ACE Conference 2026

Philly Utility to Run on Wind, Biodiesel Power

John Davis

peco2A Philadelphia-based utility has announced plans to use wind and biodiesel power, along with more hybrid vehicles to help power its headquarters.

This story from the Philadelphia Business Journal says Peco Energy Co. wants to buy enough wind-generated electricity to cover 15 percent of its power needs at its Center City Philadelphia headquarters through the end of 2011:

The electric-and-gas utility said it will buy 4,050 megawatt hours of wind-generated power per year over a three-year period that began last month. The amount represents a 50 percent annual increase from Peco’s last wind energy purchase for the building, which was from 2005 through November 2008.

The deal is part of an environmental initiative on which Peco is spending more than $15 million. Under the initiative, Peco has transformed the roof of its headquarters into a green roof, is replacing the message board atop its headquarters with one that uses light-emitting diodes and boosting the number of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles in its fleet.

Peco is owned by Chicago-based Exelon Corp., which is trying to offset or reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15 million tons nationwide by the year 2020.

Biodiesel, Wind

E85 Fueled Car Beats Record

ok-mustangAccording to NEWSOK, Brent Hajek, an Oklahoma farmer and race car museum owner, topped 252.78 miles per hour at a race while using E85. His 1969 Mach 1 Mustang beat the previous record of 246 miles per hour.

“Basically most of those cars in that class are the nitro cars,” Hajek said. “When we heard that we thought it was going to be the equivalent of taking a pea shooter to a bazooka contest. But we got to playing around with this car and thought ‘this thing is really making some real horsepower [with E85]’”

He sees signs at gas stations that boast “no alcohol in our gas,” and he knows that a lot of people believe it doesn’t perform as well as pure gasoline. But Hajek offers a challenge.

“You say it cuts your performance?” he asks. “Why don’t you go out there and see if you can go faster than we did.”

PHOTO CREDIT: PATRICK QUIRK

E85, Ethanol, News

Colorado State Hopes to Use 100% Wind

John Davis

Colorado State University officials hope to one day power their school using 100 percent wind power.

This story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan says the school plans to apply in February to put up an 8,000-acre wind farm that could power the entire university:

CSU officials said earlier this year the wind farm could be operational in 2010. The wind power from the farm won’t go directly to CSU, but rather be pumped into the power grid as part of the larger energy portfolio.

The university said in March 2007 the wind farm would include at least 25 wind turbines capable of producing 65 megawatts with the potential to produce 200 megawatts.

CSU uses about 16 megawatts during peak demand.

Interim university President Tony Frank said he thinks the project makes sense both financially and from the standpoint of giving students and faculty hands-on experience with turbines.

“I can’t see a focus on renewable energy being a bad trait or anything other than more important as we go forward,” Frank said. “We always try and ask ourselves, do these (projects) make fiscal sense for us? We don’t want to be doing things just to be doing them.”

The biggest issue might be what to do when the wind doesn’t blow enough to power the turbines. But after just recently driving through that area of Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado (and you should see the number of windmills in that region), it seems to me that will NEVER be a problem!

Wind

Colorado Hands Out $620K in Ethanol, Biodiesel, Wind & Biomass Grants

John Davis

coloradodeptofag1The State of Colorado has handed out $620,000 in grants for research and development into a variety of renewable energy sources, including ethanol, biodiesel, biomass and wind energy.

This press release from the state Department of Agriculture says the 14 grants have been hand out through the “Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy” (ACRE) program:

“ACRE is a statewide effort to promote energy-related projects beneficial to Colorado’s agriculture industry,” said Tom Lipetzky, Markets Division Director at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “The grants awarded by this project are an important step toward helping our agriculture industry to be a leading participant in the new energy economy.”

Projects must in some way benefit or be tied to agricultural production or the utilization of agricultural land or water. Grants were awarded in three categories: feasibility studies, project participation and research.

Feasibility studies address the viability of establishing an agricultural energy-related project and may address the market for the product, engineering requirements, economic viability, environmental concerns, legal requirements, management, and other necessary study components. A maximum grant amount of $25,000 was awarded to three feasibility projects:Read More

Biodiesel, biomass, Ethanol, Government, News, Wind

Nebraska Wind Farm Nears Completion

John Davis

The biggest wind farm in Nebraska’s is set to be operating commercially in the first few months of 2009by the first quarter of 2009, officials say.

This story from the Columbus (NE) Telegram says Elkhorn Ridge developers are finishing up testing of the wind turbines that are located near Bloomfield in north-central Nebraska:

midwestwindenergyColumbus-based Nebraska Public Power District has signed a 20-year agreement with Midwest Wind Energy, a private developer, to buy 80 megawatts of electricity from the $140 million wind farm.

Officials say the partnership is the first of its kind in Nebraska, a public power state. As a Community Based Energy Development or C-BED project, Nebraska residents will own 33 percent of Elkhorn Ridge…

When Elkhorn Ridge is completed, the 27 turbines will dwarf any others in Nebraska. Each can produce 3 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 250 to 300 homes. The project can serve about 25,000 residences annually.

By comparison, the two wind turbines operated by Lincoln Electric System north of Lincoln have a combined generation capacity of 1.2 megawatts.

Several other utilities in the state will get power from the wind farm.

Wind

NY Looks to Build $50 Mil Alt Fuels Lab

John Davis

The State of New York wants to put up a $50 million alternative fuels testing facility in Malta in Upstate New York.

patersonThis story from the Albany (NY) Business Review says Gov. David Paterson made the announcement about the lab in a letter to president-elect Barack Obama, asking for $38 million in federal dollars to build it:

In his letter to Obama, Paterson said the lab is a key way “to keep the United States competitive in the field of energy research and development.”

The facility will test light- and heavy-duty vehicles and develop technology to retrofit older vehicles to cut down on their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists at the lab will research a variety of fuels, such as hydrogen fuel cells.

Proponents say the lab will benefit the area’s education sector and the area’s energy and transportation sectors.

The article goes on to say that students will be trained to be able to take jobs in the rising renewable energy sector.

Government, Hydrogen

North Dakota Group Wants Biodiesel, Ethanol & Wind Mandate

John Davis

A group advocating for the development and use of renewable energy, including biomass, biodiesel, ethanol, carbon and wind, wants a renewable fuels standard in North Dakota.

ndareThis story from Biodiesel Magazine says the North Dakota Alliance for Renewable Energy (NDARE) has issued a proposal for how the state can be more renewable energy friendly:

Regarding biofuels, NDARE recommended that the state enhance the production, availability, distribution and use of ethanol and biodiesel within the state. This would include adopting a renewable fuels standard mandating the sale of E10 and B5 at retail locations. NDARE also recommended strategically developing renewable fuel infrastructure throughout the state, including the installation of blender pumps.

North Dakota currently has a production incentive program in place for ethanol. It’s a counter-cyclical program, which means it’s designed to assist producers when ethanol prices are unusually low or corn prices are unusually high. When these prices are normal or better than normal, the incentive is phased out. NDARE recommended continuing this program for ethanol and establishing similar counter-cyclical production incentives for biodiesel producers.

The organization suggests that the state foster the development of next-generation biofuels, which includes the development of agricultural and native feedstocks needed to produce cellulosic biofuels. NDARE recommended the state invest a portion of its general fund surplus into a commercial-scale application of next-generation energy technologies, such as cellulosic biomass conversion of perennial grasses and agricultural residues.

Members of NDARE come from farm and commodity groups, investor-owned utilities, rural electrical cooperatives, the state government, universities, financial institutions and private sector developers. You can read their recommendations by clicking here.

Biodiesel, biomass, Ethanol, News, Wind

Petroleum Chief to Address Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Jack GerardThe new president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API) will address the nation’s ethanol producers at the first industry conference of 2009.

Jack Gerard, who was appointed head of the API in November, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker for the 14th Annual National Ethanol Conference: Policy & Marketing, which will be held February 23-25 in San Antonio. Gerard was selected to succeed Red Cavaney, who headed the API for more than ten years.

Registration for the National Ethanol Conference is available on-line now.

conferences, Ethanol, News, RFA

Ethanol Report Year in Review

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Report PodcastIn this edition of the “Ethanol Report” podcast, we take a look at 2008 – a challenging year full of surprises for the ethanol industry. This report features comments from this past year made by Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President Bob Dinneen, RFA Chairman Chris Standlee of Abengoa Energy, former Secretary of Agriculture John Block, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, and RFA Communications Director Matt Hartwig.

You can listen to “The Ethanol Report” on-line here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/ethanol-report-24.mp3]

Or you can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Audio, Ethanol Report, News, RFA

Hydrogen Could Power Big Rigs

John Davis

hydrogentruckWhile biodiesel might be grabbing the headlines as the ideal alternative fuel, especially for diesel-powered semi-trucks, hydrogen could also become a viable green source.

This story from FleetOwner.com says a Los Angeles company specializing in providing hydrogen power systems for all automobiles says the big rigs could be running on hydrogen:

According to Hydrogen Hybrid Corp., modifying a Class 8 truck with its 8x Mega Fuel Cell System can produce enough hydrogen on board to cut the truck’s emissions by 30 to 95%, increase fuel mileage 30 to 50% and extend engine life.

Measuring 24x18x18 in., the fuel cell system works with the truck’s engine to produce over 2,500 liters of hydrogen per hour, the company said, converting water into a hydrogen fuel using resonant electrolysis.

In addition, the system uses fuel additives to increase engine lubrication and heat exchangers to maximize compression combustion in the engine, according to Hydrogen Hybrid Corp. The company added that testing showed an increase of by more than 3 mpg while idle gallons per hour were decreased from 1 gallon per hour to .1 gallons per hour.

Hydrogen