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National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 to be Streamed Live

Joanna Schroeder

CLEAN-SKIES-NEWS-LOGOThe National Clean Energy Summit 2.0: Jobs and the New Economy is taking place in Las Vegas on August 10th. If you can’t participate in person, you’re not out of luck. The event will be streamed live via Clean Skies. The summit convenes top energy and environment newsmakers from across the country where they will be discussing ‘green’ jobs, energy efficiency, energy independence, and more. The event was created by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Event speakers are a group of “who’s, who” including U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, along with Van Jones, Special Adviser, White House Council on Environmental Quality; General Wesley Clark, Chairman, Growth Energy; Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association, T. Boone Pickens, Pickens Capital Management, and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis.

They will  participate in the roundtable session: “Building the Clean-Energy Economy”. The speakers will engage in discussions on the case for clean-energy investment, bringing energy-efficiency retrofits to scale and how to promote the market for renewable energy and energy infrastructure. Also on hand will be former Vice President Al Gore who will be participating in the “Clean-Energy Policy Community Town Hall,” also broadcast live.

The event starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 10, 2009. You can register for the onsite event on the National Clean Energy Summit website. The event will be broadcast live at www.cleanskies.com.

conferences, Energy, Environment, Growth Energy, News

Biodiesel Vehicles Get Boost from Cash for Clunkers

John Davis

CARSNew cars that run on biodiesel have gotten a boost from the federal government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

Biodiesel Magazine reports that portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has helped encourage the sale of clean diesel vehicles, which, of course, run on biodiesel:

“It’s completely exceeded our expectations,” said Sean Maynard of Volkswagen U.S. “Clean diesels have been 30 percent of our total sales over the past month.”

“We’re running out of stock of TDI clean diesels,” Maynard told Biodiesel Magazine. “We can’t sell these models fast enough.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported, however, that the program’s funds could be exhausted because of overwhelming consumer demand. Regarding this situation, Dave McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers made the following statement. “Alliance members urge the Administration to increase funding to this important program,” he said. “The very fact that we’re at this point just days into the program shows how effective these incentives have been. In addition to seeing an increase in sales of more fuel efficient vehicles with the latest safety enhancements, we’re seeing an increase in dealer traffic that will contribute to the wellbeing of automakers and the entire supply chain.”

The U.S. Senate is to vote on whether to renew the program tomorrow (Thursday).

Biodiesel, Car Makers

DOE to Offer $5.5 Million for Ethanol Infrastructure

eere_headThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the availability of up to $5.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase the use of higher ethanol blends (up to E85). Two areas of interest are targeted: “Refueling Infrastructure for Higher Ethanol Blends” and “Outreach for Higher Ethanol Blends”.

DOE will offer up to $3.5 million to 15 to 30 cost-shared projects that will expand the infrastructure of fueling locations up to 85 percent ethanol. This may include modifications, upgrades, or expansions of existing fuel pumps and other infrastructure at retail stations or the installation of new equipment to accommodate the higher ethanol blends.

DOE will also select up to five national campaign projects and fund up to $2 million in an effort to raise public awareness of the benefits, safety, and use requirements of higher ethanol blends up to E85. This effort will help promote the use of renewable fuels to decrease dependence on petroleum.

Applications for this funding is due by September 30, 2009. For more information, click here and enter Reference Number DE-FOA-0000125.

blends, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Facilities, News

Colorado Offers Grants for Small Wind Turbines

Joanna Schroeder

small-wind-turbineThe state of Colorado is offering businesses the opportunity to apply for grants for small wind turbine installations.Colorado residents and businesses have until August 28, 2009 to apply for the New Energy Economic Development (NEED) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems). These NEED grants help Colorado residents (or businesses) install small wind turbine systems for much below the normal cost. The NEED grants can be used in conjunction with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) which further reduces the cost to install the small wind turbines.

These incentives, when coupled with the cost savings from producing one’s own electricity, result in significant investment prospects. The incentive package may even be more attractive in certain Colorado locations where the local utility offers a wind energy rebate to its members. Furthermore, investments in wind energy are expected to provide increasing returns as electricity prices rise as a result of increasing global energy demands and pending legislation such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also known as the “Cap and Trade” bill.

For those interested in applying, applications are due to the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office by August 28, 2009. More information is also available on the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy.

Wind

AURI Releases Aitkin County Biomass Assessment

Joanna Schroeder

grassBBI International recently completed a county-wide biomass assessment and economic feasibility sponsored by The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. The report is now available on the AURI website.

The report, authored by BBI in the fall of 2008 through spring of 2009, intended to define the amount of economically available biomass available in the county as well as explore the financial viability of several different conversion technologies.

Aitkin County is a unique geographical location in Minnesota. The 1,995-square- mile county is a transition zone that forms the northern border of the corn/soybean/wheat region of the state and the southern border of the heavily forested northern region of the state. The area is predominantly deciduous forests, wetlands and grasslands.

Ross Wagner, Aitkin County economic development & forest industry coordinator said, “We felt we had an economically viable biomass resource, but it was all based on anecdotal evidence. Until we could quantify what we actually had, any discussions of a project would be just talk.”

The report will now be used by the Aitkin County Economic Development agency as they work to leverage the abundant biomass supply in their county for economic growth and jobs.

Agribusiness, biomass, Research

Biodiesel Hydroplane Flies Past Polluters

John Davis

BoeingU787_2A biodiesel-powered hydroplane has been successfully tested at a Seattle-area boat race.

Biofuels International reports the Boeing U-787 hydroplane skimmed across the waves… and past non-renewable-powered competitors… in a demonstration proving the green fuel’s versatility this weekend:

The U-787 was tested repeatedly at the annual Chevrolet Cup, each with a greater proportion of biofuel, culminating in the 100% blend being used in a run on Sunday. Hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer reported no drop in performance as the percentage of biofuel was increased.

The tests were conducted under normal operating conditions including rapid acceleration and deceleration and tight cornering.

The feedstock for the biofuel comprised 85% camelina, 14% jatropha and 1% algae. This is a ‘drop-in’ replacement developed by Seattle’s Targeted Growth. This same biofuel mixture helped to power the test flight of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300 in January.

You can check out the U-787 in action in this cool video below.

Biodiesel

Oregon Becoming Latest State with Biodiesel Mandate

John Davis

OregonFlagOregon has become the latest state to require diesel sold in the state… well, at least in nine counties in the northwest part of Oregon starting August 5th and the rest of the state by October 1… have a mix of biodiesel.

The 2 percent biodiesel (B2) requirement received the praise of the National Biodiesel Board:

“Oregon recognizes the proven track record of biodiesel performance as well as its benefits for green jobs, energy security, the environment, and more,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. “The NBB has resources in place to assist in implementation, including an information hotline for anyone with questions.”

Oregon follows the lead of Minnesota, which started with a B2 requirement and kicked it up to B5 this past May, and Washington State and its B2 requirement. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have biodiesel mandates expected to start in 2010.

Biodiesel, NBB

Soybean & Biodiesel Boards Dispel RFS-2 Misinfo

John Davis

USBNBB-logoThe biodiesel industry and the soybean checkoff have teamed up to try to dispel some of the misinformation being used that would basically disqualify soybean-based biodiesel, the bulk of the nation’s biodiesel, from the proposed federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2).

This United Soybean Board press release says the National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Sustainability Analysis and Awareness project, funded in part by the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff, is building on the limited amount of information about biodiesel and Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC):

“It is necessary to use science-based research to help ensure people are well-informed and educated regarding soy biodiesel,” says Chuck Myers, USB Chairman and a soybean farmer from Lyons, Neb. “All Americans can benefit from soy biodiesel, not just soybean farmers. Soy biodiesel remains a critical part of our renewable energy solution this country badly needs.”

Since the soybean checkoff helped establish the biodiesel industry in the 90s, sales of the fuel have grown from two million gallons in the year 2000 to over 700 million in 2008. With the checkoff funding, NBB has put together a team of land use experts consisting of
economists, leaders in the field of life cycle analysis, commodity experts and environmental engineers to analyze the Environmental Protection Agency’s initial estimation of biodiesel Green House Gases (GHG) due to ILUC used in the RFS-2.

A few inaccuracies that have already been brought to the forefront include that the soybeans were not given a significant GHG credit for fixing nitrogen in soil and biodiesel production did not receive a GHG credit for the production of glycerin as a valuable co-product.

NBB also showed that the development of the RFS-2 did not account for the the value of 80 percent soy protein meal as a significant portion of the market value for the entire crop and did not allow for expected steep increases in soybean yield in coming years.

Biodiesel, NBB

Promoting Ethanol at Sturgis

Chuck Zimmerman

RFA at SturgisBike riders at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally are seriously appreciating their ethanol koozies. Here’s market development staff members from the Renewable Fuels Association posing by one of their banners at the Buffalo Chip Campground. Throughout the event they’ll be handing out all kinds of materials to participants. Sounds like rough work but that’s what’s needed to get the ethanol message out directly to the people who will use it.

Robert White, pictured on the left, is uploading photos from the event. Check out his online photo album to see more.

Education, Ethanol, RFA

Feed-In Tariffs Could Help Small Solar, Wind Power

John Davis

A proposal that would require utilities to buy power from small-scale renewable energy producers could end up being a boon for solar and wind power in America.

The New York Times reports that two Democrats in the U.S. House have introduced a bill to do just that:

Inslee1Reps. Jay Inslee of Washington and Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts are preparing a bill that would require utilities to purchase small-scale renewable energy from developers at rates equal to the cost of production plus a premium. The so-called feed-in tariffs proposal would set European-style guarantees for investors that many credit for a recent boom in solar energy in Germany.

Delahunt1“We have some brilliant Americans with brilliant business plans with brilliant technologies, but they don’t have financing,” Inslee said at a briefing last week on Capitol Hill. “The charm of the feed-in tariff is solid, take-it-to-the-bank security and confidence for the investing community.”

Proponents say feed-in tariffs can be more effective than renewable-energy standards, such as the one included in the House climate bill by Democrats Henry Waxman of California and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, because they offer staggered rate incentives for each energy source based on current production costs. The initial rate that utilities would pay for solar energy, for example, would be higher than payments for less-expensive wind energy.

Backers of the bill also point to the model in Germany, where, after passing its own Renewable Energy Sources Act in 2000, Germany was able to become the world’s largest market for photovoltaic systems and wind energy and more than doubled its supply of renewable energy between 2000 and 2007.

Solar, Wind