ACE Conference 2026

Berkeley Lab Awarded Funds for Biofuels Research

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi announced today that Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will receive almost $18 million from the Recovery Act to build an advanced biofuels process development facility from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This grant will assist researchers with studies of next generation biofuels by providing industry-scale test beds for innovative technologies called Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit (PDU).

“The Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit will serve the efforts of major biofuels research across the nation, including the Bioenergy Research Centers in the DOE Office of Science,” said Berkeley Lab director Paul Alivisatos. “The establishment by EERE of this facility at Berkeley Lab, a DOE Office of Science national laboratory, reflects a renewed spirit of cooperation between the DOE technology and science programs. Berkeley Lab is proud to play its part.”

Zoi added, “The Department of Energy is committed to developing cost-effective and sustainable advanced biofuels. With this investment in the Advanced Biofuels PDU, we will vastly increase the capacity to test new innovative approaches on a larger, integrated scale. Scaling up these clean energy technologies is crucial to addressing climate change and building a strong, domestic clean energy economy.”

The Advanced Biofuels PDU is scheduled to be fully operational by early 2011. The facility will be a publicly available facility where researchers can integrate process steps and test innovative technology pathways, such as those being developed at DOE’s Office of Science Bioenergy Research Centers, and it will be the only one of its kind available for public use.

biofuels, Government, News

New Energy Plan – Offshore Drilling

Joanna Schroeder

President Obama gave a speech this morning from a hanger at Andrews Air Force Base reiterating our country’s need for energy independence. This will be done, he says, through energy initiatives and the government will “lead by example.” In the background, a Navy Green Hornet jet that will fly on a mix of 50 percent biomass on earth day next month.

I believe the only group that will be truly happy after today’s speech is our frenemy Big Oil. Obama said, “So today we’re announcing the expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration, but in ways that balance the need to harness domestic energy resources and the need to protect America’s natural resources. Under the leadership of Secretary Salazar, we’ll employ new technologies that reduce the impact of oil exploration. We’ll protect areas that are vital to tourism, the environment, and our national security. And we’ll be guided not by political ideology, but by scientific evidence.”

They will be guided by scientific evidence? Whose scientific evidence? If we developed policy that was based on sound science, we wouldn’t have two pieces of legislation, the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard that are shamelessly based on the misguided and not scientifically supported theory of indirect land use.Read More

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Legislation, Oil, Opinion

Free RFS2 Workshop Announced

Joanna Schroeder

For those who are interested in learning more about how RFS2 will be affecting your biofuels business, there is an RFS2 Workshop being held in Des Moines, Iowa at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel on April 6th. The workshop is being hosted by the Renewable Fuels Association, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the National Biodiesel Board. The event is free for members of these organizations. Nonmembers can attend for a nominal fee.

This RFS2 Workshop will cover all aspects of the re-registration process for ethanol and biodiesel producers. EPA personnel will be on hand to walk you through the process of updating your CDX account, give you details regarding the requirements of the independent engineering study, and offer helpful tips and hints for mastering the EMTS program for RINS. In addition, they will review how the pathways to plant expansions and technology updates will affect your plant.

It is suggested that participants in the CDX and EMTS breakout sessions bring their laptops to follow along with the presenters as they walk you through the electronic forms. For agenda details and a registration form, please click here. For further questions, please contact Jim Redding.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, NBB, RFA

Ethanol Bob Tweeting President’s Energy Speech

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen is on location at the site of President Obama’s speech this morning on energy initiatives for the United States. The event is being held in a hanger at Andrews Air Force Base with the backdrop of a Navy Green Hornet jet that will fly on biofuels on Earth Day.

The president is expected to announce new energy policies that rely heavily on domestic production of traditional energy sources, including opening up new off-shore oil drilling. However, Dinneen says, “Relying on 20th century energy sources to address 21st century challenges will not solve the problem. America’s energy policy must be focused on renewable sources that have great potential for innovation and improvement. Renewable fuels, such as ethanol produced from a variety of feedstocks, hold great promise to reduce our need for imported oil, address climate change concerns, and create enduring economic opportunity. Oil and other fossil fuels are finite resources. While we cannot ignore their contributions, neither can we ignore the reality that reliance on them is simply unsustainable.”

Follow Dinneen’s Twitter updates from the president’s address at www.twitter.com/ethanolbob.

Post Update:

According to the Navy:

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 will be testing the full envelope of the ‘Green Hornet’ with a drop in replacement biofuel made from the camelina plant in an effort to certify alternative fuels for naval aviation use.

The ‘Green Hornet’ flight is an important step in the certification and ultimate operational use of biofuels by the Navy and Marine Corps.

biofuels, Energy, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

DOE: Biodiesel Will Help Cut Oil Production

John Davis

A leading analyst for the U.S. Department of Energy says world oil production could go down starting 2011.

This article from Heatingoil.com says while the forecast from Glen Sweetnam, the director of the International Economic and Greenhouse Gas Division at the Energy Information Administration (EIA), credits a reduction in investment for most of the decline, the presence of biodiesel will also play a role in petroleum’s possible fall:

This transition toward lower oil demand can be seen in the heating oil industry itself, which—through a combination of industry leadership and legislative mandate—is adopting blends of biodiesel and heating oil. Biodiesel blends will lower overall oil demand while supplying consumers with a more efficient and cleaner-burning heating fuel. As with Sweetnam’s forecast that declining oil production could happen next year, many heating oil users will see changes by next heating season—in Massachusetts all heating oil will have to contain 2 percent biodiesel by July 1, 2010, and pending legislation in Connecticut and Pennsylvania would have a similar effect on heating oil users in those states in the next three to four years.

It’s the “above ground” factors, such as biodiesel, and not the amount of oil in the ground that will have the biggest effects on petroleum production.

Biodiesel

Nissan’s Electric Leaf Undercuts GM Volt’s Price

John Davis

In the race for a profitable electric car, Nissan might have just raced out to a big lead. The Japanese car maker has announced that its Leaf electric car will sell for $32,780 … well below GM’s Chevy Volt’s sticker price of $40,000. When you include the $7,500 federal tax credit (which the Volt would also be eligible for), that gets the price down to just more than $25,000.

This story from CNNMoney.com says Nissan plans to sell the Leaf starting in December … just a month after the Volt hits showroom floors:

By keeping the sticker price low, the Leaf will be profitable for Nissan, said Mark Perry, Nissan’s director of product planning. That means customers should expect more variants of the Leaf in coming years, he added.

Nissan has already said that there will be a luxury Infiniti version of the car.

Industry analysts have frequently said that electric cars would not be profitable for years to come because of the high costs associated with the vehicles batteries.

“We’ve been working in lithium ion batteries for 17 years,” Perry said. “So all that advanced research and engineering work we’ve [already] paid for.”

The article goes on to say that some states have their own electric vehicle tax credits, including California, which offers $5,000 … bringing the price down to about $20,000. In addition, there are some credits that help pay for the installation of home charging stations.

Car Makers, Electric Vehicles

Green Activists Continue Ethanol Smear Campaign

Joanna Schroeder

Another anti-biofuels report has been released, this time from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) who is arguing that an immediate benefit would ensue if current biofuels policies were repealed and replaced with policies that would take the world’s most productive cropland out of production. Maybe more alarming is that while the report attempts to discredit the most promising biofuels technologies, it gives fossil fuels along with other dirty energy sources a get out of jail card. This report has spurred the biofuels industry to respond.

“Most disappointing about the continuous barrage of attacks by environmental activists is that we share many of the same goals,” said Matt Hartwig, Director of Public Affairs at the Renewable Fuels Association. “Ethanol producers remain steadfastly committed to developing new technologies that improve efficiencies and expand the basket of feedstocks from which ethanol is made. Unfortunately, many in the environmental movement choose to rely on disproven theories and partnerships with the oil lobby to mislead and misrepresent what American ethanol production is all about. Simply put, second and third generations of ethanol technology will not exist without a successful first generation.”Read More

Environment, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Lamborghini to be E85 Compatible

According to Car and Driver magazine, Lamborghini will soon be introducing a new generation of vehicle. This new generation Lamborghini will end the production of having a manual transmission and will be E85 compatible.

Maurizio Reggiani, the director of research and development at Lamborghini, says in an interview with the magazine that they will likely follow Ferrari in ending their manual transmission. He stated that manual transmissions are fitted to less than five percent of the firm’s cars. Other technologies to be implemented are systems like stop/start capability to thrift fuel in urban settings, cylinder deactivation – the V10 and V12 will then operate on half as many cylinders, E85 compatibility, and even a mild-hybrid solution.

Lamborghini was founded in 1963 by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini. It has changed ownership numerous times since, most recently becoming a subsidiary of German car manufacturer AUDI AG (itself a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group).

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

SolarCity Creates $90 Million Fund for Solar Projects

Joanna Schroeder

A new fund has been created for commercial and residential solar projects that will begin in 2010. SolarCity, a company that not only offers solar power system design and installation, but financing as well, has created a new $90 million fund in partnership with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation (USBCDC) to finance new projects in the U.S. SolarCity will use the new fund to finance its SolarLease and power purchase agreement (PPA) offerings as it continues to expand to new states.

“We started this company with the simple belief that if we made solar power as affordable and accessible as other energy sources, we could make it a mainstream source of electricity,” said Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s CEO. “Partners like U.S. Bank are making it possible for SolarCity to keep pace with demand, and helping us toward our ultimate goal of making an affordable clean power option available nationwide.”

According to SolarCity, their financing options are advantageous because they allow for customers to immediately save money when installing solar because homeowners are not required to put any money down. In addition, homeowners save more on their monthly electricity bills than they pay for the solar panels each month. A project that includes design, installation, insurance, repairs, production monitoring and guaranteed performance can cost as little as $30 per month in some areas. This addresses one of the “return-on-investment” criticisms lobbied to deter the viability of solar energy.

The company now serves five states including Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, and Oregon.

News, Solar

Auburn, CA Wastewater Treatment Plant Goes Solar

Joanna Schroeder

Pacific Power Management (PPM) and the city of Auburn, California recently announced that the city’s wastewater treatment plant is going to be 100 percent powered by solar energy. A 680 kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system will supply all of the plant’s electrical needs by this summer when the project is slated to be completed.

The photovoltaic system will consist of more than 3,300 panels installed on a single-axis ground mount trackers. An unusual aspect of the project is that the city will buy power from PPM, not a utility company. As part of this 20-year agreement, PPM will pay for the installation of the panels as well.

“The City of Auburn took advantage of Pacific Power Management’s shared savings program to build and host an emission-free solar power plant at their facility with no upfront capital expenditure,” said Kelly McMahon, Vice President of Business Development for PPM. “We applaud the City of Auburn for taking the lead with this showcase installation that demonstrates how solar makes good financial sense for public agencies today.”

The city treatment plant is located west of the city of Auburn in the Ophir area. The solar array system will generate an estimated 1,248,821 kWh of clean solar energy in the first year of operation. That is enough energy to power 112 homes for one year. Over 20 years, the system will generate more than 24 million kWh of energy –enough energy to power over 2,240 average U.S. homes for one year.

News, Solar