NEC 2027

Florida Funds Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Florida’s Farm to Fuel initiative is helping to fund the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol facility in the state.

FL Farm to FuelVerenium Corporation has been awarded a $7 million grant as part of the initiative and will work with Florida agribusiness company Lykes Brothers to build the plant in Highlands county. Lykes will provide the necessary feedstock from approximately 20,000 acres adjacent to the site.

During a press conference in Tallahassee today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said, “The message today is that Florida’s agricultural industry can produce fuel crops on a major commercial scale without sacrificing food crops. This is a major step forward for our ‘Farm to Fuel’ program and hopefully will serve as a catalyst for additional investment by companies interested in producing renewable energy in Florida.”

This $25 million program provides matching grants to bio-energy firms for demonstration, commercialization and research and development projects utilizing Florida-grown biomass or crops. Verenium was also awarded an additional incentive package from the State of Florida.

Verenium’s conversion process originated from the landmark technology developed by a team led by Dr. Lonnie Ingram at the University of Florida.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, News

Ag Secretary Hearing Touches on Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

President-elect Obama’s choice for Secretary of Agriculture sailed through his Senate confirmation hearings this week and may be confirmed in time to take office on Inauguration Day.

VilsackAs expected, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack faced no opposition in the Senate and no controversial questioning.

With regard to biofuels in general and ethanol in particular, Vilsack stressed the importance of moving quickly into second generation cellulosic ethanol to address the issue of using food crops to make fuel. Vilsack said when it comes to ethanol, it is important to realize it’s “not just corn, and not just the Midwest can benefit.”

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) questioned Vilsack about the “blend wall” issue and the need to increase the level of ethanol approved for regular vehicles above ten percent. While Vilsack did not directly answer the question, he stressed that “USDA has a very, very important role to play in making sure we provide the research and the focus and direction to meet whatever the requirements are,” and said he has already spoken with the nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency about the biofuels issue and how they will work together on it.

Watch Thune’s questioning of Vilsack here on YouTube:

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government, News

Galva Holstein Ag Winner of Ethanol Marketing Award

galva-holstein-logoIowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recently announced that Galva Holstein Ag of Galva, Iowa is one of the 2009 winners of the Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award. The award was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to sell renewable fuels.

“Iowa is the leading producer of renewable fuels and it is retailers and distributors, like [Galva Holstein], [who] are a link between that industry and the customers who are using the product,” Northey said. “Galva Holstein Ag has made promoting renewable fuels an important part of their businesses and these awards are an opportunity to recognize them for their efforts.”

Delayne Johnson of Galva Holstein Ag in Galva is that 2009 Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award winner for their efforts to promote ethanol and expand the availability of higher ethanol blends. They have been long-term advocates of renewable fuels and this year were the first fuel retailers in Iowa to install an ethanol blender pump, which allows customers with FlexFuel vehicles to select from a number of different ethanol blends. Galva has one of only 9 blender pumps currently operating in the state.

Galva Holstein Ag has aggressively marketed E85 and as a result has seen very strong sales, even though their pumps are located in rural communities. Their promotional efforts have included newspaper articles and advertisements, radio talk shows, company newsletters, direct mail to owners of FlexFuel vehicles, signage and auto dealer/service technician training.

Johnson was nominated by Lucy Norton from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association

E85, Ethanol, News

Virginia Gov Proposes Incentives for Renewable Energy

John Davis

Virginia’s governor is proposing a series of grants and tax credits to help renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind energy, grow in his state… and grow the green jobs that come with those sources.

kainethumbnailThis story from Virginia Business says Gov. Timothy M. Kaine sees the green jobs and renewable energy as a way out of the current economic problems the state is having:

Kaine’s proposals include:

– Expansion of an incentive grant for new and expanding businesses that produce clean energy sources and goods and equipment to improve energy efficiency. The size of the grants available would depend on a company’s economic return to the commonwealth. Kaine has included $2 million in his proposed budget to start the program.

– Change of financial support currently given to biofuel producers. The bill would provide a larger incentive — 10-cents-per-gallon — for biofuels that are produced from sources that are not used for food. The incentive will become 7.5 cents-per-gallon for biofuel sources that can also be used for food. The change also would reduce the production size requirement for companies to receive the incentive from 2 million gallons a year to 1 million gallons each year.

– An income tax credit for individuals and companies who install photovoltaic, solar thermal and small wind systems. Under the plan, corporations could receive up to $20,000 for solar photovoltaic, $10,000 for solar thermal and $15,000 for wind-powered electric generators. The total tax credits available for an individual or corporation would be $1 million.

– Sales tax exemption for solar photovoltaic, thermal systems and small wind systems.

Kaine says the package is a proactive move to reduce the use of foreign oil and help the environment.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News, Solar, Wind

Tyson/Syntroleum Biodiesel Plant Under Construction

John Davis

syntyson2The nation’s largest meat processor and a renewable fuel company have started construction on a biodiesel plant in Louisiana that will be the nation’s first renewable synthetic fuels plant.

This press release from Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp. says the Dynamic Fuels plant in Geismar, Louisiana will produce 75 million gallons of biodiesel a year when it goes to full capacity:

Construction offices are now in place and concrete foundations are being poured for the new facility. The project remains on budget and on schedule for startup in early 2010. Once in operation, the new facility will use Syntroleum’s Bio-Synfining™ Technology to convert animal fats and greases provided by Tyson into ultra-clean renewable diesel and jet fuel.

“There has been great progress in the last 18 months since the formation of Dynamic Fuels, as we have gone from concept to actually pouring concrete for the first renewable synthetic fuels plant in the United States,” said Jeff Bigger, senior vice president of business development for Syntroleum. “With the support of the State of Louisiana, outstanding effort and teamwork from the people working day to day on the project and the support of both Tyson Foods and Syntroleum we have been able to maintain our original project budget, economics and schedule for the Geismar facility.”

Jeff Webster, group vice president of Tyson’s Renewable Products Division, said, “We’re pleased with the progress made on this important renewable fuels project. Tyson is committed to revolutionizing the conversion of raw materials and by-products into high-margin initiatives, and the Dynamic Fuels venture is a cornerstone of this corporate strategy.”

The $138 million facility is expected to be finished by the end of this year with full operations by mid-2010.

Biodiesel

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Announces 2009 Conference and Expo

afvi-conferenceThe 2009 Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Institute (AFVI) Conference and Expo will be held April 19-22, 2009 at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. More than 35 hours of sessions with 200 speakers have been added to this year’s agenda to answer the following questions:

1. What will the automotive industry look like one year from now?
2. Will gas prices go up and when?
3. What environmental and transportation changes will come about under the new administration?
4. What alternatively fueled vehicles and advanced transportation vehicles exist for purchase today?
5. What is it going to cost to comply with the 2010 Environmental Protection Agency emission standards?
6. How do I take advantage of the new federal money available for alternative fuels?
7. When can I buy a plug-in hybrid?
8. Will anticipated new, stringent air quality regulations require new vehicle purchases?
9. How do I assess the life cycle cost for AFVs?
10. What has caused the recent surge in infrastructure development and will that continue?

For more information regarding the event, visit www.afv2009.com.

conferences, News

UF Student Wins Ethanol Contest

Cindy Zimmerman

The University of Florida Gators are National Champions again this year and now a UF student has won free ethanol-enriched fuel for a year.

Edgar the GatorUniversity of Florida student Joshua Nicdao won the Ethanol Challenge grand prize, valued at $1300, as part of the 2008 Fox Tailgate Tour. The contest was sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to help promote the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol to football fans and college students across the country.

“I still can’t believe I won. When I registered for free ethanol fuel for a year, I never thought I’d win,” said Nicdao. “As a student, having a year’s worth of ethanol will be a huge help to me financially, and it’s great that ethanol also helps environmentally.”

The Fox Tailgate Tour visited the University of Florida campus in October 2008 for the LSU vs. UF game where Nicdao participated in the ethanol challenge and entered to win the grand prize.

Officials with EPIC, which recently became part of the newly-formed Growth Energy organization, said they received thousands of entries for the contest and were pleased with their involvement in the tour to help promote ethanol.

EPIC, Ethanol, Growth Energy, News, Promotion

Biodiesel: It IS Rocket Science

John Davis

biodieselrocketCarlsbad, California-based Flometrics, Inc., an engineering service for the aerospace, medical device and consumer products industries, has tested B100 biodiesel on a RocketDyne LR-101 rocket engine.

This story from Space-Travel.com says it performed very well:

The B-100 fuel was found to have performance within 4% of the RP-1 fuel which the engine was originally designed for.

BioDiesel is a renewable, low toxicity, low flammability fuel. The use of vegetable based rocket fuel opens up the possibility of growing oil-producing crops on the moon or mars for use as stock for rocket fuel, eliminating the need of lifting the fuel from the surface of the earth.

NASA is already working on extracting oxygen from the lunar soil, and some scientists at ESA and NASA have proposed growing plants on the moon.

So while the moon might not be made of green cheese, it could one day produce green fuel.

Biodiesel

NREL: Biodiesel Keeps Getting Better

John Davis

mccormick1The overall quality of biodiesel keeps getting better.

The National Renewable Energy Lab says that quality is key to the growing industry:

NREL Principal Engineer on Fuel Performance Robert McCormick says biodiesel quality is improving rapidly in the United States, with large producers consistently meeting specifications. However, some small producers still have trouble meeting national standards.

McCormick and Senior Engineer Teresa Alleman served as significant contributors to revised biofuels specifications recently published by ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials.) Research conducted by NREL provided the technical basis for setting the new standards. McCormick and other collaborators also have co-authored the 2008 edition of the Biodiesel Handling and Use Guide.

The rigorous ASTM process yielded stringent specifications to help ensure the availability of high quality biodiesel blends in the marketplace and bolster automaker support and consumer demand for biodiesel.

NREL officials say the standards apply to any biodiesel, regardless of the feedstock used. That consistency is needed to ensure that when consumers buy biodiesel, they can rest assured that it will perform the same every time.

Biodiesel, Government

Donors Build Alt Energy Institute at Stanford

John Davis

precourtOne hundred million dollars has been donated to Stanford University for a new energy institute to find environmentally friendly energy sources.

This article from Reuters says half of the money is coming from an oil executive… interesting, since the intent of the institute is to make renewable energy cheaper than petroleum:

The new Precourt Institute for Energy is named after Jay Precourt, an oil executive who donated $50 million. Another $40 million came from Thomas Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor. Steyer is a Stanford trustee and managing partner of Farallon Capital Management.

The remaining $10 million was donated by Douglas Kimmelman, of Energy Capital Partners, Michael Ruffatto, the president of North American Power Group, Ltd, and Google (GOOG.O) Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, through the Schmidt Family Foundation.

The institute will create seven to eight new faculty positions, fellowships for graduate students and postdocs, and improve undergraduate and graduate energy curricula. The institute will also operate as a sort of venture capitalist, making seed money available for new ideas.

Precourt said in a statement he was concerned “we are importing energy from insecure, unreliable sources who are, in many cases, not friends of the United States.” The United States imports 70 percent of the oil it consumes.

Part of the problem is economics. Taylor said that alternative fuels would be more attractive if the “real price of gas were included in our market, for example environmental damage, foreign policy implications (and) foreign wars.”

This new institute will combine its efforts with the Stanford Global Climate and Energy project, a program that tries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News, Solar, Wind