Mascoma Appoints William Brady as CEO

Joanna Schroeder

mascoma_logoEffectively immediately, William J. Brady has taken over the helm as the new CEO for Mascoma Corporation. In addition, Brady will also join the Boards of Directors of Mascoma and Frontier Renewable Resources. He brings to the organization 23 years of experience at Cabot Corporation in various positions including Executive Vice President and General Manager of several operating divisions.

Brady will work with the Mascoma team to help achieve technical and commercial milestones, including continuing to reduce costs for ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstocks, developing additional partnerships for Mascoma’s commercial-scale ethanol project in Kinross Township, Michigan and creating strategic joint ventures to commercialize Mascoma’s proprietary Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) technology for production of advanced biofuels and chemicals.

In a press statement, Bruce Jamerson, Chairman of Mascoma and Frontier Renewable Resources stated, “I am delighted to introduce Bill Brady as the new CEO of Mascoma and to work closely with him on achieving our goal of full scale commercial production of cellulosic ethanol. Bill has extensive experience running large commercial divisions for a major chemical company, which is exactly the skill set we need as Mascoma transitions into a commercial enterprise.”

Cellulosic, Company Announcement, Ethanol

New Smart Wind Turbine Sees Breeze and Adjusts

John Davis

A new wind turbine coming out of Denmark will be able to “see” the wind and make adjustments that optimize power production.

RisoeDTU_Logo_ukThis post from TreeHugger.com says Denmark’s Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy has successfully tested the world’s first wind turbine that uses a built-in anemometer to adjust itself to the oncoming wind:

The system works by using a laser (“wind LIDAR”) to essentially see the wind before it reaches the turbine blades and adjust to what the conditions are going to be a moment later. By doing so electricity production can be increased by 5%, translating into increased revenue of DKr 200,000 ($39,000) per year for a 4 MW turbine.

The article goes on to say that the LIDAR system makes turbine blades more reliable by better coping with the wind’s irregularities.

Wind

Report: Enough Corn, Soybeans for Ethanol, Biodiesel

John Davis

AgMRC3A new report indicates there will be enough corn and soybeans for ethanol and biodiesel production, as well as the feed, food and export uses those crops are tasked with.

But the evaluation from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center‘s Robert Wisner, Professor of Economics and Energy Economist, says things could get tight if next year’s crop is hit with bad weather or a natural disaster:

WisnerFor 2009-10, the current corn crop estimate points to adequate corn supplies for feed, food, fuel, and export uses. Carryover stocks on August 31 of next year are expected to be about 1 and one-half weeks above minimum working stocks levels. Our early and very tentative normal-yield projections for 2010-11 show corn carryover stocks declining slightly by August 31, 2011 but still remaining marginally above minimum working stocks levels.

Wisner does note that there’s not a lot of margin for error in case the Corn Belt gets hit with drought or flooding. He says that will keep corn prices volatile should any inclement weather show up.

As far as soybeans and biodiesel, they should be OK, if, once again, the crops turn out as expected:

[T]he availability of soybeans and soybean oil for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is not indicated to be a major constraint on biodiesel production in U.S. if South American crops are near normal. Supplies for the current marketing year are a little tighter than indicated at this time last year because of extreme weather problems in South America last winter and early spring. However, U.S. and EU government policy actions that limit biodiesel demand and create uncertainty about future policies are a constraint on U.S. biodiesel production. That, in turn, makes 2010-11 soybean availability for biofuels and other uses look a little more adequate than anticipated a year ago.

You can read all of Wisner’s report in the January 2010 edition of the Ag MRC’s Renewable Energy Newsletter.

Biodiesel, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News, Soybeans

FTC Approves Valeros Purchase of Ethanol Plants

ftcAccording to Opis, two former VeraSun ethanol plants and one Renew Energy plant were approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to be purchased by Valero. This will bring the total production of Valero ethanol to 1.1 billion gallons per year.

“The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act requires under certain circumstances that prospective acquirers of voting securities or assets apply for clearance from regulators,” the FTC explained. “Requests for early termination or clearance are granted when the Federal Trade Commission and the antitrust division of the Department of Justice have determined that they won’t take action during the waiting period.”

“We expect these transactions to close in the early part of this year,” said Valero spokesman Bill Day.

The purchase of the Renew Energy plant is still in question because of a challenge from another group who states they were the highest bidder of the plant at a recent auction. More information on this can be found on a previous post.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Auto Execs Rate Hybrids First, Biodiesel Last in Alt Fuels

John Davis

KPMGAutoExecCar makers put more stock in hybrid systems than biodiesel.

This post from CNET News says a survey conducted by KPMG asked 200 senior auto executives to rate the most important alternative fuel technologies to their industry over the next five years:

When asked to rate which were the most important alternative fuel technologies to the auto industry over the next five years, hybrid systems were ranked first followed by battery electric power, fuel cell electric power, and biodiesel, respectively.

“Automotive manufacturers are in the challenging position of being asked to compete on both technology and cost. With global consumers still feeling the pinch of the recession, those OEMs who can deliver on this equation will be in the driver’s seat,” Gary Silberg, national automotive industry leader for KPMG, said in a statement.

An interesting twist to the survey says that the execs believe that fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness are the top two biggest impacts on customers’ buying decisions … which are two of the biggest attributes of biodiesel. Go figure.

Biodiesel, Car Makers, Electric Vehicles

Keynote Speaker Announced for Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels AssociationThe keynote speaker for next month’s 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference will address the issue of using mid-level ethanol blends from the automobile industry perspective.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced that Thomas G. Stephens, General Motors Vice President for Global Product Operations, will keynote the conference in Orlando on February 15-17.

“The importance of a cooperative and constructive relationship with the auto industry to America’s ethanol producers and marketers cannot be overstated,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “Whether it is working on technical issues surrounding mid-level blends or expanding the infrastructure for blender pumps and higher level ethanol blends, having auto companies at the table is critical.”

Registration for the 2010 National Ethanol Conference is available on line.

conferences, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant to Open in TN

Cindy Zimmerman

DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy will hold a grand opening celebration later this month for one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol demo plants, located in Vonore, Tenn.

BredesenAmong the featured speakers at the grand opening on January 29 will be Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who helped with the groundbreaking for the plant in October 2008.

The facility is expected to begin producing fuel ethanol from both agricultural residue and bioenergy crops prior to the grand opening. The 74,000-square-foot facility has the capacity to produce 250,000 gallons of ethanol from corncobs and switchgrass and is preparing for commercial production by 2012.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Japanese Whalers Sink Biodiesel Boat

John Davis

earthraceA biodiesel-fueled boat that set the world record for circumnavigating the globe (see my post from June 27, 2008) has been sunk by a vessel accompanying Japanese whaling ships.

According to WCJB World News, the Earthrace (now owned by the environmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and renamed the Ady Gil), a 79-foot “batmobile-looking” trimaran, was sunk by Japanese sailors providing security to whalers during a confrontation in Australia’s territorial Antarctic waters:

The six men who on board were unhurt and have been rescued, said founder of the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson.

Captain Watson said his boat was suddenly hit by the Japanese ship Shonan Maru, as his crew was idling around Commonwealth Bay in the Antarctic. The Shonan Maru was providing security to a fleet of Japanese whaling vessels.

He said that this incident has the consequence of seriously escalating the situation between the Japanese whaling industry and environmentalists.

You can view the video below and decide for yourself who is at fault. But one thing that is not in dispute is that a great biodiesel boat now is at the bottom of the ocean.

Biodiesel, International, Video

Biodiesel Board Disputes Media’s Production Estimate

John Davis

NBB-logoBen Franklin said, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” That saying could apply to the latest dispute between some of the media and the National Biodiesel Board and biodiesel production levels for 2009.

While some major news outlets ran a story that put the number at 350 million gallons for the past year (a lot lower than the NBB or the Energy Information Administration estimates) and attributes the number to the NBB, the Board’s communications director Jessica Robinson tells Biodiesel Magazine that the number is quite a bit higher:

“The latest information we have (through the end of October) has put our estimates for the year at around 475 million gallons.”

What’s not in dispute is that 2009 was a bad year for biodiesel, with production levels dropping to pre-2007 levels. Let’s see if Congress can get the $1-a-gallon tax credit renewed and the new RFS2 done, and maybe that will get the green fuel back on track.

Biodiesel, NBB

IRFA Launches Media Campaign Touting Biodiesel

John Davis

irfaBiodiesel has a rough go of it lately, with tough economic conditions and then the inaction by Congress to renew the $1 per gallon biodiesel blenders tax credit taking its toll on the green fuel. It might be down, but it’s certainly not out, and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has launched a media campaign within its home state designed to highlight the importance of biodiesel for Iowa’s economy and Iowa’s future.

This IRFA press release says the ads remind Iowans that committing to biodiesel will preserve today’s good jobs, spurring new jobs and investments in the future – all while cutting the country’s dependence on foreign oil:

“As it has been a tough time economically and legislatively for biodiesel producers, now is the time to rally support for biodiesel here in Iowa,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Iowa’s biodiesel producers are on the cutting edge of technology that will revolutionize the biodiesel industry. We need to build consumer demand and to create a policy framework that gives biodiesel producers more certainty. By doing so, Iowans can make sure that the biorefinery jobs and innovations of the future will be right here in Iowa.”

In light of the loss of jobs because so many Iowa biodiesel plants have had to be idled with the loss of the tax incentive, the IRFA hopes the campaign will rally support for biodiesel at the state and federal level. With 15 biodiesel plants producing 322 million gallons of biodiesel a year and 39 ethanol refineries capable of producing nearly 3.3 billion gallons annually, Iowa is the leader in renewable fuels production.

You can hear the IRFA’s radio spot here.

Biodiesel