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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

EPA Approves GreenHunter Biodiesel

John Davis

greenhunterTexas-based GreenHunter Biofuels continues its road to recovery after Hurricane Ike nearly wiped its biodiesel operation last September.

Back in November, I told you how the refinery went back on line. Now, according to this company press release, GreenHunter Biodiesel has been approved for the on-road market in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency:

Previously, as a part of its vertical integration strategy in the biodiesel business, GreenHunter announced a distribution strategy that included selling biodiesel in the overseas markets as well as owning distribution assets in the marine market in the Gulf of Mexico. The Company plans to service those markets with biodiesel produced from its 105 million-gallon-per-year (nameplate capacity) biodiesel refinery in Houston, TX, the largest in the country. Gaining access to the on-road market as a necessary part of the registration process, GreenHunter recently elected to acquire emissions and health effects test data originated from a third party industry participant.

Company officials believe that rising diesel consumption and renewable fuel mandates will combine to make biodiesel demand grow by double digits for some time.

Biodiesel

Kiwis Make First Jatropha Biodiesel Flight

John Davis

Over the last month, I’ve been telling you how some airlines have been racing to become the first to use biodiesel in a commercial flight… whether it was camelina-based biodiesel from Montana or algae-based biodiesel. Both of those flights are scheduled for January, but it looks like a jatropha-based biodiesel flight will beat them to the punch.

airnewzealandThis story from the gas2.0 blog says Air New Zealand has become the first airline to test a 50/50 blend of the green fuel in a Boeing 747-400 passenger jet:

The flight lasted two hours and ran one of the plane’s Rolls-Royce engines on the jatropha biodiesel blend. Air New Zealand has previously stated that they want to become the world’s most sustainable airline and hopes that by 2013, 10% of its flights will be powered by biofuel blends such as the jatropha biodiesel blend used in this test flight.

Air New Zealand said the the jatropha used to make the fuel came from South Eastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania) and India. They also claim that the oil was produced from Jatropha seeds grown on “environmentally sustainable farms.”

As a second generation biofuel, jatropha is grown on land that doesn’t compete with food. Jatropha requires almost no care and very little water. Another major benefit of jatropha is that, due to its ability to take hold in harsh wastelands, it can be used to help stop erosion in these areas and reclaim them for agricultural production.

The only drawback to the story is that Air New Zealand expects that it will take four years of development to make sure there is enough jatropha biodiesel for its 10-percent-of-its-flights goal.

Biodiesel

Top Ethanol Stories of 2008

Cindy Zimmerman

Here is the Domestic Fuel list of the Top Ten ethanol stories of 2008.

Top Ten1. RFS Passes Test – The ethanol industry won a major victory August when the EPA denied a request for a partial waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) as the nation’s producers surpassed the nine billion gallon goal for 2008 to produce over 10 billion this year according to the Renewable Fuels Association.

2. Food Versus Fuel Fight – Feathers and fur flew for the better part of the year as food makers fought to blame ethanol producers for the rising cost of groceries. The agriculture industry divided against itself with meat animal producers crying fowl over high feed prices as the Grocery Manufacturers waged a high-priced PR campaign specifically designed to change public opinion about ethanol.

3. Ups and Downs – It was the best of years and it was the worst of years when it came to prices. Gas, corn and ethanol prices shot up like a rocket for half the year and spent the second half falling like a rock. Meanwhile, food prices have yet to come back down and food companies are just about the only ones reporting profits this year.

4. Election Connection – Ethanol became an issue on the campaign trail in the contest between McCain and Obama. While Senator McCain raised major concerns among agriculture and ethanol producers with his comments about ending subsidies, the president-elect was unwavering in his support for the fuel and the farmers of his home state of Illinois.

5. VeraSun Sets as POET Reigns – VeraSun was shining brightly in 2008, reporting a 500 percent revenue increase over 2007 in August. But the company burned out like a shooting star, filing bankruptcy less than two months later. Meanwhile, POET became the undisputed king of the ethanol empire, opening five new facilities this year to make a total of 26 plants with a combined capacity of 1.54 billion gallons a year.

6. Next Generation Exploration – Cellulosic ethanol fueled cars in the 2008 American LeMans Series and while dozens of researchers claimed to have found the “key” to making the next generation of ethanol commercially viable the pudding has yet to be proven and the pressure is on to produce enough to meet the RFS for cellulosic in 2010.

7. Feedstock Frenzy – As criticism of corn ethanol grew in 2008, so did the search for new feedstocks. Alternatives in the hopper include wood chips, switchgrass, miscanthus, “sugar corn,” corn stover, orange peels and municipal waste.

8. E85 Pumps Up – It seemed like new E-85 pumps were opening up every day around the country in 2008. The number of stations offering E-85 is now almost 1900 – an increase of more than 40 percent over 2007. Only six states currently are without any E-85 pumps with Minnesota way out front at 354.

9. Blending In – Blender pumps started sprouting up in several states in 2008. The pumps give flexible fuel vehicle owners the choice of filling up with E20, E30, E40 or E85. States leading the blender pump charge this year were Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota.

10. EPIC Saga Ends – The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) will no longer exist after the end of 2008. EPIC’s most notable accomplishments in less than four years include standardizing a recognizable brand for ethanol in the “e” logo and getting the Indy Racing League to use 100 percent ethanol. The organization is now becoming part of the newly-formed Growth Energy.

Ethanol, News

Ethanol Sales Top Gasoline in Brazil

brazil_map1According to the AFP, the National Petroleum Agency reported that in Brazil, ethanol sales for 2008 are passing the sales of gasoline for the first time. The article said that the figures only take into account sales of hydrated ethanol that can be used in its pure form in most cars in Brazil, and not anhydrous ethanol that is used just to blend with gasoline.

Sales of hydrated ethanol, through October, hit 15.8 billion liters (4.2 billion gallons), up 44.9 percent from a year earlier, it added. Brazil is a leading producer of ethanol from sugar cane, the world number two after the United States, which uses corn as its base plant. But about 90 percent of cars sold in Brazil’s market can be run on either ethanol, gasoline or a mix of both in any proportion. Less than 10 percent of the U.S. vehicles sold run on high blends of ethanol.
Ethanol costs about .63 cents USD per liter compared to 1.07 USD locally for a liter of gasoline.

E85, Ethanol

Toro Turns to Biodiesel

John Davis

toroA company famous for its lawn tractors, mowers and snow blowers is offering more of its products to run on biodiesel.

This article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune says Twin Cities-based Toro Co. is getting more requests for biodiesel-powered equipment… and it is responding:

Toro Co. has experienced an increase in demand for biodiesel products in the past five years and has responded by offering biodiesel options on more of its commercial equipment. The latest offerings for the 2009 model year are the Toro Dingo TX 525 wide track and TX 525 narrow track diesel compact-utility loaders. Toro’s biodiesel engines are capable of running with blends of as much as 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel. Compared with petroleum-based diesel fuels, biodiesel releases less carbon dioxide and particulate matter and fewer unburned hydrocarbons.

Biodiesel

Iowa Agency Offers Energy Independence Plan

John Davis

iowaenergyindepenceAn Iowa agency designed to find the best ideas for energy efficiency and production in the state has released its 2008 Plan for Energy Independence.

This story from the Environment News Service says the Office of Energy Independence has also issued about $6 million for half a dozen renewable energy projects across the state:

Under the plan, Iowa’s Office of Energy Independence will enact an energy efficiency portfolio standard, expand energy education, promote smart growth and support workforce development in energy.

Utilities are affected too. The OEI plans to develop coordinated and uniform core utility energy efficiency programs, and it will make energy efficiency the highest priority in utilities’ planning processes.

For renewable energy, the OEI plans to promote and ensure long-term growth of large utility-scale wind and promote small-scale distributed generation.

The OEI also intends to promote the development of an environmentally sound biomass industry in Iowa in part by developing a biomass feedstock supply infrastructure for second generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol derived from non-food plants. The plan calls for support for development and deployment of integrated biorefineries.

The article goes on to mention how the Office of Energy Independence is using the Power Fund to provide funding for six projects totaling $5.87 million. Two of the contracts are with Iowa State University… $2.37 million for making ethanol plants more efficient and $1.69 million for more efficient, cost-effective thin film solar cells for solar-electric energy conversion; two contracts with the University of Northern Iowa… $400,000 to create an economically competitive hydrogen fuel cell and $78,681 to develop less costly dye sensitized solar cells; and two contracts with private companies… $250,000 to RENEW Energy Systems of Osage, Iowa to build a mobile biomass briquetter and $1.08 million to Amana Farms, Inc. of Amana, Iowa to turn crop, livestock and industrial waste into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion.

Ethanol, Hydrogen, News, Solar, Wind