

Thanks for reading DomesticFuel and don’t forget to take our survey for a chance to win $250 in cash.

Company Announcement

White House Highlights Federal Energy Successes

Joanna Schroeder

Many of you remember the solar panels that were installed on the White House during the 70s when our country was focused on reducing its dependence on foreign oil. Many of you will also remember when President Reagan removed the solar panels and moved our government’s focus away from energy independence.

The White House announced that it is moving forward with the installation of solar panels to the roof top of the White House as part of its efforts to raise awareness of National Energy Month. The solar panels will be installed in the spring and are an example to the nation that “American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country.” In addition to the efforts on the White House itself, there were also multiple announcements of approved solar farms on public lands.

In addition, here are some other federal efforts surrounding energy:

  • Solar Power and the Clean Energy Economy. President Obama kicked off the month by highlighting a revolutionary new solar power plant in California that will employ 1,000 people and power nearly 140,000 homes.
  • Cleaner Trucks, Buses and Vans. The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first-ever proposed national standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks, vans and buses.
  • Ramping Up Solar Power on Public Lands. In October, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a series of six new solar power projects on public lands including the first-ever solar power plant on public lands and the largest solar power plant in the world.
  • Historic Investments in High Speed Rail. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that 54 high-speed rail projects in 23 states will receive a combined total of $2.4 billion to continue developing America’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

You can learn more about these efforts, along with others, by visiting the White House Blog.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Electricity, Energy, Ethanol, Solar

E-100-4: The New Revolutionary Fuel

Joanna Schroeder

Calling all gear-heads. I’ve come across an “e-book” that is just up your alley. It’s called “E-100-4: The New Revolutionary Fuel,” and is a technical overview of how to capitalize on ethanol’s high performance properties in engines. Actually, this overview is good for anyone who understands that ethanol’s fuel loss at higher blends is an engine problem, not a fuel problem.

Most ethanol advocates understand that today’s engines are not manufactured to optimize ethanol; they are manufactured to optimize gasoline or diesel. Yet for nearly 100 years, there have been major technological breakthroughs using ethanol blends that have been “hidden” from consumers and never brought to market. In this technical overview, author Aureon Kwolek highlights all of these advancements, explains how they work and gives us the low-down on what companies are working on what technologies and their plans, if any to bring them to market.

But what may have been most interesting about the e-book, is that Kwolek presents a very compelling case on why E-100-4 should be the fuel of the future – not E85. The major difference between E-100-4 is that is contains water and is known as hydrous ethanol. In Brazil, all of their flex-fuel vehicles run on hydrous ethanol (which is less expensive to produce and offers better fuel efficiency that anhydrous ethanol according to Kwolek). In America, we remove all the water before it is sold and blended with gasoline adding an extra step and extra expense.

Kwolek writes, “ We can also optimize that engine for hydrous ethanol. Our next assignment is converting water vapor into steam, and then into hydrogen, inside the combustion chamber. Adding the water component adds a quantum leap to fuel efficiency.”

So if the technology is there to fuel vehicles with E-100-4 hydrous ethanol, and for them to get better gas mileage than all other fuels and fuel blends, why isn’t it coming to market? Kwolek surmises the problem lies with the relationship between the petroleum industry and the auto industry. He says it’s “Because automakers have a lucrative alliance with petroleum and a conflict of interest with fuel efficiency.”

This is a great overview of ethanol engine technology and one that I highly recommend. Kwolek cites all of his resources and gives links so that readers can get more information on all of the technologies that he features in the summary. You can purchase a copy of the e-book, E-100-4: The New Revolutionary Fuel,” here.

blends, book reviews, E85, Ethanol

Gen. Clarks Explains How to “Bring It Home”

Joanna Schroeder

General Wesley Clark brought his message about ethanol to the people through an article published in the October/November issue of Washington Monthly. In the article, Clark, who is a Co-Chairman for ethanol industry organization Growth Energy, discusses the staggering amount of money the United States sends to foreign countries for oil – $821 million EVERY day. This equates to $300 billion each year, or about $1,000 for every American — man, woman and child. This number represents about 60 percent of the trade deficit.

Clark writes, “But this tragic situation also presents us with the greatest opportunity in a decade to recharge America’s economy and build a platform for renewed economic growth. I want to tell you how it can be done. And without a tax on gasoline or carbon.”

So how can it be done? Invest in ethanol and other homegrown fuels.

According to Clark, today, the U.S. is consuming almost three times as much crude oil as it produces with 71 percent going for transportation. During the second quarter of 2010 America consumed 9.2 million barrels per day of gasoline, plus 5.1 million barrels for other transportation, such as jet fuel and diesel for trucks and locomotives. According to the Energy Information Administration, 94 percent of the energy used in transportation is derived from petroleum. Therefore, Clark concludes, energy independence is largely about transportation—not about insulating our houses, turning down thermostats, or swapping out light bulbs.

He then lays out three approaches to the problem: produce more domestic oil, conservation and biofuels, specifically ethanol, and gives a detailed history and strategy for each approach. He concludes that not only can we get rid of our $300 billion a year oil habit, but we already know how to accomplish it.

Clark concludes, “Instead of making the American people pay more for fuel, what we need to do is get them on our side, in favor of energy independence…At a time when the American economy has lost millions of jobs, and when most economists despair of America returning to full employment anytime in the near future, we don’t need to put an American on the moon. But we do need to get past denial and overcome our addiction to foreign oil. It’s not as if we don’t know how.”

You can read the full article, “Bringing It All Back Home,” here.

biofuels, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Soladiesel Successful in Navy Riverine Command Boat

Joanna Schroeder

In an update to a story from last week, the U.S. Navy successful tested an algae biodiesel blend in its pilot Navy Riverine Command Boat at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia. The renewable fuel was provided by Solazyme, who has a contract with the U.S. Navy to provide them with 150,000 gallons of advanced biofuels made from algae. All of Solazyme’s Soladiesel diesel fuels meet ASTM, EU and military specifications.

“Solazyme is proud to provide the first microbially derived ship fuel used by the Navy in a military boat,” said Solazyme CEO and Co-Founder Jonathan Wolfson. “The United States Navy’s commitment to reducing dependence on fossil fuels has taken another step forward today and we applaud their leadership. We are honored to be a part of Navy’s efforts to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.”

Solazyme believes it’s technology will help the Department of Defense reduce its carbon footprint, combat global climate change and lead in the development of clean and renewable energy sources.

algae, Biodiesel

Brazilian State Mato Grosso Considers Corn Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso is looking at producing ethanol from the state’s excess corn to reduce the miles Brazilian sugarcane ethanol would travel. On Wednesday, a combined industry and governmental committee that has been formed to study corn, announced that it has commissioned a study by state researcher Embrapa to look at the viability of producing corn ethanol.

“It’s very embryonic, only an idea. It would make use of corn, which is widely available in Mato Grosso, which is very distant from the south,” said Cesar Borges de Sousa, chairman of the joint committee known as the “corn sector chamber” in Rueters.

While nearly all the cars in Brazil are flex-fuel vehicles and are able to operate all the way up to 100 percent hydrous ethanol, sugarcane ethanol is not always the cheapest at the pump, especially in outlaying states. Variables include sugarcane harvest, sugar prices, oil prices, and transportation costs, among others. Another unusual strategy of the Brazilians is all flex-fuel vehicle purchases come with a spreadsheet that details when using ethanol and at what blend, is most cost efficient. Yet even when it costs more to blend ethanol, many consumers still purchase it at the pump because they understand the security and economic benefits.

According to an article in Reuters, the corn committee’s idea is to make cheaper ethanol locally to power cars and agricultural machinery as well as give corn producers another option for sale. The corn would be processed at several of the cane ethanol mills in the state during the month that all sugarcane mills are offline.

“It would add value right there in the place where it is produced,” de Sousa said, stressing the idea would only move forward if it proved financially and technically viable.

Brazil, corn, Ethanol

DF Cast: EPA Seeks Input on E15 Ethanol Pump Labels

John Davis

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light to E15 ethanol … or maybe a “pale” green light, in the case where it is a partial waiver to allow up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline for 2007 model year vehicles or newer.

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we hear from EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy, who says the agency needs input on what the E15 pump labels should look like. We also hear from Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen, who is pleased with seeing the rise in the percentage of ethanol allowed in gasoline but is concerned that it is unnecessarily limited to 2007 model year vehicles and newer. He also worries that a “warning” label about E15 at the pumps could confuse consumers and scare them away from using the green fuel. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy and ethanol producer POET’s president Jeff Broin believe the comment process will weed out any problems, and consumers, and in turn, retailers will end up embracing E15.

More information, including how you can give your input on the label is available at the EPA’s E15 website.

It’s an important conversation, and you can hear more of it in the Domestic Fuel Cast here. Domestic Fuel Cast

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.:

Audio, Domestic Fuel Cast, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Growth Energy, News, POET, RFA

2012 Ford Focus to be FFV

The 2012 Ford Focus will receive up to 40 mpg using E10 and will also be able to run on E85. The 2.0-liter engine will combine the technology of gasoline direct injection with twin independent variable camshaft timing and E85 flexible fuel capability.

Ford notes that the direct injection improves fuel economy and performance by delivering the exact amount of gasoline right into the combustion chamber. The engine can operate at a high 12:1 compression ratio, compared with the 2011 Focus’ engine’s 10:1 ratio, further enhancing power and efficiency. And unlike most competitive direct injection systems, the engine will be E85 flex fuel-capable.

The new Focus will be among the global leaders in fuel economy and CO2 emissions,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “We will continue to pioneer new technologies beyond launch, including the zero-emissions Focus Electric BEV launching in North America in 2011. Throughout its life cycle, Focus in all forms, in all regions, will demonstrate the Ford commitment to deliver unsurpassed fuel economy on a truly global scale.”

Ford’s 2011 flexible fuel vehicle line includes the Crown Victoria, E-Series Van, Escape, Expedition, F-150 and Super Duty. Their Lincoln FFV line includes the Navigator and Town Car. Mercury’s 2011 FFVs are the Grand Marquis, Mariner and Milan.

E85, Ethanol News, Flex Fuel Vehicles, Miscellaneous