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Show Features California’s Alt Energy Efforts

John Davis

bigenergygambleThere was a fascinating show on PBS tonight that featured the various efforts in California to change how the state will meet some substantial challenges in its growing energy consumption, while reducing the amount of greenhouse gases pumped into the environment.

The episode of Nova, entitled “The Big Energy Gamble” talked about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s aggressive plan to have one-third of the state’s energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2020. Right now, the amount is closer to about 8 percent.

Experts point out how these goals are achievable, especially since California is plentiful in sunshine and wind, helping the solar and wind energy industries in the state. And with improvements in technology every day, those technologies are getting better and more efficient every day.

Usually, I don’t want to steer you away from spending your time with Domestic Fuel (you don’t REALLY need anyone else for your renewable energy updates, do you?). But I thought this show was pretty good (pretty much the usual for Nova) and worth a watch.

Since PBS puts many of its shows on the Web, you can click here and see the episode for yourself. Check it out!

Miscellaneous, Solar, Wind

Biodiesel Brings New Museum to DC

John Davis

usbIn addition to President Barack Obama making the 800-mile journey from Illinois to Washington, DC… ala Abraham Lincoln… a mobile museum powered by biodiesel also made that historic trip.

The United Soybean Board says the soybean checkoff-funded biodiesel has been moving the “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America Tour” mobile museum across the U.S. since last spring to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and will continue through 2010:

“This partnership has provided a good way to spread facts about soy biodiesel in urban areas,” says Phil Bradshaw, a soybean farmer from Griggsville, Ill., and USB Vice Chairman.

As of last November, the mobile museum exhibit had over 100,000 visitors. The presidential inaugural committee invited it to be a part of “The Presidential Experience” exhibit near the Washington, D.C., convention center. The theme of the 2009 presidential inauguration is “A Birth of New Freedom.” This phrase is taken from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as the inauguration also commemorates the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth.

This mobile Lincoln museum gives people across the United States the opportunity to learn the story of Lincoln as well as view some items from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. A 3-D presentation of Lincoln’s famous address to Springfield upon leaving for Washington, D.C., is a highlight of the mobile museum and sure to be especially meaningful and timely at the 2009 presidential inauguration.

The mobile museum will stay stationary in DC throughout this month.

Biodiesel

More Biodiesel Producers Meet Quality Standard

John Davis

Two more biodiesel producers have been added to the roster of those companies meeting an important quality assurance standard.
nbb-logo3
This press release from the National Biodiesel Board congratulates Nova Biofuels’ 60-million-gallon capacity operation in Seneca, Illinois and the 30-million-gallon Prairie Pride, Inc. soybean-crushing and biodiesel refinery in Nevada, Missouri for meeting the NBB’s quality assurance program, BQ-9000:

“BQ-9000 certification confirms the commitment to the quality standards we began with at the onset of production last spring,” said Dave Adams, Nova Biofuels-Seneca Quality Manager. “Participating in BQ-9000 provides additional assurance to our customer base that we produce high quality biodiesel and the product they buy from us is produced through a certified process. We recognize that the consistent production of quality biodiesel is critical to our success and to our customers.”

BQ-9000 is a voluntary fuel quality assurance program, overseen by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) and adopted by the National Biodiesel Board and the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. BQ-9000 couples the foundations of universally accepted quality management systems with the product specification ASTM D 6751, and has become the premier quality designation in the industry. The program covers storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution and fuel management practices. Any biodiesel producer or marketer is eligible to become either a BQ-9000 Producer or BQ-9000 Marketer.

Thirty-two biodiesel production facilities have been certified under the BQ-9000 program as producers with another 14 certified as marketers.

Biodiesel

New Nebraska Ethanol Board Officers

Cindy Zimmerman

The Nebraska Ethanol Board elected new officers for the new year at the organization’s recent board meeting.

Mike ThedeMike Thede of Palmer was elected Chairman of the board. Thede represents general farming interests on the board and also serves as president of the Howard County Farm Bureau and sits on the United Soybean Board.

Thede said that he is optimistic about the future of ethanol in light of sales figures and the recently renewed mandate for biofuels. “2008 was a record setting year for ethanol sales in Nebraska,” Thede said. “In September, 81% of all motor fuels sold in Nebraska contained ethanol. E10 blends were selling from four to ten cents less per gallon than regular gasoline, which saved Nebraska drivers almost $36 million.”

The other officers include Steve Hanson of Elsie as Vice Chairman and Tim Else of Belvidere as secretary. Hanson is the wheat representative on the board while Else represents sorghum producers.

Ethanol, News

Alternative Energy in Inaugural Address

Cindy Zimmerman

ObamaAmong the challenges outlined by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address today was a nod to the need for alternative energy sources in our nation.

“We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories,” the new president said as part of his paragraph on “work that needs to be done” in America.

President Obama also noted that “each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet,” which highlights two reasons to continue on the road to domestic fuel – energy independence and the environment.

Last week, Obama outlined his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which includes doubling the production of renewable energy over three years, creating jobs in the development of new energy technologies and increasing the energy efficiency of millions of American homes. Now that he is in office, the challenge will be to implement that plan.

Energy, Ethanol, Government, News

Book Review – A Declaration of Energy Independence by Jay Hakes

Joanna Schroeder

I was recently visiting the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, a museum focused on one of the largest dinosaur finds in California. And I couldn’t help but think of where oil comes from.

Dinosaurs = oil.
No more dinosaurs = no more oil

La Brea Tar Pits

Not exactly. As pointed out in the article “20 Things You Didn’t Know About Oil” (Discover magazine July 2008), “If you are a creationist, crude oil was formed by thousands of years of heat and pressure applied to the carcasses of plants and animals that died in the Great Flood. If you’re not, you think oil comes from dinosaurs, right?”

Okay, so regardless of where oil comes from we’re not getting more. So let’s get a grip and learn about how we can reduce our nonrenewable fossil fuel use.

A Declaration of Energy IndependenceEnter A Declaration of Energy Independence written by Jay Hakes. Throughout the book, Hakes identifies seven solutions that can “help reduce dependence on foreign oil, strengthen the economy, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.”

This was a good read. Hakes set his book apart from others by not giving a history lesson on the Middle East but giving us a much needed history lesson on America’s energy security efforts –the good the bad and the ugly.

It’s interesting to note that Hakes has been criticized for including global climate change in a book about energy security. However, Hakes points out rather convincingly (as does Thomas Friedman in Hot, Flat and Crowded) that energy independence and global climate change go hand-in-hand. It is irresponsible to develop an energy plan that remains dependent on fossil fuels especially when fossil fuels are the largest contributor to global climate change.  Read More

book reviews

Feds Give Cape Cod Wind Project Thumbs Up

John Davis

offshore_wind_turbineA 130 giant wind turbine project planned for off the shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts has received the green light from a key federal agency, but it still faces some opposition from one of its powerful neighbors.

This story from the Boston Herald says the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service has given a preliminary approval to the $1 billion Cape Wind project calling it a “milestone” for offshore wind energy:

The decision was expected because a draft MMS report last year had already signaled the agency’s favorable view toward the project, which calls for 130 giant wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, costing more than $1 billion.

But there was some doubt that the MMS’s final report could be issued before President George Bush left office and before opponents, including some Massachusetts congressional members, could possibly torpedo the project.

Now MMS has release its long-awaited final draft – and it will go through a 30-day review.

Cape Wind still needs to get other government permits. But MMS’s OK is considered crucial.

Critics have bitterly denounced the Cape Wind project as spoiling one of the most scenic off-shore sites in America. They’ve also said it’s an unnecessary blight just a few miles off the coast, considering new technology is emerging that could locate wind farms farther out to sea.

Ironically, one of the biggest opponents of the project is Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), who is a close ally of President-elect Barack Obama… who recently said that wind energy and other renewables are key to the nation’s economic recovery (see my post from January 16, 2009). Maybe those two should talk.

Government, Wind

Iowa’s E85 Sales Hold Steady in 3rd Quarter 2008

irfaThe Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has announced that E85 sales in Iowa remained strong during the third quarter of 2008 despite rapidly falling gasoline prices. According to the Iowa Department of Revenue, sales of E85 by Iowa retailers reached 2,208,837 gallons during July, August, and September of 2008 – more than double the 1,270,587 gallons sold during the same period in 2007.

“Despite a narrower gap between E85 and regular gasoline prices at the end of last year, E85 sales remained strong,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “I talked with several retailers that had seen some customers switch from E85 to E10, but they stated that many preferred the home-grown, renewable fuel. E85 is a premier product that many consumers seek out because of their concerns over energy security and global climate change. As gasoline prices head back toward $2 a gallon, E85 remains a great choice for consumers – not just for energy security and the environment, but for the pocketbook as well.”

Iowa currently has 116 public and private E85 outlets. A list of all the E85 stations can be found at www.e85refueling.com. Retailers interested in installing an E85 pump can apply for a grant from the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Information and a grant application may be found at: www.iowalifechanging.com/business/renewablefuels.html.

blends, E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Ethanol Plants to be Auctioned

Cindy Zimmerman

Less than one year after the merger of VeraSun Energy and US BioEnergy, seven of the ethanol plants acquired in the merger are scheduled to be sold at auction.

VeraSunThe auction will take place between March 16 and March 31. The merger of the two companies was final on April 1, 2008.

US BioenergyPlants to be auctioned include two in Nebraska, two in Iowa and one each in North Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan – all were originally owned by U.S. BioEnergy. The only former U.S. BioEnergy plant not included in the auction is the Marion, South Dakota facility because it is backed by a different lender, but it is currently idle. In fact, only four of VeraSun’s 17 plants are still producing ethanol at this point.

Potential buyers for the plants are staying confidential, but all eyes are on POET. Last week, POET CEO Jeff Broin said they were “in talks with several companies” when he was asked about future acquisitions. “POET today is considering all its options,” Broin said during the press conference to announce the start-up of their pilot cellulosic facility. “We have been looking at acquisitions of many facilities over the past six months.”

The VeraSun plants are being auctioned as as part of a bankruptcy financing agreement with lender AgStar Financial Services to provide an additional $30 million in debtor-in-possession financing to VeraSun.

Ethanol, News

Boulder Goes For 90% Ethanol, Biodiesel Vehicles

John Davis

boulderThe vast majority of city government vehicles in Boulder, Colorado will run on biodiesel or ethanol within the next few years, if city planners have their way.

This story from the Boulder Daily Camera says that the city hopes to raise last year’s goal of 60 percent of new vehicles purchased running on alternatives to 90 percent this year:

Given that the fleet’s average vehicle age is seven years, that means that within just a few years, the overwhelming majority of the vehicles the city owns will either be hybrids or capable of getting by on biodiesel or ethanol.

Just a couple of years ago, [Joe Castro, who manages Boulder’s fleet] said, finding alternative-fuel versions of some cars was tough. When gas prices hit their peak over the last year, he said, that started to change.

“Now that more manufacturers are providing alternative fuel vehicles, we can cover a lot more of our needs,” he said. “Prior to 2009 we had a hard time finding light-duty trucks with alternative fuel options. In 2009, you’re seeing a lot more light-duty trucks with E85 ethanol” — that is, gasoline that’s 85 percent ethanol.

The city’s fleet includes cars and trucks that are hybrids or vehicles that burn ethanol or biodiesel — a version of diesel that’s generated from organic sources such as vegetable oil.

The article goes on to say that while some critics have tried to knock ethanol, the city officials have analyzed the benefits and found that it’s the best alternative to non-renewable petroleum.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News