The Boston/Dedham Commerce Park is the new home of the largest rooftop solar array in the City of Boston. The 974 kilowatt capacity solar project was completed by FireFlower Alternative Energy in partnership with First Highland Management & Development and spans 12,000 square feet. The solar system to produce enough electricity to “fuel” approximately 65 percent of the building’s energy …
RINs Could Be Key to Aviation Biofuels Viability
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision that makes aviation biofuel, better known as biojet, eligible for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) could make those green fuels viable for the aviation industry. This piece from Platts says the aviation industry could qualify for D4 biodiesel, D5 advanced biofuel or D7 cellulosic diesel RINs, despite jet fuel being exempt from RINs obligations. “The …
Ethanol Helps Lower Farm Program Payments
Since ethanol production has grown under the Renewable Fuel Standard over the past six years, government farm program payments for corn growers have declined to their lowest levels in recent history, which is saving taxpayer dollars. In a new E-xchange Blog post, Renewable Fuels Association VP for Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper shows how the RFS has helped boost corn …
Senators Urge Probe in EU Ethanol Duty Decision
A bipartisan group of senators are asking for an investigation into a recent anti-dumping decision made by European Union regarding ethanol imports from the United States. Fourteen Democratic and Republican Senators have joined together to sign a letter sent to the Acting United States Trade Representative (USTR), Demetrios Manatos and Acting Secretary of Commerce, Rebecca Blank, calling on them to …
ACE: RFS is Catalyst for Innovation
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) recently released a second white paper, “Agricultural Sector Impacts,” in an effort to make decisions on the future of the RFS. Comments were due today and in response, Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) notes that the RFS is a catalyst for …
CME to Offer Biodiesel, Ethanol RIN Futures Contracts
Trader CME Group will be offering nine new futures contracts for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for biodiesel and ethanol, among other renewables. This company news release says they’ll be listed by and subject to the rules and regulations of NYMEX. “With the recent increase in volatility in RINs prices, we’ve seen strong interest from our customers and other market participants …
Biodiesel Board to Host Webinar on Food, Fuel & Feed
Our friends at the National Biodiesel Board are hosting a webinar on how making biodiesel from co-products of food production affects the cost of protein in the food supply on Monday, April 29, 2013 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM CDT: We’ll also examine how to grow the current biodiesel feedstock supply responsibly and sustainably in the context of federal policies …
Shell at ABLC: Don’t Blame Big Oil for Blend Wall
One of the great things about the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference is the diverse group of biofuels stakeholders with diverse points of view. Case in point, Shell Oil’s presence at the gathering, and the company’s Downstream Policy & Advocacy Manager, North America, John Reese, who makes the contention that it’s not the oil companies who are creating the E15 blend …
NREL, Sandia Extend Support for truSolar
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) have extended their support for the truSolar Working Group’s efforts to develop uniform open source risk scoring standards and rating criteria for solar projects. These standards would facilitate lower transaction and capital costs and improve project finance liquidity within the commercial and industrial …
Biofuels Can’t Get Overcome with Negativity Overhang
There’s some real negativity hanging over the biofuels industry these days. And while any industry has risks, it seems that the setbacks loom larger over the renewable energy sector compared to what their competitors in the conventional energy sector face. In his talk before the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, “De-Risking a Risky World,” Fred Cannon, the CEO of cellulosic fuel …