ACE Conference 2026

Time to Register for Biodiesel Conference!

John Davis

2010NBBlogoIt’s that magical time of year when the mailman delivers those magical season cards that we all look forward to seeing. No, I’m not talking about Christmas cards. I mean those cards reminding us that the 2010 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo is just around the corner.

This year’s premier event for the biodiesel industry is being held Feb. 7-10, 2010 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, just a few minutes from the DFW airport. NBB officials say they have listened to past attendees and exhibitors to make the conference even better:

From our new Monday evening reception in the Exhibit Hall, the addition of a new Biodiesel Networking Center in the Exhibit Hall, a new and improved NBB Connections social networking system to the numerous open forum “round table sessions” that will be offered this year, NBB wants to assist in these efforts to connect and learn! We believe these additions and changes to the program will create boundless networking opportunities and allow you to meet new people with some of the same biodiesel interests. Where better to meet than the premier biodiesel conference in the country?

Make your reservations here. Hope I get to see you in Texas!

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Mass. Offshore Wind Farm Takes Big Step Forward

John Davis

CapeWindlogoThe company building a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts possibly has found a market for its wind energy … once it starts actually generating the green power.

Wind energy company Cape Wind and utility National Grid are negotiating a long-term contract for the utility to purchase the electricity generated by the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound. According to a press release from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, this agreement is critical for the project to get financing so it can be built in time to get Stimulus Bill money … reducing costs for the builders by 30 percent:

CapeWindpic“For both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and launching the offshore wind industry that will achieve those reductions, it is essential for Cape Wind, like offshore wind in general, to move from wishful thinking to reality,” said Governor Patrick. “A contract with an electric distribution utility like National Grid will move Cape Wind one step closer to reality.”

The power purchase arrangement still has to go through state regulatory review, but it is considered a major milestone for what could be the first offshore wind project in the U.S. The news is being welcomed by environmental groups:

“Anything that moves toward producing megawatts of clean renewable energy and creating the jobs associated with this can only be viewed as positive,” said Pam Solo, president, Civil Society Institute. “This is a critical development that provides the essential assurance Cape Wind needs to secure financing and get real steel in the ground.”

Clean Power Now Executive Director Barbara Hill said: “Clean Power Now will continue to work with the Governor’s office and his administration to ensure that the consumers throughout the Commonwealth, including the Cape and islands, will have the opportunity to not only realize the benefits of cleaner air, jobs and energy independence from the Cape Wind project but also by locking in a predictable, competitive price for many years.”

The Civil Society Institute is one of the initiating organizations of the 140-member TheClean.org (CLEAN), a collaboration of state and local organizations and individuals, lobbying for new energy policies. Clean Power Now is a non-profit organization that gives the public information about renewable energy projects and policies. The group has made wind energy off the shore of Nantucket its focus.

Wind

Pine Lake Corn Processors May Have New Owner

pinelakePine Lake Corn Processors, LLC, a 30 million gallon per year ethanol plant, will most likely come out of bankruptcy with a new owner. The Steamboat Rock, Iowa ethanol plant filed bankrupcy a year ago and now has about $12 million in debt.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the company president Larry Meints said the company locked into high corn prices in the summer of 2008. When corn prices plummeted, Meints said Pine Lake didn’t contract enough ethanol at a high enough price to cover expenses.

“We ran out of cash,” Meints said. The Pine Lake problem mirrored that of VeraSun Energy Corp., which used to be the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer. They declared bankruptcy in October 2008. Both companies locked into contracts for corn when it was high, which soared to nearly $8 per bushel in June 2008. At the same time, ethanol was at nearly $3 per gallon. Then, the market dropped and corn dropped to $3 per bushel. Ethanol then went for about $1.50 per gallon.

A bankruptcy judge will decide Friday whether to turn Pine Lake Corn Processors over to a new partnership.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Rethinking Deforestation – A Copenhagen Challenge

Joanna Schroeder

Amazon_RainforestYesterday I wrote about one of the major challenges facing leaders who will be participating in the Copenhagen Climate Conference – global warming. Today, I’m addressing a second major issue facing the leaders – stopping deforestation. There is a misnomer that the main driver of deforestation is the increased production of biofuels. While there is a correlation between biofuels and deforestation, it is minor compared to the real driver – the trees are worth more cut down than they are standing. Let me explain.

Some of the poorest people in the world reside in the regions in and around the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. To survive, they cut down the trees and sell them. Although there have been attempts to ‘block’ this wood from international markets, these efforts have not been successful. Once the trees are cut down, cattle farmers move in and once the land has been over-grazed and the cattle move on, farmers often begin growing soybeans. Another point of interest is that sugarcane does not grow well in the Amazonian region; however, laws have been passed that prohibit the expansion of sugarcane production on native vegetation.

According to The Breakthrough Institute, “The main drivers of Amazonian deforestation are socio-economic. Yet decades of environmental policy have failed to take this basic truth into account.” If we’re going to keep the rainforest intact, then the people who live in the region will need to be given new opportunities to generate wealth that are worth more then selling the trees.

During the climate talks next week, leaders will be attempting to create policies that will address the urban poverty drivers of deforestation. I was in Brazil last week and in prepartion for the meetings, the Brazilian Climate Alliance has prepared a report with recommendations to reduce/climate deforestation. The proposed policies will be released during the conference and the world will be watching.

Commentary, conferences, Environment, global warming

Corn Grower Reaction Mixed to EPA Ethanol Decision

Cindy Zimmerman

NCGAThe National Corn Growers Association is both pleased and disappointed by the Environmental Protection Agency announcement this week to delay final action on a waiver that would allow up to 15 percent ethanol blends in regular gasoline.

“While we are disappointed the Environmental Protection Agency has chosen to postpone its decision on the higher ethanol blends, we are pleased the positive tone of their response shows an understanding of the importance of moving to higher blends in the very near future,” said NCGA President Darrin Ihnen. “We are confident that the Agency’s further research will support our position. Further, NCGA feels strongly that EPA should work quickly and expeditiously to move toward higher blends and we look forward to working with the ethanol industry to make this happen.”

The waiver request was supported by NCGA, key ethanol organizations and thousands of farmers and others from around the country who provided comments to EPA on the importance of allowing higher level blends of ethanol in gasoline to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

Solazyme: Biofuels Digest’s Top Bioenergy Company

Joanna Schroeder

Biofuels Digest has announced its “Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy” for 2009/2010. The top of the list? Solazyme, a company specializing in developing renewable oils.  The list is determined by a combination of a 75-member panel of international selectors and votes from Biofuels Digest subscribers, and is one of the most coveted by bioenergy companies.

Last year, Solayme was ranked #6 and in the top seat was Coskata. This year’s #2, POET, was ranked #4. Several of last year’s top 10 companies failed to make the top 10 this year including Virent Energy, Range Fuels and UOP which this year were ranked BD50-09-10#21, #14 and #12 respectively.

Rounding out the top 10:
1. Solazyme
2. POET
3. Amyris Biotechnologies
4. BP Biofuels
5. Sapphire Energy
6. Coskata
7. DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol
8. LS9
9. Verenium
10. Mascoma

This year more than 1,000 companies were elegible for the list and 311 received votes. Click here for Biofuels Digest’s complete coverage.

biofuels, Energy, News

Book Review – The Chilling Stars

Joanna Schroeder

Chilling_StarsYesterday, in the post Countdown to Copenhagen, I mentioned that there are still quite a few scientists around the world who agree that climate change exists, but don’t agree about the cause. To kick off my three views in seven days series, is a review of the book, “The Chilling Stars A New Theory of Climate Change.” The authors are climate physicist Henrik Svensmark and award winning science writer Nigel Calder.

Let me start off by acknowledging that the majority of scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions, primarily CO2, are causing global climate change. However, here is what Svensmark and Calder say about carbon dioxide. “To correct apparent over-estimates of the effects of carbon dioxide is not to recommend a careless bonfire of the fossil fuels that produce the gas. A commonplace libel is that anyone skeptical about the impending global-warming disaster is probably in the pay of the oil companies.”

They continue, “In fact, there are compelling reasons to economize in the use of fossil fuels, which have nothing to do with the climate–to minimize unhealthy smog, to conserve the planet’s limited stocks of fuel, and to keep energy prices down for the benefit of the poorer nations.”

So if climate change is not driven in part by CO2, as argued by the authors, then what is the primary driver of climate change?

The premise of Svensmark’s climate change theory is that the interplay between clouds, the sun and cosmic rays, have a greater effect on climate than man-made carbon dioxide. For those who don’t remember much of any science from high school or college a cosmic ray is comprised of sub-atomic particles from exploded stars.Read More

book reviews, Environment, global warming

SC to Convert Buses to Biodiesel, Ethanol & More

John Davis

USouthCarolinaThe University of South Carolina has launched an ambitious program that will convert all of its campus vehicles to biodiesel, ethanol and more green fuels.

This press release from the school says the “Genesis 2015 Initiative” will reduce the campus fleet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent within five years:

The plan puts Carolina among the nation’s first campuses committed to reducing its dependence on petroleum by introducing alternative fuels to power the buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles and maintenance vehicles needed in the everyday life of the university…

The university has about 400 vehicles that are used for business, maintenance and transportation of students, said Derrick Huggins, associate vice president for transportation.

Within five years, all vehicles on the Columbia campus will be powered by ethanol, biodiesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity or hydrogen fuel cells. A hydrogen hybrid bus will become part of the university’s shuttle service in January.

University officials say they already have 156 vehicles that can be converted to run on alternatives right away. The total carbon savings is expected to top 2,000 tons.

Biodiesel, Electric Vehicles, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Hydrogen, News

USDA Responds To EPA’s Postponement of E15 Waiver

Joanna Schroeder

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) postponement of the E15 Waiver request.

Tom_Vilsack,_official_USDA_photo_portraitIn a statement issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Vilsack said, “We are very encouraged that the results of the tests of E15 in newer model cars have been positive. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) movement towards developing an effective labeling rule sends a strong signal about the future viability of the biofuels industry. Biofuels are a vital component of America’s energy future, helping to break our dependence on oil. This commitment reflects the Obama Administration’s support for a strong biofuels industry helping to increase income for farmers and jobs in rural America.”

In other news, the industry is still waiting to hear EPA’s announcement of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2010. which were to have been released by November 30. The number for 2009 was 10.21 percent of all gasoline sold or approximately 11 billion gallons. The RFS is used by obligated parties including refiners, importers and blenders to determine their renewable fuels obligation. Compliance is monitored through the Renwable Indentificaion Number, or RINs. The notice is required under section 211(0) of the Clean Air Act as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which was signed into law on December 17, 2007.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, USDA

Countdown to Copenhagen

Joanna Schroeder

Polar_Ice_Cap_DFThe countdown to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is on as the talks begin in six days. The conference, December 7-18, 2009 is a meeting of the UN to hash out a successor to the Kyoto protocol that is set to expire in 2012. The aim is to prevent global warming, and similar talks date back to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.

While we haven’t focused much on Copenhagen on this site, alternative energy will play one of the biggest roles during the summit for its potential to curb worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. According to an article in the Guardian, “Climate scientists are convinced the world must stop the growth in greenhouse gas emissions and start making them fall very soon. To have a chance of keeping warming under the dangerous 2C mark, cuts of 25%-40% relative to 1990 levels are needed, rising to 80%-95% by 2050. So far, the offers on the table are way below these targets.”

What I find most interesting is that while there appears to be a scientific consensus on the existence of global warming and that it is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, mainly CO2, there are still many scientists who don’t agree. As such, the question must be asked, should we be moving forward so quickly both in the U.S. and around the world, on climate policies based on greenhouse gas emission reductions?

Now, before you shoot me and accuse me of being indifferent to the environment and human health issues, less pollution is always good and many economists predict that the next “Green Revolution” (the first one was in the 70s) will help our country rise above the recession. That said, I do believe we need to do something, I’m just not convinced the options on the table are the right ones.

Therefore, over the next week, I’m going to be offering three views on climate change as laid out in three books focusing on global warming. From there, it’s up to you to decide what direction worldwide leaders should be taking.

Commentary, Energy, Environment, global warming