Report: Diesel’s Compatibility with Biodiesel Key

John Davis

A new report says that diesel’s compatibility with biofuels, especially biodiesel, makes it poised to play a bigger role in the clean fuel options of the future.

A new Hart Energy Report, entitled “Diesel: Fueling the Future of a Green Economy,” says “diesel fuel’s unique attributes – its energy density, low-sulfur content, widespread availability and compatibility with biofuels, it is easy to recognize diesel’s emergence as a leading fuel of the future.”

With the United States moving to implement stronger environmental and fuel economy standards and expand the use of renewable fuels, clean diesel fuel is “poised to take on an even greater role in the U.S. transportation market”, according to a newly-released Hart Energy Consulting report.

“While there has been a lot of speculation about the role of unproven energy technologies in the emerging green economy, this new analysis clearly highlights that clean diesel will play a vital role in the green economy both today and in the future generations of energy and transportation,” said Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

“A search for secure, reliable energy supplies has led policy makers and industry to explore the use of new transportation fuels such as electricity and renewable fuels. Because of diesel fuel’s unique attributes – its energy density, low-sulfur content, widespread availability and compatibility with biofuels, it is easy to recognize diesel’s emergence as a leading fuel of the future,” according to the Hart report (p.5).

“Diesel offers energy and environmental improvement without the need for development of an infrastructure to support the advanced technology. Diesel’s unique capability to utilize a range of renewable fuels and blends enhances its desirability under emerging renewable fuel requirements.” (p.27)

You can read the report for yourself here.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Board Invites You to Meet Biodiesel Influencers

John Davis

The National Biodiesel Board is inviting you to meet the people committed to the biodiesel industry at the upcoming National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Feb. 6-9, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The group wants those who are on the fence about going to the green fuel’s premier event to think about what they might miss … such as the chance to meet and talk with the true movers and shakers in the biodiesel industry:

The National Biodiesel Conference & Expo attendance continues to attract the very best in the biodiesel industry! From our Monday evening reception in the Exhibit Hall, the Biodiesel Networking Center in the Exhibit Hall, to the numerous open forum “Conversessions” that will be offered this year, NBB wants to assist in your efforts to network, connect and learn! We believe these additions and changes to the program will create boundless networking opportunities and allow you to meet new people with some of the same biodiesel interests. Where better to meet than the premier biodiesel conference in the country?

More information on registration and booth availability is on the conference website. And look for our coverage of the event on the conference blog.

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Florida Waste to Biofuel Plant Progress

Cindy Zimmerman

A Florida company has announced today that it is three permits closer to opening the BioEnergy Center, the first commercial waste to energy facility in the US.

INEOS Bio’s first commercial project in the United States has secured key permits to build its waste to bioenergy facility in Indian River County, Florida.

The BioEnergy Center will be developed entirely within the existing footprint of a former agricultural processing facility. The DOE Finding and Environmental Assessment established that the BioEnergy Center would have no adverse impacts with respect to sound, traffic, air quality, water quality or to threatened or endangered species. The assessment also found that no changes to land use, planning or zoning were necessary and will not result in any significant change to the existing visual quality of the site and surrounding area. As part of the extensive assessment, the DOE requested input from various entities including Federal, state, local agencies, elected officials, tribal interests, businesses, organizations and members of the general public.

The BioEnergy Center will generate eight million gallons of third-generation bioethanol each year from renewable biomass including yard, wood, agricultural and vegetative wastes. The Center will also generate six megawatts of renewable electricity. The facility will be the first to use INEOS Bio’s advanced BioEnergy technology, the world’s leading feedstock flexible technology for advanced biofuels. The technology breaks the link between food crops and ethanol production. At the heart of the INEOS Bio technology is a patented anaerobic fermentation step, through which naturally occurring bacteria convert gases derived directly from biomass into bioethanol.

Unlike other technologies that rely on one primary source of feedstock, the INEOS Bio process can produce bioenergy from numerous feedstocks, including forestry and agricultural waste, sustainable energy crops, construction waste and municipal solid waste. This flexibility allows facilities to be built anywhere that a renewable biomass feedstock is available, providing jobs and locally sourced energy for urban and rural communities. The Indian River facility is scheduled to begin construction in 4th quarter of 2010 and begin production in 2012.

bioenergy, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

The Golden Arches Go Green

Joanna Schroeder

The Golden Arches are going green. A McDonald’s restaurant, that was rebuilt in Riverside, California, became the fourth in the U.S. and the first west of the Mississippi to go green. The building, which is owned and operated by Tom and Candice Spiel, re-opened the new energy efficient, sustainable McDonald’s with a multitude of green features including ‘Green Arches’.

“We were inspired to build a McDonald’s restaurant that highlights the green focus of Riverside: California’s first Emerald City,” said Candace Spiel, McDonald’s owner/operator. “We are so proud of this restaurant and its possibilities to encourage and educate our customers and community on the importance of environmental sustainability.”

Some of the key features include 294 photovoltaic solar panels that will generate a portion of the restaurant’s power consumption.

Other green features include:
* Light colored hardscape to reduce heat emissions from site
* Native drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption by landscape
* Low flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water usage
* Recycled denim insulation inside the building

The green McDonald’s also features an interactive touch screen display for visitors to learn about the building, environmental sustainability, and how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint. In addition to owning this McDonald’s, the couple also own and operate eight others in and around California’s Inland Empire.

Electricity, Energy, Solar

Vanguard Energy Partners Wins Major NJ Solar Project

Joanna Schroeder

Somerset County Improvement Authority (SCIA) has awarded Vanguard Energy Partners with the contract to install 7.6 megawatts (MW) of solar power at 31 local and Somerset County, N.J. government locations. Once the project is complete, it will be one of the largest public solar energy projects in the state.

“This project will save taxpayers more than $1 million per year in energy costs, significantly decrease carbon emissions and greatly contribute toward achieving our long-term sustainability goals,” said Freeholder Director Jack M. Ciattarelli. “Just as importantly, with this bold initiative, we continue to demonstrate environmental leadership and our commitment to keeping Somerset the ‘greenest’ county in New Jersey.”

According to a company news release, the photovoltaic systems will save taxpayers $18.35 million over the 15-year power purchase agreement and avoid the emissions of more than 15 million tons of C02 yearly. SCIA will not be providing any capital outlay for the project – Vanguard will build, own, operate and maintain the solar systems for 15 years. The energy will then be sold at pre-determined rates to the county.

“We are excited and pleased to support Somerset County’s outstanding leadership and commitment to its citizens and the environment,” said Vanguard CEO Jim LaFleur. “This private-public partnership in renewable energy is a win-win because it will save money for taxpayers, support the local economy, and benefit the environment.”

Electricity, Solar

Farming For Algae

Joanna Schroeder

Steve Mayfield, the Director of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, believes that we need new sources and new revenue streams for agriculture. The most important element of the crop, says Mayfield, is that it can’t complete with existing agriculture. His answer? Algae.

Algae, says Mayfield, is going to be the next big agricultural crop. The only difference is algae grows on water, whereas traditional ag crops grow on land.

Today, researchers across the country are studying algae to produce fuel and feed and maybe even some day fiber, and Mayfield told me during an interview as part of a San Diego Algae Tour, that what we’re looking for in algae is exactly what they worry about in ag.

There are four things that Mayfield and his team are focusing on in their algae research: growth rate, the product being made, crop protection and harvestability. For example, when his team is growing algae, they need it to grow fast, produce a high amount of lipids, be free of disease, and be harvested as cheaply as possible.

I asked Mayfield when we would see full-scale deployment of algae fuel and he noted, “In this country, it took 100 years to reach the scale of ag we’re at right now. It’s not going to take 100 years to get to that scale in algae because the need is much great now.” You would typically build up your technology as the population increases, continued Mayfield, but the population increase is here now and we’re running out of fuel.

Mayfield estimates that we’re ten years away, and approximately $10 billion from commercial production but he is confident we’ll get there.

You can view pictures from my algae trip in my San Diego Algae Tour Photo Album.

algae, biofuels, Research

Harris Poll Finds Support for Renewable Energy Subsidies

Cindy Zimmerman

A new Financial Times/Harris poll in the U.S. and the five largest European countries finds strong public support for increasing some renewable energy sources, particularly wind farms, provided that they are not asked to pay much more for it.

The new poll found big majorities of the public in all six countries favor the building of more wind farms in their countries, varying from 90% in Spain and 87% in the U.S. to 77% in France. And large numbers of them favor it “strongly.” Majorities in all six countries, from 77% in Italy and 76% in Spain to 60% in the U.S. favor governments giving financial subsidies for the use of bio-fuels.

When those who pay energy bills were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for renewable energy, most people in all countries said either no more or only 5% more. Those willing to pay more than 5% varied from 32% in the U.S. and 31% in Italy to only 17% in Spain and 20% in France.

The poll showed less support on whether to build more nuclear power plants, more or less equally divided in the U.S.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Wind

Amazon Includes Hydrogen as a Green Shipping Option

John Davis

Everyone’s favorite online retailer (well, ok, at least the favorite in the Davis household) is offering its customers some more environmentally friendly options when it comes to having their items shipped to your door, and one of those options is hydrogen.

The London Financial Times reports that Amazon has patented its “environmentally conscious electronic transactions” that allow customers to see the environmental impact of their purchase and choose green shipping options:

The proposal includes the idea of adding a fourth “environmentally friendly” shipping alternative to Amazon’s current range of standard, overnight or two-day options.

“A customer can be presented with a shipping option that might not be as fast and might be more expensive, but that is more environmentally friendly, at least in one way,” the patent description says.

It says this could include opting for hybrid or hydrogen-powered delivery vehicles or using empty space on already scheduled routes.

The article goes on to point out that Ocado, the UK-based the online grocery home delivery service, already uses biodiesel in its delivery vans.

Biodiesel, Hydrogen

E85 Station Celebrates Odyssey Day Tomorrow

The Petro Serve E85 station at 3902 Main Ave. in Fargo, North Dakota will be celebrating Odyssey Day tomorrow with an E85 promotion. Odyssey Day is a nationwide series of events and promotions held every two years to educate the public about alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.

The alternative fueling facility will sell E85 for 85 cents less per less per gallon and will sell E30 at 60 cents less per gallon than regular unleaded. The event is being sponsored by the North Dakota Renewable Energy Council, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, North Dakota Department of Commerce, North Dakota Ethanol Council, North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, Petro Serve USA and by the American Lung Association in North Dakota, which supports cleaner-burning E85 as one way to reduce air pollution and its related health concerns.

More than 41,000 FFVs are now registered in North Dakota and flex fuel capability comes standard on more than 40 vehicle models.

E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Cattle and Ethanol Producer Hosts International Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

A group of farmers from around the world gathered in Des Moines this week for the fifth annual Global Farmer-to-Farmer Roundtable organized by Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT) and held in conjunction with the World Food Prize.

As part of the event, the 16 farmers had the opportunity to visit Couser Cattle Company, owned by Bill Couser, who is a director on the board of the farmer-owned Lincolnway Energy ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa. Bill conducted a fascinating presentation about his marriage of row crop farming (corn/soybeans), livestock production and ethanol production. He used a long table to display all the products he produces starting with an ear of corn and winding up with ethanol (2.81 gal/bushel of corn) as well as by-products like DDGS and ultimately fine quality beef.

Couser debunks the food versus fuel debate by explaining how corn going into an ethanol plant produces feed, fuel, food and fertilizer. Watch his presentation here:

TATT Global Farmer To Farmer Roundtable Photo Album

Ethanol, Ethanol News, International, livestock feed