ACE Conference 2026

Biodiesel Maker Imperium Lays Off 24 to Weather Economic Storm

John Davis

imperium-logoIn a bid to stay afloat in these tough economic times, Seattle-based Imperium Renewables has laid off more than half of its staff at its Grays Harbor biodiesel plant.

This story from the Seattle Times says the laying off of the 24 workers is due to the economic downturn and recent tariffs on American biodiesel implemented by the European Union:

The cuts will help it “survive and grow when the market turns around for the biofuels industry,” company president and founder John Plaza said in a statement Thursday. He said Imperium faces “dramatically reduced global demand for biodiesel, high feedstock prices and extreme volatility in the petroleum fuel markets.”

The latest blow to the company was a tariff imposed this month by the European Union on biodiesel imported from the U.S. The EU said U.S. subsidies on biodiesel allowed producers such as Imperium to undercut European manufacturers.

Plaza said that along with the plunge in energy prices, “the recession has led to a drastic reduction in demand for fuels of all types, but especially for biofuels.”

As you might remember, the Grays Harbor plant can produce 100 million gallons of biodiesel annually, but company officials won’t say how much it is producing now.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Rocket Failure Proves Fuel’s Worth

John Davis

You wouldn’t normally think that a flop would be a great opportunity, but the recent failure of a biodiesel-powered rocket actually shows that the green fuel could end up being a great asset for space travelers.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says a mechanical failure during the March 7th test-launch of the Flometrics rocket caused some biodiesel to flow into the liquid oxygen system, and, well, you saw the result in the video above. But the failure showed that biodiesel would not cause a more deadly pool fire for a manned mission:

“We got a big puff of flame out of the nozzle, but no significant thrust,” [Steve Harrington, chief executive officer of Carlsbad, Calif.-based aerospace engineering company Flometrics Inc.] said. “The rocket didn’t go anywhere.” But what happened next was a surprise. “We ran into a problem, but then we discovered this advantage of biodiesel that we hadn’t expected. This type of failure often causes a serious fire when you use kerosene: you get a pool fire underneath the rocket and it just kind of barbeques the fins, and so on. But this time the fire was minimal. The biodiesel just went right out and the rocket did not even get scorched.”

According to NASA, the RP-1 kerosene-based rocket fuel that Flometrics used to power its RocketDyne LR-101 rocket engine has a minimum flash point of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius). The National Biodiesel Board said the flash point of biodiesel can range from 200 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (93 and 149 degrees Celsius). By comparison, the flash point of petroleum diesel is 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), the NBB said.

“The biodiesel showed a definite advantage compared to the standard fuel in that it wouldn’t sustain itself in a pool fire,” Harrington said. “This may be a reason to use it for manned missions, to keep the chances of catastrophic fire lower.”

Company officials say they’ll try to launch the 20-foot tall, 150-pound round again on March 21st. Hopefully, they won’t have to have another failure to learn even more.

Biodiesel

National Wind Forms Another Community Wind Energy Company

John Davis

littlerockwindIt’s a lucky seven for National Wind, LLC, as the company has announced the formation of Little Rock Wind, LLC, its 7th Minnesota-based, community-owned wind energy company. The latest venture in Big Stone County will develop up to 150 megawatts of wind energy generation within the county.

This Little Rock Wind press release says the public will get a chance to find out more about the project when the company holds a public landowner meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, at 7:00 pm at the Clinton Memorial Building in Clinton, Minnesota:

“Little Rock Wind, as a locally owned wind energy company, is the sort of project that has the best interests of the landowners and farmer’s best interests at heart,” says Brent Olson, one of the founders and an advisory board member of Little Rock Wind, LLC. “We encourage landowners to attend the meeting, to hear the presentation, and learn how community wind development in Big Stone County can be a benefit to themselves and their community. Bringing this project to fruition will provide many economic benefits to us, our children, and our grandchildren while strengthening our local communities and providing a more stable energy future for us all.”

Little Rock Wind recently opened an office in Ortonville, Minnesota to better serve local landowners and to facilitate community involvement in the project…

An important first step in developing wind energy is securing the land needed to construct the wind projects. National Wind’s field specialist, Jesse Hopkins-Hoel, is working closely with the advisory board and area landowners to represent the project and to gain landowner participation. This includes helping landowners understand the economic benefits this development can provide.

“National Wind’s community wind projects such as Little Rock are unique in the industry – we are developing utility-scale projects using a true community wind model.” says Bill Smeaton, senior wind developer, National Wind. “We offer competitive land use payments, but our model also provides opportunities for local landowners to share in any revenues from a successful project. In addition, our local board of advisor structure adds the ‘voice of the community’ to the development process.”

The projects will go online over the next five to seven years.

Wind

Navy Exchange Service Command Opens E85 Station

The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), headquarters for the Navy’s worldwide Navy Exchange stores, held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for Hampton Roads’ first E85 pump. The station is located at the Navy Exchange Gas Station, NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach.

NEXRear Adm. Robert Bianchi, Commander, NEXCOM, and Captain Markham Rich, Commanding Officer, NAS Oceana hosted the ceremony with principal guests and speakers Congressman Glenn Nye, D-VA 2nd District and Bob Dinneen, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association.

NEXCOM awarded a public private venture (PPV) contract in April 2008 to Protec Fuels for the infrastructure development and supply of the E85. NEX Oceana is the first location developed under this contract.

With this grand opening, there will be three public access E85 stations in Virginia. The Navy Exchange Oceana facility will be the second public access E85 fuel facility in Virginia operated by the U.S. Navy/NEX.

The Navy is a leader in the use of alternative fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel, and operates the largest fleet of vehicles using alternative fuels in the state of Virginia. This venture will provide the needed access to E85 fuel for the Navy’s fleet of flex-fuel vehicles as well as to the general public.

E85, Ethanol, Facilities, Government, RFA

DF Cast: Tools for Renewable Energy Communicators

John Davis

df-logoThis latest edition of Domestic Fuel Cast communicates some important information for those who communicate the story of renewable energy.

The Communicating Renewables Summit takes place April 21-23 at the Hilton in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is touted as “THE conference to attend if you are a communications professional working for a company, association or agency that promotes wind, solar, biofuels, geothermal, hydrogen and more!”

Domestic Fuel’s parent company, ZimmComm New Media, is the media partner with our old friend Joanna Schroeder… whose 4R Communications is putting on the summit.

Communicating Renewables Summit“This conference is designed to help communicators evolve the skills they are going to need to be successful in communicating why consumers should adopt their product.”

Schroeder says they’ll have sessions on crisis communications, such as how to handle issues like the food-versus-fuel debate.

Some of those speaking at the summit also include Sean O’Hanlon, Executive Director and founder of the American Biofuels Council… a group the coordinates biofuels research, analysis, development and education in the country… and Tom Collina, the executive director of 20-20 Vision… a non-profit organization dedicated to solving global challenges where international security, energy and the environment come together.

You can hear some of their ideas for renewable energy communications by listening to this week’s Domestic Fuel Cast here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/DFCast-3-13-09.mp3]

Of course, for even more information, you really need to make plans to attend the Communicating Renewables Summit, April 21-23 in Minneapolis.

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

Audio, communications, Domestic Fuel Cast

Obama Wants to Maintain Ethanol Progress

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol came up in a meeting this week between President Barack Obama and regional newspaper reporters in Washington D.C.

ObamaAccording to the Des Moines Register, the president did not say whether the administration would increase the amount of ethanol that could be added to regular gasoline, as requested by the ethanol industry, but did indicate he would ultimately make that decision, which he said would involve “reconciling a lot of different issues.”

Obama also said that while he does not believe corn-based ethanol will “provide us with the energy-efficient solutions that are needed” he does want to maintain the “progress we’ve made in building up a biofuels infrastructure and the important income generation that has come from ethanol plants.”

The president met with 15 newspaper reporters from around the country in a round table discussion that allowed them to ask about topics pertinent to their particular areas.

POST UPDATE: Here is a link to the official transcript of Obama’s answer to the Des Moines Register question on higher blends, courtesy of the Quad City Times.

Audio, blends, Energy, Ethanol, Government, News

Southeast Missouri State University Goes Green

semo-logoSoutheast Missouri State University (SEMO), in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, will be saving money as well as doing its part to save the environment. Facilities management have devised a recycling and waste management plan and will also purchase flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).

According to The Arrow, SEMO will use the oil that dining hall kitchens would normally dispose of to heat the facilities management shops. The recycling program will be boosted by adding more bins around campus. And, over spring break, facilities management plans to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles that will use E85, rather than gasoline.

“We plan on purchasing two vehicles from Tiger Trucks,” Terry Major, manager of grounds, custodial, fleet and support services, said. “We want a pick-up truck for the grounds and a van for maintenance.” The University had purchased electric cars in the past but they were proven more of a hassle than a convenience.

Currently, there are no E85 fueling locations in the city of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

E85, Environment, News

Book Review – The Tyranny of Oil

Joanna Schroeder

the-tyrannay-of-oilThis week I read the book, The Tyranny of Oil by Antonia Juhasz. It started off highlighting a lot of what other energy books discuss but then it got interesting. So much so that I’m giving the theme of this review, “How long will American citizens live in denial?”Here are a few facts as laid out in the book that it seems the average American refuses to acknowledge.

1) Big Oil runs our country – not the federal government.

2) Over 30% of the price of gasoline at the pump falls directly under the control of a Big Oil. Huh. Yet they don’t have any role in price manipulation techniques or the prices at the pump.

3) The war in Iraq is an “Oil War” facilitated in part by Big Oil’s desire to get their hands on Iraqi oil. It is believed that Iraq has the second largest amount of untapped oil in the world.

4) Although Big Oil is touting its “alternative energy investments” on average, they equal less than five percent of all company expenditures. Oh, and most oil companies consider development and research in oil shale as an investment in alternative energy.

I could go on but I will say that Juhasz lays out a plan for taking on Big Oil. One of the most important elements, she claims, is the Separation of Oil and State. She writes: “a separation of oil and state”: a commitment to renounce money from the oil industry and support sustainable clean energy alternatives.” A DC based group, Oil Change International, is fighting for this. The alternative energy industry is not represented in this campaign but needs to be involved.

Well if you need something to fire you up and reafirm your support of alternative energy, this is just the book to get you going.

book reviews

Corn Ethanol Remains Industry Building Block

Cindy Zimmerman

As the ethanol industry seeks a waiver to allow the use of up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline, corn-based ethanol remains the basic building block for increased use of the product nationwide.

Wesley Clark“We have to build the cellulosic industry on the foundation of corn-based ethanol,” Growth Energy co-chairman Wesley Clark told reporters during an appearance at the National Press Club’s Newsmaker Series last week. “Corn-based ethanol has been the pioneer. It’s set up the marketing, it’s set up the distribution, it’s encouraged vehicles to be flexible-fuel, and all of this sets the basis for cellulosic.”

However, Clark pointed out that ethanol production has essentially capped out under the current regulatory standard, so moving to a higher approved blend level is essential for the industry to move forward. “The E15 is perfectly acceptable in American cars because vehicle fuel systems have been upgraded to meet US regulations and tested against even more aggressive fuels,” Clark said.

blends, corn, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Iowa Eyes Biodiesel Mandate

John Davis

A measure that promises to promote biodiesel gowth in Iowa, create green collar jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil has passed a key committee in the Iowa legislature.

beallThis article from the Des Moines (IA) Register says Sen. Daryl Beall’s (D-Fort Dodge) biodiesel mandate bill cleared the Senate Transportation Committee. And if it passes the full legislature and is signed by the governor, it would kick in as early as this summer:

Under the new proposal, the required blend of biodiesel would ramp up from 5 percent this summer to 20 percent by 2015. Among those opposed to the bill are truckers and convenience stores…

Gas stations wouldn’t need special pumps for biodiesel, but they may need an extra tank, lobbyists said.

Although the state currently subsidizes retailers to pump biodiesel, the bill calls for those tax credits to end.

The credits, which amount to around $5 million a year, are set expire anyway in 2011, Beall said. After three years, the state would save about $15 million per year.

During cold weather months… between November 1st and March 31st… only a 5 percent blend would be required. If the measure passes, Iowa would join Minnesota as states with a biodiesel mandate.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation