Biodiesel Racing Series Featured in Car & Driver

John Davis

vwtdi2Neat article I just read in Car and Driver about the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series, which features young drivers (16 to 26 years old) driving practically identical VWs running on a 5 percent biodiesel blend.

Writer Mark Gillies got to take one of cars out during an actual qualifying run at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Columbus:

The engine is very torquey and the brakes are superb. The DSG transmission is so well tuned that you can leave it in auto-Sport mode and go pretty quickly, but I preferred to use the paddles and shift manually just before redline. This was on the good advice of an 18-year-old—Timmy Megenbier, a hotshoe ex-karter who was really helpful to this rookie. Despite the limited horsepower, the cars lap Mid-Ohio at an average speed of around 81 mph, which is plenty fast. There’s a strange feeling in this car, because the engine is quiet and it doesn’t rev very high.

Back in April, I told you about this series for young drivers sponsored by Houston-based HYPERFUELS, which is powering the series with its high performance Syndiesel® B5. Nice to see these guys getting a mention from one of the country’s premiere auto magazines.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Not on Agenda for US-EU Trade Talks

John Davis

kirk1Just as the European Union was extending for five years the temporary duties the EU has slapped on American biodiesel, you would think would be the time the U.S. Trade Representative would want to talk about the protectionist tariffs with his European counterpart. Nope. Ambassador Ron Kirk had bigger fish to fry when he met with European Union Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton in Washington this week. Like a dispute over playing Irish music in American commercial establishments. I kind you not. While what could be a lifesaver for the U.S. economy and the world’s environment is being shut out of one of the biggest markets on earth, Kirk wanted to beat his sheleighly over whether Danny Boy should be sung in pubs (I’m not sure if that’s EXACTLY what the musical dispute is all about, but you get the idea).

To be fair, as noted in this Examiner.com story, there were several other important trade issues that were discussed at the meeting this week. But, c’mon. There wasn’t enough time to fit the biodiesel issue into the agenda? Between this and EPA official Margo Oge thinking that it takes 64 acres of soybeans… no, make that 400 acres of soybeans… to make a gallon of biodiesel (she’s a little off on her math. It’s actually 64 gallons of biodiesel out of each acre of beans.), you gotta start to wonder if anyone in Washington, D.C. is really looking out for U.S. biodiesel producers.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that biodiesel production in Europe jumped by more an 35 percent in 2008 and is expected to grow even more this year, despite the fact that half the plants on the continent are not operating because of poor demand. The tariffs keeping the American biodiesel out of Europe are seen as major factors for the projected growth.

Biodiesel, Government, International

Only A Few Days Left to Show Support of E15

epa2There is less than one week left for you and other clean fuel proponents to actively support one of the most important issues in the ethanol industry today: increasing the allowed ethanol blend to E15.

This is the most immediate way to grant clean, American-made fuel access to a market currently dominated by the oil industry. The ethanol industry must continue to grow if it is to produce enough product to meet the growing demand that more blender pumps and FFVs will create. The current limit on the amount of ethanol that can be blended into a gallon of gasoline is at ten volume percent ethanol (E10) for conventional (non flex-fuel) vehicles. Growth Energy and 54 ethanol manufacturers submitted the E15 waiver application on March 6, and EPA must make a decision by December 1, 2009.

An immense amount of testing has shown that there is no scientific justification for the 10 percent limit on ethanol. In the past two years, multiple comprehensive studies involving over 100 vehicles, 85 vehicle and engine types, and 33 fuel dispensing units have been completed to evaluate the affects of ethanol-gasoline blends above 10 percent ethanol. These studies include a year-long drivability test and over 5,500 hours of materials compatibility testing. This research all shows that emission control systems are unaffected by a 5 (or in some cases 10) percent increase in ethanol content.

There is only one week left for you to send your supportive comment to the EPA as the public comment period ends July 20. Please send your comments today by going to www.GoE15.com.

Ethanol, Growth Energy

Don’t Miss the Corn Ethanol Land Use Conference

Joanna Schroeder

crops-corn-ethanolIt’s not too late to get your early bird discount when you register by August 4th for the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Ethanol Land Use Conference. This two-day event will be held in St. Louis on August 25-26 and will discuss the land use and climate impacts of corn ethanol.

Registrants can participate in a myriad of topical sessions including land use change, nitrous oxide, new technologies and their effect on greenhouse gas emissions, domestic and international yields, satellite data and land conversion greenhouse gas emission factors, defining renewable biomass, and distillers grains.

“This conference provides a unique opportunity to get the latest information on land use from some of the most prominent experts in industry and academia. We are fortunate to have speakers representing each of the various models used in developing the rules implementing the new Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Jamey Cline, NCGA Director of Biofuel Programs.

Newly confirmed presenters at the conference include Steven Del Grosso, Colorado State University; Dr. Bruce McCarl, Texas A&M; Nancy Harris, Winrock International; Keith Kline, Oakridge National Laboratory, and Ken Copenhaver, University of Illinois, Chicago.

The cost os $250 per person and registration is available online.

conferences, corn, Ethanol, NCGA

Congress Urged to Fund Wind Energy

John Davis

swiftCongress is being urged to make more money available for wind-energy research.

This story from the Abilene Reporter News says that Andrew Swift, director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech, made the case for a federal proposal to pump $200 million a year into research and development for wind power:

“I believe if research and education investments are made on the scale proposed that this industry can provide 20 percent of the nation’s electrical power by 2030,” the Lubbock professor said in testimony.

The Department of Energy came up with the 20 percent projection, estimating reaching it would create 180,000 wind-industry jobs.

A panel of the House Science and Technology Committee explored needs in wind and solar research Tuesday. The Energy and Environment Subcommittee also took up the 2009 Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2009.

Authored by Rep. Paul Tonko, a New York Democrat, the bill would provide $200 million a year for wind-energy related research through 2014.

Wind energy experts point out that while unemployment has climbed and energy supplies have tightened, the wind industry has added 35,000 jobs and put out enough power for more than 2.5 million homes.

Government, Wind

Bill Promotes Use of Natural Gas in Vehicles

John Davis

menendez1Legislation introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) could get more natural gas-powered vehicles on the road.

This article from The Mainstreet Business Journal says the bill is a follow-up to Hatch’s measure a few years ago:

hatch1“In 2005, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, I was able to get the CLEAR Act enacted into law,” Hatch said. “That legislation has promoted the purchase of alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles, alternative-fuel infrastructure and the use of alternative fuels in vehicles. I have been very pleased with the growth in the use of hybrid-electric vehicles in this country since the passage of the CLEAR Act, but I have been less pleased with the growth in natural gas as a transportation fuel. I believe strongly an extra push is needed to spur the greater use of natural gas and to get more natural gas vehicles on our roads.”

The Menendez/Hatch Natural Gas Act (S. 1408) would extend the life of the CLEAR Act credits for natural-gas vehicles, natural-gas filling infrastructure and for the use of natural gas in vehicles. It also creates a new incentive for the manufacture of natural-gas vehicles and trucks.

The bill hopes to address the shortage of commercially-available natural gas-powered vehicles.

Government, Natural Gas

Educating the EPA About Biodiesel

John Davis

Some folks in Missouri are trying to educate the government (I know, I know) about the possible implications of a rule that could hurt the biodiesel industry.

As many of you are aware, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a rule change to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) that would basically leave soybean-based biodiesel out of the RFS… putting the biodiesel component of the RFS in serious jeopardy. This story from Missouri Ruralist says that to preserve soybean biodiesel’s role, representatives from the Kansas City and St. Louis Regional Clean Cities partnered with the Kansas Soybean Commission and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and took some EPA officials on a field trip to a soybean field and a soybean processing facility and biodiesel plant near Kansas City:

“We wanted to be able to show every step of the biodiesel process from the field to the tailpipe,” said Dale Ludwig, executive director of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. “Sometimes people need to see something firsthand before they can truly understand it. We hope this educational session will help government officials make informed decisions regarding biodiesel.”

The EPA ruling calls for indirect land use change to be included in the calculations used to determine biodiesel’s greenhouse gas emissions. In order to qualify for use in the RFS-2, biofuels must demonstrate an ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to petroleum-based fuels. Studies have shown biodiesel easily meets that goal by reducing lifecycle carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by 78% compared to conventional diesel fuel. When indirect land use calculations are applied, biodiesel’s emission reductions fall below the 50% threshold.

The indirect land use theory is based off the assumption that an increase in production of biodiesel in the United States results in the deforestation of Brazil and other countries to plant more crops to make up for demand. This assumption penalizes biodiesel for the release of carbon from trees that have been cut down. However, statistics from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service show deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has actually decreased since 2004, when U.S. biodiesel production began to increase significantly.

The backers of soy-biodiesel are not confident the EPA will use the best information to make the decision without the right input. Remember this little piece of video where EPA official Margo Oge testified before a House panel in May regarding the indirect land use issue first saying that it takes 64 acres for a gallon of soy biodiesel, and then, correcting herself even more incorrectly by saying it takes 64 acres for corn ethanol and over 400 acres for a gallon of biodiesel. Actually, one acre of soybeans makes 64 gallons of biodiesel and one acre of corn makes over 400 gallons of ethanol.

So, there you go. Don’t forget, the deadline to comment is September 25, 2009. Try to set them right on the biodiesel quantity issue, would you?

Biodiesel, Government

Exxon to Invest Millions in Biofuels

exxonThe oil giant Exxon Mobil, whose chief executive once mocked alternative energy by referring to ethanol as “moonshine,” is about to venture into biofuels. Exxon Mobil Corp. said that it will make its first major investment in greenhouse-gas reducing biofuels in a $600 million partnership with biotech company Synthetic Genomics Inc. to develop transportation fuels from algae.

The agreement could plug a major gap in the strategy of Exxon, the world’s largest and richest publicly traded oil company, which has been criticized by environmental groups for dismissing concerns about global warming in the past and its reluctance to develop renewable fuels.

syntheetic_genomicsDespite the widely publicized “moonshine” remark a few years ago by Exxon’s chairman and chief executive, Rex W. Tillerson, the company has spent several years exploring various fuel alternatives, according to one of its top research officials.

“We literally looked at every option we could think of, with several key parameters in mind,” said Emil Jacobs, vice president for research and development at Exxon’s research and engineering unit. “Scale was the first. For transportation fuels, if you can’t see whether you can scale a technology up, then you have to question whether you need to be involved at all.”

He added, “I am not going to sugarcoat this — this is not going to be easy.” Any large-scale commercial plants to produce algae-based fuels are at least 5 to 10 years away, Dr. Jacobs said.

Exxon’s sincerity and commitment will almost certainly be questioned by its most galvanized environmentalist critics, especially when compared with the company’s extraordinary profits from petroleum in recent years.

“Research is great, but we need to see new products in the market,” Kert Davies, the research director at Greenpeace, said. “We’ve always said that major oil companies have to be involved. But the question is whether companies are simply paying lip service to something or whether they are putting their weight and power behind it.”

biofuels, Ethanol News

High School Biodiesel Team Gets Funds for Research

John Davis

While we here about millions of dollars going to big renewable energy programs, it’s nice to hear about a few bucks going to some small, grassroots efforts. A high school biodiesel program from New Hampshire known for beating some colleges in energy competitions has received $5,000 from an anonymous donor.

This story from the Nashua (NH) Telegraph says the Merrimack High School science department will get the money:

In late June, Superintendent Marge Chiafery received an anonymous letter, saying the writer was so impressed by the school’s Biodiesel Team and Science Olympiad, that he or she wanted to donate $5,000 to the school: $1,000 for each of those two groups and $3,000 to the general science department.

Sean Mueller, James Davis and Tray Sleeper, three MHS science teachers, were each commended in the letter, Chiafery said.

“The donor said they were very pleased with that and wants to encourage more of it,” she said.

Chiafery said department head John Snell will be thrilled when he learns of the donation and will meet with the teachers when they come back from vacation in August to discuss the best use of the funds.

The only catch is the school district has to accept the money (c’mon, a school district NOT taking money?). Officials say the money will most likely go toward entrance fees for competitions… maybe some more chances to beat those college kids!

Biodiesel, Energy

Renewables to Share in $141 Mil in Stimulus Bucks

John Davis

doeRenewable energy projects in five states and a U.S. territory will share in $141 million in Recovery Act… aka the “stimulus”… funding.

This U.S. Department of Energy press release says that Secretary Steven Chu made the announcement that includes energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Hawaii, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands and Texas:

Under DOE’s State Energy Program, states and territories have proposed statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions…

“This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help to put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence,” said Secretary Chu. “It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly.”

With today’s announcement, these states and territories will now have received 50 percent of their total Recovery Act SEP funding. The initial 10 percent of total funding was previously available to states to support planning activities; the remaining 50 percent of funds will be released once states meet reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act.

Activities eligible for State Energy Program funding include energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles, and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.

The specifics of how much is going to hybrids and alternatives and how much is going to better light bulbs wasn’t in the press release, but you can be sure that each one of these states will be touting their individual pots of monies. We’ll keep watching to let you know where the money is going.

Government