NEC 2027

Miners to Learn How to Use Biodiesel

John Davis

regbiodiesel1Renewable Energy Group, the leading biodiesel producer and marketer in the country, is helping miners learn how to use biodiesel in their underground operations.

REG will hold a webinar titled, “Biodiesel Utilization in Underground Mines: Successfully Meeting MSHA DPM Requirements” March 5, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST.

REG has been successfully supplying biodiesel to the underground mining industry since 2005. Many REG mining customers made the switch from #2ULSD to 100 percent biodiesel in all of their underground equipment in part because biodiesel creates less diesel particulate matter than conventional diesel.

“Biodiesel is one of the tools available to the underground mining industry that has proven effective in reducing DPM emissions,” according to a Biodiesel Magazine interview with Bill Pomroy, a spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. “Inspectors have seen DPM levels drop from 300-800 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 50-200 micrograms. The only change that was made was to switch from straight diesel to B100.”

Jon Scharingson, director of marketing at REG will be hosting the educational forum. In the Webinar, Scharingson will focus on how underground mining operations can significantly reduce DPM emissions and integrate B100 into existing infrastructure/engines. Those in the underground mining industry interested in taking advantage of the benefits biodiesel has to provide can also learn how to partner with the biodiesel experts at REG.

There’s no cost for the event, but they do ask you register ahead of time. Here’s the Webinar mining link. Or, you can call Alicia Clancy at 515-239-8118 to sign up.

Biodiesel

Two Steps to Turn Biomass into Biofuel

Cindy Zimmerman

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have reportedly developed a two-step method to convert the cellulose in raw biomass into biofuel.

The process, published in a recent Journal of the American Chemical Society issue, uses untreated, inedible biomass as the starting material.

According to a story from the University of Wisconsin, the first step in the process is the conversion of cellulose into the “platform” chemical 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), from which a variety of valuable commodity chemicals can be made. “Other groups have demonstrated some of the individual steps involved in converting biomass to HMF, starting with glucose or fructose,” says Ronald Raines, a professor with appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Chemistry. “What we did was show how to do the whole process in one step, starting with biomass itself.”

In the second step, Raines says they converted HMF into the promising biofuel 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). Taken together, the overall yield for this two-step biomass-to-biofuel process was 9 percent, meaning that 9 percent of the cellulose in their corn stover samples was ultimately converted into biofuel. Raines says DMF has the same energy content as gasoline, doesn’t mix with water and is compatible with the existing liquid transportation fuel infrastructure, having already been used as a gasoline additive.

biomass, Cellulosic, Research

EPA to Introduce RINs System

Cindy Zimmerman

The Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a webinar next week on a new system for controlling renewable fuel credits known as RINs (renewable identification numbers).

EPAThe webinar will lay out EPA concepts for the new RIN Moderated Transaction System (MTS) and solicit feedback from regulated industry. According to an EPA announcement, webinar participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions, and discuss EPA’s MTS concepts via e-mail after the webinar. The webinar will not address general RFS2 questions other than those specifically related to the MTS.

The webinar is scheduled for February 25 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. EST and registration is limited to 200 participants. However, the presentation, including audio, will be posted on EPA’s website within a few days after the webinar has taken place. Registration is available by sending an e-mail with the subject line “EPA MTS Webinar Registration” to FuelsProgramsReporting@epa.gov.

RinstarThe Clean Fuels Clearinghouse applauded EPA’s announcement of plans for the new Modulated Transaction System.

The company, which developed the RINSTAR renewable fuel registry, has been working in collaboration with EPA since December to serve the market need for valid clean fuel credits.

RINSTAR is currently the nation’s only renewable fuel registry, which has been operational since September 1, 2007, the first day the Renewable Fuels Standard was implemented.

Energy, Government

Ethanol Outlook Brighter

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite bankruptcies and attacks by environmentalists, the outlook for ethanol is improving, according to the chairman of USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board.

USDA BangeUSDA’s February corn outlook says ethanol blender and producer margins have recently improved and weekly production of gasoline blends with ethanol is on the rise.

“We’ve seen relatively lower corn prices as of late and even producers now are going to go back in the black as opposed to being in the red before,” Outlook Board Chairman Gerald Bange said. “Whereas just a few weeks ago there was no real incentive to produce ethanol using either corn or sorghum, what we’re seeing now is somewhat positive returns for the production of ethanol. So things are looking a little bit better in the ethanol industry.”

Bange says the current blending credit is sufficient to provide a positive margin for blending as well.

Ethanol, News, USDA

Ethanol Ten Year Projections

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA’s Economic Research Service last week released its latest long term forecasts for the food and agricultural sector.

USDA ERSFor ethanol, USDA projects increases in corn-based ethanol production to slow over the next few years, but ethanol demand is expected to remain high and affect the production, use, and prices of farm commodities throughout the sector.

According to the report, “continued increases are projected for corn used to produce ethanol over the next 10 years, although the pace slows from the rapid gains of the past several years. Projected gains after 2009/10 are largely in line with moderate expected increases in overall gasoline usage in the United States.”

The projections assume the tax credit available to blenders of ethanol and the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported fuel ethanol remain in effect. By 2018, USDA predicts that ethanol production will account for about 35 percent of corn use and corn-based ethanol production will exceed 9 percent of annual gasoline consumption.

corn, Ethanol, News, USDA

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