Ethanol Plants Improve Efficiency

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol plants continue to increase in efficiency. A new University of Illinois at Chicago study of facilities that produce most of the nation’s ethanol found that the energy needed to make a gallon of the corn-based fuel decreased on average by about 30 percent within the past decade.

The study, conducted by Dr. Steffen Mueller at the Energy Resources Center at the university and funded by the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, surveyed 90 of the 150 dry mill ethanol plants operating during 2008. Results were compared to a 2001 survey conducted by BBI International on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 2001, ethanol plants used an average of 36,000 Btu of thermal energy and 1.09 kWh of electrical energy, per gallon of ethanol. They also produced 2.64 gallons of ethanol per bushel. Ethanol plants in 2008 used an average of 25,859 Btu of thermal energy and 0.74 kWh of electricity per gallon of ethanol produced – that’s 28 and 32 percent less than 2001, respectively. Ethanol per bushel of corn, meanwhile, increased 5.3 percent to 2.78 gallons per bushel.

The findings may prove useful to state and federal energy policy makers studying the pros and cons of fuels based on their “full life-cycle” — the total energy needed to create a fuel compared to its energy output, the greenhouse gases emitted during production, the water used in production, and other factors.

“Policy makers rightfully pay attention to life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of fuels,” said Mueller. “Biofuel refineries, including corn ethanol plants, are in a rapid innovation phase.”

He said his survey shows that adoption of new technologies reduces energy production needs since many older dry mill ethanol plants installed energy efficiency retrofits during that time period.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News

“Wrong” to Candidate’s Ethanol, Biodiesel Bashing

John Davis

A candidate for the U.S. Senate from Iowa has responded to one of his rivals statements calling ethanol and biodiesel subsidies “bologna, bologna” by calling the statement “wrong, wrong!”

During the recent debate on Iowa Public TV for the Democratic nomination to face presumptive Republican nominee Sen. Charles Grassley, former state Sen. Tom Fiegen bashed the support for ethanol and biodiesel, blaming the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on “drilling for natural gas because all of our ethanol plants are fired by natural gas.”

Rivals former state Rep. Bob Krause and Roxanne Conlin disagreed. In fact, Krause called Fiegen’s evaluation “wrong, wrong,” and pointed out:

Ethanol has been an important thing for Iowa because we’ve been able to keep the protein of the corn and get rid of the carbohydrates of the corn. I think that if you talk to anybody, yeah it’s an infinite industry, yeah there are some substantial subsidies but if we don’t push in that direction what else are we going to have. Are we going to go out and deep drill some more and give those subsidies or subsidize with troops in Iraq ? Are we going to do that? That’s a subsidy too.

Conlin added that the real subsidies are going to the richest industries in the world, Big Oil, and [w]e’re sending all kinds of money to people who hate us, $100 million a day to Iran .

The latest Public Policy Polling poll in the Des Moines Register has Fiegen far behind both Conklin (48 percent) and Krause (31 percent), attracting just 8 percent of potential voters.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Ethanol Industry Teams with Veterans

For another year, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC), the Ethanol Across America education campaign, and the FlexFuel Vehicle (FFV) Club paid homage to U.S. Military Vetarans on Memorial Day. The groups teamed with Volunteers of Underage Military Service (VUMS) at the national Memorial Day parade in Washington D.C. to highlight the role of energy and national security.

According to the Ethanol Across America press release, more than 20,000 attended the parade through the nation’s capitol and honored hundreds of veterans.

“Our slogan is There is no National Security without Energy Security,” said Marine Lt. Col. (ret) William C. Holmberg, a VUM and a board member of the American Council On Renewable Energy. “Groups like CFDC, Ethanol Across America, the Flexible Fuel Vehicle Club, the Renewable Fuels Association, and ACORE work every day to increase that awareness. Marching together in the shadow of the Washington Monument, the Capitol, and the memorials helps people get the connection that much of the unrest around the globe has links to oil. Increasing our supply of domestic fuels makes our nation safer and more secure, plain and simple.”

The procession included the CFDC/Ethanol Across America FlexFuel Chevy Avalanche and the Flexible Fuel Vehicle Club’s Chevy Tahoe, the Renewable Fuels Association’s Ford E85-Electric Hybrid Escape, and several electric hybrid vehicles.

“Under any circumstances it would be an honor for us to be part of the salute to all those who have served. Our generation sees the loss of jobs, wealth, and military cost of importing more than 60% of our oil, and we have an opportunity to do something about it,” said Douglas A. Durante, Director of the Ethanol Across America program. “If reducing our dependence on oil keeps us out of one less conflict, and keeps young Americans from having to be memorialized, then we should all be working toward that goal.”

According to FlexFuel Vehicle Club President Burl Haigwood, the parade provided an opportunity to increase public awareness that we can do something about it, right now. “With nearly 8 million flex fuel vehicles on the road today, if we ran those vehicles on clean, domestic fuels like ethanol we could reduce our reliance on unstable regimes and reduce the military costs of protecting our oil interests. Consumers can utilize the flex fuel vehicles they already own and look at the flex fuel vehicle option for future purchases,” said Haigwood.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Running Out of Room for Wind Farms?

John Davis

There are concerns that the best areas for wind energy farms have been taken up, and that could be slowing development of wind energy in this country.

This piece in Renewable Energy World International Magazine talks about how it’s getting too hard to find large areas of land with strong and steady winds that have a welcoming community and easy access to transmission:

‘When I talk to developers, this is their biggest issue of concern at the moment. The best spots are taken’, said Joanne Howard, vice consul (Energy) at UK Trade & Investment with the British Consulate-General in Houston, Texas.

With the prime wind sites gone – or disappearing quickly – where does the wind industry go from here?

So far developers in fast-growing markets have been able to overcome the problem by pursuing short-term innovations to improve lesser sites or capture niche markets. In some cases, they are realigning their development queue and focusing on projects in untapped countries. In short, they are rethinking their approach. As Javier Mateache, CEO of Gestamp Wind North America puts it: ‘The answer is not blowing in the wind, but in our brains and hands.’

In the US, a lack of transmission continues to be a primary restraint to the growth of onshore wind farms. The US has land aplenty with strong wind, but it remains undeveloped for lack of a way to get the power to market. Transmission lines cost roughly US$1 million per mile to build in the US. Given that prime wind sites are often far from where the wind power is needed, the price tag is hefty and the federal government has yet to resolve who will pay the bill. Wind developers shy away from proposing wind farms where no transmission yet exists and utilities don’t want to put money into building transmission unless they know a generator stands ready to use the lines. Wind industry insiders call this the transmission chicken and egg dilemma.

In addition to the issue of getting the power from the areas producing it to the areas needing it, farmers have become more savvy about the value of their fields where the wind turbines and transmission lines would be located. The fact that power lines would have to go through multiple jurisdictions is also deterring some companies some jumping in.

The article goes on to say the solution might be more, smaller wind farms closer to population areas, and more importantly, closer to the transmission infrastructure.

Wind

Canada Launching $1.6 Million Biodiesel Study

John Davis

Canadian forest products company FPInnovations has partnered with Natural Resources, Canada’s National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative, to launch a $1.625 million field study to study the potential of biodiesel in off-road machinery in highway construction and forest operations.

The Journal of Commerce reports that FPInnovations and Natural Resources are splitting the costs to find the best way to overcome some of the economical and technical challenges Canada’s environment could pose for biodiesel:

The study involves three project locations and industrial activities in British Columbia: highway construction in Coquitlam, sawmill yard operation in Prince George, and forest harvest operations in Merritt.

The Prince George location is ideal for this project as it highlights the difficulties facing biodiesel users, including challenging climate conditions, and a remote location in which distribution and storage can be difficult.

The Coquitlam location is of interest for the construction sector because it will demonstrate the logistical challenges in delivering biodiesel blends to their jobsites.

The logging and sawmill operations use about 15,000 gallons of fuel each month.

Just last week, we told you how ethanol and biodiesel add $2 billion to Canada’s economy.

Biodiesel

Devil Dogs Testing Biodiesel in Hawaii

John Davis

From the halls of Montezuma… to the shores of Tripoli… they have vowed to fight our country’s battles… in the air, on land and sea. So it seems only fitting on this Memorial Day, we talk about how Marines in Hawaii could soon be fighting those battles using biodiesel.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii has launched a two-vehicle demonstration project to test B20 biodiesel in tactical vehicles:

The project team will monitor fuel quality and stability, as well as the vehicles’ operational parameters while using the renewable bio fuel blend during an eight to 12 month period…

The B20 biodiesel use for this demonstration is locally produced from used cooking oil, to include all the cooking oil collected from dining facilities here on base. Reusing the cooking oil reduces waste and saves money that would be required for its disposal. The bio fuel is then locally blended with the petroleum diesel to form B20 biodiesel.

The use of sustainable fuels will help the base meet its ambitious energy goals, in addition to goals established by the Marine Corps and Department of Defense.

Hopefully, if the demonstration project is successful, it can be applied to more vehicles that burn diesel.

Biodiesel

Brazil Revs Up Sugarcane Ethanol Campaign at Indy 500

Cindy Zimmerman

Indy car drivers from several countries extolled the virtues of sugarcane ethanol from Brazil in ads that aired during the telecast of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

The parade of Indy spokesdrivers in two 30-second Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) television ads that debuted on Sunday include Ryan Hunter-Reay, who briefly served as spokesman for the U.S. ethanol industry and drove the #17 Team Ethanol car to victory for the first time in 2008. Takuma Sato of Japan, Davey Hamilton of the U.S., E.J. Viso of Venezuela, join Brazilians Ana Beatriz, Vitor Meira and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in proudly proclaiming “I compete with sugarcane ethanol.” Castroneves, who was the 2007 Dancing with the Stars winner, even croons a sweet tune to sugarcane ethanol. “Fast and Sweet and Clean and Lovely, the fuel from sugarcane goes racing,” he sings to the tune of “The Girl from Ipenema,” then says he can dance but he can’t sing. The winner of Sunday’s race, Dario Franchitti of Scotland, was not featured in the spots.

“For the first time ever, we are taking our message about sugarcane ethanol to national network television during one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world,” said Joel Velasco, UNICA’s Chief Representative in North America. “These commercials seek to educate American consumers about sugarcane ethanol and how it can benefit their pockets, the environment and the market, by promoting competition on and off the track.”

The ads are well done and definitely worth watching – see them here on UNICA’s sweeteralternative.com website.

Ethanol, Indy Racing, International

Book Review – Powering The Future

Joanna Schroeder

This week I read “Powering The Future,” by Daniel B. Botkin. I was motoring along learning about our current energy mix (fossil fuels, fossil fuels, fossil fuels) and then moved on to the section about alternative energy and his evaluation of the viability of wind and solar. Then I got to the biofuels section and this is where in most books I feel authors are either uneducated or intentionally dismiss the data. Botkin was no different in his assessment of biofuels. He only supports biofuels from algae and soil bacteria and he backs up much of his biofuels with bad data from the likes of David Pimentel.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The goal that Botkin set out in his book was to discuss each major source of energy including how much energy it provides today, how much it could provide in the future, how much it would cost, and its advantages and disadvantages. On this note, I do think that Botkin set out what he meant to do and offered analogies and numbers that most will understand.

Here are some interesting takeaways from his analysis. First, he is not a proponent of natural gas because his data shows that if it were used to fuel the 140 million+ cars on the road, we’d run out in less than 20 years. Second, he is not a proponent of nuclear because there is a limited amount of uranium and it costs more to decommission a nuclear plant than build one. While he has reservations about coal, he does anticipate that coal use will increase for electricity.

So what does he like? Read More

biofuels, book reviews, Electricity, Solar, Wind

Ethanol & Biodiesel Add $2B to Canadian Economy

Joanna Schroeder

“The grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion.” This according to a new biofuels economic report, “Total Economic Impact Assessment of Biofuels Plants in Canada,” released today. The report was commissioned by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) and conducted by econometric firm Doyletech Corporation. The report studied 28 ethanol and biodiesel plants across Canada and added that there were major benefits from renewable fuels in “rural revitalization, increased oil exports from western Canada, industrial development, and valuable options for re-balancing fuel ‘mix’.”

“This is the first report of its kind to study the economic impact of Canadian renewable fuel plants, and the results are undisputable, ethanol and biodiesel in Canada are driving growth,” added Gordon Quaiattini, President of the CRFA. “It’s overwhelmingly clear that Canada’s new renewable fuel standard is delivering on its promise of jobs, investment and growth.”

Here are a few highlights of the report.

The economic impact of operating the 28 Canadian renewable fuels plants was assessed to include:

  • A total direct investment of $2.326 billion.
  • The total net economic activity of $2.949 billion, including $100.2 million to municipal governments, $492.1 million to provincial governments, and $679.9 million to the federal government.
  • And the creation of 14,177 direct and indirect jobs during the respective construction periods.

The economic impact of operating the 28 Canadian renewable fuels plants was assessed to include:

  • The production of a total of 2.25 billion litres of renewable fuels annually.
  • A net annual economic benefit of $1.473 billion to the Canadian economy across Canada, including $14.1 million to municipal governments, $108.8 million to provincial governments, and $111.8 million to the federal government.
  • The creation of a net 1,038 direct and indirect jobs annually.
  • An estimated annual benefit of $540 million in additional oil exports that are possible because of western Canada biofuels production (using value of CDN $80/barrel).

“Even making allowance for the opportunity costs of alternate investments, and the opportunity costs of alternate feedstock sales, renewable fuels plants in Canada represent a positive net economic benefit,” the report concludes.

Click here to download the report.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News, Research

Fill Up and Save This Memorial Day

Joanna Schroeder

It’s Friday and for many the start of the Memorial Weekend holiday is already underway. There is more to celebrate than friends, food and family – savings at the pump due to lower priced ethanol. According to new data, drivers will save nearly 10 cents per gallon if filling up with E10.

According to information from the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), ethanol is currently selling for nearly a dollar less than gasoline at the rack, leading to cost savings for ethanol blends at the retail level. According to price data published on May 24 by the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) E10 is an average of 9.5 cents lower per gallon than straight gasoline. Based on a national average gas price of $2.85 per gallon and calculating the distance AAA expects 28 million travelers to travel, this 9.5 cent discount for E10 could potentially save drivers nearly $95.8 million in savings.

“Every little bit of cost savings helps in a tight economy, and American families are saving money at the pump thanks to the availability of ethanol,” said Ron Lamberty, Vice President / Market Development for ACE, the nation’s largest grassroots ethanol association. “With the wide spread right now between ethanol and gasoline prices, the higher the ethanol content per gallon of your fuel, the higher the savings.”

If E15 were available to drivers nationwide, the savings would be nearly 14 cents per gallon making the total savings for motorists nearly $138 million dollars just over this holiday weekend. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to make its final ruling on the E15 Waiver this summer.

Other ethanol blended savings included 28.5 cents per gallon less than gasoline for E30 and and E85 is 75 cents less per gallon.

“Motorists deserve to have access to these cost-effective fuels at the pump instead of just being limited by government red tape and Big Oil’s grip on the market,” added Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of ACE. “We need to give consumers the power to choose whatever fuel is most affordable by making flexible fuel vehicles and blender pumps more widely available.”

U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) have introduced S. 1627, the Consumer Fuels and Vehicles Choice Act, to increase the number of FFVs and blender pumps nationwide. Currently there are 200 blender pumps and more than 1000 E85 stations across the nation.

ACE, Ethanol, News