NEC 2027

GE to Supply Wind Turbines for Lake Erie Project

John Davis

General Electric has been tapped to provide the wind turbines for an offshore wind project in Lake Erie.

BusinessWeek reports GE will supply five direct-drive turbines that can generate as much as 4 megawatts each in a project with the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., expected to be completed in 2012:

“Offshore wind has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in Ohio and become a major source of economic growth,” Victor Abate, who runs GE’s renewable energy businesses, said in the statement.

GE will work with Lake Erie Energy to identify additional locations for offshore wind projects, with the goal of developing 1,000 megawatts by 2020, he said.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said the project will help reduce the state’s reliance on generating electricity from coal. The state gets about 90 percent of its power from burning the fossil fuel, which contributes the largest single man-made source of greenhouse gases.

The announcement was made at the American Wind Energy Association’s annual conference in Dallas.

Wind

Making Distillers Grains More Valuable

Cindy Zimmerman

Alltech AllzymeSSFIncreasing the value of the ethanol by-product distillers dried grains (DDGs) was a topic at last week’s Alltech International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium.

Alltech has a product called Allzyme® SSF that can maximize nutrient release in DDGs to make it more nutritious. According to the comany, “the complex works synergistically to break down the different substrates. As a result, more nutrients are available to the animal, thus improving growth and economic efficiency. The multiple activities in Allzyme SSF allows for a more flexible approach to feed formulation through the inclusion of by-products or by reducing nutrient constraints in the diet, particularly energy, calcium and available phosphorus.”

Brian Hoskins, Alltech’s SSF Development Coordinator, explains more in this interview with Domestic Fuel’s Chuck Zimmerman.

corn, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Biodiesel User New Holland Launches New YouTube Site

John Davis

Long-time supporter of biodiesel New Holland has launched a new YouTube site, featuring all things farming, including New Holland’s long line of farm implements that run on biodiesel … some of those up to B100 blends.

“Our YouTube channel creates an incredible opportunity to broadcast our brand and engage our audience with compelling content,” says New Holland’s North American Senior Director of Marketing David Greenberg. “We plan to keep adding new videos weekly that inform and entertain. We invite all viewers to subscribe to the channel and upload your agriculture, outdoor and farming related videos.”

There’s six different channels that feature a variety of showcase videos, including the world’s largest combine setting a Guinness World Record, product overviews, operating tips from equipment experts, and testimonials from those who use New Holland’s products.

Check it out here.

Biodiesel, New Holland

Brazil Ethanol Gas Discount Promo Canceled

Cindy Zimmerman

The Brazilian ethanol industry’s planned promotional event in Washington D.C. has been abruptly canceled, according to a news release.

UNICAOne week after approving the event and less than 24 hours after allowing promotional banners to be hung on its property, Capitol Petroleum Group canceled plans by the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) to offer Washington-area residents a discount of 54 cents per gallon on gasoline purchased at two Exxon stations on Capitol Hill. A company representative, citing unspecified “political” reasons, abruptly ended UNICA’s plans to help DC drivers keep a little extra money in their pockets for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

“Open market competition and free speech are two fundamental principles that have made the United States a global leader,” observed Joel Velasco, UNICA’s chief representative in North America. “It’s a shame that those values don’t seem to apply in this situation.”

The promotion was being sponsored by UNICA to highlight the current 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol and educated drivers about the benefits of sugarcane ethanol.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, International

Iowa Corn and Chevy Promote Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Iowa corn growers have teamed up with two Chevy dealerships to promote ethanol and the vehicles that it fuels.

Holmes Chevrolet in Norwalk and Karl Chevrolet in Ankeny are partnering with the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) to promote flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) and the use of E85 in Iowa. Consumers who purchase a FFV at either dealership between now and June 15, 2010 are eligible for $250 in ethanol/E85 certificates from a participating fuel station.

Iowa Corn Promotion Board“One out of every 10 vehicles in Iowa are Flex-fuel vehicles and can use E85,” said Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Director of Market Development. “Our goal is to get more FFVs on the road and to sell more ethanol blended fuel.”

Both Holmes Chevrolet and Karl Chevrolet will be able to give away up to forty $250 gift certificates that consumers can use to purchase E85 for their new or used FFV.

corn, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Flex Fuel Vehicles

Study Finds Wind Produces 10,000 Jobs in Texas

John Davis

A new study shows that wind energy has produced 10,000 jobs in Texas… and new infrastructure to carry more power could add another 40,000+ jobs to the Lone Star State.

North American Windpower reports that the Perryman Group economic study, which comes as the American Wind Energy Association gets ready to host Windpower 2010 in Dallas next week, shows the jobs for which wind is already responsible and the prospect of jobs that would be created building new transmission lines under the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) proposal approved by the Public Utility Commission (PUC):

“This report answers any questions related to the impact the wind industry has on jobs in Texas, which is substantial,” says Paul Sadler, executive director of The Wind Coalition. “Nearly 10,000 Texans have jobs in wind, whether in manufacturing, headquarters, construction or maintenance and support. Wind energy is big business in Texas, and under CREZ, its growth will be equivalent to the economic impact of air transportation on the low end and the computer and electronic sector on the high end.”

Of the nearly 10,000 jobs in Texas tied to wind energy, Perryman estimates 3,876 are permanent jobs within the industry.

When jobs tied to construction, royalties and other indirect impacts are considered, the wind industry produces roughly one job per megawatt. CREZ alone is estimated to expanded business activity in Texas by $30.6 billion and create 383,972 person-years of employment. This economic activity leads to notable incremental tax receipts over the development period, according to the study.

The construction and development of CREZ is also expected to create $1.6 billion in state revenues and $329 million in local revenues.

Wind

Students’ Grease-to-Biodiesel Project Wins EPA Award

John Davis

Some Rhode Island students are screaming, “TGIF!” But this time, it doesn’t mean “Thank God Its Friday;” it means “Turn Grease into Fuel.”

The seven students from Westerly Middle School in Westerly, Rhode Island have picked up the 2010 President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) and are being recognized in Washington, DC:

The students, Cassandra Lin, John Perino, Marissa Chiaradio, Taylor Fiore-Chettiar, Vanessa Bertsch, Miles Temel and Alaxander Lin members of the Westerly Innovations Network at Westerly Middle School. Together, they decided to do their part in tackling global warming by creating a sustainable project that collected waste cooking oil, refined it into biofuel, and distributed it.

“I am so impressed with the commitment these students showed by taking action to improve the environment,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “We have serious environmental problems, but with the creativity and commitment displayed by these students, we can find ways to effectively work toward a cleaner and healthier world.”

The students presented the project to the local town council and convinced them to place a grease receptacle at the town’s transfer station to collect the waste cooking oil from residents. The youths also convinced 64 local restaurants to donate their waste cooking oil, a by-product of fried food. To collect the waste oil from the restaurants and the transfer station, the students collaborated with a company to collect it and bring it to a waste cooling oil/biodiesel refiner. The proceeds from the refiner were used to purchase “Bioheat” from a local distributor to give to local charities.

Forty families have been helped with donated Bioheat from the project.

Biodiesel

IA Biodiesel Board, Petroleum Marketers Offer Webinar

John Davis

They work together to sell biodiesel, so it only makes sense that the Iowa Biodiesel Board and the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa have teamed up to offer a free webinar to help those who sell to the general public whether biodiesel is a good option for stations.

The webinar, called “Biodiesel Economics: What’s In It For Me?” will be on Thursday, May 27 from 10:30-11:30 a.m.:

During this one-hour free webinar, PMCI and IBB will outline how today‚s federal and state incentives can make biodiesel blends a profit margin earner. Topics include:

* Blenders‚ tax credit status
* State incentives
* Blending economics
* Federal Renewable Fuels Standard compliance
* Biodiesel quality and availability

The presenters are:

* Jeff Hove, Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores of Iowa
* Randy Olson, Iowa Biodiesel Board
* Jon Scharingson, Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

To get more information and register for the webinar, click here.

Biodiesel

Synthetic Cells Hold Biofuels Potential

Cindy Zimmerman

Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute yesterday announced the successful construction of the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell, which could potentially have numerous applications – including the production of new biofuels, according to Synthetic Genomics (SGI).

Specifically, they are talking about new algae-based biofuels, if the researchers can take the discovery to that next step. They are working on using the same technique they used to create the synthetic bacteria to create synthetic algae, which is also single-celled, but more complex than bacteria. If they are successful, they hope to use them to create biofuels by photosynthesis.

SGI, which was founded by Dr. Venter and is the Institute’s primary backer, has an alliance with Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering (EMRE) group “focused on finding and optimizing (through synthetic genome techniques and other more traditional metabolic engineering techniques) algae to produce biological crude oil replacements efficiently.” The J. Craig Venter Institute has facilities in Rockville, Maryland and San Diego, Calif.; SGI is headquartered in La Jolla, Calif.

Photo credit: Electron micrographs were provided by Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California at San Diego.

algae, biofuels, Research

State Ag Directors Support Ethanol Tax Incentives

Cindy Zimmerman

Eight state departments of agriculture are asking Congress to extend the ethanol tax incentive set to expire at the end of the year.

northeyIowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today joined seven of his colleagues in requesting congressional leaders to act quickly to extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which expires at the end of the year. Legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives that would extend the current ethanol tax policies to 2015.

“The failure to extend the biodiesel tax credit and the damage that has been done to that industry clearly highlight the need to act in a timely manner to make sure these critical policies are in place by the end of the year,” Northey said.

Northey was joined in sending the letter by Jon Farris, South Dakota Acting Secretary of Agriculture; Robert J. Boggs, Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture; Doug Goehring, North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture; Tom Jennings, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture; Dr. Jon Hagler, Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen, Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture; and Greg Ibach, Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government