Flexible Solar Panels

John Davis

Solar panels are getting smaller and smaller… so small that one day they could be woven into your clothing!

Researchers at two major colleges in Illinois… Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign… are working together to come up with a thin, flexible silicon solar panel. Northwestern’s journalism school’s paper, Medill Reports, says the new panels will be able to go just about anywhere:

huang“Our silicon panel is so transparent that you can put it on your window,” said Yonggang Huang, an engineering professor at Northwestern.

Traditional silicon solar panels are thick, rigid, and can easily break. They’re installed on rooftops not just to collect sunlight but to keep them out of harm’s way. The moldable, thin silicon is less fragile because it’s flexible.

Besides being placed over windows, Huang said his team’s panel could be put on an article of clothing or a car.

Solar panels on one’s clothing could store enough power to charge a cell phone, according to Huang.

The technology was announced last October and is now being refined. Researchers plan to submit their findings for peer review in the next few months, according to John Rogers, a University of Illinois engineering professor working with Huang.

Not to be left out, researchers at the University of Chicago are working on making solar panels out of a new polymer… not as efficient and long-lasting as the silicon but much more affordable to produce. The article says Solarmer Energy Inc., of El Monte, Calif., is using the new polymer in a solar cell it is developing.

Either way, it’s pretty exciting news!

Solar

Alt Fuels & Energy Savings Get $80 Billion from Stimulus Package

John Davis

uscapitol1Congress has passed the nearly $800 billion economic stimulus package, and alternative fuels and energy saving measures will get nearly $62 billion in spending and another $20 billion in tax credits and bond provisions from the measure that Pres. Obama has promised to sign on Monday.

This article from ItsGettingHotinHere.org details how some of the money will be spent:

Research, Development and Demonstration – Subtotal: $8.2 billion

* $2.5 billion for applied research and development activities relating to renewable energy and energy efficiency. It looks like this is to be directed to programs administered by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), including $800 million directed to biomass project, $400 million for geothermal projects, and $50 million to improve the efficiency of information and communications technology.
* $2.0 billion for energy R&D programs at the Department of Energy Office of Science, including the National Laboratories.
o Includes $400 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e) as authorized by the America COMPETES Act. This is the first time moneys have been appropriated to fund ARPA-e.
* $3.4 billion for the Fossil Energy Research and Development Program, including $1 billion for fossil energy R&D programs, $800 million for the Clean Coal Power Initiative, $1.52 billion for carbon capture and generation efficiency improvement project grants, and $70 million for geologic carbon sequestration R&D.
* $300 million for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development, testing and evaluation for the Department of Defense (including $75 million each for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense-wide programs).

Clean Energy Deployment – Subtotal: $6 billion

* $6 billion in loan guarantees for the Innovation Technology Loan Guarantee Program established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. These loan guarantees are expected to support more than $60 billion in loans for renewable energy technologies and modern transmission technologies.

Other highlights from the bill include $3 billion for electrifying transportation, alternative fuels and efficient vehicles; $600 million to help develop the workforce for the new energy economy; and more than $13 billion in a three-year extension of the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (through the end of 2012)… just to name a few.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News, Solar, Wind

MO Legislature Moves Biodiesel Standard… Again

John Davis

Missouri’s State Senate has moved forward on a measure to require a 5 percent biodiesel mix in every gallon of diesel sold in the state… again.

senstouffer1Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton) has once again introduced the measure… and once again, it has passed the Senate Ag Committee. Stouffer has sponsored similar measures in the past but has been unable to get final passage:

“We have had the research on this for a few years. Missouri is already leading the nation with a standard for ethanol.” Sen. Stouffer said. “This bio-diesel standard is a win-win-win. It is a win for consumers, the environment and the rural economy.”

Senate Bill 29 would require fuel terminals in Missouri that sell diesel fuel would sell biodiesel along with conventional diesel fuel. The bill would let fuel retailers, wholesalers, distributors and marketers to buy diesel and bio-diesel the same way they buy ethanol.

“Fortunately, gas and diesel prices are down,” Sen. Stouffer said. “But who’s to say we couldn’t see another upturn in prices like we saw last year? This would keep higher prices from hurting truckers and ultimately keep prices lower on the goods we buy that are carried by big rigs.”

Stouffer’s measure comes on the heels of the Virginia Legislature moving forward on a 2 percent mandate earlier this week. You can read the entire contents and follow the progress of Stouffer’s bill here.

Biodiesel, Government

In Time of Layoffs, Wind Energy Co. Hiring

John Davis

vestasEvery day we hear the doom and gloom of another company announcing layoffs. Well, it’s time for a little good news.

Wind turbine maker Vesta Wind Systems has announced it will hire nearly 3,000 more people in the U.S.

This story from Marketwatch.com says the Denmark-based company believes it will be able to cash in on Pres. Obama’s push for alternative energy:

While other major corporations lay people off to preserve their shrinking bottom lines, Vestas’ fortunes have grown as the world attempts to wean itself off fossil fuels and promote sources of power that don’t contribute to global warming.

Although some critics object to paying subsidies to overseas companies, [Vestas Wind Systems CEO Ditlev] Engel argues that Vestas plans to invest more heavily here than others.

He also pointed out that U.S. investors also stand to benefit if the company prospers, since nearly a third of the company’s equity holders are based here. And the U.S. remains the largest potential marketplace for Vestas….

For Engel, the U.S. offers some of the best wind resources in the world, and he’s gearing up to put 4,000 employees on the Vestas payroll here, up from about 1,200 now, during the worst economic downturn in a generation.

Engel goes on to say that the U.S. has the best wind resources in the world. He likens not harvetsing wind in America to not drilling for oil in Saudi Arabia.

He and other wind companies will be closely watching Friday’s vote on the economic stimulus package.

Wind

Stimulus Bill Has Money for Renewable Energy

John Davis

uscapitolRenewable energy could get a share of the nearly $800 billion in the compromise version of the U.S. House and Senate’s economic stimulus bills.

This story from CNNMoney has details:

The provisions in the bill – a deal hammered out between House and Senate negotiators late Wednesday that still needs to be passed by both chambers – will primarily give a major boost to renewable energy, electricity transmission and energy efficiency sectors…

One of the biggest ticket items – at $11 billion – is aimed at creating a ” smart” grid, an artificially intelligent electricity transmission system that is necessary to more efficiently transmit electrons, especially from sources such as wind, solar and power stored in batteries. Although in the past decade demand for electricity has grown 20%, the grid has only expanded by about 5%, and that growth hasn’t adequately taken into account distributed renewable energy generation…

With record growth to around 25 gigawatts of total wind capacity last year, the U.S. is now one of the world’s biggest producers of renewable energy. But between 200 gigawatts to 300 gigawatts of drafted wind projects remain stranded on paper because there isn’t the transmission capacity to link them to demand.

The story goes on to say that lawmakers have also put $6 billion in loan guarantees and $2.5 billion in research grants for renewable energy into the bill. The U.S. Senate will take up the measure late Friday (Feb. 13th).

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, Solar, Wind

Biodiesel Board Goes YouTube

John Davis

nbbyoutube2
Recognizing the power of social marketing Web sites, the National Biodiesel Board has launched a channel on what’s been called the MTV of this generation: YouTube.

The new National Board YouTube Channel, available to the 70 million YouTube viewers each month, will give the public credible, helpful and entertaining videos on biodiesel:

“Sites like YouTube and Facebook are more than just fun and games today,” said NBB Director of Communications Jenna Higgins. “They drive public awareness, public opinion and mainstream media coverage. We want to have a voice in this forum and ensure that an opportunity to learn about the benefits of biodiesel is reaching the people who seek it.”

The NBB first unveiled the channel at last week’s National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in San Francisco. Videos from the conference that have been posted include a San Francisco Road Trip, highlighting the many biodiesel users in the host city, and videos featuring industry leaders talking about sustainability and other key issues. Singer Melissa Etheridge addressed the conference attendees, and her inspirational remarks are also available. Additional conference videos will be posted in coming days.

You can subscribe to the new channel and get updates when new videos are posted… just go to www.youtube.com/NationalBiodiesel.

Biodiesel

Chicago Auto Show Pushes E85 Vehicles

chrysler1gmlogo150This week at the Chicago Auto Show, a wide array of vehicles are being displayed; many of which are alternative fuel vehicles. Even though the price of gasoline is much lower than in past months, the CAFE rule that mandates auto manufactures average 35 mpg for their fleet of vehicles still applies, meaning more vehicles are being offered with an alternative fuel-capable engine.

General Motors is displaying 15 of its 20 vehicles available with a flexible fuel engine. Both Chrysler and Ford have also displayed many of their E85 compatible vehicles. All three automobile manufacturers have promised to produce more and more vehicles with this E85 capable engine in years to come.ford_logo

A complete listing of E85 vehicles, including those models in 2009, can be found at www.E85Fuel.com.

E85, Ethanol

Corn Growers Defend Ethanol Against Attacks

Cindy Zimmerman

The nation’s corn growers called comments made Wednesday by a coalition of radical environmental groups “just another attempt to prevent the ethanol industry from decreasing the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.”

NCGA“These environmental groups are stirring up fear for the American public at a time when Americans are already struggling due to the faltering world economy, job losses and high costs of food brought on by some food companies’ record profits and greed,” said National Corn Growers Association President Bob Dickey, a producer from Nebraska.

Several environmental organizations held a press conference urging the federal government to stop promoting renewable fuels like ethanol and saying they would rather increase the use of imported oil. During the conference, Clean Air Task Force spokesman Jonathan Lewis told a reporter that “burning gasoline is better than increasing the production of corn ethanol.”

Listen to that soundbite here [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/ewp-bite.mp3]

The group representatives made claims that they were unable to back up with any specific facts when questioned and they offered no ideas for moving toward a renewable energy future, although they claim that is their ultimate goal. They simply want the production of corn ethanol halted because they question whether biofuels are capable of making a major contribution to reducing fossil fuel use.

“The fact remains that ‘made in the U.S.’ corn ethanol is here — and available today — to strengthen the U.S. economy, create new, U.S.-based jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Wind and solar power are good options for energy; however, these will take years to have the same impact that ethanol is having now,” Dickey said.

corn, Ethanol, NCGA

Colorado Biodiesel Projects Get State Grants

John Davis

coloradodeptofag1Two biodiesel projects have garnered $150,000 worth of state grants from the Colorado Agricultural Value Added Development Board… a branch of the state’s Department of Agriculture.

Biodiesel Magazine reports the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy… or ACRE… grants will actually help three facilities:

In partnership with Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST) in Lakewood, Colo., was awarded $100,000 to assist with the implementation of two farm-scale oilseed crushing and biodiesel production facilities. According to Raphael Shay, sustainability project manager for ICAST, one of the facilities will be at a feedlot in Stratton, Colo. “By producing meal with the oilseeds, we can actually make the project viable,” he said. “The biodiesel in this case is the coproduct. We’re hoping to use this as a demonstration project so that other producers see how it can be done.”

The facility is expected to be operational this summer and will produce 100,000 gallons of biodiesel per year. The glycerin byproduct might be diluted with wastewater and sprayed onto fields, or it might be used as a feed additive.

Shay said the location for the second facility hasn’t been finalized, but it might be built at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Central Great Plains Research Station in Akron, Colo. There, dryland canola and camelina oilseeds from test fields would be crushed for use as a straight vegetable oil fuel or converted into biodiesel to be used in research center tractors. Students from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., will design and build the oilseed fuel operations at the research center. Shay said students from the University of Denver are expected to work on a model business plan for farm-scale biodiesel production facilities for ICAST.

“Speaking with producers, one of the problems that we found [often] is the very unstable price of fuel, which makes it really hard for them to plan whether their farms will be viable or not,” Shay said. “By producing biodiesel with on-farm crops, we therefore isolate the producers from price variability.”

Colorado State University’s Golden Plains Area Extension Service received the second ACRE grant. A $50,000 research grant will be used to evaluate how energy crops should be rotated on northeastern Colorado dryland farms.

The article goes on to say that ICAST has been taking a mobile biodiesel demonstration unit… called Big SID (Seeds Into Diesel)… around Colorado and Wyoming, teaching farmers and ranchers how they can make their own biodiesel on the fam.

Biodiesel, Government

JetBlue Plans to Test Biofuels

John Davis

jetblueIn the wake of Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines and Japan Airlines successfully testing biodiesel in their airliners, discount flyer JetBlue has announced it will try biofuels in its Airbus A320-200 by the spring of 2010.

This story from Flightglobal.com says the company plans to use non-food feedstocks:

Feedstocks being considered for the trial include jatropha, algae, waste forest residues, organic waste streams and the non-edible component of corn plants, corn stover, the spokesman says.

The biofuel should have the same properties as standard jet fuel and should not require engine or auxiliary power unit (APU) modifications, the spokesman adds.

And if I know JetBlue, the company will probably find a way to do it cheaper than everyone else.

Biodiesel