ACE Conference 2026

Book Review – The Story of Stuff

Joanna Schroeder

Many years ago on a high school field trip, we were taken to the local landfill. It was nearly full and the city needed to do something – find somewhere to take its trash. Out of this field trip came my first environmental inspiration. I researched recycling and determined that at that time, the only way to get people to participate would be to give them bins that would be picked up at the curb. I pitched it to my class, they joined in the effort…we went door to door …and the during the next election, the resolution passed.

I felt pretty good for years to come but that enthusiasm has waned as I’ve learned that recycling programs are barely effective and we still generate too much stuff. “The Story of Stuff” came of out the internet movie sensation by the same name. Author Annie Leonard has been traveling around the world for more than 20 years learning about the world’s obsession with “Stuff.”. Not only do we have too much, but its too toxic. According to Leonard, we’re also using our natural resources far faster than the Earth can replenish them.

Leonard explains that the expanding economic system is about to hit a wall. It is running up against the limits of our planet’s capacity to sustain life. Economists predict that with the rate of growing populations, especially those in countries like China and India, coupled with the amount of CO2 emissions created from the production and transportation of our Stuff, we’re in trouble.

“Put it simply, if we do not redirect our extraction and production systems and change the way we distribute, consume, and dispose of our Stuff – what I sometimes call the take-make-waste-mold-the economy as it is will kill the planet,” writes Leonard.

While I don’t agree with her wholeheartedly, I do agree that she is on to something. I can’t tell you how many times in the past few years I’ve purchased something I usually don’t even need and it has a crazy amount of wasteful packaging. I am now even more aware as Leonard takes you through the entire process of Stuff from extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal.Read More

book reviews, Environment, Waste-to-Energy

Company: 3D Technology Will Revolutionize Solar Power

John Davis

The man in charge of a California solar company believes his company’s unique three-dimensional technology could revolutionize the way solar arrays capture power.

Jim Nelson, the CEO of Solar3D, says his company’s conceptual three-dimensional solar cell is a departure from the traditional technology for solar cells, which normally use a two-dimensional design that reflect a lot of the light back out into the atmosphere.

“Our design borrows lot of technology from the fiber optic business, where there’s a lot of wave-guide management of light. We manage the light so that we capture essentially 100 percent of it in our solar cell.”

That gives them more space to absorb the light, giving them a much higher efficiency, no matter what material they use for making the cell. In fact, he says the technology could double the efficiency of most solar cells.

In addition to boosting efficiency, Nelson says the 3-D technology will also make solar power more competitively priced, putting it on par with most conventional sources of power. He points out that right now solar power is dependent on government subsidies … too dependent for his tastes.

“We don’t believe [subsidies] are a permanent solution [for solar power]. We believe in a permanent solution for solar energy we have to approach grid parity; solar energy has to be as inexpensive or less per kilowatt hour than anything that is cheap… natural gas, for example. My objective is revolutionize the way people think about electrical energy, [regardless of the source].”

While Solar3D doesn’t use any government subsidies right now, Nelson doesn’t rule them out in the future. But he does believe any public money should really come from investors, not from taxes. That’s part of the reason why he recently took the company public (see Joanna’s post from October 25, 2010).

Listen to more of my conversation with Nelson here: Jim Nelson, Solar3D

Audio, Solar

Food Prices on the Rise – Biofuels Not to Blame

Joanna Schroeder

Is the food versus fuel debate finally subsiding? It has been hanging around since 2008 when the Grocery Manufactures of America launched a coordinated attack on the ethanol industry blaming them for the rising cost of food. It turned out that the greatest offender was actually rising oil prices which topped out over $150 per barrel.

This week, the Wall Street Journal published an article about rising food prices. Many of you may know that they rarely miss an opportunity to blame the ills of the world on biofuels. However, in “Food Sellers Grit Teeth, Raise Prices,” the authors mention several reasons why food prices are on the rise, one being a greater demand for meat in emerging countries such as China and India. This demand has raised grain prices, which have also been adversely affected due to the drought in Russia. Speculators also have a hand in the volatility of commodities.

For more than two years, the ethanol and agriculture industries have been fighting back. In addition, dozens of research studies have been released from organizations around the world with the conclusion that biofuels had “little to no effect” on rising food prices in 2008. The most recent report from the World Bank also came to this conclusion.

However, in the midst of this most recent food hike, Growth Energy is saying that although the debate has weakened, they “have to keep telling people the truth.” They believe that, “The article further proves that food price increases are impacted by a number of factors. Not surprisingly, however, nowhere in the story do the authors mention any impact by biofuels.”

Growth Energy concludes, “We have said it before and we will say it again, food vs. fuel has always been and will always be nothing more than a myth.”

corn, Ethanol, food and fuel, Growth Energy, Opinion

Two Big Wins for Amyris

Joanna Schroeder

Amyris is having a busy week. Yesterday, they announced a partnership with Tate and Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc (a subsidiary of Tate and Lyle) for them to produce farnesene. Amryis will take the farnesene and produce farnesane, the company’s unique diesel molecule that forms the basis of its renewable diesel. The product will be manufactured in Tate and Lyle’s facility in Decatur, Illinois.

Then today, the company announced even bigger news – the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has increased its official registration of their renewable diesel fuel, raising the registered blend level with ultra low sulfur diesel from 20 to 35 percent. To date, this is the highest blend level awarded by the EPA for commercial sale diesel fuel. The company was able to improve its registration by submitting additional fuel property data, third-party testing, engine testing conducted by major diesel engine OEMs, and highway validation tests.

Amryis was able to conduct a portion of the testing through an Integrated Bio-Refinery Program grant they received this past April from the Department of Energy.

“Obtaining the highest EPA awarded blend level registration validates the high performance properties of our renewable hydrocarbon diesel,” said Amyris CEO John Melo. “We are producing a true No Compromise fuel – a renewable diesel that eliminates the critical challenges plaguing biofuels while still enabling dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas and tail pipe emissions for vehicles, from passenger cars through heavy-duty trucks.”

Biodiesel, biofuels

CEC Awards $9.6M in Energy Grants

Joanna Schroeder

Good news today for several California biofuel producers. The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved eight grants worth more than $9.6 million along with $11,969,855 in private funds. Each winning project demonstrated its ability to reduce petroleum use, reduce pollution and provide jobs. The categories of industry that were eligible for funding included biofuels, manufacturers of electric vehicles and batteries, and the addition of vehicle charging stations.

The money for the projects came from the CEC’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Transportation program. All winners had to match the grants with private funds.

“Three years ago California crafted innovative legislation that is paying dividends in ground-breaking advances in transportation,” said Energy Commissioner Anthony Eggert. “Partnerships between government and the private sector are encouraging new industries that can rebuild California’s manufacturing base. The projects the Commission approved will improve California’s economy and its environment by fostering green, clean advancements in transportation.”

  • • Biofuel production – $1,989,101 to Great Valley Energy LLC to test the feasibility creating biofuel from a crop new to the Central Valley – sweet sorghum.
  • • Biofuel production -$1,900,000 to the City of San Jose to build and demonstrate a new system that turns trash into natural gas that can be used as a transportation fuel.
  • • Biodiesel production – $1,000,000 to East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to make an estimated 300,000 gallons of biodiesel each year at its existing wastewater treatment plant in Oakland.
  • • Biodiesel distribution – $69,233 to the Western States Oil Company to convert an existing, 8,000-gallon retail tank used for premium gasoline into one that can dispense wholesale biodiesel.
  • • Electric vehicle manufacturing: $1,000,000 to TransPower, a clean-energy company headquartered in Escondido, to study the feasibility of manufacturing large electric-drive trucks in or near San Pedro by 2013.
  • • Electric vehicle components: $505,381 to San Francisco-based Mission Motor Co. to help it bring its prototype electric vehicle components to commercial production.
  • • Electric vehicle components: $2,962,743 to Leyden Energy Inc., to help it create a production line capable of assembling its lithium-ion cells into 10 battery packs per month for its partner in the project, electric vehicle manufacturer Green Vehicles of Salinas.
Biodiesel, biofuels, Electric Vehicles, Natural Gas, Waste-to-Energy

USDA Looks Into Pennycress for Biodiesel

John Davis

The USDA is looking into turning a common weed into biodiesel.

Researchers with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that field pennycress, better known in some circles as stinkweed, puts out a large amount of oilseeds good for making the green fuel:

Field pennycress belongs to the Brassicaceae family, along with canola, camelina and mustard-other prolific producers of oil-rich seeds. The ARS studies help support USDA’s efforts to develop new sources of bioenergy.

At the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill., chemists Bryan Moser, Gerhard Knothe and Terry Isbell and plant physiologist Steven Vaughn formed a team to study field pennycress’ potential.

The scientists obtained oil from wild field pennycress, pretreated it with acid, and used a type of alcohol called methanol to react with the field pennycress oil to produce both biodiesel and glycerol. After some additional refining, the finished biodiesel was tested to see if it met the biodiesel fuel standard established by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The results suggested that, with some work, the previously problematic pennycress could become a commercial commodity.

The ARS goes on to say that pennycress oil is attractive for biodiesel because of its low cloud and pour points, 14 degrees Fahrenheit for clouding and for pour, well below the cloud and pour points of soybean oil-based biodiesel. In addition, pennycress can be grown in the winter and harvested in the late spring, allowing farmers to still have a summer soybean rotation.

Biodiesel, USDA

Butamax Unveils Biobutanol Lab in Brazil

Joanna Schroeder

Today, Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC, a partnership between BP and DuPont to develop biobutanol, announced the opening of a biobutanol technology laboratory in the city of Paulínia, São Paulo state, Brazil. Butamax CEO Tim Potter joined Ricardo Vellutini, DuPont do Brasil’s President and Vice President of Agricultural Products for Latin America, for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Media were also welcome to tour the facility.

“The new laboratory was built to accelerate the path to commercial market entry for cane-to-biobutanol production,” said Potter.

Butamax believes that sugarcane is the most efficient feedstock for the production of biofuels and the lab will focus on optimizing the cane fermentation process. The company’s technology can be used with a range of feedstocks including starch-based crops such as corn, and in the future, cellulosic feedstocks such as energy grasses. The company also feels that Brazil’s strong economy and existing expertise in the biofuels industry makes it the perfect strategic location for producing biobutanol and adds some diversity to its biofuels mix.

Butamax believes that biobutanol complements the success of the ethanol industry and offers several key advantages including its ability to be blended at higher concentrations than ethanol delivering twice the renewable energy in every liter of gasoline. Another advantage over ethanol is that it can be used in vehicles with no modifications and can be transported via pipelines.

The company believes that its proprietary technology is a game changer and as such, has focused across the biofuel value chain. They have been researching the technology on a global scale in anticipation for their commercial launch.

biobutanol, Brazil, Company Announcement, Ethanol

Advance to the 2011 Biodiesel Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

nbb 2011 conferenceIt is time to start thinking about the next National Biodiesel Conference, coming up February 6-9 in Phoenix. Registration is now open with special early bird discounts until available until November 19.

The theme of the 2011 conference is “Advance” – reflecting the fact that biodiesel is classified as an advanced biofuel by EPA under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). “The EPA’s final rule making made it very clear that biodiesel, from all domestically produced feedstocks, is not a conventional biofuel,” says National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Joe Jobe. “It is in the category of advanced biofuel.”

The RFS2 will be a primary focus of the conference in February, according to Jobe. “By the time we get to the conference in February, the RFS2 program will be critically important to drawing demand and getting the biodiesel industry moving again,” Jobe says. “So the centerpiece of this conference is going to be all about the RFS2 and how we’re going to have an 800 million gallon plus market in 2011.”

The last two years have been a struggle for the industry, but there are plenty of people who still believe in the future of the sustainable fuel. The NBB is asking for people who believe in biodiesel to submit brief video statements about why they do. “We’re going to use the most interesting ones to use in video intros and segues at the conference,” said Jobe. More information about the “I believe in biodiesel” video project can be found on the NBB website.

Listen to an interview with Joe Jobe about the 2011 National Biodiesel Conference here: Joe Jobe Interview

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

New Blender Pumps in Michigan

Cindy Zimmerman

ethanolGrowth Energy has partnered with Cooperative Elevator and Ignash Petroleum to install Michigan’s second and third blender pumps.

The Cooperative Elevator pump will be installed in Sebewaing on Monday, November 8 and the Ignash pump was installed in Elkton last week. The companies received assistance to install the pumps – which offer varying blends of E30, E40, E50 and E85 – through Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program. Both retailers said their companies decided to sell mid level blends in order to give consumers greater access to domestically produced renewable fuel.

“We think that it is important to support renewable fuel and especially to support our local economy. By offering blends of E30, E50 and E85 we are giving people more options,” said Charlotte Ignash, VP of Ignash Petroleum. “We want to give our customers choices other than E85 and no-lead, support our members markets, become more environmentally friendly, and accommodate the flex fuel vehicles,” added Tim Sielaff, V.P. of Petroleum for Cooperative Elevator Co.

To celebrate the installations, Cooperative Elevator Co. and Ignash Petroleum will both hold open houses on Friday, November 10. To date, Growth Energy has helped install more than 90 E85 and blender pumps across the country through their grant program.

blends, Ethanol, Growth Energy

UNICA Urges Congress to End Ethanol Tariff

Joanna Schroeder

“As the dust settled on a midterm election that significantly altered the political landscape, voters sent a clear message that cutting the deficit and ending wasteful government spending should be top priorities for Congress. Americans will be watching closely to see if lawmakers got the message. Eliminating ethanol subsidies and trade protection would be a good way to indicate that they did,” writes Joel Velasco, UNICA Chief Representative of North America in response the the Mid-Term Election results that took place across the U.S. on November 2, 2010.

Similar to two years ago when President Obama was elected, Americans asked for change. Only this time, its wasn’t Democrats they were asking to help make it. Republicans made a strong gain in this election with their promises of balancing the budget, cutting wasteful spending, fixing the economy, and creating jobs.

Along these same lines, UNICA has been heavily campaigning in recent months to end the ethanol tariff and open up the marketplace for ethanol. They argue that this will help save Americans money at the pump, create greater diversity, and provide access to cleaner alternatives like sugarcane ethanol.

Velasco continued in his blog post, “Democrats and Republicans have vowed to work together on this issue, hinting that the days of $6 billion per year in ethanol tax credits could be over when they expire on December 31. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee told Bloomberg News that “[t]here are folks who ideologically don’t want to see the tax credit,” noting that the election results were sure to strengthen that viewpoint.”

The U.S. corn ethanol industry may be getting the message on competition and the need to remove trade barriers on cleaner, more affordable energy,” writes Velasco. “During a conference call with reporters this morning, the president of the Renewable Fuels Association [Bob Dinneen] reiterated his support for setting the ethanol tax credit and import tariff at the same amount – a concept industry insiders refer to as “parity”.

Velasco concluded, “The next several weeks will be an important litmus test in determining whether or not Congress has truly heard the American people. Tough decisions will be need to be made to cut the deficit and restore fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship to Washington. Ethanol policy is a good place to start.”

Brazil, Ethanol, UNICA