Ethanol Groups Propose Ethanol Road Map

Joanna Schroeder

There are rumors coming out of Washington, DC that several ethanol groups have come together to offer an alternative proposal to both VEETC, also known as the blender’s credit, as well as the ethanol tariff. DomesticFuel has confirmed that four groups, including the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) have agreed upon a broad outline and framework that will be principles for a long-term policy road map for ethanol.

The goals of the road map are threefold and designed to overcome several major obstacles that if not addressed, could keep the country from meeting its renewable fuels goals as set out in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) that mandates the country use 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022.

Goal 1: Accelerate the deployment of blender pumps and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Both of these actions will allow market access and a level playing field for biofuels.

Goal 2: Put into place long-term policy that will create a marketplace that investors feel confident in and one that will revive rural economies and create jobs.

Goal 3: Reward energy efficient technologies and practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at biorefineries creating a more sustainable future for ethanol.Read More

biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Indirect Land Use

Learn How Canada is “Growing Beyond Oil”

Joanna Schroeder

Learn how Canada is “Growing Beyond Oil: Delivering Canada’s Energy Future,” during the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) 7th Annual Summit on November 29-December 1, 2010. The conference is designed to impart valuable information for people in North America and Canada working in and around the ethanol and biodiesel industries including grain and cellulose ethanol producers, biodiesel producers. Other people who should consider attending are those working in Canada’s petroleum and agriculture industries.

This year’s Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit will focus on how to build on recent successes and set the stage for the next generation of clean, renewable fuels. Speakers will look at the global renewable fuels marketplace and take stock of how the Canadian industry can assure long-term growth and prosperity. Presenters will also analyze the impact of the recession’s end and the desire among deficit-slashing governments for sustained economic growth and the creation of good new jobs.

Discussions will include:
* the economic benefits of renewable fuels
* financing commercialization
* global policy and sustainability initiatives
* new biomass feedstocks
* emerging issues such as compliance with Canadian mandates

Registration is now open. Click here to view the full conference program and agenda as well as to register.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, conferences, Ethanol

Company Gets $1.8 Mil to Put Biodiesel in More Trucks

John Davis

A California company has received a $1.8 million grant from that state to get biodiesel into more trucks.

This article from the San Diego Union Tribune says alternative energy company Pearson Fuels picked up the money from the California Energy Commission:

“We are going into a diesel terminal where diesel is sold,” said Pearson General Manager Mike Lewis. “We are going to put biodiesel in there and tie it all together.”

Right now, a trucker will take a tanker truck to a biodiesel facility and get some biodiesel, then go to a fuel terminal and fill up the tanker with regular diesel.

It’s called “splash blending.”

“It’s not a very efficient way of doing it,” he said.

“These are the day to day infrastructure issues that hinder widespread biofuel use.”

Lewis wants to bring the biodiesel directly into terminals from two companies, InterState Oil Co. in Sacramento and SoCo Group in El Cajon to make it available just like any other fuel available there.

“It would come out of the spigot already blended,” said SoCo president Angus McDonald.

The money is expected to pay for about 60 percent of the project’s costs.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel to Power Fuel Cells for Electric Vehicles

John Davis

Biodiesel could be the fuel that charges fuel cells for electric vehicles.

ScienceDaily reports Norwegian company Nordic Power Systems (NPS) has developed a silent generator that works with California-based SAFCell Inc.’s new fuel cell using a smart diesel reformer and a tolerant fuel cell and could contend for the market in generators in electric vehicles:

This combination of two advanced technologies is now undergoing testing, thanks to funding under the Research Council’s RENERGI programme. In trials, a 200-W solid-acid fuel cell ran on both pure hydrogen and on hydrogen produced from diesel by the unit’s reformer — with only an insignificant difference in performance.

The reformer converts hydrocarbons into hydrogen, CO2 and heat. Due to the unit’s high efficiency, CO2 emissions are substantially lower than in conventional combustion engines, and no other demonstrable exhaust is discharged — meaning that diesel particulates, black carbon soot, nitrous oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) are elimi¬nated. An added plus is that the reformer emits no smoke or odour.

NPS officials expect the first applications to be with the military, already having a technology development agreement with the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces and looking to get in with the British Armed Forces.

Biodiesel, Electric Vehicles

Google Investing in Massive Wind Project off East Coast

John Davis

Internet search engine giant Google is investing in a massive wind project off the U.S. East Coast that will end up connecting 1.9 million homes in the Mid-Atlantic region with clean wind power.

According to the company’s blog, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone between New Jersey to Virginia will be connect 6,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind turbines.

The AWC backbone will be built around offshore power hubs that will collect the power from multiple offshore wind farms and deliver it efficiently via sub-sea cables to the strongest, highest capacity parts of the land-based transmission system. This system will act as a superhighway for clean energy. By putting strong, secure transmission in place, the project removes a major barrier to scaling up offshore wind, an industry that despite its potential, only had its first federal lease signed last week and still has no operating projects in the U.S.

Google says that area is perfect for offshore wind projects, with the potential of 60,000 MW of offshore wind energy. The Mid-Atlantic region has shallow waters that extend far out to sea, enabling developers to build larger turbines able to take advantage of the stronger winds and practically out-of-sight from the land.

The entire project is expected to cost around $5 billion, although Businessweek reports Google is investing just 37.5 percent in the development stage, about $200 million. New York-based Good Energies and Japan’s Marubeni are also investing in the project.

Wind

Ethanol Report on Export Exchange Turnout

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Report PodcastThis edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from participants in last week’s Export Exchange held in Chicago to promote exports of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). About 500 buyers and sellers of DDGs from the United States and over 30 countries took part in the two day event.

We hear from event sponsors Renewable Fuels Association (RA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen and U.S. Grains Council (USGC) CEO and president Tom Dorr, as well as Rick Tolman with the National Corn Growers Association, ethanol producers Ray Defenbaugh and Walter Wendland, and South Dakota extension swine specialist Dr. Robert Thaler. We have lots more still to post from that event, but this report provides a nice taste of how it went.

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: DDGS Ethanol Report

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, USGC

Commerical Ethanol Technology & Research Worshop On the Horizon

Joanna Schroeder

The third annual Ethanol Technology & Research Workshop is on the horizon. Sponsored by Biofuels Journal and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), The workshop is being held in St. Joseph, Missouri on October 27-28th and includes a tour of the of the LifeLine Foods corn fractionation ethanol production plant. The focus of this year’s session are commercial technologies that are helping to put producers on ahead of the efficiency and profitability curve.

Presentations will focus on how to improve an ethanol plant’s bottom line with the newest technologies available. For example, presenters will discuss turning thin stillage into biogas to displace natural gas, advanced dryer technologies and fractionation technologies. Other topics will include some of the latest advances in advanced biofuels and cellulosic ethanol research.

Speakers include Steve Shivvers, Tri-Phase; John McDowell, EISENMANN; Doug Rivers, ICM; Dr. Henry Daniell, University of Central Florida; a panel on advanced biofuels hosted by John Caupert with the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center; and Ron Lamberty with ACE will give an update on the State of the Industry as we head into the end of the year; among others. The keynote speech “How the Ethanol Industry Impacts the U.S. Economy,” will be given by John Urbanchuck, Technical Director for Entrix Inc.

Registration is still open. Click here to learn more about the workshop and to register.

ACE, biogas, biomass, Cellulosic, corn, Ethanol

Lamb Energy Practices What They Preach

Joanna Schroeder

Lamb Energy is practicing what they preach. The solar company has just completed a solar roof array utilizing Sharp solar panels on its headquarters in Riverside California. To date, the company has worked on solar projects with the likes of the Naval Post Graduate School, Marine Corps Air Station and Naval Air Weapons Station.

“Sharp panels offer the reliability and superior engineering we trust in our customer installations, so it was the obvious choice to use their solar panels on our own project,” said Matt Shea, Vice President of Business Development at Lamb Energy. “Sharp powers more homes and businesses than any other solar panel manufacturer worldwide and we’re happy that our headquarters is now a part of the clean energy revolution.”

The 17.5 kilowatt system will power approximately 60 percent of the building’s annual energy consumption. Each year, the solar array, comprised of 81 Sharp ND-216UC1 216 watt polycrystalline modules in a roof mounted system, will eliminate approximately 9.5 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. When compared to oil, the solar energy will offset the consumption of more than 45 barrels of oil per year. To help cover the costs of the project, Lamb Energy tapped into Riverside Public Utilities’ $3 Watt solar rebate, saving the company more than $44,000 on the project.

“It’s the ultimate vote of confidence when a company that specializes in solar installations selects our panels for their own building,” said Eric Hafter, senior vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. “We value our relationship with Lamb and we’re delighted that they chose Sharp panels to power the solar array at their headquarters.”

Electricity, Solar

New E85 Pump in Michigan

Cindy Zimmerman

PS Food Mart recently installed a new E85 pump in Jackson, Michigan, thanks to assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program, offering funds to retailers for the alternative fuel infrastructure.

The new pump opened on September 20th and has been dispensing about 100 gallons a day. “We wanted to be able to provide a fuel that is increasing in demand by the motoring public, as well as commit to be environmentally friendly,” said VP of Business Development for PS Food Mart, Jim Linton.

To date, Growth Energy has helped install a total of 94 E85 and blender pumps across the country.

E85, Ethanol, Growth Energy

‘Be True to Your Fuel’ Video Contest Kicks Off

Joanna Schroeder

Calling all college students in the state of Iowa. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board have launched a “Be True to Your Fuel” video contest that encourages students to show their spirit for corn ethanol, E85 and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). The contest is part of ICGA’s 2010 GameDay GiveAway promotions and activities that are taking place in the state through the end of the year.

The contest is open to any Iowa State or University of Iowa students and the 30 second videos are due by November 5th. While your creativity is unlimited, the video must have a positive message about corn ethanol, E85 or FFVs and their impacts on the state of Iowa.

“Iowa Corn is proud to partner with Iowa and Iowa State Universities on the GameDay events that promote flexible fuel vehicles and corn fed ethanol,” says Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Market Development Director. “We want everyone in the state to share in our enthusiasm for fuel that comes directly from Iowa farmers and our neighborhood ethanol plants.”

All submitted videos will be subject to final review by Iowa Corn before being posted on YouTube®. From all entries submitted, three videos will be selected as finalists by a panel of judges and the finalists will be notified by November 8, 2010. From there, the winner will be chosen based on voting from November 12 through November 26, 2010.

The winning video will be shown during the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game. Several prizes will be awarded including a grand prize of $5,000; second prize of $2,500 and third prize of $1,000.

The GameDay GiveAway promotions include radio, TV, internet, and on-site marketing and is designed to highlight the many uses for corn as well as corn’s positive impact on Iowa. For a detailed description of the contest visit www.iacornfed.com.

corn, E85, Education, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles