Growth Energy Promotes Blender Pumps at NACS

Joanna Schroeder

nacsGrowth Energy was at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show in Las Vegas last week promoting the benefits of mid-level ethanol blends and blender pumps to retailers. I spent a few minutes with Phil Lampert, the Vice President of Market Development with Growth Energy. There were between 25,000-30,000 participants ranging from retailers, equipment manufacturers, jobbers and distributors, very eager to learn more about ethanol and mid-level blends such as E20, E30 and E85.

There are several hurdles facing the industry right now including not having a certified equipment by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), ASTM standards dated,to general lack of enthusiasm from DOE and others about ethanol said Lampert. However, he noted that there has been a hose and nozzle submitted to UL for certification and the dispenser is certified. Lampert expects the entire system to be certified by 2nd Quarter in 2010. “Growth Energy has been instrumental in helping pay for these things and really take the mid-level and high level blends of ethanol to the next step,” he said.

When I asked him what he really wanted retailers to take away from the show he said, “Retailers have been selling liquid hydrocarbon fuels for 110 years. The only growing liquid fuel is ethanol. It’s the only form of liquid fuel that has the opportunity to grow and we want them to see that it’s the new profit center. We’re trying to find the entrepreneurs that aren’t risk adverse but looking for a new profit center. They should consider putting in your store.”

You can listen to my full interview with Phil Lampert here.

Audio, blends, conferences, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Biofuels Promotion in Olivia, MN

ala-mnOlivia Cenex at 1208 West Lincoln in Olivia, Minnesota will be holding a Grand Opening celebration on Wednesday, November 4 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. E85 will sell for 85 cents off the original price per gallon and Biodiesel will sell for 20 cents off per gallon.

Event supporters include: Farmers Coop Oil, Renville County Corn and Soybean Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Association, and the Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has been a long time supporter of high blends of ethanol such as E85. He has recently shown support for an increase in the mandated amount of ethanol sold per gallon of state gasoline from 10 percent to a higher percentage. “We want to move Minnesota dramatically and boldly toward the development and use of more ethanol and alternative fuels,” said Pawlenty.

Currently, Minnesota has 361 of the 2,094 E85 fueling locations within the United States — the most E85 stations of any state throughout the country.

Biodiesel, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Conference in Omaha for Ethanol Lab Managers

midland_scientificMidland Scientific Inc. and Midwest Laboratories are sponsoring the second annual Fuel Ethanol Laboratory Manager Conference in Omaha, Nebraska on November 10 and 11. The conference is being held at the Pappillion/LaVista Conference Center and is dedicated to bringing together lab managers and lab professionals in the fuel ethanol industry to collaborate and learn information that can be utilized for improving laboratory practices and quality control.

midwest_labThere are 7 speakers with topics ranging from fermentation management to proper sampling techniques. Additional sponsors are Novozymes, Mettler, Metrohm, and EMD Chemicals.

Attendance is expected at over 100 lab managers and related professionals from the fuel ethanol industry. To register for the conferenece, click here.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, News

Patrick Hessini Joins Avant Energy as VP

Joanna Schroeder

Patrick HessiniPatrick Hessini has joined the Minneapolis-based Avant Energy team as Vice President. Hessini’s main role will be to lead Avant’s consulting business and help to develop additional innovative energy projects and programs.

According to Avant Energy president Derick Dahlen, “Patrick enhances our ability to help municipal and cooperative utilities, educational institutions and corporations achieve their energy management goals.”

Hessini joins Avant from HB Fuller of St. Paul, where he most recently directed the company’s global consulting business, including leading project teams to develop green supply chain platforms and sustainability programs. Prior to joining HB Fuller, he was involved in wind energy business planning for ConocoPhillips and held numerous business leadership and project management roles in the energy industry.

“It’s clear to me that Avant’s rich portfolio of experience in utility management, renewable generation projects, and overall energy project management translates into superior results for our clients and customers,” said Hessini.

Company Announcement, Energy

WSI & Enva Partner on WindCast IQ

Joanna Schroeder

productshotWeather Services International (WSI), in conjunction with Genscape’s Enva, have launched WindCast IQ, the first wind generation forecasting service designed for energy traders. Wind Energy has seen a big boost with the move to alternative energy and has become the fastest growing source of power generation in North America. However, along with growth comes growing pains, and the increase in wind energy has also been a cause of congestion and price volatility in many regions.

The solution, according to WSI, is WindCastIQ, which gives clients highly accurate hourly forecasts for up to 7 days of wind generation at the ISO-level, regional and wind farm level. The first two products will cover the Midwest (MISO) and Texas (ERCOT) the regions with the highest wind power generation and impact on power markets.

“Wind power is an important source of clean energy and getting accurate wind generation forecasts is a growing challenge for all rpmmarket participants,” said Ira Scharf, General Manager of WSI’s Energy and Risk Division. “The combination of WSI’s highly skilled wind power forecasting teamed with Enva’s expert understanding of the power grid creates an ideal pairing of forces to give energy traders and wind farm operators a true market edge.”

According to the company, this product provides market participants previously unattainable levels of forecasting accuracy by combining WSI’s skillful turbine-height wind forecasts and Enva’s wind generation models and analysis of grid & market factors. Accuracy is further enhanced through calibration with Genscape’s real-time power flow monitors installed at key wind farms.

Company Announcement, Wind

Biofuels Journal Conference at POET Headquarters

Chuck Zimmerman

BIOFUELS JOURNAL 2nd Annual Commercial Ethanol Technology and Research WorkshopThe Biofuels Journal 2nd Annual Commercial Ethanol Technology and Research Workshop is taking place today at POET headquarters in Sioux Falls, SD. POET’s own Nathan Schock is providing online coverage via his Rhapsody in Green and of course with Twitter. You can find tweets here @nathanschock and here @ethanolbyPOET. If you want to see who all tweets about it then make sure to go to the hashtag #BFJ09 on Twitter Search.

You can also find photos from the conference online.

biofuels, Ethanol, POET

El Paso Biodiesel Plant to Expand

John Davis

GAFA Texas biodiesel plant will expand its operation by four-fold.

This story from Biofuels International says El Paso-based Global Alternative Fuels (GAF) will increase its capacity from 5 to 20 million gallons a year:

The expansion also includes installing equipment to process grease thrown out by restaurants without having to blend the grease with refined soyabean oil. This and the higher processing capacity reduces production costs significantly.

The first phase of the biodiesel plant, in a former cotton processing facility, was completed late last year. It was in production for only two weeks before it stopped in December to go into expansion mode.

Production is planned to start again in November.

Biodiesel

Algae Biodiesel By-Product to be Sold to Indonesia

John Davis

petroalgae2A Florida-based algae-biodiesel company has found an international market for a by-product of its clean energy business.

This press release from PetroAlgae Inc. says it has has received official notice that the protein from PetroAlgae’s proprietary micro-crop production technology has successfully passed testing by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture and is suitable for use in animal feed:

Furthermore, the protein has been cleared for importation as a raw material to be used as an ingredient for animal feed. This protein is a co-product of PetroAlgae’s core bio-crude (renewable fuel feedstock) production system. Licensees of the PetroAlgae production system will be expected to follow the Guidance and Procedures for the Registration of Animal Feed in Indonesia.

PetroAlgae uses a modular, flexible design construction that allows it to use a near-continuous growing and harvesting process for a wide variety of micro-crops suited to local climates.

algae, Biodiesel, International

Biofuels on the Lesson Plan for Some Students

John Davis

4h-NSE-logoStudents across the country recently had a chance to have a blast with biofuels. The 4-H National Youth Science Day taught kids some of the basics of the green fuels.

This story from KSFX-TV in Springfield, Missouri says a University of Missouri chemistry lab played host to one such group of students looking to the future of renewable energy:

MO4HbiofuelsWith a little sugar, water, yeast, and a balloon, kids watched how yeast breaks down sugars.

The resulting reaction release is a biofuel, a mixture of carbon dioxide and ethanol.

The learning by doing atmosphere gives young people extra time to experiment with science.

“We have to take every opportunity to have kids thinking about science and doing science in a fun way outside of the classroom.” says Bill Pabst, an M.U. extension 4-H youth specialist.

The 4-H’s goal is to prepare 1 million youngsters to excel in science and technology by 2013.

biofuels

Midwest States Support Ethanol and Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

csg midwestThe Midwest Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments recently issued a series of policy resolutions supporting increased use of both ethanol and biodiesel, and specifically support ethanol blender pumps. The group also adopted resolutions calling for use of sound scientific methods when calculating carbon emissions.

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased with all the resolutions, particularly noting the call for “implementation of both federal and state legislation to provide incentives to encourage the implementation of ethanol blender pumps.” In a press release, NCGA Ethanol Committee Chairman Jon Holzfaster said, “As legislators actively push for this technology, we feel that we are on the verge of a movement toward the choice and independence that ethanol can provide.”

The conference is a bipartisan association of state legislators representing 11 Midwestern states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Biodiesel, blends, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA