A 70 megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan has come online. The Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant went online officially on November 1, 2013 and is being operated by a special purpose company established by Kyocera Corporation and six other companies to sell the electricity to a local utility under Japan’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program. An …
Maryland Opens New E85 Station
Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Properties (MAPP) has opened a new E85 FlexFuel fueling station for drivers of flex fuel vehicles located at the Potomac SUNOCO in the Cabin John Shopping Center off of Seven Locks Road in Maryland. The opening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting, a retailer’s workshop, and speeches by partners and elected officials. MAPP offered E85 at the discounted …
Brazil Looks to Up Biodiesel Blend
Biodiesel blends in Brazil could soon rise above the 5 percent mix to 7 or even as much as 10 percent. This story from Bloomberg says the South American country wants to move more of its biodiesel glut. “We’ve already sent to the Presidency a proposal to increase the mixture of biodiesel with diesel,” Energy Minister Edison Lobao told reporters …
OPEI Launches Look Before You Pump
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) recently announced their new national ethanol education and consumer protection campaign, called ‘Look Before You Pump’. OPEI said the campaign cautions consumers against the use of E15 or higher ethanol blends in outdoor power equipment such as mowers, chain saws, snow throwers, generators and other small engine products. E15 was approved by the Environmental …
Flint Hills Impressed With Cellunator
Flint Hills Resources Renewables has announced it will expand its use of Edeniq’s Cellunator technology. The company said the technology achieved the desired increase in ethanol production at its Fairbank, Iowa facility and will install Cellunators at two additional locations. Flint Hills has been an investor in Edeniq since April 2012 and a customer since July 2011. “Edeniq’s Cellunators have …
More Oil from Plants Could Increase Biodiesel Output
Government scientists have found the genes that increase the oil production in plant leaves, and that could increase the amount of biodiesel that can be squeezed out of plants. This news release from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory says finding a way to enhance that oil expression in those parts of the plant could have significant implications …
Arkalon Ethanol Signs Up for Enogen
Arkalon Ethanol, LLC based in Liberal, Kansas has signed an agreement with Syngenta to use corn that features Enogen trait technology. The ethanol plant will begin to use the trait, replacing its liquid alpha amylase, following the 2014 corn harvest. “We are excited to announce this agreement with Arkalon Ethanol and we’re confident that Enogen technology is a solution that …
GEA Announces Finalists for GEA Honors
The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has announced the finalists for the GEA Honors, which recognize companies and individuals that have made significant contributions during the past year to advancing technology, spurring economic development and protecting the environment. Now in its third year, GEA also provides special recognition of companies and individuals who have made notable advances and achievements for geothermal …
World’s Largest Advanced Biofuels Plant Opens
Today marked the official opening of what is believed to be the world’s largest operational, commercial scale advanced biofuels facility. Situated in the fields outside the city of Crescentino, Italy, Beta Renewables, part of the Mossi Ghisolfi Group, along with Novozymes celebrated the first plant to be designed and built to produce bioethanol from agricultural residues and energy crops as …
Quest for Carbon Neutral Beer
Göss Brewery is one step closer to producing carbon neutral beer with the start-up of its new solar plant. The solar farm occupies nearly 1,500 m² and will generate a portion of the heat required for the brewing process. The brewery, owned by Brau Union Österreich and a member of the HEINEKEN Group, has embarked on a “Green Brewery” project …